Main Dishes

Why do I love my pot roast? 1) It’s easy to make. 2) It all cooks in one pot.  3) It’s a complete meal. 4) It’s comfort food squared!

Old fashioned pot roast is a crowd pleaser and takes very little work. It’s mostly cooking time. Who doesn’t love meat that’s moist and tender with potatoes full of flavor? Okay, maybe your vegetarian friend. But meals like this pot roast are my favorite Sunday suppers. While it’s simmering in the oven, I have time to make a salad and dessert.

If you make pot roast, here are a few tips: Browning the meat is crucial for developing the best flavor. As for the liquid, I have made it with both beef stock and chicken stock (I usually make my own but I’ve also used unsalted store-bought stock). And the cooking time is very flexible. Feel free to cook it even longer depending on the cut of meat and how tender it’s becoming. Finally, adding salt is not always necessary.  It depends on  your stock and how much sodium it has, so test it near the end of cooking before adding salt. If you add too much, there’s no way to fix it.

Then there’s the leftovers! You can use the leftover meat in soup, a burrito, shepherd’s pie, nachos, Italian beef sandwiches, or just eat more pot roast! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I never thought I could improve my old fashioned beef stew recipe but it’s winter and that’s beef stew season. I’ve been making it a lot lately and decided to try and simplify the process and it’s now just as delicious and even easier to make. And by increasing the cooking time by just 1/2 hour the beef is so tender I just eat it with a spoon. So here’s what I changed:

First, I always make my own beef stock which I use in my stew but realizing that not everyone will make homemade stock, I decided to try the store-bought beef stock. I do not recommend it at all. It was way too strong and pungent and ruined the stew for me. So I decided to try store-bought chicken stock and it worked perfectly. I got Swanson’s Unsalted Chicken Stock and it was the perfect choice for beef stew.

And I used to dredge the meat before browning but it really isn’t necessary so that step is now eliminated. And I added 30 minutes to the cooking time and what a difference it makes in the fork-tender meat. It was tender before but now, it’s so tender you have to stir the pot carefully so the meat doesn’t fall apart! So it’s less work and an extra 1/2 hour but wait ’til you see the difference!

In working on these changes I also did some research on which meat to use since I always bought packaged stew meat. I saw that chuck roast was always the meat of choice so I bought one to try, cut in into cubes myself, and No, No, No! It had way too much fat and my recipe does not need it. The regular packaged stew meat is much leaner and there is never any grease floating on the top, because that’s what I got with the chuck roast.

So I’m staying with the packaged stew meat, which is much leaner, and I just cut off any visible fat. So now it’s even easier to make this all time favorite comfort food for the cold winter nights. It’s low fat, easy to make, and you can eat it with a spoon.  For the new recipe and video, click here. – Jenny Jones

Got 15 minutes? Then you have time to make a quick and easy meal. This black bean quesadilla is my go-to meal when I’m pressed for time and with the holidays coming, I’ll be having lots of quesadillas. Of course, I use my own homemade whole wheat tortillas, which I usually have on hand, but you can use store-bought ones too. Try to find them without saturated fat.

I realize it’s convenient to use pre-shredded cheese but because of the additives it won’t melt as well as using a block of cheese. So take the extra 30 seconds – yes, that’s how long it takes to shred 2 ounces of cheese – and you’ll have a nice “cheesy on the inside, crispy on the outside” quesadilla.

If you like spicy food, you will love the spicy version of my black bean quesadilla. Simply replace the reduced fat jack cheese with reduced fat pepperjack, and use the hot canned diced chiles.  Oooh, Mama!

Whichever way you swing, serve it with salsa (pico de gallo is my fave) or guacamole… or both. Click here for the recipe.  – Jenny Jones

Yes, it tastes as good as it looks – but only if you use fresh pineapple. I promise that if you use fresh pineapple in this delicious meal, you will never use canned again. It makes all the difference… well, most of the difference. Different colors of peppers add more complexity to this dish as well as a variety of antioxidants. Each color brings its own anti-aging benefits.

Stir frying is great for weeknight dinners because by the time your rice is cooked, dinner is ready. This one cooks in less than ten minutes. Homemade Chinese will always be healthier because you can use less oil and add more vegetables. The day I decided to create my own healthier sweet & sour chicken was the last time I ordered it in a restaurant. I got the chicken (and too much sauce) with two pieces of green pepper and one red one. Seriously. Three pieces of peppers. And canned pineapple! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Thank goodness for canned salmon. I always keep it on hand so I can make my quick and easy salmon patties. We know how important it is to eat fish, especially salmon, which is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids to protect your heart, and my recipe makes this easy dinner even healthier by adding red pepper, onions, parsley, egg, and my fresh whole wheat bread crumbs for added fiber.

