5 on Friday - Favorite Recipes Edition

This week for my 5 on Friday I am sharing five of our go-to recipes. They are tried and true staples in our house. So tried and true, in fact, I get stuck in a rut making them over and over. I am sharing with you in hopes of bringing something new to your table. Additionally, to help me find some new favorites, please share one of your tried and true healthy recipes in the comment section.

In no particular order:


1. Chicken Cassoulet - Eating Well (approximately 400 calories for a generous serving)

To me this dish is pure comfort food. It is hearty and great for fall/winter. I almost always have the ingredients on hand to make it - quick and easy. The recipe calls for some toasted bread cubes on tub, but most of the time I am too lazy to do that and who needs the extra calories? I like to serve it with a side of spinach, which I usually mix in a little to the cassoulet as I eat it.

picture from EatingWell.com

To see why I used the cookbook's picture check out the picture I posted here

RECIPE

2. Edamame Lo Mein - Eating Well (approximately 420 calories for a 2-cup serving - add additional calories for extra veggies)

I mostly follow Eating Well's recipe. However, my husband didn't love the edamame. I figured out the calories for the edamame and replaced it with the same number of calories worth of chicken breast. To bulk up the recipe a little I add more veggies - broccoli isn't part of the original recipe, but we love it. You can pretty much use the veggies you have on hand. In the picture below we used mostly veggies from our garden. You can read more about it in a previous post here.

RECIPE

3. Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas - Skinnytaste.com (approximately 400 calories for 2 tostadas)

This recipe has become one of our favorites. I know this will sound vain, but it is the type of recipe that doesn't scream "I am trying to lose weight or I am on a diet." In fact, I have put it on tortilla chips and served it to the guys watching football. They now request it. It sounds a bit odd, but I highly recommend trying the simple cabbage slaw with it. I always make extra slaw. The acidity of the lime works really well with the chicken and cheese.

Picture from skinnytaste.com

Again you can see why I used the picture from Skinnytaste.com. As delicious as it is, I can't seem to photograph it well - see here on a previous post.

4. Turkey Burgers with Zucchini - Skinnytaste.com.(approximately 160 calories for the burger + cheese filling and bun)

I modified the recipe and now they are known as Pizza Burgers or as my husband says "best burgers ever." I make the Skinnytaste recipe with the addition of a handful of chopped cilantro.  Then I wrap the meat around a couple tablespoons of Provel cheese and chopped jalapenos. Be sure to get the meat wrapped around well to keep the cheese in the middle of the burger. You can see the cheese has melted and oozed out a bit on this burger.

5. Carne Picada aka Car Wash Tacos - Won't Read Directions (approximately I don't know how many calories - we just love it)

One day I  bought a package of Carne Picada at Walmart with no idea what to do with it. I had never heard of it before. A quick Google search lead me to this recipe that has been a favorite ever since. The blogger at Won't Read Directions describes a car wash in El Paso, TX that has a little restaurant counter in the back. This is hands down one of my husband's favorite dishes. I can brighten any bad day by saying "car wash tacos for dinner." I use corn tortillas which I warm and blister a little directly on the gas burner. Sometimes, we put a little sour cream on. Sometimes, I add a slice of avocado. Sometimes my husband eats it directly out of the pan!

So that is what is on our table. Sorry to my regular readers who are seeing recycled pictures. See, I am really am in a bit of a rut with what we eat. As much as we love these recipes, we need help! Please leave me your favorite healthy recipe in the comment section.