Monday Aug. 8

Today marked the beginning of our "busy season." Football practice started tonight and will continue 3 nights a week for the next however many weeks. I'm not complaining, I love seeing my little man so happy and doing what he loves to do. I love sitting outside in my folding chair while I'm occupying Miss Thang and sweating so much that when I stand up, it looks like I wet myself. And I love having to come up with dinners that I can throw together in 5 minutes and the kids will wolf down in record time and still have a semi-full belly by the end of practice and get some nutrition out of it. I love this time. I really do. But, it also leaves me sort of stumped as to what to make on nights like this while also adding some variation and intrest.

I am trying something new this season. I realize that we will only have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night where we won't be getting home, having a small snack, running out of the door for some sort of practice, only to return to have dinner, shower, and do to bed. I want to keep track of what I make, how well we like it, and if it was quick to make and just as quick to eat. Then maybe I'll have an arsenal of dinners I can refer to next season.

Tonight I made a salmon dinner. I thought that I am not a salmon fan, but y'all, this dinner changed my mind. I guess after all, I just might be. It was pretty quick, easy, and yummy. It's also a Rachael Ray dinner, so you can bet that it was quite a bit of clean up as well. But, heck, it was quick, easy, and yummy. AND my kids ate it pretty well and didn't complain. As a matter of fact, they told me....wait for it..........that dinner was good!

Lime-and-Honey Glazed Salmon with Warm Black Bean and Corn salad
Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats cookbook pg. 253 (that's number 288 of non-repeating recipies)
*Also, side note, it wasn't really "glazed" so that was a little dissappointing, but good none-the-less

4 Tbs. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 med. red onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 to 1 tea. crushed red pepper flakes (I suppose you could leave them out, but I used 1/2 tsp. and couldn't
                    even tell they were in there)
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Juice of 2 limes
3 Tbs. honey (3 globs since Rach doesn't actually measure)
1 tsp. chili powder
4 6-ounce salmon fillets (I bought 1 large one and cut it up myself)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 10-ounce box frozen corn kernels, defrosted (or cut the kernels off 4 fresh ears of corn, I did this with 3
                   ears and we had plenty and they were GREAT!)
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 Tbs. fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (I didn't use them since I didn't want to waste the extra)
6 cups baby spinach

Preaheat a medium skillet over medium high heat with 2 Tbs. EVOO (twice around the pan). Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, preheat a medium skillet over med-high heat with remaining 2 Tbs. EVOO. In a pie plate, combine the juice of 1 lime, honey, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add the salmon fillets and toss to coat evenly. Add the salmon to the hot skillet and cook until just cooked through. (I cooked the non-skin side first, then the skin side. My fillets were really thick, this way I could burn the skin and not the fish. The fish will flake easily with a fork when it is cooked through and ready.)

To the cooked onions, add the bell peppers and corn kernels and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the black beans and cook until they are heated through. Remove from heat and add the juice of the second lime, cilantro, and spinach. Toss to wilt the spinach and taste to adjust seasonings. Serve the salmon on top of the warm black bean and corn salad. EnJoY!