#14: Roasted Root Vegetables by Ashley

Seriously, all I did was chop some parsnips, carrots, turnips and onions, toss them in some olive oil and salt and pepper and throw them in the oven at 475 for 30ish minutes. I drizzled some honey on them before I served them.

If you like the texture and taste of winter veggies, this is a great no hassle way to get them out of the pantry and onto your plate. Next time, I'll probably add some butternut squash or a sweet potato (I'm a huge sucker for a sweet potato any day of the week...) because I think the sweetness from either would be great with this existing combo, playing really well particularly with the parsnip.

Taylor says:

This was a great use of winter veggies. They weren't too sweet, and they would make a great side to any meal.

#13: Baked Lemon Chicken with Artichokes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes by Ashley

This was actually a tag team effort. It was getting late and I still wanted to go to the gym and be able to make dinner, so Taylor volunteered to marinate the chicken I thawed out to use. He tossed it in olive oil, balsamic, garlic powder and lemon juice and it marinated for the hour-ish I was at the gym. (Taylor also fetched groceries, braving Jewel on a Sunday night. I told you up front to be jealous, ladies.)

When I got home, I put the chicken into a baking dish. I poured in about 3/4 of a cup of chicken broth. I topped the chicken with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes (the kind not packed in oil), lemon wheels and chopped garlic cloves. I baked it for a little less than 20 minutes at 350 degrees and voila, super awesome chicken for dinner. It was moist and the flavor combination was perfect. Did I mention how easy it was???? It was so pretty in the dish, all set to bake. Not too bad for inventing a recipe on the fly.

Bonus: I had it cold in a salad for lunch the next day!!!

Taylor says:

Ashley's right, I am awesome! Also, this recipe was awesome and easy. The chicken was nice and flavorful and juicy, and the veggies also baked up nice and crispy. I wouldn't change a thing.

#12: Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Pudding by Ashley

My BFF Mollie just got back from spending the Fall in London. There are a few things you should know about her:

1) She knows a lot about food (she blogs about it, in fact) and shares my love of making something out of nothing in the kitchen.

2) She is living in the suburbs, so Mollie time is a hot commodity.

3) She has such a sweet tooth!!!

So, when we decided that we were overtaking Taylor's for a sleepover after Thursday night yoga, I wanted to make sure we had a sweet treat as our post-workout snack. I've been craving chocolate, but this could just as easily be chocolate (or berry) free, if that's more your thing.

I blended together 6 oz fat free cream cheese, 6 oz Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup raspberries and a packet of diet hot chocolate powder. I added two packets of Splenda, poured into cups and served immediately, topped with a few sliced almonds and a raspberry.

Next time, I might freeze the mixture, fro yo style or try strawberries. I'd also do cool whip on top; the Greek yogurt and cream cheese were a lot more tangy than anticipated. Overall, a great chocolate fix for any sweet tooth (Mollie concurred, for the record.)

Taylor says:
This was a wonderful dessert. The only thing I might change would be the consistency, since it was a bit thin. Cool whip might be just the thing to make it a bit thicker.

#11: Soyaki Tuna with Brussels Sprouts by Taylor

This was pretty much an excuse for me to try out my new cast iron pan. I marinaded some tuna steaks in Trader Joe's Soyaki sauce overnight, then I threw the steaks into a hot cast iron pan and seared each side for a few minutes. After that, I added some whole, peeled garlic cloves and halved Brussels sprouts to the pan and put it straight into a 400 degree oven until the tuna is cooked through.

Ashley says:

I wasn't feeling great when T made this, but I did have a bite. It turned out great! The tuna cooked perfectly and the Brussels sprouts were tender and tangy from the sauce.

#10: Yogurt Parfait by Taylor

This is a very simple breakfast recipe out of the F-Factor book. It's pretty much Greek yogurt, fiber one cereal, and some fruit in a bowl. I also like to add some vanilla and cinnamon to sweeten it up a bit. The recipe suggests that you later the ingredients into a parfait, but I find it easier to eat if you just mix it together in a bowl.

