Musings about Property Management--a little random, I know! :)

Being in the military community, I tend to see a lot of couples actively managing their own properties. What I mean by this is that many military families purchase their home when they are stationed somewhere. Upon new orders, of course, they end up either selling the property or renting it out to usually other military families. We have thought about doing this in fact; however, I felt that it would be difficult to maintain a home from thousands of miles away. In my research, though, I have found that often times one can hire a property manager who basically works for you to make sure your tenants are maintaining your property properly, as well as doing other odds and ends such as collecting rent and scheduling maintenance. I like the idea of this because it helps to alleviate the stress of trying to do all of these things when you aren’t even in the same city.

The idea of being a property manager, whether in a smaller setting, such as managing a few homes within the local community, or on a larger scale, such as managing corporate buildings or apartment complexes, seems like a rewarding career. I think it takes a special kind of person to be in this particular business and something that I feel would be important when taking on this task, is having support from fellow property managers and their respective companies. When researching this field, I stumbled upon a property management company support blog called Property CEO. The blog’s main purpose is to “provide a community for property managers to discuss news and information and to also share knowledge, ideas, and insight relevant to the Property Management world.” The blog is relatively new, but already has articles that would be helpful and enlightening to anyone who is a property manager or perhaps even thinking about becoming one.

One of the neat things that the starters of this blog are planning to promote is property management software. The benefits of this type of software are plenty. From tracking income and your expenses to tracking payments from your tenants or providing a forum for maintenance requests—this software basically does your job for you and allows you to be less stressed and, most importantly, more organized. In the coming months, Property CEO plans on actively promoting this type of software and based on the content already on the blog, I definitely think their blog is something to look into and follow if you are planning on becoming a property manager in the future or if you are already one. After all, the more resources you can get your hands on, the more successful you will be! Definitely check them out—they are headed for great things!  

Please Note: Information about the Property CEO blog is from their about page, http://www.propertyceo.com/about/.

Traveling Tuesdays and a lil' Mary Kay Monday! :)

I haven't posted for Traveling Tuesdays in a while! Goodness! Mainly because Matt had to go to Japan for a week and while Nicky ate yummy Gerber Graduates for dinner, I had Lean Cuisines. :) Last week I made Ancho Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream. Boy was it delicious! And pretty too!!! I made the recipe consistent with the directions, the only thing I had to substitute was the slaw. I couldn't, for the life of me, find cabbage "angel hair" slaw (this is an Alaska problem I've started to notice...not being able to find certain things)...so I used broccoli and carrot slaw. Still fantastic and the avocado cream was TOTALLY worth it. I made a little too much, but I didn't see that as a bad thing to be honest. Made for a good dip during the weekend!!

This week has been crazy weather wise. We are currently experiencing LOTS of rain, mixed with snow. Yes. You read that correctly. Snow. Apparently, after chatting with the ladies at the gym today, this is not normal. I told them about how in Colorado, we usually had a snow around Halloween or a little after. They told me it was the same here. I guess the weather decided to welcome us full force here in Anchorage. It isn't accumulating, obviously!, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it is September 29th and we are getting snow. I knew it was going to be a wet, cold week so I decided that I really wanted to make a soup! Nothing better than eating a hot, yummy soup while it's cold and rainy (or snowy) outside. I thought it would be fun to try a soup for Traveling Tuesdays--which led me to Sichuan Beef Soup. This soup is a little more challenging and I will be honest, I made some changes just because of time constraints. Such as not having enough time the day before to cook dinner for us then turn around and cook the next night's dinner all while having a toddler and all of that fun stuff. That being said, I think this soup would be great to try again on the weekend when I have time! I feel though that the modifications I made for it, were fine! And I think it tasted fantastic!!!

