lil carb lil Clam Dinner

Weekends are amazing, aren't they?  Since Jason and I both work full time our weekends are all we look forward to and we try to get as much done as possible.  Today we were running errands all day and then we decided to grab lunch a lil later than usual.  Late lunches can be deadly - I know from experience.  It's so easy to eat lunch late and then come home and want to snack instead of make a full dinner.  Fear not of the deadly I'm-not-hungry-enough-for-a-full-dinner-muchies! There are low carb choices that you can make instead and you will feel satisfied and guilt free!  It's all about planning ahead.

Jason and I knew we would be victims tonight- so we came prepared.  We stopped at Wegmans and picked up some little neck clams. They are so good!!  Once we got our hunger pains around 7pm Jason cooked them right on the grill!  My favorite way to eat clams.  They spit out a lot of the extra juice they're carrying, and before they spit it out they cook in it.  I am not a fan of boiling anything so the grill is my go to!  Once the clams are open they are ready to go.  I melted some butter and served with some lemon slices. Nothing better.  Fresh, flavorful, simple, and totally light.  This night could have gone bad but we saved it by being prepared with a low carb and tasty dinner!

Throw the clams right on a preheated medium high grill.

Close the lid.

Check on them in 2-3 minutes.

As they start to open up pull them off, squirt with some lemon, dip in melted butter and close your eyes and savor how amazing life can be :)

Gorgeous!  So simple yet fresh and light. It really is easy to eat healthy you just have to plan ahead!

There you have it!  A bowl full of shells. 

I'd say this dinner was a success! 

lil carb Spicy Sausage

I've been on a sausage kick lately. Luckily Jason likes the links like I do because I cook em up a couple times a week. Why?? Because it's so simple!  There's nothing better than sausage baked in the oven, or grilled or sautéed... sausage any way is just YUM!  I have been trying to think of simple alternative ways to prepare sausage and I came up with a great idea!  Since I made a big batch of homemade pesto the other day, why not make pesto-sausage?!  I love the flavors of Italian sausage so instead of masking it I just decided to enhance it. Once you see how easy it is you'll make it too.  This is a really great dish because it is easy and flavorful- my 2 favorite things.  I have been trying to keep my recipes with a small amount of ingredients and as healthy as I can making everything seem complicated when it's really not!


Pesto Sausage- Serves 3
6 Sausage Links- hot or mild
1/8-1/4 cup Pesto- jarred or try my homemade version

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with tin foil for easy clean up and lay the links down piercing them with a knife about 2 times on both sides to let the steam out as they cook.
I cook them until they are browned up, turning them once halfway through.  This usually takes about 20-25 minutes.
In the meantime I scoop the pesto into a bowl.  After the sausage is done cooking I take it out of the oven and let it sit for a minute or two then I slice it and toss it into the bowl with the pesto.  I stir it until the warm sausage is coated in the pesto.  YUM!

 Serve with some grated parmesan cheese for a sharp, cheesy topping!

For the perfect meal serve with some spaghetti squash noodles and some spaghetti sauce! The combo of pesto and tomato sauce is one of my favorites!

Or serve with my Italian Baked Squash! Can you believe it's low carb? Recipe coming soon!

lil carb Pesto Mozzarella Chicken

I just love summer! The sun is hot, pools are open, grills are smokin', and herbs are flourishing!  What's not to love?!  Speaking of herbs I recently made homemade basil pesto.  Now I usually wouldn't do much with it, just serve it along side a crusty baguette and call it a day. But with trying to stay away from loaves of bread and carbs in general I decided to take the pesto and incorporate it into my basil mozzarella chicken.  With the pop of the pesto and the creaminess of the cheese I bet you will be wishing it was summer all year round!

I start with marinating my chicken for about an hour using my lemon n garlic chicken marinade.  You can skip this step but I love the underlying lemon flavor on the chicken. I think it works really great with the pesto!  That marinade is also a great starter and you can take the meal in many different directions.  If you skip the marinade just make sure you salt and pepper your chicken before sautéing or grilling it.
Which brings me to my next step- cook your chicken however you prefer. I used boneless skinless breasts and sautéed them until they were cooked through.

Next, I placed the cooked chicken on a foil lined baking sheet and topped it with about 1 tablespoon of my home made pesto!  Get my recipe HERE! Then I topped the pesto with a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. Just thinking about this chicken makes my mouth water. Look at that!! Beautiful!

Look at those beautiful colors! Not only is this chicken super flavorful but its a really gorgeous dish.