Ashley says:

It was easy to eat out of the bowl and I think having everything all mixed up was better than having it layered. Berries are not super sweet this time of year, so I recommend a packet of Splenda or a little honey to get the proper sweetness. Also, I might omit the cinnamon next time.

#9: Turkey Chili by Taylor

Turkey chili has been a favorite of mine for a while. It's easy to make, it keeps for a long time and it's delicious. Chili is so versatile that you can really make it however you like, but this new version of an old classic is the recipe I used this time.

1 large onion
2 large bell peppers
4 cloves of garlic
12 Brussels sprouts
1 large can of diced tomatoes
2 pounds of ground turkey meat
Soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
1 bottle of beer

Dice the peppers, onions, garlic and Brussels sprouts and sauté them in olive oil at the bottom of a large pot. In a separate pan, sauté the turkey meat in olive oil. When the vegetables are translucent, add the meat and the canned tomatoes. Then, add the sauces and spices to the pot. Simmer the chili on low for about an hour; then, add in the beer. Cook for another hour, or until done.

How much of each spice and what type of beer you add defines the way that this chili will taste, so, add as much or as little as you want.

Ashley says:

This is my favorite thing that Taylor makes. The beanless, more veggie adaptation was no change. I loved the Brussels sprouts. My BFF Mollie and I had this as our post-yoga dinner on Thursday and it might have been even better as snowed in sleepover fare when our other BFF Shannon came over on Friday. Awesome winter food.

#8: Pork Chops by Ashley

I'm a big proponent of the idea that practice makes perfect. Never having just cooked pork chops before, it took me twice to get them right. Wow, they dry out in no time!! (I should have listened to my dad. He tried to warn me...and he's never led me astray before.)

Tired of turkey and chicken, I thought that lean pork was a good alternative in the category of lean protein sources that my personal trainer is always talking about. So, last Saturday I threw some pork chops in the oven. Too dry, but the right flavor combo was present. I tried again on Wednesday night with great success, although the picture doesn't look that pretty...

I trimmed excess fat and marinated two pork chops in worchestire sauce, garlic powder and apple cider vinegar. While marinating, I carmelized a diced onion. I preheated the oven to 375, put the pork chops in a baking dish and made a sauce from a cup of beef broth, worchestire sauce, garlic powder and apple cider vinegar. I topped the chops with the onions and baked them for about 20 minutes (if you are making this, I beg you to check them often!!! It's easy to let them go too long!). After letting them rest for about ten minutes, I served them alongside lemony broccoli and a salad. They came out with a great flavor; a little sweet and sour with the vinegar and worchestire.

Taylor says:
This was a pretty great dinner overall. I had the dryer version of the pork chops, but I assume the flavoring was about the same. My version also came with roasted Brussels sprouts, which also make a good addition to this recipe.

#7: Garlicky Kale by Ashley

I'm such a sucker for leafy greens. Collards, turnips, cabbage, kale. Anything. (Except broccoli rabe. Im sorry if you like torturing yourself with the most bitter green ever, but I found it completely inedible.)But I've been a little tired of the standard boiled fare. Mostly because my kale was a little lifeless and really suffering from the Winter blahs.This recipe, tweaked from Jaime Oliver of the Food Network is a little more sassy than your average kale recipe. It works with the natural flavor of the kale and is a great complement to almost any meal. It's also great tossed into pasta with a little tomato sauce.

1-2 heads kale
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup water
1 lemon
2 T apple cider vinegar
Grated Parmesan (optional)

Dice garlic. Place in shallow pan (large enough to accommodate your kale) and heat until a little squishy. Add chopped kale and water. Cover for 5 minutes and cook on medium heat. Remove lid and stir kale until all water has evaporated.

Move kale to a large bowl. Add vinegar and lemon juice and Parmesan if desired and toss. Serve immediately!