SICHUAN BEEF SOUP
Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 quarts water 

2 pounds (2-inch-thick) bone-in beef shanks

2 teaspoons peanut oil or canola oil

1 cup chopped white onion

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, chopped

6 cups water

1 tablespoon chile garlic sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons black bean garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns

3 star anise

1 cup sliced green onions, divided

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce 

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

2 baby bok choy, cut in half lengthwise

1/2 pound fresh Chinese-style wheat noodles

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

Added: can of water chestnuts 

Notes: I used Beef for Stew (it was cubed already, which meant fast...even though I would like to eventually try it with the bone-in beef shanks for that type of flavor); I also did not use peppercorns or star anise in the cheesecloth because of time and I couldn't find the Sichuan peppercorns. Instead I used fresh ground pepper and star anise seeds. We barely noticed the seeds and I think it turned out just fine. 

The first thing I did was follow the directions for the beef. I brought the 3 quarts of water to a boil and cooked the beef until the outside was no longer pink. I think if I used the beef for stew again, I would probably reverse the order of the onions, garlic, and ginger being put in after the beef. I feel it would have been better to cook the onions, garlic, and ginger in the oil first, then add in the beef to cook it in those flavors. But, I followed the directions and after the meat was cooked, I drained it and wiped my pot clean, added the oil and cooked the onions, garlic and ginger. While that was cooking I cut up the meat into smaller cubes. I then added the 6 cups of water (slowly) to the onions, garlic, and ginger in the pot. 

Next, I added the chile garlic sauce, the black bean garlic sauce (which by the way I have always wanted to try...call me weird), the fresh ground pepper, and anise seeds into the water. Followed by the chopped green onions, brown sugar, and soy sauce. I added the meat back into the mix and brought everything to a boil, then I reduced it to a simmer and let it mellow for about 2-3 hours. 


The next thing I did was add tomatoes and something that was not included on the ingredient list...water chestnuts. Why? Because I like them. And baby corn. But that's another story for another time. It's not really a story...I just like baby corn. :) 

I then cut up bok choy. I could not find baby bok choy in the store (again....#alaskaproblems), so I just did regular bok choy and treated it like spinach. When I say that, I mean that I cut it up and then put it into the soup at the very last minute (or else it would wilt too much).

While I was waiting for the bok choy to do it's thang, I made the Chinese noodles. Once everything was done, the noodles were placed at the bottom of the bowl and the soup was ladled on top! And boy was it good!!! Can't say it enough...it's so great to have hot soup for a cold day!! The calorie total for a serving was 408, which is a little on the high end, but you are getting a great amount of protein and veggies! Super tasty and fairly easy!! My kind of dish! :) 






Now for my Mary Kay Monday!! Today I am going to talk about our best selling set--the Miracle Set!! I absolutely love the Miracle Set. I know you think I'm supposed to say that, but really I do. In fact, ever since I started using the Miracle Set religiously about a year or so ago (when I started my business), I have had friends and family tell me how amazing my skin looks. The general consensus was that my skin looked bright/glowing. The Miracle Set comes in two formulas, normal to dry and combination to oily. Sometimes, however, my customers have skin that reacts differently to just these two types of sets. So I actually do have people who use, for example, the normal to dry cleanser and combination to oily moisturizer. Or vice versa. It's just based on how your skin is--and that's my job! To figure out what works best for you. For me personally I use the combination to oily formula. That's a side note! :) 

What makes it a set though? Well the Miracle Set includes the four products shown in the picture. Our cleasner (normal to dry/combo to oily), moisturizer (normal to dry/combo to oily), our day solution (all skin types!), and our night solution (all skin types!). There is also a basic set, which just includes our cleanser and moisturizer without the day and night solution. Another side note! Ha! :) 

These products have eleven (11!!!!) amazing benefits for your skin. They are: cleanse, exfoliate, freshen, energize, hydrate, smooth, firm, soften, protect, rebuild, and reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles! Quite a punch in just four products. In fact, in a 12-week clinical study, dermatologists found that 83% of users had a REDUCTION of fine lines and wrinkles, there was a 25% IMPROVEMENT in the skin's elasticity (more elasticity=less wrinkles!), 100% had softer and more supple skin (I can definitely attest to this...as every time I use these products, I just sit and touch my skin..it feels SO incredibly soft!), and lastly, 46% had IMPROVEMENT in a more even skin tone.  

