Pepper Steak and Watercress Sandwiches

Serves 4
Prep time: 1 minute (seriously), Cooking Time: 6-8 minutes (steak fries add 20 minutes)

2 (1/4-pound) filet mignon steaks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
4 whole grain rolls, split and toasted
1 cup watercress sprigs*

*Note: if you don't want to buy watercress, you can substitute any other lettuce. I did buy it, and I've been using the leftovers (because there are a lot) to add to sandwiches the rest of the week.

1. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Add steaks and cook until medium, 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to cutting board and let stand 3 minutes. Slice steaks into 3/4-inch slices. (Note: you could obviously cook these on the grill too.)

2. Meanwhile, stir together yogurt and horseradish in small bowl.

3. Spread cut sides of rolls evenly with yogurt mixture. Fill rolls evenly with steak and watercress.

Served with steak fries.

Results: Delicious and soooooo easy to make! The yogurt spread was yummy too. I added chopped chives to it because I had some that weren't going to last much longer. I will say this is not nearly enough meat for four sandwiches though! I bought two (4-oz) filets and used them for two sandwiches (the boys didn't eat these.) So, these are great for dinner guests, but make sure to buy one filet per person. My only complaint about an otherwise perfect recipe!

Karate Night Pizzas (or Three-Cheese and Tomato Pizzas)

Serves 4 (Chris didn't think one pita was filling enough for him, so make an extra one if you have an appetite!)
Prep Time: 5 minutes, Cooking Time: 5 minutes

4 (6-inch) whole wheat pitas
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

optional: chopped fresh basil, pepperoni

1. Preheat oven to 425*.

2. Arrange pita breads on baking sheet. Bake until heated through, about 1 minute on each side.

3. Top pita breads evenly with goat cheese and mozzarella. Arrange tomatoes on top; sprinkle with Parmesan. Heat until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with oregano.

Served with fresh strawberries.

Results: Thursday nights are crazy nights in our house, because Steven takes karate early in the evening. So I try to find something simple and quick that we can make between picking him up from school and getting him ready for karate. This meal is perfect for that! And even better, Steven LOVED them (and even requested one for lunch the next day!), so he has asked that we have them every Thursday night and they are now known as "Karate Night Pizzas". Shockingly, he said they were "even better than Dominos!"

These are super simple to make and you can customize everyone's pizza. (We left the tomatoes off the boys' pizzas and added pepperoni, added basil to ours, etc...) I thought these would be missing something (hellooooooo...pizza sauce!) but they weren't missing a thing. Delicious! Can't wait for Thursday nights!

Oh, and can I just point out that my boys love goat cheese? Weirdos! Steven won't eat a pot roast but give him some goat cheese and he's all set!

Apple-Raspberry Stuffed French Toast

Serves 4 (but probably wouldn't be enough for a man serving)
Prep Time: 4 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes

1 cup canned fruit pie filling, apple, chopped
1/3 cup sweetened frozen red raspberries, thawed
8 slices raisin bread, or cinnamon raisin bread
1/4 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup fat-free skim milk
1/3 tsp vanilla extract, or maple extract
1 Tbsp margarine
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 Tbsp reduced-calorie pancake syrup

1. Combine apple filling and raspberries. Arrange 4 slices of bread on a flat surface. Divide fruit filling equally onto each slice. Cover with remaining bread slices.

2. Combine egg substitute, milk and extract in a bowl. Heat margarine in a large skillet. Dip each sandwich into egg mixture; place in skillet. Cook on medium until
golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle each with 1/4 tablespoon powdered sugar and then drizzle each with 1 1/2 teaspoons syrup.

Results: Seriously? You have to ask? I mean, LOOK AT THAT FREAKING PICTURE! These were sooooooo delicious. I would not change anything about these. PERFECTION! The boys have already asked if I can make these for breakfast tomorrow.

p.s. DAMN! I just remembered that I had bought some turkey sausage that I planned to serve with this, and completely forgot! If I had remembered, I think the serving size would have been more than enough.

Crock Pot Pho

This recipe came from Two Pink Hippos

Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time 4-6 hours

6 cups beef broth or stock (I only had 4 cups, so I added 2 cups water)
2 inch chunk of ginger, peeled
3/4 tsp anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 sliced green onions
1 lb thin sliced beef (I used pre-packaged sliced meat and only used 3/4lb)
4 oz rice noodles
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Suggested Toppings: per bowl
1/4 lime wedge
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/4-1/2 tsp of red chili sauce
cilantro, garnish to taste
bean sprouts, garnish to taste

1. Add all the beef broth into the crockpot. Then add the meat, green onion, ginger, fish sauce, cinnamon, anise, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 4-6.

2. Add the rice noodles to the pot. Push them under the liquid to cook thoroughly, about 15 minutes.

3. Serve immediately in bowls and garnish with bean sprouts, squirt of lime wedge and cilantro. Add hoisin sauce and red chili sauce for additional flavor.

Results: No one liked this except me! I thought the flavors were fantastic. The boys wouldn't even try it, and Chris "just didn't like it." Too bad, suckers...I'll probably make this one again.