Taylor says:
I was never big on kale until Ashley made this recipe. It's delicious! And it really does go great with pasta, for some reason.

#6: Buffalo Chicken Salad by Ashley

The final recipe of the week last week was Buffalo Chicken Salad. I love the Buffalo Chicken Wrap at Rocks down the street, but I wanted to try to lighten up an at-home counterpart. The original is made with chicken, buffalo sauce, blue cheese dressing and is wrapped in a tomato tortilla. I wanted something quick, so I tried to make chicken tenders to use the night before I was going to have this for lunch.

Only, I exploded the lid to the pan I was using, wedging shards of glass into the half-cooked chicken tenders. Terrifying and tragic, it was quite an explosion in my kitchen.

Onto plan B. Canned chicken from Costco. I know, I know. I don't like canned chicken either, but there it was. I drained it, patted it dry, and tossed it in a bowl with paprika, chili powder and garlic salt, then stuck it in the fridge to finish drying/cool off. When it was cool, I mixed in two spoonfuls of fat free Greek yogurt, which was tangy and held my chicken salad together without being oily or too wet. I added about half a cup of chopped celery, then added Frank's Red Hot to taste and completely mixed the salad up. I served it on Flackers, accompanied with carrots. So simple, kicked the buffalo chicken craving in a healthier way and provided three meals from one can of chicken. It might be good with blue cheese or feta crumbles mixed in next time? The canned-ness of the chicken was barely noticeable, but, next time, I'm not going to let my real chicken get glassy so I have to go canned again.

Taylor says:

I didn't have the exact batch that Ashley made, but she told me how to make it on my own. The batch that I made was extra spicy and delicious, so I can only assume that hers was even better. This would've been great on crackers or as a sandwich too.

#5: Greek Omelette by Taylor

This was another recipe out of the F Factor book. It's basically just an omelette with a bunch of veggies mixed in. The book suggests that you use one egg and two egg whites, but you could easily just use three eggs instead.

Ashley says:

This omelette totally saved my morning. In the midst of battling some really tenacious spyware on my work computer, Taylor brought this little plate of delightful to me. Veggies, eggs, a little feta. It was an awesome breakfast!!! And my computer finally got fixed. I hope there's another one of those in my near to immediate future.

#4: Chicken Veggie Soup by Ashley

I read a really interesting book about nutrition called The F-Factor on the plane from Islip to Chicago, a suggestion from Taylor's mom. It made me really think about what foods are good for energy and nourishment, and when I invited my friend Shannon over for dinner, I thought the chicken soup recipe I found in the book would be the perfect hearty Wintertime meal.

The soup simmered chicken, parsnips, carrots, celery and onion in chicken broth. The recipe didn't call for them, but I added a little garlic powder, red pepper, black pepper, oregano and paprika to give it a little kick.

After I let the soup simmer for about an hour, I served it after a big spinach salad that Taylor made. The parsnips added a nice sweetness to the broth and the soup was really hearty from all the veggies. Yum!

Taylor says:
The sweetness in the soup was really nice. It was also pretty filling, what with all the chicken and veggies. A very nice dinner!

#3: Southwestern Turkey Burgers by Taylor

This is a recipe my dad made out of the F-Factor book a few times, so I decided to give it a shot. It's a pretty easy recipe. All you do is add some diced onions, garlic, bell pepper, and spices together with ground turkey. It's good with or without a bun.

Ashley says:

These burgers are awesome! I had mine with a pinch of lowfat cheddar and a little barbecue sauce. It was juicy and spicy and a great standalone, even without the bun! I'm pretty excited to have the leftovers with a salad for lunch tomorrow!!!

