Clean Eating: Vegetarian Pesto Pizza

Pizza has always been a comfort food. I think that's true for most people. But I wanted to find a way to make a pizza that's not only yummy, but also healthy and within my clean eating regime. I also wanted a way to use some of the fresh produce I received from my produce delivery service. I recently received some yummy tomatoes and kale, so here is my take on a pesto pizza.

Ingredients:
2 whole wheat flatbread
1 medium tomato
2 oz. fresh mozzarella
1 cup packed kale
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
2 tbsp. chopped walnuts
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
dash of black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 360 F.

Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the flatbread on the baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes to get toasted.

Remove tough stems from kale and chop in small pieces. Place in a food processor along with garlic, shredded parmesan, walnuts, dried basil, olive oil, 1/4 tsp. sea salt and black pepper. Pulse grind to finely chop. Add vegetable broth and pulse grind into a paste. Scrape down sides of processor and pulse grind. Repeat until it is a well combined mixture.

Slice tomatoes and mozzarella. Sprinkle tomatoes with remaining 1/4 tsp. of sea salt.

On toasted flatbread, smear 1/2 of the kale pesto mixture on each slice of flatbread. Top with sliced tomatoes and then place sliced mozzarella on top.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until mozzarella is completely melted. Slice into quarters and serve while hot.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 2
Serving Size 1 flatbread pizza (245.4g)
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Calories - 521
Calories from Fat - 259
Total Fat - 28.8g
Saturated Fat - 7.7g
Cholesterol - 25mg
Sodium - 1210mg
Total Carbohydrates - 46.4g
Dietary Fiber - 5.3g
Sugar - 3.2g
Protein - 23.1g
---
Vitamin A - 119%
Vitamin C - 82%
Calcium - 43%
Iron - 52% 

Clean Eating: Enchilada Casserole

When I don't have a craving for Chinese food, I tend to have a craving for Mexican food. Yet again, not very diet friendly. But this little meal certainly hits the spot. The only thing missing is the crunchy chips and salsa I like to have before the meal. I have to work on a nachos that will work in the purview of my diet plan.

Ingredients:
1 lbs. 93% lean ground turkey
1 red onion
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
black pepper, to taste
2 tomatoes
1 (7 oz.) can of chopped green chiles
4 tbsp. medium salsa
3 oz. 75% reduced fat Cabot cheddar
4 tbsp. light sour cream
6 La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Tortillas

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

Add water to a medium pot. Remove stemmed end of the tomatoes. On the other end, cut an X. Add tomatoes to pot of water and bring to boil. Boil for 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Chop onions into small pieces. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions to skillet and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes.

Move onions to one side of the pan. Add ground turkey to other side of pan along with all the seasonings. Cook until turkey has browned, mixing with the onions.

Remove skin from the boiled tomatoes. In a food processor, add tomatoes (breaking up if needed), green chiles and salsa. Spin it until well combined into a sauce.

Add sauce to ground meat mixture. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Spray and 8x8 square casserole pan with cooking spray. Cut tortillas in half. Line the bottom of the casserole dish with half the tortillas.

Grate the cheddar cheese. Place half the meat mixture over the tortillas and top with cheese. Repeat layers (tortilla, meat and cheese).

Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove aluminum foil from top of casserole. Bake an additional 5 minutes to brown cheese.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 354.2g
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Calories - 356
Calories from Fat - 145
Total Fat - 16.1g
Saturated Fat - 6.2g
Cholesterol - 93mg
Sodium - 793mg
Total Carbohydrates - 25.9g
Dietary Fiber - 6.5g
Sugar - 6.2g
Protein - 32.3g
---
Vitamin A - 16%
Vitamin C - 47%
Calcium - 31%
Iron - 27%  

Clean Eating: Teriyaki Chicken with Fried Rice

When I got home from work, I immediately launched into cooking. I didn't get any pictures of the process, but I got a nice picture of the final result. As I've mentioned in a previous post, I love Chinese food, but I don't love the fact that I can't get it in clean eating style. So, I'm learning how to make my own. I know it's not authentic Chinese food, but at least it has some similar flavors.

Ingredients:
For marinade:
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

22 oz chicken tenderloins (I used an entire package of Perfect Portions chicken tenders)

For fried rice:
1 bag boil-in-bag whole grain rice
1 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/3 cup egg whites
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce


Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together honey, sesame oil low sodium soy sauce, minced garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Place chicken tenders in a large gallon bag. Pour marinade over chicken and let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Spray a large oven-proof skillet with canola cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken tenders and extra marinade to pan and cook for 4 minutes. Place skillet in oven and roast for 15 minutes. Once chicken has cooked, remove from pan. This pan will be used to fry the rice.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water with submerged bag of rice to boil. Cook for 10 minutes. Drain water and open bag with scissors.

Add sesame oil to skillet used to cook chicken. Over medium-high heat, add onion and garlic. Stir to onions and scrape any bits from bottom of pan. Add frozen peas and bean sprouts, cooking for a couple of minutes. Add egg whites and soy sauce. Stir until egg whites are cooked.

Serve fried rice with chicken.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 294.5g
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Calories - 418
Calories from Fat - 131
Total Fat - 14.6g
Saturated Fat - 1.5g
Cholesterol - 100mg
Sodium - 563mg
Total Carbohydrates - 32.0g
Dietary Fiber - 2.6g
Sugar - 11.4g
Protein - 39.2g
---
Vitamin A - 3%
Vitamin C - 14%
Calcium - 2%
Iron - 8%  

Pet Care: Pups Love Peanut Butter

Licking the beaters, just like a couple of kids

I love my puppies. And I love to spoil them rotten. I went out for dinner tonight, so no new recipe to share. I haven't bothered to get back to my sewing since I still haven't fixed my machine, although I have another refashion coming soon. So tonight's post is my first "Pet Care" post, and who better to spoil than my sweet pupparoos. Tonight's spoiling is peanut butter mini muffins.

Ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal 
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place oatmeal in a food processor. Pulse grind until chopped into a fine powder. Place in a bowl with baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. Whisk until well combined.

In another bowl, add natural peanut butter, applesauce, egg and vanilla extract. With an electric mixer on low speed, mix until well combined.

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, mix ingredients together until combined.

Spray a mini muffin pan with canola cooking spray. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into each muffin cup.

Bake 12-15 minutes until muffins are brown and tops feel crisp. Let muffins cool and place in a storage container.

 Share with the pups that you love. Yields approximately 18 mini muffins.

Clean Eating: Sausage & Sweet Potato Goodness

You may be wondering how I can possibly consider eating sausage while I'm "clean eating". Or perhaps you already know if you saw my previous post for low carb pizza. I make my own sausage using turkey and lots of seasonings. Of course, I can't take credit for the recipe. I found it online. But it's so easy to make, you'll be happy you put forth the effort. But I love the pairing of sweet with heat, so I knew that a sweet potato hash would be a wonderful side for my sausage burgers.

Ingredients:
For the Sausage Hamburger Steak:
1/2 lb. homemade turkey sausage
1/2 lb. ground sirloin
1 (10 oz) package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dried
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced

For the Sweet Potato Hash:
2 sweet potatoes
1 onion
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Peel and dice the sweet potatoes and onion. Spray a pan with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, add sweet potatoes and onion. I added 2/3 cup of water to make sure the potatoes would cook through.

 

 

Stir occasionally to ensure the mixture doesn't burn. Once the onion and potatoes begin to soften, add the honey and vinegar. Stir to evenly coat mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 105.3g
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Calories -120
Calories from Fat -32
Total Fat - 3.5g
Saturated Fat - 0.5g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 22mg
Total Carbohydrates - 23.0g
Dietary Fiber - 2.5g
Sugar - 9.2g
Protein - 1.2g
---
Vitamin A - 220%
Vitamin C - 18%
Calcium - 1%
Iron - 1%  



Directions:
Mix sausage, sirloin, spinach, garlic and hot peppers together.

