Pinterest, it’s what’s for dinner

I don’t post about cooking very much – if ever. I like to cook, but don’t consider myself at the level where I should be sharing tips with anyone. However, I just have to tell you about our dinners this week.

First, do you ever find yourself in a rut when it comes to planning meals? That was me on Monday morning. I sat down to make my grocery list and could not think of one thing I wanted to cook. Jason had no requests – so that wasn’t too helpful either. So, I did what most women in that situation do, I went to Pinterest.

I perused my recipe board for meals that I had pinned but never tried and looked at my friend Stephanie’s recipe board. She’s constantly trying new Pinterest recipes and was a great resource.

Each meal was AMAZING… here’s what our week looked like…

MONDAY

Skinny Broccoli and Chicken Alfredo, via Celebrations.com

Oh my, this dish has the triple threat – easy, healthy and YUMMY. Even the leftovers were great. Seriously, make it tonight.

TUESDAY

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin, via C&C Marriage Factory

Healthy Sweet Potato Skins, via Pinch of Yum

Tuesday was my day to be ambitious. I broke out the ol’ crock pot for the first time in ages (why don’t I use that thing more?!). The pork loin was really easy – simple ingredients and basically impossible to screw up. The glaze has soy sauce, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar – which results in a really great flavor. The potatoes were a bit more challenging. I’ve never made twice-baked potatoes before, which is essentially what these are. I didn’t earn any presentation points, but OH.MY.GOODNESS were these amazing. I still dream about the flavor – and garbanzo beans? Yeah, who knew? Okay, make this meal tonight too.

WEDNESDAY – I let my mommy cook! Wednesdays are my days “off.” My mom watches Kenton for the day AND cooks dinner for all of us. I know! I’m the luckiest daughter on the planet.

THURSDAY

Ziti with Portobello Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, and Goat Cheese, via Food & Wine

This was a Stephanie-recommendation and it lived up to the hype. Caramelized onions? Check. Portobello mushrooms? Check. Goat cheese? Check. (Yes, just as the name suggests! Imagine that.) If I need to say more, your palate is seriously lacking. Make this NOW – don’t wait for dinner.

FRIDAY – Yep, that’s tonight and tonight is DATE NIGHT. I’m off the hook. However, I think I earned a night out after three AMAZING new meals this week – all of which Jason loved and begged me to add to our regular rotation.

How about you? Do you have a favorite Pinterest-inspired meal? Please share the link in the comments below. I’d love to try even more amazing dishes!

About Michelle Fortin

Michelle Fortin is a follower of Jesus, a wife and a mom. She's also an award winning broadcast journalist and public relations professional. Michelle spent nearly a decade working in television newsrooms across the country, both behind and in front of the camera. Training future broadcast journalists in her faculty associate roles at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and at Arizona Christian University was a cherished focus of her post-TV career. Today, she maintains a roster of public relations clients focused on empowering fellow “momprenuers.” She also serves as a speaker for various women's and mom's events. Michelle received her bachelor’s degree from Biola University and Master of Mass Communication (MMC) from Arizona State University. She and her husband, two young kids and English bulldog call Scottsdale, Arizona, home.

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