After reading all of that, you may be saying to yourself..."Yea, okay. You are spouting off all of these facts and such, but how do I know you are making it up??" Good question. ;-) The best thing about these products, besides what they can do for your skin, is that not only are they one of our best sellers in Mary Kay, but they also have the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. Which means that Good Housekeeping has performed clinical trials themselves and have approved that what I have just told  you, is in fact true; and if you find that it's not, you can send your products to Good Housekeeping, and they will refund you your money to it's entirety. If that's not a guarantee, than I'm not sure what is! 
 
In looking at each product, our cleanser is a 3-in-1 cleanser where it cleanses, exfoliates, and refreshes your skin (think toner). It leaves your skin feeling clean and NOT stripped. Which I love. 





 

Our moisturizer is formulated with a patented complex that reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It contains a powerful antioxidant to help guard against free radical damage and hydrates skin for up to 10 hours. It also contains an ingredient known to absorb oil. Which is great because as someone with oily skin, I need the absorption! :) 



Those two products, as said before, make up our basic set. But we are chatting about the Miracle Set! So there are two more products that I want you to know about. 


Our day solution is used....during the day! Huh! Who would have thunk it! :) In order of application, our day solution is used after the cleanser and before the moisturizer. The day solution helps prevent lines and discoloration before they occur by blocking damaging UVA/UVB rays. Plus, a calming peptide helps relax expression lines. And it has SPF 15 in it! 

And lastly, our night solution. The order of application is the same as the day solution except it's used at night (after the cleanser, before moisturizer). I love this formula because it makes your skin feel and look AMAZING in the morning. The night solution has a unique delivery system of Nutribeads® microcapsules contain highly effective antioxidants essential for skin's renewal process, so when you wake up you look refreshed and awake...even if you aren't! :) 

Used together, all four of these products produce amazing results...and as I said before, I've never really been complimented so much on my skin before! I can't stress enough the importance of a good skin care regime. No matter how old you are, starting a consistent regime will benefit you in the long run by either preventing wrinkles or reversing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. I never really thought of preserving my skin when I was younger, but now that I've been consistently using such a great set of products, such as the Miracle Set, I wish I could go back and start using it sooner. In any case, I love the results so far and I love that I can help women and men (yes, men can use this too!!!) care for their skin for the rest of their lives. 

That being said, I wanted to put something out there that it such a fun challenge! It's called the Glow and Tell challenge. I'm always on the look out for anyone who wants to try the Miracle Set (or another Mary Kay skin care set) and this challenge allows me to do just that. It's not just a challenge for me...but for you as well--to see the results and use new skin care products! The way it works is that you purchase a skin care regime from me and take a picture on Day 1 (before you use it!). No make up. Just you! And send the picture to me. Then for the next 21 days, use the products consistently and on Day 21...I want to see a new picture of you! At the end of the 21 days, and after I receive your fabulous picture, I am going to send you a coupon for a discount on your next purchase with me. Hopefully more skin care! Because I know you're going to love it. If you're interested in participating in this challenge or would like to even invite some friends to participate as well, I would love to hear from you. If you and your friends are not sure, since you all have never tried the products, I can always do a Skype session with you and your friends if you are not in Alaska. I can send samples of the product ahead of time and together I'll teach you how to use the products and you can see what they feel like! If you live in the area, I can do the same thing for you, but in person!! :) I'm always here to help and guide you and I want you to be able to feel comfortable with these products and with helping your skin be the best skin! Because after all...it's yours to keep and take care of for your whole life. It does so much for us...why not do something great for it! :) 

If you'd like to contact me to take the challenge, please feel free to leave a comment or you can send me an email at jenniferbroderick@marykay.com. I can direct you to the perfect formula for you! Thanks for reading and for learning about the Miracle Set! I hope you enjoyed the post! :) 

Ghost Adventures Premiere Food and Mary Kay Mondays

About two weeks ago or so, I told y'all about the new Ghost Adventures Season coming up (Season 11!) and that I was really excited because I decided that I was going to make some appetizers for the occasion. Something different.

I wanted to share the appetizers that I made in a quick post. I didn't take pictures of each step (I apologize), but we were really busy buying patio furniture that day and by the time we got home, I had about an hour and a half to make three appetizers and a signature drink.

