Gnocchi with Broccoli Rabe, Caramelized Garlic, and Parmesan

In general, I challenge myself to try new vegetables. When growing up, my mom made three or four different kinds of vegetables -- mostly frozen green beans, broccoli, and maybe corn. Rarely, because I didn't care for them much, frozen peas.

I was fine with that when I was young. I think some kids could eat the same five items over and over again. (Chicken nuggets, anyone?) But as an adult, I want to try as many new things as possible.

I usually breeze past the greens and lettuces along the wall of the produce department. But a couple of weeks ago (and before I started back on Core), I picked up a bunch of broccoli rabe. It has leaves but spinach, but with small florets like broccoli. And while slightly bitter, it seems to taste close to broccoli.

It paired in this meal with garlic, parm, and gnocchi. A delcious way to fit in your green veggies in my opinion. Add a ton of garlic and cheese to anything and I'll probably eat it. With it was a red onion and orange salad, a little weird, but ok. I'll make the gnocchi again, I'm sure, but I probably won't make the salad.

What are some new vegetables you've tried lately?

Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Sauce

The other night I thawed out a pork tenderloin with the intent to make moo shu pork. But for some reason, two different stores were out of napa cabbage. Who knew it was so popular?

I didn't have anything specific planned instead, but I had just seen a pork tenderloin with mustard sauce in Everyday Food's Great Food Fast cookbook. And it was not only super easy, but really delicious, too. And I had all of the ingredients on hand. The pork gets nice and browned on the outside, but stays moist and tender on the inside.

It cooks on the stovetop, too, freeing up the oven to roast potatoes or veggies, if you like. I made smashed red potatoes with chives and steamed green beans because it's what I had on hand.

Do you plan your meals ahead or do you prefer to wing it?

Nutritional Info (for pork with mustard sauce only): 206 calories, 8.6 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of fiber

Curried Shrimp

I made this shrimp curry before I started eating Core, but it's a recipe that's completely Core as long as you make it with brown rice and use ff sour cream or ff plain yogurt in the dish.

And I must say, I really liked this dish. I can't say whether or not it's a good curry because I'm pretty much unfamilar with curries. But, I liked the flavors nonetheless. Plus, I love shrimp.

If you're on Flex, it's a good idea to cut back on the oil, but otherwise, it's a great dish even if you aren't doing Core. It's another homerun from Everyday Food.

Nutritional Info: Coming Soon