"Healthy" Recipes

Okay so it is time I post some of the meals Bryan and I have been eating since we gave up carbs/dairy etc. about a month ago. It lasted for a solid 3 weeks until football season started and it kind of went downhill. It is pretty darn hard to keep this up when tailgating and entering the fall season where comfort food takes over your life. I wrote this post back when we were going strong and eating lots and lots of protein and veggies in this new “lifestyle change" but failed to post it. Now I feel like a hyprocrite as I type...ugh. This is a list of some of our favorites.

1. Zucchini Lasagna - VERY delicious! Subsitute the meat with zucchini

2. Salad, salad, salad - I made some crock pot sugared pecans (see...I AM a hyprocrite!) and would put them on a salad along with some fresh blueberries and it was so yummy!

3. Spaghetti Squash

4. Salmon

5. Pesto Chicken Kebabs

6. Flank Steak with Tomatoes and Onions

I would be more inclined to eat like this because we really did find some delicious new recipes except it is so expensive to buy fresh fruit, veggies, fish, etc every week! Even though we haven't kept up with it like we should this long, I am still trying to make a conscious effort of what goes in my mouth.

P.S. I have a confession to make. Since we did such a great job and were going strong for a while, I figured it was time to cheat. Remember the post about the deep dish chocolate cookie we got at the pizza place? Well I made individual ones and they were a.m.a.z.i.n.g. Let’s just say we postponed weigh in that week. :)

We Can Do This!

Well...as this does not come as a shock it still stinks to admit......Bryan and I have both gained some weight over the past few years. It couldn't be because I love to cook/bake delicious things could it? ;)

We decided to get a handle on things and really try to work on being healthy together. Keyword: together. Every time I try to go on a health kick, it is usually solo because Bryan doesn't really need to care or worry about the health thing. Well this time, it's different...we are in this together.

We have done great for the past 2 weeks and are currently on our third week. We have given up carbs, sweets (unless a visit to FROYO is necesssary) and dairy where it can be avoided. We have also make big steps like using egg white beaters rather than eggs, drinking diet coke rather than regular, snacking on fruits and veggies rather than junk food, etc. We have both lost a little over 5 pounds and averaging 3 miles on our nightly walks/runs. Harley sometimes will join us on these nightly adventures because the vet did say she was looking a little on the heavy side. When I said we were in this together...I mean we are ALL in this together! I hate to bore

you anymore with our new routine so stay tuned on how we have changed our eating habits on

what is on the menu in the Linenberg household these days.

Steak Fajitas

I feel like fajitas is a meal that everyone has their own recipe for because it is such a versatile and easy dish. I didn’t really care for fajitas that much growing up but decided to give it another shot. Turns out, I actually love fajitas and can’t wait to make this again! I also love the tips they gave on freezing the ingredients to make for an easy weeknight meal. I made 2 helpings of this - one to eat for dinner and one to freeze.

Food Facts
Recipe used for: Dinner
Recipe courtesy of: Real Simple
Would you eat it again? I would say yes, in a heartbeat but Bryan would say let’s wait a month or so….he sure is missing out on not loving Mexican food!

UPDATE: We ate the frozen bag of steak fajitas last week over lettuce and it was delish!!! We added a little spicy ranch dressing and had a fajita salad and it was too die for.

2 Years...

This summer we celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary. Time sure has flown! I won’t get all mushy on here but I can honestly say it has been the best 2 years EVER! As Bryan would say, “I can’t wait to see what the next 2 years are going to be like!” I said, “ummm what about the next 80 years?!” :)

We celebrated by having dinner at Cooper’s Hawk. Thanks to our awesome friends Kyle and Paul, they had given us a gift card and it was time to put it to use! We went early and sampled some wines and I have definitely found some new favorites. I was a huge fan of their Romance Red and White Sangaria. I ordered the salmon and it was AMAZING! Bryan said his steak medallions were good too.

Now, you would think we would stay at this nicer restaurant for dessert but we didn’t. We ventured over to our newly found favorite Mackenzie River Pizza Company and had their awesome dessert the Mack Lovin. We were complimented this dessert earlier in the week on our Pizza Team visit and it was THAT good, we had to go there for dessert on our anniversary. If you like warm ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream, you must go there. Our progressive dinner was great! Happy Anniversary to us!

PS - I am still trying to figure out a way to duplicate this at home. Stay tuned...

Pizza Team Recap

Last fall, our friends created a group called “Pizza Team.” The first Monday of every month, we try a new pizza place in town and it is a good way to get together during the week and having it on a Monday is great since Mondays are always a drag to begin with. Last night was our 10th Pizza Team meeting and sadly we are losing one of our members to Chicago. I was getting some heat from my fellow Pizza Team members that I hardly blogged about our experiences so I decided I would do a recap and then blog about our meeting every month. I guess it’s not THAT hard :)

October - Bazbeaux
Novemeber – Pizzology
December - Mellow Mushroom
January – Some Guys Pizza
February – Pizza Pie Hole
March – Union Jacks
April – Thr3e Wise Men

May - Greeks Pizzeria

June – Take out from Hungry Howie’s
July – Mackenzie River Pizza Company

Usually when we go out, we all try to get something different and share among all of us to try lots of kinds. Not only do we grade the pizza but also the coke. So far, Mellow Mushroom has won for best mix. As far as the pizza goes, it is sort of hard to remember some of the places since they were so long ago but my personal top 3 are Greeks (mainly because of the breadsticks), Mackenzie River Pizza Company, and Mellow Mushroom.

