Pineapple-Glazed Chicken

The lighting on this photo is off. I really need to come up with a better lighting solution. But the lighting wasn't the only thing that fell short.

The recipe wasn't as great as I hoped it would be. I thought something called Pineapple-Glazed Chicken would be more pineapple-y. It was just OK, but nothing to write home about. Just slight hint of pineapple.

The one thing that drew me to this recipe was that you pulled the chicken off, but it still had the bone. Score. Fewer fat and calories and I could still buy the super cheap chicken thighs (the boneless/skinless are super costly). But look at that crust. YUM.

So overall it gets a "meh." Better luck next time.

Herb-Crusted Salmon with Spinach Salad

My mom follows a diabetic diet and my sister lost a bunch of her extra college weight through South Beach. They both swear by the low carb approach. I personally don't think cutting any food group is a good idea. So I don't believe in the first two weeks of the South Beach diet.

And on Weight Watchers, there's no real need to cut out a food group. But maybe cutting back on carbs, just every once and a while, isn't such a bad idea. Might even save a few points here and there.

For most meals, I plan dish with protein, vegetables, and a whole grain. But last night, we at Herb-Crusted Salmon with Spinach Salad.. a dinner without a grain side dish.. and I wasn't starving afterwards.

And it was delicious, too.

What do you think about a low-carb approach?

Late Summer Vegetable Soup

I'm not feeling the best lately. I'm not sure if it's allergies (there's an air-quality alert today) or if it's an on-coming cold (people have been dropping like flies lately with a summer cold). Either way, I'm craving hot tea and soup.

So last night, we had Late Summer Vegetable Soup from the latest issue of Everyday Food. I used homemade chicken stock and added some dried herbs to the mix because I was afraid with just vegetables it would come out bland. And I was out of orzo, so it was some leftover whole wheat elbows.

It made a TON of soup. I'll be eating this all this week, most likely. But it doesn't matter. It was filling and satisfying. Perfect for days like these when I'm feeling a bit under the weather.