Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Pumpkin Pita Pizza People Pleaser

Pumpkin Pita Pizza People Pleaser....say that 5 times fast!

Have a hard time making a pizza for the whole family and pleasing the whole family with the toppings? Have no fear, Pita Pizzas are here!


I will set my oven around 375 and bake until toppings are melted. I like mine a little more on the crispy side.
This is probably one of the best meals for Halloween cause it literally is ready in a matter of minutes.
Throw some baby carrots and apple slices on there and you have a nutritious meal that hits on all food groups.

So fun to do for to do for Halloween or any day really! Scored some major "mummy" points on this meal.
Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!


Sunday, October 29, 2017

Greek Yogurt Chicken

My new favorite obsession.....chicken breasts lathered in plain greek yogurt and pretty much any seasonings you want. I have been trying to consume more protein in my diet lately and this one does a good job. I have 4 people in my family but you can adjust the recipe according to size.
 
4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp minced garlic
1 heaping TBSP Italian bread crumbs
Salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F
Salt & pepper chicken to taste. Mix yogurt, cheese, garlic, & bread crumbs in a bowl. Spray a dish with cooking spray. Coat chicken with the yogurt mixture. Pop in the oven for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Ghoul-ash

This time of year is all about the Ghosts, Goblins, & "Ghoul"ash! Your family will scream (with delight) over this meal! This recipe is healthy and so freaky fast that it will scare you.
1 pound ground turkey
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 zucchini, shredded
1 TBSP garlic, minced
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 TBSP paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp dried marjoram
Salt & pepper, to taste
10 oz pasta of your choice
Sour cream or shredded cheese (optional)

Cook the ground turkey with onions in a large pot. Add all other ingredients except pasta and sour cream. Heat through, stirring occasionally. Add the pasta and continue cooking until pasta is done. Serve with a dollop of sour "scream" and dig in. 

Jack Skellington Pot Pie

I live and die for Halloween dinners! I love being creative with food! I love theme dinners! I love Kodiak Cakes! Introducing Jack Skellington Pot Pie.......

You can use any Chicken Pot Pie recipe that will fit in a pie plate but here is my recipe of the filling and Kodiak Cakes crust topping. If you don't already know by my other recipes, I don't always measure my ingredients on most recipes but I'll so my best.

Filling:
2/3 cup chopped carrots
2/3 cup celery
1 small onion
2 small peeled diced potatoes
1 TBSP minced garlic
2/3 cup peas
2 - 12.5 oz canned chicken, drained
2 - 15 oz chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
salt, pepper, thyme, & parsley, to taste

Saute carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, & garlic until almost soft. Stir in flour. Add in peas, chicken, broth, & milk. Incorporate and put on simmer will veggie cook through and you prep the crust. Add in seasonings. Preheat oven to 400 F.

The crust I use is from Kodiak Cakes
It says it makes 2 crusts but I use this recipe to make one because I like the crust thicker.
I roll it out into the size circle I need and then put it in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up so it's easier to cut out the face shapes. Then take it out, carefully cut out your face, and lay it over top your filling, sealing the edges. I lightly put aluminum foil on top just so the edges don't burn. Let it cook until golden brown or about 20 minutes.

Happy Halloween Dinners!







Saturday, August 12, 2017

Zucchini Lasagna

Take a look at what I made for dinner today......


Take a closer look.....
It's Zucchini Lasagna!! 
That's right, no noodles! My kids complained for a minute but once they tried it they didn't seem to mind. They ate every bit they were given. But I will say they do like lasagna with noodles better but it was fun to change it up a bit.

I followed this recipe here and made a few minor changes. I used ground turkey and turkey sausage for meat substitutes. I did not use red pepper flakes but instead used Italian Zest FlavorGod seasoning (generously sprinkled all over meat/tomatoe mixture). Adds so much flavor (hence the name) without too much heat!!! Getting the moisture out of the zucchini was time consuming but I could definitely tell it was mandatory. It took me longer to prep than the given time.
 
If you have never tried something like this before I encourage you to do so!




Cheesy Quiche

Tasted as good as it looks!
 
I used Kodiak Cakes recipe for my crust. It (barely) makes 2 pie crusts so I made 2 quiches so we have left overs. My family of 4 almost ate 1 whole pie for dinner. I cooked the pie crusts @ 350 for 5 minutes BEFORE putting in the egg mixture just so there wasn't a soggy crust. TIP: After pre-baking put tinfoil strips around the crust edges so the edges don't get overly crispy like mine did.

For the egg mixture:
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1-2 cups shredded cheese
1 tsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste

Whisk everything together.
 
For the filling, the options are endless but this is what I put in mine:
1 head of broccoli, cut in bite size pieces (put in a bowl with water and nuked for a couple of minutes to help soften
6 slices of ham, cut in small pieces
 
Incorporate in to the egg mixture and disperse evenly into 2 pie plates. Cook at 350 for 45 min to 1 hour (or until set).




Wednesday, July 26, 2017

PIZZA PARTY!

I am going to share 2 pizza recipes with you today. I almost always use the same crust recipe when I make a pizza. Here it is....

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
3-4 1/2 cups flour (I use white whole wheat flour)

In my Kitchenaid, combine 1 1/2 cups warm water, 1 TBSP, & 1 TBSP active dry yeast. Wait 10-15 min for it to proof. Add 1/2 tsp salt and start adding your flour 1/2 cup at a time until it doesn't stick to your fingers anymore.
Spray a medium bowl with cooking spray, plop your dough in the bowl and let it rise for about an hour.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
Lightly spray a pizza stone (I highly recommend one) with cooking oil and work the dough (with your hands) onto the stone to form your crust.
With a fork poke a few holes in the crust dough. Lightly spray the dough with cooking spray and lightly sprinkle with garlic salt.
Bake for 10-12 min. Take it out of the oven, put on your toppings and pop it back in for another 12ish minutes.

What do you get when you combine pizza and a taco? TACO PIZZA!

I cook 1 lb of ground turkey and half an onion. Season with taco seasoning of your choice. I use chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika, & oregano to taste. Chop up half a red pepper and toss that in once the meat is cooked through.

I warmed up a can of refried beans and spread a thin layer of it on the crust as my base later. Grate some cheese and evenly spread on top. Then, the cooked taco meat goes on top of that. Once it's done in the oven I add tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado on top.

My kids loved it!
Next pizza, same crust, different pizza. My kids didn't think they would like this pizza but they were proven wrong once their tastebuds touched the pizza.

PESTO CHICKEN BROCCOLI PIZZA  


I bought 1 head of broccoli, cut it in bite sized pieces and steamed it just until it starts to soften. Use pesto as the base. I, of course, use the Costco brand (see previous post). Grate moza cheese and spread evenly on the top of the pesto. To make my life easier I used canned chicken. Use 1-2 cans depending on likeness. Toss broccoli pieces on, sprinkle with minced garlic and pepper, & pop it back in the oven. Serve with a side of watermelon.