First let me just say I’m a mom with a full time job and her own business. The busy day part of this story is nothing new. :)

The picky preschooler? *sigh* I fear my son is JUST LIKE HIS FATHER!! I don’t know where I’m going wrong. I give him variety. I let him help in the kitchen. I never force anything down his throat. Yet he still automatically dislikes new things. He argued with me all the way home that he didn’t like mango sauce, even though the kid inhales fresh mangos weekly! I then present to him the dish and he’s gives me the face. You know that face. Upper lip curled. Eyes squinted with a look of disgust. Ugh! I hate that face! Funny thing is he didn’t like the chicken on the stick yet when I took it off and cut it on his plate he devoured a whole tender. So you be the judge. lol

Ok, the fire. You’ll know I can’t grill in my apartment, right? Well that’s how I really wanted to prepare the chicken but since the option was taken off the table I decided to go with a broiling method. No big deal until… dun dun dun… I closed the electric stove with un-soaked wooden skewers! YIKES!

Lesson learned.. lesson learned. :)

• 1 mango cubed
• juice of a lime
• 1 tbsp honey (21g)
• Pinch of dried mint leaves (about 1/8 tsp)
• About a pound of chicken tenders (or boneless breasts cut into tender like pieces)
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

I think this would better grilled but I’ll right up how I prepared it.

pre-heat the broiler.

Puree the mango, lime juice honey and mint leaves.

Place the chicken on skewers and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the mango puree on the chicken and let site for at least 10 minutes. (I made the toddlers lunch while waiting :)

Lay the chicken on a broiling pan pouring any extra puree on top. Broil about 5-6 minutes a side depending on the thickness of your chicken.

I served with everyone’s favorite.. PEAS! Something, I have to admit, the kid eats without argument. :)

BORING

I said, "Trust me, let me make something new." :) And I whipped us an Asian inspired glaze/marinade using what I had on hand. I marinated the chicken overnight and grilled it today.

Verdict?

My mom was the first to try it and said, "It’s Delicious!" That became the phrase of the day. People would say "Have you tried ‘The Delicious Chicken’?" "Have a piece of ‘Delicious Chicken’, it’s delicious!" :) Nothing could have made me happier.

The husband? Well he conceded. Apparently my new marinade was better then boring old BBQ sauce. :~D

• 1/2 cup sugar free Apricot preserves (68g)
• 2 tbsp rice wine or apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey (21g)
• 1 tsp olive oil (4g)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp dried chives

Whisk are all the ingredients together. I doubled for 5lbs of chicken (10 pieces.)

Put a little on the side to glaze with while cooking and pour the remaining in a large plastic bag. Add the chicken. Seal, removing as much air as possible.

Marinade for a few hours or overnight. Grill the chicken until done (vague I know but this post is about the marinate, not how to grill chicken- cooking times will vary greatly depending on what cuts of chicken you decide to use)

No nutritional information. Again it will vary depending on how you use the marinade.

I made another batch yesterday, this time using more meat and making more then one portion. I cooked the whole batch on the grill and froze the leftovers for my lunches like I do with the Southwestern Turkey Burgers.

The husband and the toddler both refused to even try a bite. Again.. cool with me! I want the lunches! :)

• 12oz lean ground turkey
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup (80g) old Fashioned Oats
• 3 tbsp (63g) honey
• 3 tbsp country style mustard (the kind with the whole seeds)
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients and form into 5 patties about 4 ounces each. The mixture will be moist.

Cook on a preheated grill on medium-high for about 5 minutes a side. Serve on your fav whole wheat bun with all the fixin’s. :) I used a sandwich thin, baby spinach, tomatoes, ketchup, black pepper and sweet pickles.

What’s better yet? It’s a cinch to make! Here’s what I did.

• 4oz pomegranate juice
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp honey (21g)
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• kosher salt and ground pepper.
• 4 thick slices of Vidalia onion.
• 4 thin cut boneless pork loin chops

Whisk together the pomegranate juice, garlic, honey, tarragon, large pinch of salt and ground pepper to make the marinade. Now, if you don’t have tarragon you can use any herb (thyme or basil would be good) you like but the tarragon went really well with the pomegranate juice.

Layer the pork chops and onion slices vertically in a quart sized baggie. Pour the marinade over and seal removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Heat an outdoor grill. Cook the chops and Vidalia slices 3-4 minutes a side. Longer if you have thick chops. My onion actually took longer then the pork!

“Can you make this every weekend?”

“You really hit this one out of the park!”

“Now this is RIGHT up my alley!”

