Meatless Pizza made from farmers market finds!

Pizza is one of my favorite things to eat, but I really hate all the grease and fat that comes along with eating it. I have been trying to supplement at least one meatless meal per week in my diet, and I thought that I would maybe try a pizza. I have been seeing a lot of shows on the food network, and the travel channel that have these pizzas with a cracked egg on top. It sounds and looks strange to some, but it looked absolutely delicious to me and I have been dying to try it.

I am very lucky because I have an incredible farmers market nearby that has the most amazing, colorful produce that I have ever seen. I was sitting here, thinking about how absolutely starving I am, so I went into my fridge looking for something. I noticed I had a few mini pizza crusts, my favorite sauce from home: wegmans Grandma's pomodoro sauce, cheese...It was looking like I was going to make a cheese pizza. After a little searching in the vegetable drawer I pulled out a zucchini, fresh spinach and eggs from the market, along with parsley and oregano from my little herb garden. I will tell you- This pizza was legit. I mean, literally the best thing I have tasted in awhile!

Now, of course you can make your own pizza dough if you'd like, and if I was feeling more ambitious I am sure I would have taken a stab at it, but I was so hungry I needed the instant gratification haha.

Alright, these are the exact ingredients I used in my mini pizza:

One mini boboli pizza crust
1/4 cup pasta sauce
1 tbsp flax meal
1/2 cup low fat mozzarella cheese
half zucchini, cut into half moons
handful of fresh spinach
few sprigs of fresh parsley
fresh oregano
1 egg

I sauteed the zucchini first in olive oil, and seasoned it with Lowry's seasoned salt. I cooked until they were slightly brown on each side. While the zucchini was cooking I spread the sauce on my pizza crust, followed by a sprinkling of flax meal, and topped it off with cheese. Next, I added the zucchini, parsley, oregano and spinach, and cracked an egg right on top of everything.

Put the pizza in the oven on the highest shelf, about a few inches from the top-it ensures that the egg with cook all the way through. Cook for about 15-20 min-or until the cheese is melty, and the egg is set, but the yolk is still runny. Let cool for a few minutes, cut into quarters, and DIG IN! I inhaled my pizza and I am positive you will too.

Other ingredients you can use from your market:

green pepper
mushroom
jalapeno
yellow squash
onion
red onion

you can even top it off with some avocado after you are done cooking it-that actually sounds pretty delightful! Just get creative...having a meatless meal does NOT mean eating something bland and boring. Try a meatless Monday in your home and see what you come up with! Happy eating :)

Keeping the snackers at bay-the healthy way!

Hello! As summer is readily approaching (it is in the high 90s here!), it is a time for picnics, and beaches, and fun outdoor activities. But food can be expensive! If your family is anything like my husband, and is always saying how darn hungry he is, and how there is nothing to snack on-this post is for you. You see, we always have PLENTY of food in the house. Plenty of things to make great snacks out of, plenty of great nuts, dried fruits, cheeses, granola, veggies, etc. I think that he just wants to open the fridge or pantry and have instant gratification of there being snacks already made-all the time. And, you know, I thought to myself that it was not a half bad idea! So i bought a bunch of those little snack sized baggies, and filled them up with all sorts of good stuff...

For the fridge snacks I included:

Green pepper slices and ranch dressing
Green pepper slices and clean eating salad dressing (find the recipe here)
Peach slices
Carrot slices and hummus
Watermelon chunks
Red grapes and Mozzarella cheese
Cheese and crackers with pepperoni
Fruit Salad (with watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, grapes)
Grapefruit quarters
Pita Chips and chicken salad
and Protein energy bites

Now, these little energy bites are quickly becoming my husbands new favorite thing to eat on the go, and I love to pop one or two before a run. In fact, he told me to "make them by the truckload" ahaha! They require no baking, are ready in minutes, and use things you probably already have in your pantry! First things first-ingredients:


1 cup dried oatmeal (I actually used 2 packets of raisins and spice)
2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/2 cup peanut butter (I prefer crunchy)
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/3 cup honey
dash of coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all of your ingredients in a bowl, chill for an hour, roll into balls, and put into snack sized baggies (6 per bag) and you are good to go! You can sub out anything you want though-add dried fruits, sunflower seeds, mixed nuts, etc. It's up to you-make it the way you will like it! :)