I planned the appetizers during the week and I wanted each to be associated with one of the guys on Ghost Adventures. There are four main guys at the moment: Zak, Aaron, Billy, and Jay. My other requirement for the appetizers was that I wanted them to be low calorie, even though it was a cheat day. So after much research all over the internet I found (and named):

1. Zak's Zucchini Sticks with Marinara Sauce
2. Aaron's Artichoke Dip
3. Jay's Jalapeño Poppers
4. Billy's Berry Sangria 

L-R: Artichoke Dip, Zucchini Sticks, Berry Sangria, & Jalapeno Poppers

Ha! It was a lot of fun looking up different recipes and it was actually quite difficult finding ones that I wanted to make. I did take ONE picture of the finished products...all lined up and ready to be enjoyed. They were all very tasty. I will tell you though that I enjoyed the Artichoke Dip and Jalapeño Poppers the most. There was something missing from the Zucchini Sticks. 


I got all of the recipes off of Skinny Taste and the only change I made was the Jalapeño Poppers did not have bacon. Therefore, I microwaved some bacon and crumbled it into the cheese mixture. I also did not dredge them in egg whites and then the bread crumbs. I had panko on hand and actually just used the cheese/bacon mixture as a binding agent and pressed each popper into the panko (which I had seasoned with salt and pepper). This added a crunch and it didn't take away from the jalapeñoes themselves. And it wasn't messy. 

Here are the links: Skinny Artichoke Dip, Baked Zucchini Sticks, and Skinny Baked Jalapeño Poppers.

Now I'm sure you are wondering about the Berry Sangria. Well...first off, it's not *really* sangria. You caught me. I've made this type of special drink before and it's something you really can't mess up! You can make it alcoholic or non-alcoholic as well. 

BERRY SANGRIA
Serves 1 

Ingredients: 

Crystal Light Berry Sangria Liquid Drink Mix (the squirt bottle) 
Berry Flavored Sparkling Water (this can be store brand or La Croix), can or bottle*
Ice
Vodka (if alcoholic...no vodka if non-alcoholic), 1-2 shots

Additions: You can add a squeeze of lime or even some frozen berries to the mix

*Note: If it's a can, you may end up using two.  

What I usually do is I take a shot glass to measure the vodka and put it into a blender. I add one or two cans of the berry flavored sparkling water (or a bottle of it). I add the ice and for this particular mixture, I added about 4 good squirts of flavoring. I blend everything together. It ends up being kind of slushy, but not super slushy. At this point I would add the frozen berries to mix in and reserve some for presentation. Mix it well. Then pour into wine glasses or other pretty glasses you may have. And enjoy! I know it's not real sangria and I know it's kind of silly, but I've made this using Crystal Light's Margarita Powdered Drink Mix (which apparently they do not sell anymore) with tequila of course, and it was fun because it's a low calorie margarita that you can enjoy without all the guilt. I also like making this (or other flavors!) non-alcoholic because of the slushiness and it makes you feel like you are indulging...when you really aren't!   

In the end, it was a lot of fun to watch the new season and it was also fun coming up with recipes to make. 

So I've also decided that on Mondays, I'm going to do a post about products with Mary Kay! I get a lot of questions about various products and I wanted to make a post that focused specifically on one or two things each week. I love talking about Mary Kay and I also love making sure that people are informed!! So there you have it!! 