Yes, ladies and gentleman, those all quotes from the husband! Apparently all I had to do was shove a beer can up a chicken’s a$$ to get him excited about dinner!

In all seriousness, you have to try this. It was a really easy way to cook whole chicken.

Heres how I cooked the whole meal. Is was a hit all around and much less work then you may think.

The Beer Chicken Feast!

• 1 small whole chicken around 4 pounds defrosted
• 1 12oz can of beer
• handful of fresh herbs, thyme and Sage worked great!
• 1 package of your favorite dry rub or pulty seasoning (I used Amazing Taste Poultry)
• 6 ears of corn with husks
• 1 can of your favorite baked beans

Preheat your outdoor grill on high.

Remove the plastic from the chicken and rinse with cold water. Remove any gizzards from the cavity.

Open the can of beer and pour out about 1/3 (or drink if you are in the mood). Pierce the top to make a few more whole.

Pour about ¼ of the poultry seasoning in the can of beer and stuff with the fresh herbs.

Place the beer can in the center of a baking dish. Place the chicken on the beer can making sure it enters the cavity. Position the legs to make a sort of tripod with the can and chicken legs.

Rub the remaining poultry seasoning on the outside of the chicken.

Cook the chicken in the heated grill on one side. Lower the side the chicken is on to medium and the other side of the grill to medium high. Cook for about an hour to an hour and half turning it about every 20 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking soak the corn (with the husks on) in a water until ready to grill. I do this right in my kitchen sink.

At about the 1 hour mark place the corn on the medium-high side of the grill. Open the can of bean and place on grill.

Turn the corn about every 5 minutes until the husks get scorched a bit.

Remove the chicken when you get a temperature reading of 160-180. Let it rest for at least 5 minute before cutting.

Nutritional information is tough on this one. For all my WW people, I count the chicken at 1 point an ounce (no skin of course), the corn at a 1 point a piece and the beans at 3 point ½ cup. This, of course, is just my opinion/technique for meals like this.

Click here to see how I cooked it in the oven.

• 1-2 pounds of a cured ham cut into thick slices (or you could actually buy ham steaks)
• 1 really large sweet potato cut into thick fry like pieces
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp (21g) honey
• 1 tbsp (20g) molasses
• ¼ tsp all spice

Cut the ham slices and potato wedges.

Whisk the vinegars, honey, molasses and all spice together. Pour the marinade into a large ziplock bag and marinate the ham steak and potatoes for about an hour.

Preheat the grill.

Cook the potatoes over medium heat first as they will take longer (about 45 minutes). To speed up the process you can start them in the microwave for 3-4 minutes and then grill.

Once the potatoes are just about done, place the ham steaks over high heat for about 3-4 minutes a side. The ham is already cooked so you are just heating it up and getting those pretty little grill marks.

Notice my peas in the corner, this is one of my grill tricks like I mentioned last year on Roni’s Weigh.

I had NO idea what to call this particular concoction except ‘quick’. I literally pulled the some frozen chicken out of the freezer, popped it in the microwave to defrost while I cut and cleaned the veggies. Then I whipped up the marinade, which I really can’t call a marinade as I only coated the chicken and veggies with it about 5 minutes before cooking! But it worked! Both the husband and the toddler enjoyed them. The only thing that didn’t go over too well was the tomatoes, so ate all of those! :~P

• 8oz boneless skinless chicken breast cut into small chunks
• 2 small-medium green peppers cut into chunks
• 1 cup pineapple cut into chunks
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• black pepper

Put the chicken, peppers, pineapple and tomatoes in large bowl, preferably with a lid for shaking!

Add the vinegar, soy sauce, and spices to the bowl and mix (or shake).

Skewer in a fun pattern like the toddler here (of course after playing drums) and grill over medium high heat for about 8 minutes turning to prevent burning. Makes 9 kabobs.

So upon returning from the store I whipped up a quick marinade, let the shrimp sit for about 20 minutes while I put the groceries away and then I grilled them on skewers.

To my surprise the husband offered up his dinner praises without being prompted. I almost fell out of my chair! He only had one complaint about the shrimp being hard to shell. Hey, I can live with that!

• 3 cloves of garlic run through a garlic press
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey (21g)
• Kosher Salt & Pepper
• 1 pound of uncooked shrimp (I used 26-30 count)

Mix the garlic, oil, lemon juice, honey, and a sprinkle of salt & pepper in a medium bowl.

Add the shrimp to the bowl and toss to coat. let sit for at least 20 minutes.

Skewer the shrimp and grill about 3-4 minutes a side until pink all the way through.

