I needed a side dish to go with [pork chops](), and I was unwilling to boil and mash potatoes. Instead I put together something akin to the Rice-a-Roni my mother used to serve.

Last week I bought some large packages of pork chops at a crazy cheap price, and I needed a way to prepare them that didn’t involve me frying in oil for 45 minutes. It turned out pretty well.

I really like carrot cake, but I’m just not much of a baker. The time it takes to make cake typically means I only do so once or twice a year. However, this recipe allows me to make a treat in about 15 minutes. Mmm, cake!

Although I have [another brownie recipe]() that I really prefer, the effort required means that I almost never make them. _This_ is the recipe that we actually use on a regular basis.

These are one of my favorites at family pot luck dinners, so I finally had to get the recipe so I could make them myself, should I need to. Mom calls them “Lion House Baked Beans” and uses granulated onion and garlic, but I still think of them as hers.

This is an easy dessert that I can knock out and serve in about an hour, making it a go-to for family night.

This Mexican take on spicy tomato sauce is perfect for serving up Huevos Rancheros (fried egg on corn tortilla with this tomato sauce) or Chile Rellenos. I may even try it for a Mexican inspired pizza.

With the success of my [Chicken Katsu recipe](), I thought I’d give fish tacos a try. I love them, but the nearest place to get what I like is 45 minutes away from home, and deep fried fish isn’t ideal for my diet anyway. Luckily, these turned out fantastic!

One of the things that keeps me sane while dieting is making sure I still get sweets. Most of my sweet tooth cravings are satisfied by a couple diet soft drinks per day, but sometimes I need more of a dessert. This works perfectly.

Much lower in calories, but still natural and decent tasting.

This has become a weekly staple for me because it’s cheap, easy, and low calorie because of its low fat content.

Recently I’ve been getting a lot of my protein from boneless, skinless chicken breast, as well as experimenting with the air fryer. This seemed like a perfect pairing of both, while thoroughly satisfying my crispy fried cravings.

A vegetarian legume curry that pairs wonderfully with [Jeera Rice]().

This is a great side dish when dieting, since it’s high in fiber and reasonably low in calories.

This has always been one of my favorite soups, but a few of the ingredients are fairly hard to come by, namely the dried mushrooms. But after finally just ordering some from Amazon, I was able to make it myself at home.

A great, easy accompaniment to turn [Fried Rice]() and [Lo Mein]() into a full meal.

Pad Thai is traditionally made with rice noodles, but I need something with a lot fewer carbs and calories, at the moment. So, this is my current incarnation that I plan to tweak over time. Authentic it is not, but it takes care of the craving adequately.

I ran into this at a Halloween pot luck and loved it so much I practically demanded the recipe. It has become one of my favorite desserts.

When I began making my own gyros, I decided that I couldn’t put up with the store bought pitas for them anymore. After trying a few different recipes online, this is the one I landed on. This, along with [tzatziki sauce]() and store-bought gyros slices makes a really good combination.

The remaining gyros place in town seems to have closed, so I needed to find some other way to get my Greek American food fix. Luckily, my grocery store sells gyros slices, but they don’t sell the classic sauce that goes with it. So here’s a version that I can make up in small batches, as I’m the only one that eats it.