Before I get into the products I'm going to talk about in this post, I wanted to write a bit about WHY I decided to join Mary Kay. The only exposure I really had to Mary Kay before joining was a friend's mom who sold it. And I also know my mom used it. I do remember going to a Mary Kay meeting one evening with my friend's mom because she asked me to be a "model" for her. It was really fun and very interesting to listen to these women talk and help each other out. I also did a little bit of inventory work for her during the summer, which was fun! She let me view samples and try things out. Kind of a girl's dream to play with make up! :) I didn't really have any other exposure to it until November of 2013. I was pregnant and in my first semester of grad school. I had joined a MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) group and was approached by one the ladies there to be a practice face for her. I agreed because I was curious about the product and I love being pampered of course. I went that Saturday and loved everything about the experience. She asked me if I wouldn't mind helping her out with the business side of Mary Kay by coming to get coffee with her and her Director one day during the coming week. I wanted to help her out and I was also really curious at this point about the business. When I went home from that meeting over coffee, I had learned everything I wanted to know about Mary Kay. It was really interesting listening about the business side and it's great to hear what your consultant does and why she does what she does. I wanted to join that night in fact, but I was hesitant because I was about to have a baby and of course I was in grad school so I didn't know how I would grow my business. I'm kind of glad I didn't join at that point. A lot of change happened after the new year and even though I know for a fact that I would not have been hounded AT ALL about why I wasn't selling, I would have felt guilty that I wasn't doing something with my business because I always try to put 110% into everything I do. Fast forward to that summer, in 2014. I ended up joining and haven't looked back since! I enjoy everything about this business. I know there are many "whisperings"out there about Mary Kay and I also know that there are Directors out there who are not pleasant. But in my case, I have felt nothing but love and encouragement in everything I do from everyone in my unit. Each time I teach a skin care class, I feel confident. And in fact, I have found that people I know tell me how much more confident I am after joining Mary Kay. I think it has to do with the fact that I am helping women. Whether they purchase a lipstick from me or skin care. I'm helping THEM feel more confident about themselves and I think that's what I love most about this business. :) 


I wanted to start off Mary Kay Mondays with a product that is actually new to Mary Kay. It's called the TimeWise Pore Minimizer. TimeWise is the brand of products by Mary Kay that are proven anti-aging products. In fact our Miracle Set, which I will chat about at some point, has the Good Housekeeping Seal which means that if you don't like the product, you can actually send it to Good Housekeeping and they will pay you back for it. Pretty awesome! 

The Pore Minimizer actually replaced the second step to the Microdermabrasion Set, which I've personally been using for over a year now. Mary Kay kept the first product within the set, called Refine, which has microbeads in it that gently exfoliate your skin to remove all the dead skin cells in and around your pores. After this, you were to use the second step, which was called Repair in order to....repair your skin! Before, you had to purchase the set in order to get both products. But now, you can purchase both the TimeWise Microdermabrasion Refine and the TimeWise Pore Minimizer separately. Which I thought was a great idea! Each product stands perfectly on their own. You can still buy them as a set, though. Which they have re-named the TimeWise Microdermabrasion Plus Set. 

Did you know that there is an average of 20,000 pores on your face?? That's quite a bit!! With so many, it's easy to become hyperfocused on them since some pores are more visible than others. The Pore Minimizer counteracts that and provides a daily defense against the look of enlarged pores. So what is the Pore Minimizer? It's a lightweight serum which you can use in the morning and at night! The one thing immediately noticed the first time I used it, was that my skin texture changed. My face felt softer--in fact I couldn't STOP touching it. The second thing I noticed was that it truly is lightweight. I didn't feel bogged down with product. Mary Kay did an independent consumer study in which 226 panelists used the product twice a day (morning and night) for three weeks. These were the amazing results: 80% said that it gave them close-up-confident skin, 83% said it tightened the look of their pores, 87% said that it improved their skin's overall appearance, and 90% said it left their skin feeling silky. I feel that the results truly speak for themselves! And in fact, I have noticed all of these things myself. 

I also use the Microdermabrasion Refine product, which I love. I thought I would comment briefly about it as well. As I said before, this product exfoliates your skin. I love it because all of the microbeads in it are all one size. What I mean by that, is that I *used* to use St. Ives face scrub. Yikes. I know. When you look at the texture of the scrub, all of the pieces in it are different sizes. So in theory you are exfoliating your skin unevenly. The Refine pieces are all the same size, so you are exfoliating your skin evenly making for a clearer complexion. This product you use only twice a week. Yes, you read that right! I usually say on the Ws. Wednesdays and one day on the Weekend. It's easier for me to remember. I love the feeling of my skin after I use it and because it's gentle, I don't end up with a red face that normal microdermabrasion ends up doing. The best thing I heard recently was during a facial. Matt had bought me an hour massage and an hour facial for my birthday? I think? And I refused to use it until I had passed my Oral Exams for my Masters degree. Mainly because I wanted the experience to be relaxing, but also because I was too busy!!!! So I finally got to enjoy it after I graduated! During the facial, my face was looked at through a larger magnifier. A little nerve wracking because I just knew it would show everything. Well the esthetician doing my facial literally went..."huh." Which I took as a negative thing! Ha! I asked her what was wrong and she said, "Nothing. I just have never really had anyone in here who didn't have any blackheads and clear pores. What do you use??" And I told her that I use Mary Kay, in particular a microdermabrasion set twice a week and she told me to keep using it because it's obviously a great product! How about that for results!!!???  I just thought that was the coolest thing to hear and I wanted to share it with you. :) 

The best thing about both of these products is that right now, when you purchase $40 or more of Mary Kay products you get the cutest little Deluxe Mini Set with your order for FREE. Yep. FREE! The set includes both the Refine and the new Pore Minimizer. Kind of a try before you buy situation! And it's FREE. Did I mention that? :) 

Anyway, I hope that you have enjoyed all the knowledge about the Pore Minimizer AND the Microdermabrasion Refine products. I really love them both and how they make my skin look and feel!! If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments section! I hope that you have had a wonderful Monday and I look forward to chatting more!! 




You can find these and more products on my website at www.marykay.com/jenniferbroderick! 

Spanish Pork with Apple-Citrus Salsa

I've been doing a lot of fruit salsas with our dishes lately. Probably because the mantra here at the moment is very similar to Game of Thrones...."Winter is Coming." Apparently, when winter is making it's way to this area, one starts to see a dusting on the mountains. Well. I've seen the dusting. Everyone has seen the dusting. The dusting is all anyone can talk about. Therefore, in an effort to hang onto summer (and avoid the dusting), I've been encouraging a lot of outdoor grilling (and dining!).

I've made this recipe before, but I couldn't remember when. Turns out that I was planning on posting this back when we were in Leavenworth. Never happened. No idea why. In any case, I made it again and it (once again) received raved reviews from the masses. Well just Matt and Nicholas. So I am super excited to share this with you!!

SPANISH PORK WITH APPLE-CITRUS SALSA
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon pimenton*

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed 

2 cups diced Granny Smith apple

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons apple juice 

1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced

Cooking spray 

*Note: I used Smoked Paprika 

The recipe starts with an easy dry rub; combining the chili powder, dried oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, and (in my case) smoked paprika.  

The next step is to take your olive oil and brush it onto your pork tenderloin. Once you have done this, you take your dry rub and sprinkle it over the pork tenderloin, rubbing it into the pork as you go until it's completely covered. 

 
There's a story behind these two pork tenderloins. So the recipe calls for a pound--which in my experience is hard to find...and especially hard to find up here! For some reason these tenderloins only come in one size. LARGE. The one I found was over two pounds and it was the smallest one (and cheapest). I *thought* that there was just one pork tenderloin encased in it's little wrap...but SURPRISE. There were two. I say all of this because the rub was enough for both!

The next thing is that you let the pork sit. For about 30 minutes at room temperature to marinate in the goodness of the rub that is dry.

Did you like that?

While you wait...make the salsa!! All you have to do is mix together the apples, cilantro, apple juice, lime rind (I used my trusty microplane), lime juice, green onions, and jalapeño pepper. Stir well, put a cover on it, and set it in the refrigerator to get happy. 

Once your pork has rested for 30 minutes, fire up the grill and grill it! Make sure it reads 145 degrees before you pull it off though! 

I know my grilling looks pretty shabby...but I am still getting the hang of it. I promise you it still was DELICIOUS. 

Look how pretty on the inside!!! :) I let it rest on the cutting board for about 10 minutes to let the juices do their thang and then sliced it into little medallions. 

When we were ready to eat, I pulled out the salsa to top off the pork. 

The pork was as tasty as I remembered and even Nicholas liked it! I served it with a salad and wild rice. It was so nice outside that we decided to take advantage of our new patio furniture. Totally worth it. 

This dish comes in at 227 calories per serving and it was even great for leftovers over the weekend! I made it into pork tacos using corn tortillas (warmed on the stove) and of course topped the pork off with the salsa. I love it when recipes can be transformed into something different for another day. More bang for your buck I suppose! 

