Easter dinner - Braised Lamb Shanks with Swiss Chard

The husband and I decided to try lamb for a change for Easter. I'm not a big fan of the baked ham to begin with and the fact that ham is so high in Sodium really helped us to reach this decision. So we set out to find a good recipe and found this one. I didn't take many pictures along the way so forgive me for showing you just the results.

 The lamb, just out of the oven

Bulgur is done. 

Baked Tilapia and Quinoa Pilaf

So, as part of eating healthier (especially heart-healthier) we switched to pretty much whole grain only. This involves to explore other starchy sides and so I decided to finally try quinoa. Again simplyrecipes.com was right there to help with this delicious recipe. The Tilapia is actually really easy to prepare. I line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and sprayed some Olive oil on it; Next I poured about 1/3 cup of lemon juice over it, sprayed a little bit more oil on the fish and sprinkled some fresh thyme all over. Finish it all with a little pepper to taste (no salt!) and off to the pre-heated oven (350°F) for about 15-20 minutes….just watch it. You can also turn on the broiler the last few minutes, but it's up to you.

Grilled Chicken on a bed of Baby Spinach with Mushroom Barley

So, because I didn't take pictures while I was preparing the meal, I posted three of my plate to compensate. Eventually I'll do because each one of those dishes are now a staple on our menu.

The chicken is really the best I have had. I omit the salt and it still tastes yummy. The spinach is just sauteed in a little olive oil and garlic. The barley recipe is so delicious. It s the first barley recipe I tried and so far I haven't made another one. You have to start this one first since the barely takes a while to cook, but it's well worth it.

Again, I will take and post step-by-step pictures and then will link back this post.

Morning Glory Muffins

So, after we started to eat heart healthy (thanks to the hubby's elevated cholesterol), I tried to find some healthier breakfast options as well. Let's face it, oatmeal every day gets kind of boring. So, I stumbled across these muffins and gave it a try.

Overall, I must say they taste good, although my husband liked them more than I did. Next time, I shouldn't make more than half since our son can't eat them because of the yogurt, but I will make them again.