Now, you can eat the chicken just like this. I almost did because I was so hungry but I popped mine in under the broiler and watched it carefully for a few minutes until the cheese was bubbly and just starting to brown.

Perfection! 

Simple and fresh ingredients at its best!!!

Pesto Mozzarella Chicken- Serves 2

Optional Marinade

2 large bonesless skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise

4 Tbsp pesto, jarred or use my homemade recipe

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

To start off trim up the chicken, mine was super thick so I cut it in half lengthwise.  

The next step is optional- marinate the chicken for about an hour using my garlic n lemon chicken marinade.  If you choose not to marinate the chicken that's fine!  Just make sure to salt and pepper the chicken.

Next step is up to you again- grill the chicken or sauté it.

Once it is cooked place it on a foil lined baking tray.

Top with 1 tablespoon of pesto on each piece then top with about 1/8 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Broil for a few minutes until the cheese is just turning brown.

lil carb "Big-Faux-Mac" Burger Sauce

Everyone can grill a burger but what I have found is that it's the toppings that are really the star of the show.  I have even had a picnic that I centered around a "Burger Bar"!  It is so fun to see what everyone creates when given a bunch of toppings.  People always get excited when it's a "make your own something".  And why not?!  It's the time to customize your meal- how fun is that?!  If you ask me it's TONS of fun but I'm a little obsessed with food so I get excited.

One of my favorite types of burgers is the Big Mac from McDonalds. I can still hear the jingle in my head- "...lettuce, sauce, pickles, cheese on a sesame seed bun..." I still crave it to this day even though I haven't allowed myself to have the original for years now.  But I do make a modified low carb version that I think is just as tasty as long as you don't mind skipping the bread.  Although, my special sauce is low carb so if you are going to eat the bread I bet it would be a delicious addition!  Low carb or not this Big Mac knock-off sauce is sure to be a yummy addition to your next burger dinner or burger bar!

Big-Faux-Mac Burger Sauce- Serves 3-4

1/2 cup Mayo

1 1/2 tbsp low or no sugar relish ( I use the brand Mt. Olive)

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp yellow mustard

Pinch of salt 

Pinch of pepper

3/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp paprika

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes for the flavors to merry. 

Then assemble your burgers!!

To make my version of a Big Mac I used iceberg lettuce as the bun, spread some sauce on the bottom then a topped with a slice of american cheese, the burger, chopped white onion, another slice of cheese, hamburger-pickle slices, more sauce and my top "bun"!

lil carb Steak N Egg-Zola

After a long (too long) hiatus from writing blog posts I am proud to announce that I AM BACK! hehe  The problem was I was being held hostage by my new house. He wouldn't let me stop organizing and unpacking boxes and by the end of the day I was so exhausted I couldn't even manage to keep my eyes open long enough to write a blog post. Not to mention that we have 3 chow chows as you know and we didn't have a fence for 2 weeks! That equals 5:15AM alarm for 2 miles walks to the park followed by working then another walk after dinner!  I now am SO thankful for our gorgeous fenced in yard!  Now that Jason and I are settled in for them most part I am back to share some of the recipes I have been making while I was gone.  I made this recipe for Jason 2 days in a row now and he literally told me I have to share it because it is SO flavorful!  Plus it makes a great use of leftovers. Jason and I just celebrated our brother-in-law Zachs birthday (I love saying that officially! My sister got married in May!- a lot has happened while I was gone!).  We went to a restaurant famous for their steak.  When we go out to eat I usually get excited at appetizer time and never leave enough room for my full steak so I usually take it home.  ALWAYS take steak home!  There are plenty of ways to enjoy it after the initial meal- this recipe is definitely one of them.  Not only is it great for a low carb breakfast or brunch but the flavors taste complex when they're not!

Steak N Egg-Zola- Serves 1
1/3 cup leftover steak, cut into chunks or slices
1 Tbsp butter
3 eggs
1 Tbsp half n half
Salt n Pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp Gorgonzola Cheese
1 Tbsp fresh chopped chives

Cut up about the steak into bite size chunks or slices.  Scramble 3 eggs in a bowl with half and half, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Once the butter melts add in the steak and stir around in the butter to warm it up- about 30 seconds.
Add in the eggs and scramble stirring with a spatula.
Once the eggs are to your desired doneness, turn the heat to medium low and crumble in 1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese!
Turn off the heat and stir until the cheese is melted.
Transfer to a plate and garnish with chives and some more gorgonzola crumbles.  Season with a little more salt and pepper and enjoy!

#newcamera! hehe