The husband said it was… you guessed it…  “good”. HOWEVER, he asked for seconds AND he said he would like me to make it again! So that’s a good sign. :~P Even the toddler gobbled up a whole skewer!

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 large green bell pepper cut into large chunks
• 1 large red pepper cut into large chunks
• 2 thick slices of a large sweet onion cut into large chunks
• 20oz (6) Italian turkey sausage links (I used Shady Brook Farms Hot) partially defrosted
• 8 skewers sticks
• non-stick cooking spray (for grill)

Preheat the grill.

Put the olive oil, vinegar and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Add the pepper and onion chunks. Toss in the oil mixture to coat.

Cut each sausage links into 4-5 chunks. If you keep the sausage slightly frozen this process is much easier. Simple defrost frozen sausage for a few minutes in the microwave.

Toss the sausage chunks into with the pepper and onions

Skewer the sausage with the pepper and onion, alternating the three ingredients. I shot for 4 pieces of sausage per skewer.

Makes 8 skewers and I had enough veggies left over for a veggie one.

Lower the grill to medium cook for 20-25 minutes turning frequently.

I served on a bed of instant whole grain flavored rice.

So I thought I’d whip together a quick sweet and spicy marinade/BBQ sauce using apple flavor as the base. I love apples and pork together and this is my attempt to BBQ-nize it.

Did the husband like it? Well, let’s see….

Me: “So, what do you think?” (Side note: that was after a few bites and he KNOWS I’m dying to hear is review. He purposely holds back until I ask, I swear!)
The Husband: “It’s good.”
Me: “Good, good? Or just good?” (I love annoying him!)
The Husband: “It’s good. A little too sweet though.”
Me: “WOW really? I thought you were going to say too hot. I was going for the whole sweet and spicy thing.”
The Husband: “Well, I like the hot, the sweet, no so much.”
Me: “But that was the point, SWEET and spicy.”
The Husband: “ok, well I don’t like the sweet. It’s too sweet.”
Me: “But you like them?”
The Husband: “Yea, they’re good.”

This is a pretty typical conversation for us when I experiment in the kitchen. The husband really isn’t a food guy, his response is either, “It’s good” or he doesn’t eat it. It’s like there is no in between. It CRACKS me up!

Anyway, here you go. It was a fun, spicy detour from regular old BBQ sauce. Oh! And too spicy for the toddler, he had a plain chop.

• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp applesauce
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp Tabasco (this made it pretty hot, you might want to cut it back)
• 4 boneless pork loin chops (about 4 oz each – 1 lb total)
• Salt & Pepper

Mix the molasses, vinegar, applesauce, ketchup and Tabasco.

Season the pork chop with salt and pepper and smother with the sauce. Grill for a 3-4 min a side on a preheated grill and brush with reamining sauce. If you have thin cuts like mine, they cook up real fast. I think the thick asparagus actually took longer to grill!

About a year ago I was distraught to find that Trader Joe’s discontinued one of may favorite summer treats, their Southwestern Turkey Burger. I think they replaced it with some chicken burger but it’s just not the same.

This is my recreation. I cooked mine on the George Forman but I can’t WAIT to get them on the BBQ this summer!

• 8oz extra Lean Ground Turkey
• 1/3 of a red bell pepper diced small
• 1/3 of a green bell pepper diced small
• 1/3 of a yellow bell pepper diced small
• ½ of a small onion diced small
• 1 medium button mushroom diced small
• 1 egg white
• ¼ cup quick oats
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 tsp dried cilantro
• Salt & pepper

Put all ingredients in a bowl and combine with hands.

Form the mixture into 4 equal sized patties approximately 4 ounces each.

Grill about 4-5 minutes a side or about 6 minutes on the George Forman Grill.

I served it on a Whole Wheat Potato Roll (a whole wheat English muffin would work too) with a bed of baby spinach and some ketchup. I also cooked up the other 3 and froze them for lunches.

What about the husband? well, he had a regular old burger. BORING! ;~P

Are your burgers sticking? Click here for me tips?

Update: See me make these burgers on video!

I prefer to grill the chicken on the BBQ but in the winter, I use the George Forman. Ether way it’s a quick dinner!

• 16 oz of chicken breast (only white meat) cut into tender style pieces or chicken tenderloins
• 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tbsp spicy Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dried parsley flakes

Mix the vinegar, mustard and parsley in a small bowl.

Place the chicken in a ziplock bag, pour in the marinade. Seal and let sit for at least 10 minutes.

Grill the chicken for 4-5 minutes a side.

Serve!

Can’t get any easier then that!

Normally I serve with grilled veggies. Tonight I made the perfect side, Roasted Balsamic Cauliflower!