Parents Coming for Dinner Tomorrow-what to Make?

I would grill a marinated pork loin and serve it with a big green salad w lots of veggies and feta cheese crumbles. I would also make a quinoa salad. I'd make a berry crumble w vanilla ice cream for dessert. You can look up recipes online. OR I would bake salmon that has been marinated in soy sauce/brown sugar and serve that with a roasted vegetable salad and a brown rice/wild rice pilaf.

Shish-kabobs - skewer chunks of beef, chicken, veggies and keep food groups separate. Meats and veggies have different cooking times. Brush w/oil, salt a pepper. Makes for a colorful meal.

Don't forget dessert!

Dominick's has pork loin on sale. It's super easy. They are the small ones that are vaccum packed - I would get 2 (3 if you want leftovers). Sprinkle with garlic powder (or crush garlic and do a rub) and wrap in tinfoil. Bake on 300 for 2 hours - they are super tender and awesome!!!!!! In fact I am having this tonight!!!!

They also have a new Fresh Express salad kit - "apple & cheddar" which I am also having tonight :-) I will probably fix broccoli because we are broccoli eaters, but I also like to saute green beans w/ sweet onions.

Have a good dinner!

Our default dinner to feed my parents when they visit is steak (usually filet from Costco). We marinade it in Montreal Steak Seasoning, garlic, red wine, and olive oil, then grill it. Yumm.
We serve it with asparagus. Marinate that in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, rosemary. Grill that, too.
And we have a yummy potato dish--slice up potatoes and layer in lightly greased pan. In a bowl, mix up 2 cups of heavy cream, 1 cup of water, and 2 packets of Lipton Herb and Garlic soup mix (the dry one, it comes two packs to a box), Bake in 375 degree oven for an hour or until bubbly. Yumm again.
I am making myself HUNGRY!!

We also do a really good honey mustard chicken. In a saucepan, combine dijon mustard, honey, garlic, white wine, salt, pepper. After it cooks together for awhile, pour over defrosted chicken breasts and bake in the oven, 350 degrees, for an hour or so. Serve with wild rice and steamed baby carrots. Good dish for autumn.

Have fun!

I have a great recipe for BBQ Chicken in the crock pot. You make the sauce yourself and cook the chicken all day and then shred it up and put it on sandwiches. Everytime I make this for someone, it becomes a favorite. I'm making it as we speak for a friend that just had a baby. So, here it is:

Mix the following together for the sauce:
1 Tbl canola oil
1 Cup ketchup
1 (12 oz) bottle of chili sauce (found on the condiment aisle near the ketchup)
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/3 Cup balsalmic vinegar
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbl. worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. Tobasco sauce

Pour the sauce over the chicken (I use boneless, skinless breasts) and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8. When finished cooking, shred chicken and mix back into sauce. Serve on kaiser rolls for sandwiches. I sometimes eat the leftovers on a salad too. It's so yummy!

Meatloaf!
I just asked a question about meatloaf and got tons of good yummy responses!

I like to make Individual mini meatloaves. I do not have the carb count but these are "skinny" mini meatloaves and my 4yr old is addicted to them!
Meatloaf: yeilds 4 mini loaves
1slice whole wheat bread
1/2 cup skim milk
1tbsp plus 1tspn olive oil
1onion diced (i skip this)
5oz bag of baby spinach
1 1/4 lb ground turkey
2tbsp parm cheese
1 large egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Glaze:
3tbsp Ketsup
2tsp worcestershire sauce
1tsp hot sauce (franks or tobasco)
Root Veggies:
3large carrots (bias cut)
2 yukon gold cut thinly
1/4 cup asparagus (bias cut)
1tsp chopped parsley
1tsp chopped chives (I skip this)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
preheat oven 375 make sure you can put two dishes in the oven at the same time. Grind the bread in the food processor until fine crumbs, put in LARGE bowl pour milk over. Heat oil in skillet add onion (sweat onion) or you can sub with fresh garlic (my preference) add spinach until just wilted, transfer to bowl with soaked crumbs/milk. Add turkey, egg,
cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg combine w/your hands gently. Do not over mix! 1 cup of mix into a 1cup dry measuring cup and place on baking sheet - smooth gently as needed. Bake for 40 min. Veggies Cut all veggies, mix oil and spices/herbs and bake for 30-35 min. Mix the glaze add when the loaves are out of the oven.

Just did the same last weekend. Hubby bbq-d a Tri Tip roast and it got rave reviews and everyone was licking the last of the meat and juices. I rounded it off with baked potatoes, green beans, green salad. I made a cheesecake for dessert. (simple No Bake one with canned cherry pie filling on top and whipped cream.) Everyone was stuffed..it was plenty of food and it was actually super simple.

Big salad and bread is always delicious with a simple dessert.
Big pot of soup with bread and a simple dessert.

Good luck and best wishes at wowing the family with a delectable dinner!!!

These are SO good....and all you need to add is a veggie. When I make them everyone wants the recipe.

Chicken bundles.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/5333/chicken-bundles.html

Use chicken gravy (fat free) instead of the soup they recommend.

If you have to work all day, I would recommend a crock-pot recipe of chicken and veggies with potatoes (or you could buy one of those pre-made crock pot dinners that is already prepared and you just have to throw it in the pot). Or you could always prepare something tonight that you can simply reheat tomorrow evening like soup or chili....I have a yummy potato soup recipe and turkey meat with veggie soup recipe that is easy and healthy. If you're like me, I would rather spend my time with my family then spend it cooking the entire time they are there. I'm sure they will appreciate anything you do for them =o ) Have fun!

Hey Kate!!

I wish I could come!!! :) Here's what I would make:

Lazy Day Chicken....preheat oven to 350 while you are preparing the dish.

You will need:

Chicken breasts
one can of cream of mushroom or celery or chicken soup
celery cut up (1 or 2 stalks per person)
carrots cut up (1 or 2 carrots per person)
one onion chopped OR sliced (depends on how you like it)
marsala wine (1/2 cup)
one package Lipton Onion Soup mix
paprika

combine marsala wine and cream soup - set aside
spray oven dish with non-stick spray
place chicken breasts in dish - place carrots, celery and onion in dish, sprinkle package of onion soup mix over chicken and veggies...then put mixed marsala and cream soup over that...
sprinkle paprika over chicken breasts...
cover with foil and bake for 1 hour - depending upon the thickness of your chicken breasts...

serve with salad, mashed potatoes, rice or pasta (you said low carb so you can add something you like better!)

Hard to go wrong with pork tenderloin. We had this just last night (with my parents!) 1 large pkg of pork tenderloin (two long pieces, total weight 2.4 lbs) -- Just put the pork in a roasting pan. Then pour on some Bronco Bob's Raspberry Chipotle grilling sauce and bake in the oven at 425 for about half an hour. Yum! Good with salad, baked sweet potatoes, sauteed summer squash and zucchini, you name it. Don't stress, have fun.

For bigger parties I love making tacos. You can grill your meat (we usually do chicken and steak...and mushrooms for me), and just slice it all into taco-size portions. Have bowls with the meat, veggies (I put out chopped raw cilantro and chopped raw sweet yellow onion), salsa, some shredded Mexican cheese, and I make homemade guacamole. It's so good. Everybody serves themselves, which is fun and easy.

For tortillas, we like corn tortillas best, but my parents like flour tortillas, so we do both. You can warm them slightly on the grill (or in a dry saute pan on the oven) then bundle them in a dish towel so they stay warm without getting soggy. For tortilla chips and tortillas, buy the El Milagro brand if you can find it. The best!!