Flatbread Personal Pizzas

We decided to make easy and fast pizzas – much healthier and much more filling than you would find in the frozen section of the grocery store!

Ingredients (for 2 personal pizzas):

1 package of Fabulous Flats Tandoori Naan (contains 2 flatbreads)
1/4 cup Ragu Pizza Sauce
3/4 cup low moisture part skim mozzarella cheese
2 slices of Hillshire Farm Hearty Slices Chicken
1/2 cup frozen pepper and onion stir-fry vegetable mix
You may want to add some garlic powder or use a salty cheese like parmesan to add some more flavor.

Directions:
1. Warm up the peppers and onions. We really didn’t need to take a picture of this, and we probably could have used a bigger pan, but Ian wanted to do it in his little pan and take a picture!
2. Spread about half of the sauce on each flatbread.
3. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of cheese over each flatbread.
4. Place small pieces of chicken on the flatbreads (1 slice per pizza).
5. Sprinkle about 1/8 cup of the cheese on each flatbread, over the chicken.
6. Place warmed vegetables on the flatbreads.
7. Bake at 400°F for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Nutritional information (for one flatbread pizza):
466 calories
16 g fat
48 mg cholesterol
1378 mg sodim
62 g carbohydrates
6 g sugar
8 g fiber
28 g protein 

Microwave potato chips with carrots and onion dip

We wanted a quick and easy snack, and what’s better than potato chips? Regular potato chips that you buy are always too greasy and too salty, so we decided to make our own!



Ingredients:
1 potato
Salt and pepper
Olive oil spray
1 container of plain Greek yogurt
~1/2 packet of Hidden Valley Garden Green Onion Dip Mix
Baby carrots

Directions:
1. Slice about 1/3 of the (washed) potato as thin as you can.
2. Lay the potato slices in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper that has been spritzed with olive oil.
3. Spray the tops of the potato slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Place parchment paper with potatoes in microwave, but turn off the rotating function.
5. Microwave on high for about 4-5 minutes, until the chips are crispy and brown.  You may need to rearrange them halfway through for even cooking.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 with the rest of the potato.
7. To make the dip, mix about half the packet (do this slowly and taste until you feel like it’s the right amount) with the Greek yogurt. It is best to let it sit for a few minutes to develop the flavors.
8. Serve the chips with the baby carrots and the dip.

Sweet & Tangy Hawaiian Burgers and Yam Chips

We had a hankering for some good old burgers today. We ended up making a couple of Hawaiian-themed burgers

Ingredients (for 2 burgers):
1/2 lb. 93% lean ground beef
1/2 packet Hawaiian Seasoning (McCormick)
Pineapple rings (keep the juice)
2 King’s Hawaiian Sandwich Rolls
1 yam

Directions for burgers:
1. Mix ground beef, seasoning, and 1 pineapple ring cut into chunks. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes to develop the flavor.
2. Separate the beef into 2 patties and cook on the George Foreman grill until done.
3. Cook the pineapples on a grill pan ~1 minute each side.

3. Lightly grill the Hawaiian bread bun until toasty.
4. Assemble the burger!!!

Directions for yam chips:
5. Wash the yam, quarter it, and cut thin slices.
6. We cooked the yam chips on a griddle because Ian just moved and hasn’t gotten all of the kitchen equipment yet. The griddle worked fine, though, turned up to 400°F. Coat the griddle lightly with olive oil and cook the yams in a single layer.
7. Sprinkle chips with salt, pepper, and oil, and flip when the first side has browned.
8. Brown the other side and they’re ready to eat!

Nutritional Information (for 1 burger and 1/2 of the chips):
545 calories
10.5 g fat
105 mg cholesterol
317 mg sodium
73 g carbohydrates
41 g sugar
6.4 g fiber
40.2 g protein

Grilled Chicken and Cheddar Panini

So I came across a panino grilling pan at the Navy Exchange a few days ago and bought it on pure impulse. This is the result of my first venture into panini using only ingredients I found in the fridge.



