My husband is pretty darn sneaky.
He often claims that he “can’t cook,” yet every once in a while, he comes out of nowhere and blows me away with an awesome dinner. This year’s Birthday Dinner comes to mind, featuring his signature garlic green beans. Oh, and then there was last year’s incredible Birthday Dinner, which I really need to have again ASAP. Plus, his status as Grill Master still holds true up in here, and his ability to make magazine-worthy grill marks never ceases to amaze me.
Well last night, he came out of nowhere again, and I was greeted with a fabulously prepared dinner right upon walking through the door from work. How fantabulous is that?!?
On the menu: Italian-marinated pork tenderloin (pre-marinated from the store) which was so incredibly tender and flavorful that I think I need to go back and buy a couple more this week to store in the freezer (they’re on sale at Price Chopper, FYI!).
On the side, he oven roasted some garlic-rubbed mini sweet potatoes and made another batch of his signature garlic green beans.
Can you tell we like garlic in this house?
Everything tasted absolutely perfect, and it was SO nice to just be able to come home to a home cooked meal. Thanks again, Chef Horan. Keep this up and I’m going to pass on my chef hat to you.
*****
Breakfast
I woke up with a grumbling tummy so I decided to go for breakfast first, workout second.
We stocked up again on fresh berries at the store this weekend, so I couldn’t help but make another batch of Mixed Berry French Toast Oatmeal, topped with Sweet Cranberry Pecan granola.
Today’s breakfast was SO much better than yesterday’s mish-mash of stuff. So voluminous, fresh, and flavorful. YUM!
It totally hit the spot.
Time to get goin’ on that whole productive thing. But before I go…
Some Extra Reading Material For Today
- 8 Diet Rules That Are Meant To Be Broken (FITNESSmagazine.com)
- Fitness Magazine Fitterati Blog Awards (vote for your favorites, including Yours Truly!)
- Control Your Sugar Cravings (SparkPeople.com)
- 5 Ways To Tone Your Inner Thighs (fitsugar.com)
Question for the Morning:
Are there any things that your significant other does now and then that surprise you and wish he/she’d do more often?
Ashlee @ A Step in the Right Direction says
Your dinner looks yummy! I buy the marinated pork loins from Price Chopper when they have their Buy 1 Get 1 Free sales. They are so good, but expensive. I stock the freezer when I can :) I may have to take one out for dinner tomorrow night…
Hope @ With A Side Of Hope says
Aw! That is so sweet of your hubby to prepare dinner! It looks fantastic! :)
I love when my fiance cooks me breakfast. He makes an amazing omelette! He is not confident in his cooking abilities but he does know how to cook.
Khushboo says
That’s so sweet of Jay! I love walking home to dinner cooked and ready! I now have one more thing to add to my list of husband qualities;)
Jana @ Newly Wife Healthy Life says
My husband is an awesome grilled too! I can’t wait for warm weather so he can whip up some tasty meals outside! Another thing he is great at? Cleaning! Seriously, he goes to town scrubbing and literally makes our house sparkle and smell so fresh! :-)
Courtney says
YES! So is Jay…he’s WAY better at cleaning than I am, so I just let him take the ropes ;)
Claire @ Live and Love to Eat says
Bringing home roses for no reason! He does it just often enough that it’s still unexpected and really special. :)
Kristen R. says
How funny, minus the green beans we had the exact same thing for dinner! It was pretty darn tasty!
Kati Mora, MS, RD, Kellogg's FiberPlus(R) Wellness Advocate says
I’ve been on such a berry kick too! – adding them to my bowl of cereal in the morning, salads at night, smoothies at mid-day – and of course, eating them plain. I love that they are a a good source of fiber and how they add so much color to your plate.
faith @ For the Health of It says
How sweet of him! A man who can cook for me has the key to my heart!
Caroline @ After Dinner Dance says
My boyfriend loves to cook, it’s great! He’s the reason I ever got into cooking :)
chelcie @ chelcie's food files says
that dinner looks so delicious!! what a nice hubby you have!
Lindsey says
Buy me Starbucks! haha. But really, when I have had a long/bad day he knows it cheers me up and has either brought it into work for me or ran out “to get gas” and brought me home one :)
Julie says
The green beans look awesome. I bet it was so nice to have dinner all ready. Can you share his recipe?
Courtney says
I’m pretty sure all he does is mince some fresh garlic, and saute it with some finely diced onion in a little bit of EVOO. Then he adds the green beans (which are already cooked and blanched in ice water) and sprays them with some spray butter while they continue to cook up. Quick and easy!
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
Aw! Wish my hubby would cook supper for me- then again, I’m not so sure I would want to eat what he’d cook me- that being said, I love him with all of my heart! ….I neeeeeed fresh berries in my house STAT!