#2: Banana Bread by Taylor

This was my attempt to impress my family with baked goods before I left for the holidays. It's a very simple recipe, and it's the best things you can do with mushy old bananas. I usually never get a chance to make this, since Ashley eats all the bananas before they have a chance to turn brown. Here's how to make it:

3 medium sized mushy bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
Dash of salt
2 cups flour
(optional) cloves
(optional) nutmeg
(optional) walnuts


Mash up the bananas and add the butter and the egg. Then add the sugars, cinnamon, baking soda, and any optional spices. Add the flour in one half cup at a time. But the batter in a greased bread pan and cook at 350 for 1 hour.

Ashley says:

Taylor's banana bread is always excellent. And in my defense, I would banana myself to death if I could (What a way to gooo!!) The loaf prior to this one was great for a midafternoon pick me up, even though it was a little on the heavy side. It's a hearty bread with a wonderful flavor. The batch I tasted was without nuts, but I'm sure the added crunch was excellent. Maybe next time, we could try a dairy-free approach to shake things up.

Since neither of us actually tasted this batch of the bread, we called in for a special guest review from Taylor's mom.

She found the bread to be "scrumptious" and said it was great as a filling snack.

Way to go, Taylor!!!

#1: Root Beer Brownies by Ashley

To celebrate our final day of Curran-ing in Setauket, NY, I decided I would make brownies. I should preface this with two thoughts:

1.) I'm kind of terrible at scratch brownies.

2.) I really wanted to impress Taylor's family in spite of this deficiency.

So, when I saw a box of Fat Free Brownie Mix at Trader Joe's, I decided it was a good jumping off point for my first recipe of the new year. I have experience baking with root beer (from a soda themed cupcake contest I entered) and knew that the soda adds a sweet, spicy note to baked goods. I bought the box, a bottle of root beer, and some white chocolate chips for a crunchy addition.

1 box FF Trader Joe's brownies
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (The box suggested vanilla yogurt, but I don't like the artificial flavor of vanilla yogurt, so I chose the protein-laden plain counterpart instead.)
1/2 cup root beer
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients until a shiny batter is formed. Batter will be thick. Spoon into greased 8 inch brownie pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until knife placed in center comes out clean. Cool and cut. Optionally, you can top with a white chocolate drizzle or serve with ice cream, but clearly, those options significantly decrease the nutritional value of the brownies. Additionally, if you are looking to go vegan with these brownies, you can sub applesauce for the yogurt to make them dairy free.

Taylor's Thoughts:

These were the best brownies I've ever had.  I'm not just saying that to get boyfriend points either. Brownies, especially brownies made from a kit, are usually way too dense and sweet for my tastes.  These brownies tasted more like a really moist cake and the addition of root beer and white chocolate chips helped make these taste less like a solid block of gooey chocolate.  Adding ice cream is a good idea, even if it might "significantly decrease the nutritional value of the brownies."  If you're eating brownies for their nutritional value, you might as well start eating carrots so you can see in the dark.  Eat these because they're delicious, not as a part of your well-rounded diet.

312 in the 312

I'm Ashley. That dashing dude in the photo with me -- that's Taylor. He's pretty much the raddest boyfriend in the world. Really. You should be jealous that he's mine and not yours.

We love lots of things. Like tumbling adorable photos of baby corgis. And snuggling. And playing Castle Crashers after marathoning TV shows on Netflix. We enjoy cooking and leisurely brunch dates on weekends off in our beloved Chicago. Our most romantic dates often involve ellipticals and How I Met Your Mother. Between us, we have 4 degrees, a host of brlliant ideas and a serious love of adventures, big and small.

For the new year, Taylor and I are embarking on a big kitchen adventure. We have resolved to make three new recipes a piece each week, for a total of 312 new recipes between our Chi-town apartments by this time next year. These recipes will be health-minded, helping to nourish our bodies and take us away from our takeout menus. (Maybe I'll even lose a few of those tiny numbers inside my dresses in the process...)We will outline triumphs and catastrophes, complete with recipes, reviews, makeovers of old favorites and photographic evidence :) And we hope that you'll delight in sharing this undertaking with us.

Bon appetit!