Do you have any recommendations for great places in the Indy area that we can try?

Mom's Chicken Stir Fry

Everything always tastes better when it comes from your mom's kitchen, don't you agree? I just love using my mom's recipes to make dinner out of the cookbook she compiled for me. Last night I made her "Easy Chicken Stir Fry." Easy it was!

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 boneless chicken breasts - thawed and cut into strips

1 pkg sliced almonds (I used slivered)

1 16oz pkg frozen stir fry vegetables

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp pineapple juice

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

cooked rice

Pour oil in skillet coating bottom, heat to medium high and add chicken and almonds. Stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add vegetables, cover and cook for 4 minutes stirring occasionally. Combine soy sauce, pineapple juice and cornstarch. Add to vegetables and cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over rice. (I didn't do the times given exactly, just eyeball it). I also added crushed red pepper to my helping just for a little more kick.

This is such an easy and tasty weeknight meal to throw together. Makes great leftovers too! Thanks Mom! What are some of your favorite recipes from your mom?

Grill Date Night

2 things I absolutely love are summer and date nights so dates in the summer are FANTASTIC! In our new house we have loved grilling out and eating on the deck so that is exactly what we did Saturday night as I had just got back from a work trip. Bryan made some delicious steaks and I made the sides: grilled asparagus and salt and vinegar roasted potatoes. It was soo good and definitely beat going out to eat.

On Sunday, we headed up to my parents for lunch and to hang out for the afternoon. Dad grilled burgers and mom made some yummy things to go with it. I told mom I would bring dessert and have been wanting to try this recipe for Key Lime Magic Bars for a long time and since I know my mom loves key lime I knew this would be perfect. Boy was I right! They turned out so great!
Food Facts
Recipe used for: Dinner and dessert
Recipe courtesy of: For The Love of Cooking and Tara Cooks
Would you eat it again? YES and YES!

Carmelitas

I came across this recipe and had been waiting for the perfect time to try it. When Butler was playing for the final four, we went to our friend Kevin’s house to watch the game with some friends. I insisted I bring a treat which I knew the guys would love. It turned out so delicious! It is by no means healthy in the least bit but incredibly scrumptious and definitely recommend you make it. After Butler made it into the final four, I knew it was because I had made this delicious treat and just HAD to make them again the next week when they were playing to get to the championship game. They won again! Unfortunately I didn’t make them on Monday night when they were playing for the national title which is clearly why they lost. Anyway, the second time I made them, I didn’t bake them long enough because they turned out very gooey. Don’t get me wrong, I love gooey, but they were a tad on the messy side. I recommend baking them until golden brown and letting them cool COMPLETELY before cutting or digging in.

Food Facts
Recipe used for: Afternoon snack
Recipe courtesy of: Tasty Kitchen via user Brooke
Would you eat it again? Definitely

Weekend Breakfast

I wanted to share two delicious breakfast recipes I have tried recently and both were EXCELLENT! I first must apologize that I do not have my own pictures to share, however when you click the links you will find some.

First, I recently made Overnight French Toast. YUM! This was so tasty and simple and I will definitely be making this WAY more often – especially when we have company! I put this together on a Friday evening to have on Saturday morning and it turned out perfectly. I cut this recipe in half and used an 8x8 baking dish because let’s be honest, even though Bryan and I could have eaten an entire 9x13, we certainly don’t need to. :) I found a bakery here in Indianapolis that sells challah bread which I highly recommend. Try not to subsitute this one!

Food Facts
Recipe used for: Weekend Breakfast
Recipe courtesy of: Lauren's Kitchen
Would you eat it again? Absolutely!

The other recipe I tried for a delicious Saturday morning breakfast was Scrambled Egg Muffins. After trying recipes like this, it makes me so mad that I can’t think of fun and easy recipes like this myself! Oh well, I guess it will come with experience. These took a little bit more time because you have to chop up all the veggies but so worth it. We actually made this late morning for a brunch and would be perfect for a shower of some sort! The good thing is, you make these with whatever ingredients you want or have on hand.

Food Facts
Recipe used for: Weekend Breakfast
Recipe courtesy of: A Bicycle Built for Two
Would you eat it again? Yes!

Speaking of breakfast, I found this adorable photo blog called Simply Breakfast. The writer/photographer takes photos of her breakfast and posts them and it is so fun and unique. She is a professional photographer so of course they are great but I love looking at it! How cool would a collage of breakfasts look as artwork in your kitchen?!

Homemade Corn Dogs

If you know me, you know I love dogs. I love real dogs but especially hot dogs and corn dogs. When I saw this recipe for homemade corn dogs, I knew I had to make it instantly. Of course it is extremely unhealthy which meant I had to have an extra hard work out before hand. :) Bryan was in charge of frying them up because the last time I tried to fry doughnuts, I burnt them badly. We learned our oil was way too hot on the first try but we cooled it down and they turned out a delicious and beautiful golden brown. Despite the fact our house smelled like nasty fried food, they were so tasty! As much as I would like to eat these every week, my rear would not :) Only special occasions for these dogs!

Before...

After...

Food Facts
Recipe used for: Dinner
Recipe courtesy of: Tasty Kitchen via user jodimichelle
Would you eat it again? Ohh yeah! More so in the summer time when you can open the windows up and air out the house afterwards!