I made these delicious patties last night and served them with my Greek lemon potatoes and some steamed broccoli. There was nothing left on our plates! It seems like the body knows when something is doing you so much good because all of it disappeared in a flash. Another way I serve my salmon patties is with a side of steamed sweet potato, which is loaded with antioxidants and protects your eyes and lungs and boosts your immune system. Just peel, chop, and steam. Dinner is ready in 15 minutes! What an anti-aging combo!

Oh… some more serving ideas…. I’ve also had these salmon patties with my Spaghetti With Greens, Sweet Potato Fries, Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Potatoes, and those awesome Roasted Vegetables. So eat fish often, and with this recipe, you can make a healthy 15-minute meal anytime. Quick. Easy. Healthy. You’re welcome!  Click here for the recipe.

Anyone with a cast iron pan can make this easy, healthy, low fat, delicious pan pizza at home. Pizza in a cast iron pan? Absolutely! The crust is key to a good pizza and using cast iron is a foolproof way to get the easiest, golden, crispy crust, ready to hold all the toppings of your choice. There’s no kneading, no rolling… no work at all to make this easy pan pizza dough. You can either start it the night before or a few hours ahead.

The dough slowly rises and then you just put it in the pan, add your toppings, and go! It comes out perfect every time and it’s by far the best deep dish pizza I’ve ever had.  Plus it’s low fat so there’s no grease to blot… unless of course you use regular pepperoni instead of my choice of healthy toppings like reduced fat turkey pepperoni, peppers, onions, and mushrooms.

There’s no reason to avoid pizza when you can make an easy, healthy, low fat pan pizza at home and if you use my toppings, you’ll also get a few vegetables in every slice. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Of all my recipes, this meatloaf gets the most rave reviews. I love It! I’ve been making this healthy recipe for years the exact same way and I can never decide if I like it better with my buttermilk mashed potatoes or the next day in a sandwich with a little mustard on a good sourdough bread. It’s hard to mess up meat loaf. Just mix everything up and put it in the oven.

A lot of recipes use a combination of ground beef, pork, and veal but I like to keep it simple and I use the very leanest beef I can find. But it still contains fat so the reason I roast my meatloaf on a baking sheet is to allow any excess fat to flow away from the meat – no one needs that extra saturated fat. So don’t use a loaf pan.

Another benefit of using a baking sheet is… well, there are two: one, is there’s no cleanup because you line it with foil, and second, it browns on all sides! So it’s beautiful, too. I’m pretty sure this “best ever” meatloaf recipe will become a regular part of your own healthy foods and meals.  Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

If you want to make the best, easiest, most amazing, never fail, Fall-Off-The-Bone Ribs, try my easy recipe. If you’re grilling this 4th of July, or even if you’re not, these sweet, tender ribs are just as good baked entirely in the oven (this photo was from my oven-baked ribs) or they can be finished on the grill.

The key to tender ribs is to first cook them at least 2 1/2 hours in a slow oven, and then finish them with your favorite sauce.  Lemon juice tenderizes the meat as well. I cut the ribs apart before cooking because once they are cooked, they are so tender they might fall apart when you try to cut them.

This is one of my best recipes and my all time summer favorite thing to make. Use your own rub and your own favorite sauce, or mine. Either way, you will love these ribs! Have a great 4th of July, everyone! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

How often do you get to cook a complete dinner with NO cleanup? This easy chicken thighs and fries recipe is an all-in-one healthy meal that takes almost no work and will probably become a family favorite. I love it! It’s super easy, super healthy, and tastes fantastic. What’s not to love?

The whole thing cooks in the oven on a large baking sheet lined with foil. The skinless chicken thighs cook on a disposable foil broiler pan that’s placed inside the baking pan. The reason for the broiler pan is to contain the fat drippings from the chicken which is saturated fat and we don’t need that. I tried cooking everything on the flat pan but the potatoes came out soggy. So be sure to use the broiler pan for the chicken and I’ve included a picture to show my pan ready for the oven…

And here’s how you add the vegetables…

The chicken is always tender and the potatoes are crispy and golden.  And as for the green vegetables, I’ve done this dish with either green beans, asparagus, broccolini, or broccoli rabe. The spices I use in this dinner recipe make it very tasty but you can certainly make the spice mix your own. Let me know if you try it! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I made one of my favorite meals ever for dinner today, my Orange-Sesame Chicken. If you like Chinese food then you know that much of it is deep fried but this chicken is just lightly sauteed and the sauce, made with fresh-squeezed orange juice, is fantastic. It takes longer to cook the rice than it does to make this healthy meal so be sure to start your rice first.

Today, I made fragrant jasmine rice. I always include a side of broccoli and you can add your broccoli to the rice during the last 5 minutes to save extra dishes. This orange-sesame chicken is an easy, healthy recipe that actually cooks up in less than 10 minutes, but you have to wait for the rice to cook! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones