Pizzzzza Cake

It has been raining for 4 days straight:( Totally not motivating me to do much...

Yesterday I had a great workout at the gym.  I did about 4 miles on the treadmill incorporating lots of intervals and inclines.  Afterwards I did some crunches and 3 sets of squats.  By the time I got home, I was starving!! All this rain definitely makes me crave comfort food and one thing came to mind: PIZZZA!  Not wanting to ruin the great workout I just had, I decided to experiment by making a healthier version.  In less than 10 minutes I was sitting down to a delicious lunch!  It really was a piece of cake...er...pizza (;

Pizzzza Cake

Set Oven to broil on high

Lightly spray a baking sheet (I used my cast iron skillet) and lay down tortilla

Spread sauce over tortilla then cover with spinach/arugula

Sprinkle the rest of the toppings except tomatoes; put the cheese on last.

Place pan on the top rack of the oven for 5- mins or until outside of tortilla is browned and cheese in melted.

Once out of the oven, lay sliced tomatoes on top

Enjoy!!!

  This was such a great lunch and waaaay lower in calories than traditional pizza.  I loaded it with sauce and spinach and went easy on the cheese and it still satisfied my pizza craving.  The tortilla came out crispy and grilled so it was exactly like eating a thin crust pizza.  Also, it only took a couple minutes to throw together and broil in the oven.  A perfect post-workout lunch :D

That's a Wrap!

Just when I thought our Monday night dinners couldn't get any tastier, me and my roomie hit the nail straight on the head with our delicious southwestern turkey lettuce wraps.  This low carb dinner was nutritious, delicious, and filling.  As you can see by the picture, they also looked beautiful!

Photo strategically taken by Mallory

1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup frozen corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp canola oil
1 can fire roasted tomato sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 water
1 tsp chili flakes
1Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt, to taste

1 head butter leaf lettuce
Sliced avocado
Tortilla strips
1bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1. Sauté onions garlic bell pepper and corn in oil

2. Add salt, all the spices, and ground turkey. Cook until turkey is browned

3. Add tomato sauce water and cider vinegar. Bring to a simmer then set to low heat for 5 minutes.

4. Place mixture on lettuce and top with tortilla strips, avocado, and green onion. Add cheese, salsa, and low fat sour cream for extra flavor. Garnish with lime wedges

 

Dessert was also a winner. Fresh strawberries over a slice of angel food cake.  We topped that with some melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and a pinch of coconut. Sooo tasty! 

 

Thank you Rocco!

Monday night dinners are becoming a weekly ritual with my roomie Mallory.  We have been dedicated to trying a new recipe each time, and it's been really fun! This week we got several good ideas out of Rocco Dispirito's Now Eat This! diet plan and cookbook.  His recipes all look so wonderful and he finds ways to cut unhealthy fats out of traditional dishes.  From appetizers to desserts, all the recipes look sooo yummy and are super easy to prepare.  

This week we flipped through the pages several times and finally decided on his Ginger Sweet chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry.

 4 cups broccoli florets

¼ cup water

2 tsp canola oil

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

Salt/pepper

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

¼ cup apricot preserves

¼ cup low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp fresh cilantro

½ tsp garlic chili sauce

2 cups cooked brown rice

1. Steam broccoli in microwave or boiling water
2. Sauté chicken in pan with oil (about 2 mins each side).  Add ginger, apricot  
3. Add steamed broccoli to the pan and mix together with garlic chili oil. 
4. Garnish with cilantro

This beautiful dish contains only about 298 calories per serving with only 6 grams of fat!

We also added sliced carrots and sesame seeds for extra color and texture.

Nutritional Bonuses: 

Pretty much everything about this recipe has nutritional benefits. The brown rice and broccoli make this a fiber-rich recipe, the chicken is a great source of lean protein, and the ginger helps keep your GI tract regular :)

Once again, Thank you Rocco!!