Ingredients (for 2 panini):
1 4-oz thin sliced chicken breast
1 dash of roasted pepper and garlic seasoning
2 whole grain deli flat buns (real Italian bread might be better here)
1 slice of reduced fat cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Trim chicken and sprinkle with seasoning
2. Preheat the pan and weight over Med-High heat.



3. Cook chicken until done (with thin chicken breast filets this does not take very long at all, so be careful!)
4. Set chicken aside and clean pan.



5. Preheat the pan and weight again to Low to Med heat.
6. While the pan is reheating, slice the cooked chicken into very thin strips.
7. Place bun bottoms in the pan and then layer on the chicken, cheese, and bun tops.
8. Place weight on top and cook for 2-3 min.
9. Remove the weight, flip sandwiches, replace weight, and cook an additional 2-3 min.
10. Remove the panini from the pan, slice in half and enjoy!

This goes great with a nice salad with fresh cherry tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette  dressing, oh and a cold beer!

Nutritional Information (for 2 panini):
370 calories
7 g fat
80 mg cholesterol
490 mg sodium
38 g carbohydrates
6 g sugar
10 g fiber
42 g protein

Easy Baked Chicken Mozzarella

We found an alternative to breading and frying chicken that tastes great and we love!

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

2 4-oz. thin chicken breasts

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. pepper

1 cup Ragu spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese

4 oz. Barilla Plus Whole Wheat Thin Spaghetti

Directions:

1. Trim chicken.

2. Put pepper and flour in a gallon Ziploc bag. Add chicken and shake.

3. Cook chicken in a non-stick skillet with a mist of olive oil until browned on both sides.

4. Put chicken in a baking pan, add some sauce and a thin layer of cheese. Add the rest of the sauce on top.

5. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

6. Place on top of cooked spaghetti!

We really enjoy this meal, and the flour coating on the chicken gives it a bit of texture, making breaded or fried chicken unnecessary.

Nutritional Information (for 1 serving of chicken and pasta):

489.8 calories

13.08 g fat

72.2 mg cholesterol

765.6 mg sodium

53.86 g carbohydrates

10 g sugar

7 g fiber

41.63 g protein

Ian's Blueberry Greek Yogurt French Toast Bagel Sandwich (with strawberries)

So if you can't already tell, Ian likes to name recipes with every single ingredient he uses! We've been wanting to make some French Toast, and per Ian's style we added a little twist!

Ingredients:

2 plain bagels

2 eggs

3/4 cup organic skim milk

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. honey

1 container of Chobani Greek Yogurt (Blueberry)

Strawberries quartered and sprinkled with one packet of Splenda

Directions:

1. Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and honey. Pour in a dish for soaking.

2. Cut bagels in half. We tried removing the crust on one bagel, but we think it makes it too soggy. We recommend keeping the crust on. Put the bagels in the milk mixture and let soak for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.

3. Cook in a non-stick pan over medium heat until browned.

4. Finish cooking them through in an oven on a cooling rack (on top of a cookie sheet) at 375°C for about 5 minutes.

5. Put the bagel bottom on a plate, spread half of the Chobani yogurt, and top with the other bagel half.

6. Add strawberries to the plate.

This meal was delicious, even though it was a little messy!

Nutrition Information (one bagel sandwich and strawberries):

404 calories

3.25 g fat

108.15 mg cholesterol

570 mg sodium

71.56 g carbohydrates

17.06 g sugar

4 g fiber

21.54 g protein (!!)

Chicken kabobs and cucumber salad

I attempted to cook Ian a meal for when he came back from his trip to Virginia, so I started off easy with chicken kabobs and a cucumber salad. This meal was fairly easy to make and quick - the cucumber salad can be made in advance, and all of the vegetables/chicken can be cut up early too!

Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion

1 green pepper

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts in chunks

2 small red potatoes

1/2 cup soy sauce (low sodium)

1/2 cup water

2 cloves minced garlic

Directions:

1. Soak the bamboo skewers preferably overnight, but at least for a few hours.

2. Marinate the chicken in the soy sauce, water, and garlic for at least 4 hours.

3. Cut up the vegetables into chunks and add alternating with the chicken. Make sure the potatoes are thin enough so they can cook through.

4. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes on one side, flip, and bake another 10-15 minutes.

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 cucumber

1/2 red onion

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Dill weed

Directions:

1. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and remove seeds.

2. Cut the cucumber into thin slices.

3. Cut the onion into strips.

4. Put the cucumber and onion into a collander, toss with 1 tbsp. of salt, and let sit for 20 minutes.

5. Rinse well with cold water.

6. Add vinegar and dill.

7. Toss to mix well.

8. Refrigerate until you are ready to eat!

Farmer's Market Special Medallions

So while we *may* not have purchased everything at the Farmer's Market (ok, we only got the asparagus there), you can purchase most of these ingredients to create a clean, delicious, and fresh snack or appetizer!

Ingredients
1 plain bagel cut into oblong medallion slices (Ian's words)
About 2 oz. mozzarella cheese cut into slices
3 small Roma tomatoes cut into slices
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Asparagus spears
Fresh basil (or dried)

First, we cut the bagel into oval-shaped thin slices and put them in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until they were crispy. We would have used a whole wheat bagel but the store didn't have any fresh ones. The plain bagel tasted great though.

We then pan seared some asparagus after coating them with some Crisco Olive Oil spray, and sprinkling on some salt and pepper.

We cut some Roma tomatoes and mozzarella cheese into oblong slices.

We made a balsamic reduction sauce by heating balsamic vinegar on medium (use twice as much as you want in the end) while whisking in a small sauce pan. Once it starts boiling, keep a close eye on it because it will reduce quickly!

We layered the mozzarella cheese, a tomato slice, and asparagus on the bagel medallions and drizzled some of the balsamic reduction on top. Ideally, we would have included some fresh basil cut into strips, but the grocery store didn't have any so we sprinkled a bit of dried basil on top.

Banana, Blueberry Yogurt, and Chocolate Chip Oat Muffins (Ian's extended title)

Ian made these today while I was at work - and they're delicious. I had two for dessert! You may want to add less sugar, or some more baking powder to lighten up the muffins a bit.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned aats
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 mashed ripe bananas (approximately 1/2 cup)
2 tbsp melted butter
1 6-oz. container of Chobani Blueberry Yogurt (0% fat)
1 large egg
1/4 cup egg whites (because we only had one egg... two eggs could be used!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 oz chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a muffin tin with Bakers Joy.
2. Mix eggs and butter in one bowl.
3. Mix banana and yogurt in another bowl.
4. Mix eggs/butter and banana/yogurt with an electric mixer.
5. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl and slowly add the wet ingredients while mixing.
6. Put 1/4 cup of mix in each muffin cup.
7. Put approximately three chocolate chips on top of the batter, which will sink to the bottom after baking.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the middle of the oven.
9. Place muffins on a cooling rack and refrigerate when cool.

Nutritional Information
Serving size: 1 muffin
135.2 calories
2.68 g fat
22.3 mg cholesterol
34.23 mg sodium
24.94 g carbohydrates
14.77 g sugar
0.55 g fiber
3.89 g protein

Veggie Cupcakes

A few weeks ago, I got the book, "Hello Cupcake," which has fun ways to decorate cupcakes. I decided to try a few of the ideas that they suggested, so I started by making the "Peas and Carrots" and "Mashed Potatoes" cupcakes. I also used a cupcake recipe that they had listed in the book that tasted delicious, but was a little bit dry.

To decorate these cupcakes, we dyed some store-bought icing (regular, not whipped) green and spread it evenly over the cupcake. I picked the green Runts out of the box (2 boxes of runts had enough green for 6 cupcakes) and quartered some orange Starburst.  We stuck them on randomly, and they held well! For the mashed potatoes, Ian made a mound of icing on each cupcake and put an indentation in the top to hold the "gravy." I cut a yellow Starburst in half through the center to make a thin pat of butter, which we placed at a slant in the mound. To make the gravy, I heated up some sugar free caramel sauce, drizzled a bit in the center over the butter, and tilted the cupcake to get some drips. Be careful though - if there's too much sauce in the drips, the caramel will run off of the cupcake!

I took these cupcakes into work and everyone loved them! They're fun and easy to make!