For the pantry snacks I included:

Fruit and nut mix-Includes soy nuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts, dried cranberries and raisins
Tropical Fruit Mix- Includes dried mango, coconut, dates, dried pineapple, and peanuts
Pita Chips-My pitas were getting stale so I brushed them with olive oil and baked them at 350 for 10 minutes until crispy. You can also make cinnamon ones to have with fruit salsa!
Toasted coconut flakes-  I could eat that stuff by the spoonful
Kashi cereal and chocolate chips - to eat with some Greek yogurt
Almond and chocolate granola- again, for yogurt
Roasted sunflower seeds
Dried fruits-dried cherries, strawberries and cranberries are my favorite

To make your own dried strawberries just bake at 200 for 3 hours-they will turn out like gummies!

The possibilities for these snack bags are ENDLESS-fill em up with stuff you know your family will eat, plus it is a great way for kids to decide what they want in their lunch. On family outings, have each person choose a few things (one fruit, one veggie, one with nuts or something for protein), and pack em up and you are good to go!

Happy Snacking! :-)

Heart healthy beef stir fry- delcious and great for you!

Hello all! It has been awhile, hasn't it? Life has been so nutso crazy, and my family was here this past weekend so the blog was neglected a little. womp womp. BUT I'm back! I have really been getting into healthy foods, and eliminating processed foods, and sugars, and trying to up my protein and raw fruit and vegetable intake.

While my family was here, we had burgers (I slipped up a lot while they were here haha-but it was technically a vacation for all of us and I am back on track yet again!), and I had a whole platter of all different sorts of vegetables. It was beautiful. But we did not use nearly as much as I thought we would, so I had all these gorgeous veggies leftover, but did not want to throw them all away. So I sealed them up in a freezer bag, figuring I could use them again another time. When I got home from my run today, I was absolutely starving, and I had thawed out some stir fry beef the night before. Then I remembered all the veggies I had frozen from burger night. I went searching for healthy beef stir fry recipes and this recipe from Prevention Magazine popped up, and it looked delicious! Bonus: I had most of the ingredients on hand, so I tweaked it just a little bit but it still came out spicy, and crunchy, and the beef was so tender, and after only a small portion I was actually stuffed!

As soon as I read that this was cooked in sesame oil, I was sold. Literally nothing smells better to me than garlic sizzling in sesame oil. YUM! Alrighty, here are your ingredients:

1 package stir fry beef
1 green pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced in half moons
1 large carrot, cut into thin slices
3 tbsp reduced soduim soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
freshly grated ginger
2 tsp crushed red pepper 
2 tsp black pepper

Toss steak with 2 teaspoons of the soy sauce. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large wok. You know me- I love cooking in a wok, it is just so much fun! Next, add ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add steak and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.


Return the pan to heat, and add remaining 1-teaspoon oil, carrots, green pepper, onion, crushed red pepper and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the reserved beef and juices, and remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Serve over rice, if desired. I ate it without the rice, and it was delicious as is. BONUS: Antioxidant-rich carrots, onions, bell peppers, and garlic keep your arteries healthy, which makes this recipe so heart healthy!


I saved the other half for my husband to take for lunch tomorrow. I put his over rice because he LOVES rice, and stir-fry. We'll see if it is husband approved, but I am not too worried about it ;)

Carrot Fries-quick, simple and delcious

Ok, as I am writing this post, I am chowing down on these carrot fries. I might need to make another batch because these things are amazing! Last weekend my husband and I checked out the farmers market, in hopes that we could get some amazing, fresh, colorful produce. Boy, did we hit the jackpot! We came home with onions, lemons, limes, potatoes, fresh herbs, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes, the list goes on...

