I have been cooking away! I know it’s hard to think of what to make every day at some point i should post about my system of meal planning. It makes life a lot easier and more delicious! Some recent meals and recipes if you need ideas:

Oven-fried buttermilk chicken and Hungry Girl Mega Mac and Cheese.
The chicken is marinated in buttermilk ad then battered twice in flour, cumin, salt and pepper. The HG Mac and cheese (from the dr. Oz show) was a FAR cry from mine–healthy or not!

Southwestern falafel with guacamole with corn soup and spicy grilled sweet potatoes. The falafel recipe is from Cooking Light and invokes mashed pinto beans, corn chips, and cilantro (among other things). The sweet potatoes, also from CL, are my new favorite dish! Thinly sliced peeled sweet potato grilled on a grill pan coated in canola spray. Toss them in olive oil, cumin, garlic, S and P before and after grilling. Yum!

This one was fresh rolls, spinach and basil marinara, and an herb salad with red cabbage, avocado, and home made herb buttermilk ranch.
I’ve been trying to cut down on store-bought salad dressings; the health benefits alone are staggering. Also, home made dressings taste a lot better! I made this ranch in less than five minutes and it was delicious and health-conscious. Here is the recipe, although as usual I didn’t measure anything:

Herb Buttermilk Ranch dressing
Place about a tablespoon of mayo, around a cup of light buttermilk, and some lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Throw in some garlic (fresh, minced or crushed), S and P, then add whatever herbs you feel like (read: whatever you have). I used green onion, basil, and cilantro. Let it sit in the fridge to thicken a bit. Enjoy! You can also use Greek yogurt in place of mayo (I used a canola-oil mayo substitute) or even sour cream and maybe some vinegar if you’re missing the “tang” that mayo provides. This basic recipe can also make other creamy dressings, like blue cheese. With yogurt and blue cheese crumbles in a blender you have your base. Stir in some black pepper and more crumbles an you’re done!