Ashley @ My Food 'N' Fitness Diaries says
looks like a tasty dinner! my husband totally surprised me when he made an amazing chicken marsala dish for valentine’s day. he is FAR from a cook, so when i took a bite and it tasted incredible, i was in shock! i think he has more cooking skills than he realizes. ;)
Courtney says
I don’t think I’ve ever made chicken marsala. Is that crazy? Haha
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
Wow, that’s impressive! Cooking is one thing that my husband NEVER does haha. But that’s OK, because he does plenty of other sweet things. I always appreciate when he helps me clean up after a meal! He also sometimes sends me these incredibly sweet text messages. They mean so much, and I always save them! ;)
Carolyn says
I love those pork loins. We always wait for a good sale on them though… Do you know if they can be frozen with the marinade in the package? I assume you can but for some reason I’ve never tried!
As for my husband, I love it when he folds the laundry. I don’t know why but it just feels like a huge treat!
Courtney says
Yes! You can definitely freeze them!
Andrea @ Andrea Out Loud! says
Cleans the kitchen for me after dinner. Im in the habit of doing it. Usually eat dinner, and then walk the dog and then come in and clean and sometimes he will surprise me and clean eveything up while Im outside with the dog!
Caroline says
YUM! So many good eats. For sure trying out that oatmeal ASAP! Hope you’re having a great week! :)
Jessica @ The Process of Healing says
That meal sounds delicious!!!!
And I just bought some fresh strawberries ast night.. I need that oatmeal in my life!
StoriesAndSweetPotatoes says
That meal looks wonderful! Fresh garlic goes on everything. So good for you too.
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says
Girl, I am so jealous of you! My HUsband never makes dinner, unless it’s hot dogs! Your meal looks perfect and healthy.
Annie says
Your meal looks delicious!!! (I’m currently on a pork kick, so it looks extra good to me now)
I discovered recently that Hubby is actually great at running. He’s more of a cyclist and never liked running at all (I think windsprints in Little League traumatized him), until we got him outfitted in proper shoes and such. Now, we’ll be hiking and then suddenly he’ll take off like the wind with me huffing to catch up! (Speed training, anyone?) As a runner, I wish and I wish and I wish that he’d run more regularly, but maybe for more selfish reasons – like he’d make *me* a faster runner. Muaaahaaahaaa!
CJ @ http://healthy-happy-whole.com says
my husband is a super good cleaner…but only sometimes when he is in the mood!
When he is asked to clean he does a great job but often i have to pester until things get done, but every now and then I come home to an ultra clean area and I am like “holy shmoly where did this man come from!” LOVE those days :-)
Dinner looks absolutely amazing btw! I love the pre-marinated tenderloins! and any form of sweet potato is my favorite side :-)
Lena @Fit on the Rocks says
Mmm that meal sounds amazing! Good job to the hubs. I’m also a huge fan of garlic. I figure if vampires take over the world, they’d pass on me ;)
Carol @ Lucky Zucca says
That is so sweet that he made you dinner! It looks really delicious. Sometimes my boyman surprises me in the kitchen as well, but my favorite is when he cleans up. He rarely cleans… so its nice when he decides to help out. :D Hope you have an awesome day!
Alyssa @ fit and fun in third says
My husband likes to pretend he can’t cook, too! Last year for Valentines Day he shocked me with a delicious tuna steak (marinated and cooked perfectly), roasted brussel sprouts, and garlic bread…. Delicious! I like to remind him of that often ;)
Corinne says
I made pork for the fiancé and salmon for myself last night with sweet taters and beans too! Weird!
My fiancé makes a mean spicy sausage lasagna, coming from Ireland it’s pretty impressive he can make an amazon Italian dinner!
Valerie @ FreshMutz says
This will probably make me sound like a total goober but everyday I am surprised how there’s nothing that my husband can’t do well. However, I can’t remember the last time he surprised me with a full dinner. I guess I’ll have to drop a few hints. Kudos to Chef Horan. The meal looks scrumptious!
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
John always claims he can’t cook either – I tell him it’s learned helplessness. ;) I like coming home to folded laundry or vacuumed floors – it’s the best!
Dena @ 40 Fit in the Mitt says
Your husband rocks! I love it when my husband makes me “Girl Cheese Sandwiches” when I am sick!
Talia @ Bite Size Wellness says
Wow! What a nice dinner surprise. Looks absolutely delicious. David is also a grill master, but he hasn’t been able to grill since we moved to the city so he may be a bit out of touch with his cooking skills:) We love garlic in my house too!!
Jessica @ BEBT says
Do you guys do your sweet potatoes in the oven or microwave? I like them better in the oven – but i feel like it takes so darn long!
Courtney says
We usually do the oven (they are much better, I agree!) but if we’re pressed for time we do microwave. These potatoes are so tiny though, that they only take about 30 mins in the oven. They’re great!
Leah says
What a wonderful husband you have!! I can’t wait to move in with my fiance so he can try and impress me with his cooking skills. :)
Nikki @ gettingfitnfabulous.wordpress.com says
I am new to your blog and can’t wait to try your Mixed Berry French Toast Oatmeal! Congrats on being nominated, I just voted for you!! :)
Courtney says
Thank you SO MUCH, Nikki! So glad to have you reading! :-)