But perhaps the most impressive thing we bought were these GIGANTIC carrots that are just this beautiful, vibrant orange. We got a bag of six for $3.00. They were a steal! So of course, with all these carrots in the house, I needed to find a creative way to use them up. I was browsing pinterest last night, and I pinned a recipe for "carrot chips", but to me they are more like fries. :)

Aren't they gorgeous? These little fries could not be easier to make either. You know me, I like easy recipes that taste like you spent hours preparing (shhhh) Ok, so first things first, ingredients:

carrots
olive oil
whatever spices and seasonings you like best

The amount of carrots depends on how hungry you are! The carrot I had was HUGE so I sliced up one into matchsticks. To cut matchsticks, cut the carrot lengthwise in half. Take the halves, and cut down the length into thin, perfect little carrot fries. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the carrots in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, and sprinkle with whatever seasonings you'd like. I used salt, pepper, and garlic. They are sweet and almost a little spicy from the pepper-but you could also use any kind of dried herb you have on hand. Salt, pepper, oregano, garlic and parsley, just salt and pepper, the possibilities are endless!

Next, bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes, cool completely and CHOW DOWN! I just love how bright and vibrant the color is in these fries, it makes them sooo appealing to me.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! This is becoming a regular snack for me. Not only do they taste great, they look just as good....

Homemade ice cream without an ice cream machine!!

I am really super excited about this post. I was looking at my favorite blogs awhile ago, and I stumbled on this post from Kevin & Amanda for homemade ice cream that you can make without an ice cream machine! I was a little skeptical at first, but after reading the post I HAD to try it. And with only two ingredients, it could not be easier. Note: this is not the healthiest of recipes, but my family is coming to visit this weekend and I am SURE that the kiddos will LOVE putting their own mix-ins to the ice cream and eating something that they created :)

First things first, here are your ingredients:

1 pint of heavy cream
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
your choice of mix-ins

That's it! First, take a hand mixer, or stand mixer and beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. While it is beating, take the sweetened condensed milk and put it into large, deep tupperware container, using a spatula to get every bit out of the can. Take your mix-ins and add it to the condensed milk. I used chocolate sauce, hazelnuts, and pieces of chocolate chip cookie for good measure. Once the heavy cream is thick like whipped topping, fold it into the sweetened condensed milk until well combined. Put the lid on the container, and freeze for 6-8 hours. When you return you will have a whole lot of sweet, creamy, delicious ice cream goodness that everyone will love! I am a nut about toasted coconut, so I put some on top. It was PERFECT! I seriously suggest you try it. It has easily become my favorite ice cream topping ever.

I am really looking forward to seeing my family this weekend and making ice cream with them and treats with my nieces and nephew. I have not seen them in  over a month, and it has been way too long...I will be sure to take lots of pictures of all of the kids creations :)

ENJOY!

Lightened up Mac & Cheese with Cauliflower

Ok, so I have been on a bit of a hiatus lately. I have kind of been slacking off, and not experimenting and cooking as much as I was before. I needed a little inspiration. Ok, Ok, I am not even going to lie. I have been spending most of my time pinning recipes, but not trying any of them. Well it stops here! I recently found a really awesome blog through pinterest called Eat Yourself Skinny. The girl that runs this blog is a genius! She has a whole recipe box filled with literally hundreds of lightened up food, including nutrition information and points+ values. As I was scrolling through her recipes, I was really craving mac & cheese and POOF-she's got an incredible lightened version, and I had everything in the house to make it! Let me tell you this recipe is a keeper. You still get all that awesome cheesiness, and creaminess, but with a wholeee lot less calories and fat.

First things first!! Ingredients:

1 (14.5 oz) box Ronzoni Smart Taste elbow macaroni, or penne pasta

1/2 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

4 Tbsp reduced-fat grated Parmesan cheese

8 oz. grated sharp cheddar( I used extra sharp white cheddar)

4 oz. fat-free cream cheese

1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped 

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add macaroni and cauliflower.  Cook until the cauliflower is fork tender. Drain, but reserve a 1/2 cup of the water.  In a separate bowl, combine Italian breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese and the chopped parsley to make the beautiful topping for this mac & cheese. Set aside, because that we will be the grand finale of this dish

Place the cheddar, cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, half-and-half, salt and pepper in the already heated pot you just used and mix in the macaroni and cauliflower.   Stir until well-combined and cheese is completely melted and ooey, and gooey and amazing-don't forget to add the reserved water from before!

Place in 8 greased ramekins (or a 9x13 baking dish) and top with bread crumb mixture.  Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes, or until bubbling and the crumbs are browned.  Enjoy! ( and trust me, you will enjoy!) The cauliflower works perfectly in this dish, and it is an excellent way to get some extra veggies in your diet!