I know that this recipe has gone into my "make again" folder and I definitely will. I think it's pretty enough for company even! The spices aren't too spicy and you can most certainly adjust it per your liking. 

I hope that if you try this dish you will love it! And if you do, let me know!!! :) 

Here's the link: Spanish Pork with Apple-Citrus Salsa

Cilantro-Lime Grilled Chicken with Strawberry-Jalapeño Salsa

I made this recipe this week and even though it's not a Traveling Tuesday recipe I really had to share it! First of all, it was really easy. Which is nice with a toddler running around. And of course, it smelled and tasted fantastic! It was equally approved by Matt and Nicholas alike. :) And I could see this being cooked ahead and used throughout the week for lunch. Let's get started!!!

CILANTRO-LIME GRILLED CHICKEN WITH STRAWBERRY-JALAPENO SALSA
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Marinade
 
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
4 thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts (or regular chicken breasts..just pound them thinner)
Kosher Salt
Coarse Black Pepper

For the Strawberry-Jalapeño Salsa

2 cups diced strawberries
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon minced red onion
1½ tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
½ lime, juiced
Kosher Salt 

The first thing I did was get everything together to marinate the chicken. I received this particular Microplane/zester as a gift for Christmas (I have two in fact!) and I LOVE LOVE LOVE both of them. They make prep time easier for the ingredients that I use most--zest and garlic. I encourage every cook to have one. Or two. Or three. In any case, zest was gathered. Limes were juiced. And the rest of the marinade came together super fast.


I put everything into a 13x9 glass dish because it was easier to just throw some plastic wrap on it and stick it in the refrigerator once I was done. I whisked together the zest, lime juice, cilantro, and olive oil in the dish. Then I got to work on my chicken! I had to pound the chicken out, since I bought just regular chicken breasts and not the thin cut ones. Each chicken breast took turns in the Ziplock bag and I used my heavy wooden rolling pin to pound them out. I didn't take pictures of this. I apologize. It was chicken-y looking!! And I think we all know what that looks like.

I salted my chicken on both sides once I was done.






I did, however, take pictures of the marinating chicken! In fact, I almost forgot to! Hence the plastic wrap seen in the upper right hand side of the picture. These chicken breasts were so large once I was done flattening them that Matt and I split one in half and Nicholas got half of my half. Pretty gigantic! Haha! But great for leftovers!!!

Anyway, I marinated the chicken for about four to five hours. The recipe says about two at the very least! I say the more time spent marinating the better!!








Once I was done with my afternoon run, I threw the strawberry-jalapeño salsa together. (Fun fact: apparently this phrase "strawberry-jalapeño" is spelled incorrectly and one of the choices, for it to be correct, was strawberry-jalopy. I don't know about you, but that kind of a funny picture in my head!!) This salsa is very easy and super pretty!!











All you have to do is combine the strawberries, jalapeño, cilantro, red onion, lime juice and salt. Easy peasy. Once you have everything mixed together, put some plastic wrap on the bowl and put it into the refrigerator for all the ingredients to get yummy together.

Now we were ready for grilling. I am not very good at grilling, but I think they came out pretty awesome for the most part.

I served the chicken with salad and cous-cous. And of course the salsa. It was delicious. Very flavorful. You could definitely taste the lime in the chicken.

This was not a Cooking Light recipe (surprised?), but I found a similar recipe here and the calorie count was 149 per serving. I also found a similar recipe on the Cooking Light website for Chicken Cutlets with a Strawberry-Avocado salsa and it was 211...and that's with Avocado! So I figured that this dish is most certainly under 250 calories per serving. Probably around the 200 mark--which is great! I love that it was so tasty for leftovers as well. It re-heated well and the salsa...well I could eat that just by itself!!




I found the original recipe here, which was of course on Pinterest. I think there are many versions out there though, which is great because you could honestly make it your own! I think this is a great recipe for the end of summer and to take advantage of the (still) warm days before it gets too chilly. Although the cold hasn't stopped us from grilling. But then again, now we live in Alaska. So. We will see. Ha! Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this post and I hope you try this recipe out! Let me know if you do!!

Talk soon!!