Divide into four parts and press into patties. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Cook patties over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and brown other side until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 206.9g
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Calories -222
Calories from Fat -94
Total Fat - 10.4g
Saturated Fat - 4.4g
Cholesterol - 124mg
Sodium - 449mg
Total Carbohydrates - 5.2g
Dietary Fiber - 1.2g
Sugar - 1.1g
Protein - 26.2g
---
Vitamin A - 43%
Vitamin C - 9%
Calcium - 8%
Iron - 18%  



Serve and enjoy! Bon appetite!

Clean Eating: Low Carb Pizza

Drat! I knew I was going to blog this meal, and I was so excited about making it, I forgot to take pictures of the process. So, I'm blogging this anyway, and hopefully, I'll remember to take some pictures when I make this next time. In the meantime, here is a picture of the finished product, and it was delicious.

Ingredients:
For crust:
1 eggplant, peeled
1 egg
1 oz. pork rinds
2 oz. mozzarella cheese

For toppings:
2 medium tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic
1/2 lb turkey sausage (make your own)
2 bell peppers
1 onion
8 oz. mushrooms
2 oz. mozzarella cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

To make crust, grate peeled eggplant using the large grate option. Dry grated eggplant on paper towels. Place in a large bowl. Grind pork rinds in a food processor until consistency of bread crumbs. Add to eggplant. Grate mozzarella cheese and add to eggplant mixture. Add egg and stir to combine.

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add eggplant mixture to pan, and press to make an even layer. Cook until edges start to brown. Turn eggplant patty over on a plate and slide back into the pan to cook the other side. Do not fully brown other side of patty as it will continue to cook in the oven. Remove from heat.

Wash tomatoes and cut off top stemmed area. Cut an X in the bottom of the tomato. Add to a pot with water. Place over high heat and bring to boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place in ice bath to cool tomatoes. Once cool enough to handle, peel tomatoes and place in food processor. Add basil, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Pulse grind until it becomes a sauce.

Coat a medium pan with cooking spray. Cook onions, bell pepper and mushrooms until softened. Remove from pan. Using the same pan, cook turkey sausage (prepped from this link) until browned, breaking until chunks while it cooks.

Add tomato sauce to top of eggplant patty. Top with sauteed veggies and turkey sausage. Grate mozzarella cheese on top. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.


Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 308.8g
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Calories - 267
Calories from Fat - 115
Total Fat - 12.8g
Saturated Fat - 6.1g
Cholesterol - 107mg
Sodium - 805mg
Total Carbohydrates - 14.1g
Dietary Fiber - 5.6g
Sugar - 4.6g
Protein - 28.2g
---
Vitamin A - 14%
Vitamin C - 33%
Calcium - 26%
Iron - 12%  

Clean Eating: Jazzing Up Delivery

I love Chinese food. I've had a love affair with the deep fried, saucy goodness all my life. I guess my dad must have introduced me to Chinese food because I remember that anytime I went to visit him as a kid, I always wanted Chinese food for dinner. Unfortunately, Chinese food is not the best option if you're trying to diet. But I have the solutions: steamed chicken with broccoli (no sauce). Now, I know what you're thinking: "That sounds pretty boring, Stephanie." Ok, maybe you're right. I could probably make my own steamed chicken and broccoli, but it's so much easier to have someone bring it to me. The solution is to make you're own sauce to jazz up what might otherwise be a boring dinner. And here's how it's done:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp raw honey (I use Mountain Ridge)
1 packet of Chinese mustard

Directions:
Place ingredients in a small saucepan. Whisk over medium-high heat until evenly combined. Bring to a boil to heat through.

In a shallow bowl, add 1/2 cup of whole wheat brown rice, top with steamed chicken and broccoli and add sauce over entire dish. Delicious!

Vegan Project: Oatmeal On-the-Go

I really like to sleep. I really like to sleep until the very last second where I have to get up and rush around to get ready and out the door to work on time. Many mornings, I just grab a cup of yogurt and fruit and rush out the door. But when I'm out of yogurt, it's difficult for me to find something that I can quickly prep and take with me to work. Enter this tasty bowl of goodness. This recipe isn't rocket science, but it's just a quick pick-me-up for my morning rush.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2/3 cup fresh (or thawed) blueberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 packet Stevia

Directions:

Combine oatmeal, cinnamon and almond milk into a microwave safe bowl.

Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel. Cook in microwave for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Remove carefully from microwave and stir in Stevia. Top with blueberries and enjoy.

And just like that, I have a very healthy and filling meal. And it's much better than the oatmeal I used to get from McDonald's. Also, it only takes a couple of minutes to get the ingredients together and a couple of minutes to heat. In less than 5 minutes, I've got a great breakfast.


Nutrition Facts
Serves 1
Serving Size 371.4g
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Calories - 237
Calories from Fat -52
Total Fat - 5.7g
Saturated Fat - 0.5g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 145mg
Total Carbohydrates - 43g
Dietary Fiber - 7.9g
Sugar - 10.7g
Protein - 6.7g
---
Vitamin A - 11%
Vitamin C - 16%
Calcium - 45%
Iron - 16%  

Clean Eating: Chicken Chili

Fall is well on its way, and it's time for me to start working on soups, stews and chowders. First on the list is chili, one of my favs. What's not to like: meat, good; beans, good; cheese, good. It's just a bowl full of delicious goodness that leaves me feeling warm and satisfied.

Ingredients:
8 oz. chicken breasts
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/3 cup great northern beans (cooked from dried beans)
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 oz. reduced-fat cheddar cheese
4 tbsp light sour cream

Directions:
Fill a large pot with water. Cut an X in the bottom of each tomato and place in water. Bring water to a boil and cook for 5 minutes until flesh begins to peel.

Meanwhile, cut the onion and red pepper into chunks. Place vegetables in food processor and pulse grind until pureed.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and garlic to pan. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cut chicken into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse grind until chicken is finely ground.

Moving vegetable mixture to one side of the pan, add chicken to the other side of the pan with spices. Brown chicken and combine with vegetables.

Once tomatoes are finished cooking, drain water and rinse in cold water, adding ice if necessary to bring down the temperature of the tomatoes. Once cool until to handle, peel tomatoes and remove stemmed end. Add tomatoes to clean food processor. Grind into sauce.

Add tomato sauce, beans and chicken broth to the pan with chicken and vegetables. Stir to combine making sure to deglaze the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium-low heat until everything is heated through.

Serve in bowl with 1 tbsp of sour cream and 1/2 oz. of shredded cheddar.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 390.3g
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Calories - 259
Calories from Fat - 75
Total Fat - 8.3g
Saturated Fat - 2.3g
Cholesterol - 46mg
Sodium - 709mg
Total Carbohydrates - 24.5g
Dietary Fiber - 7.2g
Sugar - 4.2g
Protein - 23.6g
---
Vitamin A - 61%
Vitamin C - 155%
Calcium - 18%
Iron - 13%  

Refashion: Tickled Pink

I really wanted a skirt, and I really wanted it to have a layered look. Enter this little ensemble.

Ok, the teal capris are obviously a no no with the shirt

So, I had this pink mesh shirt forever, and I also had a baby pink t-shirt that I haven't really worn in forever. So, I decided to combine the two into my layered skirt. First thing's first, I've got to chop the top of the mesh shirt and the solid shirt so it'll fit over my hips.

  It'll be a little short, but I can already see the cute.

My sewing machine is still on the fritz (mainly because I haven't bothered to get it fixed). I had a long time ahead of me with hand-stitching. First, I had to attach the mesh to the solid piece. I simply did a back-stitch hem around the top of the wannabe skirt.

  Yes, the edge is ragged, but no one will see it when it's folded over.

Next, it's time to get the elastic ready for the skirt. I got another skirt that has elastic and fits me well. I pinned a length of elastic around the inside of the waistband, then trimmed where the 2 ends would meet.

If only my finished skirt looked this professional...

Now it's time to get that elastic inside the skirt waistband. I turned over the edge of the skirt about 0.5" and hemmed it, leaving a small opening to thread the elastic into the skirt. I would share a picture of the turned over band, but it was so so messy. So instead, here's how I got the elastic threaded into the new waistband.

  Hello, safety pin

After I got the elastic threaded, I stitched the 2 ends together. Then I sewed up the opening where I had inserted the elastic. Tada, a new skirt is born.

A little short, but I love it.

A close-up of the layered effect

A little sass in my new ensemble