Prosciutto and Smoked Gouda Panini

I love The Biggest Loser.  Well, I love it and hate it...but that's another story.  Just go with me for a minute.

Bob and Jillian talk to the contestants about healthy food choices.  The food these people eat is appalling--in quantity, ingredients...everything!  However, one contestant said she often feeds her 2 kids "pizza because it's $5 and ready quickly."  Bob responded, "I can't compete with that."

He has a good point.  While $5 pizza is obviously not the healthiest option in the world, it's quick, easy, tasty, and inexpensive.

I had a crazy week, so I looked to Cooking Light for some quick and easy meals--and this one fit the bill. This meal might not be inexpensive, but it sure is easy and tasty.  3 ingredients?  Sign me up.

Ready to cook

 Yummy goodness.

This meal probably doesn't reheat well--but since it only takes 3 minutes to assemble, we just made the sandwiches again a few nights later "from scratch." 

And now...the husband is hooked on smoked gouda.  We definitely just bought 1.5 pounds at Sam's Club.  I guess there are worse addictions...

Chicken with Mango Barbecue Sauce

Do you ever have days where you just can't do anything right?  I have those days.  The day I made this meal was no exception.  I pulled out my ingredients, chopped my veggies, and started cooking.  All was well...until I realized I used way too much tomato sauce.  Instead of 1/4 cup, I had put in a whole cup.  Oops.  This might not be a big deal for some, but I do not like tomatoes.  I tolerate the sauce on my pizza or in lasagna, but that's about it.  On top of that, I'd had only a little bit of sauce left in the fridge, so I opened a new can of diced tomatoes and pureed it as a substitute.

Imagine my frustration when I realized:

1. I'd had the right amount of sauce to begin with--and didn't need to open a can of tomatoes (that was going to go to waste in my fridge because I DON'T LIKE TOMATOES!)
2. I had to start all over because all I could smell was tomato.

I was so upset that I decided to wait until the next day to try this recipe again.

(We actually made this recipe a while ago...but I had a mini meltdown about food, blogging, and life in general after it...so I'm finally getting around to posting.)  I realize this seems uber-dramatic, but it seems I'm having some difficulty adjusting to life in a new state--far away from a job, friends, and family. Bear with me.

So, round 2.  Chop the veggies, cook the sauce, puree it in the food processor, and grill!

This dish was just okay.

I realize that I may have had super high expectations because of all of the *agony* (over dramatic?  Yes.  I am the baby of the family, after all) that went into this dish.

I also realize that I'm super picky about titles.  If it's going to be called barbecue sauce, it should taste like barbecue sauce.  The sauce tasted fine, but it didn't resemble barbecue sauce to me--but perhaps I'm already becoming a barbecue snob after my 4 months in Texas.  Who knows.

However, if you're more emotionally stable than I am and want to give this recipe a try, feel free!  It's quick, easy, and has ingredients you can find easily.

Have you ever had a meltdown in the kitchen? Do tell--misery loves company. :)