Bagel Stacks

I'm always looking for new things to have for breakfast.  I'm not a huge breakfast person so it's usually a bagel or some cereal.  And let me tell you, that's not getting me healthy any faster...  So this morning I decided I was super hungry and I have also been slacking on my protein.  So I stared in my fridge for a bit and came up with this beauty that is sadly cheese free (I'm trying to love it just a little less...).  But you can add some cheese if you'd like!

Bagel Stacks

*Makes 1-2 servings depending on how hungry you are

1 Thomas' Whole Wheat Bagel Thins
3 Egg Whites
3 Mini Bell Peppers (chopped) (1/8 C. if you only have large ones)
2 Slices of Turkey Bacon
2 Tbsp. Salsa
Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder

1. Chop everything up and separate the eggs.
2. Cook the bell peppers and bacon until the peppers are soft.
3. Add the egg whites with seasoning to taste and scramble.  Toast bagel at this point.
4. Top bagel with the yummy eggs and add salsa.
5. Enjoy!

NF are if you eat both slices

Spicy BBQ Chicken Pizza

While I have several pizza dough recipes on here, I realized that I hadn't really made a proper post for my awesome BBQ chicken pizza!  What a shame!  So here goes...

Spicy BBQ Chicken Pizza

 *Makes 1 12" Pizza

1 batch Dough
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (chopped and cooked)
3/4-1 C. Cheese (Mozzerella, cheddar, or my favorite pepperjack)
1/8 C. Onion
1/8 C. Bell Peppers (red are the best)
1/2 batch BBQ Marinade for sauce (trust me! it's heavenly)

1. Make your dough. (add 1/2 tsp. each garlic and chili powder to the flour for more spice)
2. Grill or pan sear your chicken and chop it up.  Also whip up the sauce.
3. Once the dough is done, preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
4. Then you can take out the dough, use a little flour (I like to use cornmeal with pizza dough) and stretch it to the size of your pan.  I recommend lining the pan with parchment paper for an easy clean up!
*A great tip I came across as well: If you don't have a pizza stone, turn a cookie sheet upside down and use parchment paper.  Turns out crispy and awesome*
5. Sauce it, top it, and throw it in the oven for 12-15 mins depending on the oven.

6. Enjoy!

Italian Sausage and Peppers

In my recent development of eating healthy and trying to work out, I've taken the plunge with different types of ground turkey.  I am not a huge fan of sausage because of the fat content so when I found Hot Italian Turkey Sausage I said, hey why not?  This is a very simple and healthy meal that's filling and satisfying to the taste buds!  By using a can of tomatoes with just a serving of actual marinara sauce, you're cutting the calories by almost 2/3!

Italian Sausage and Peppers

 *Makes 3 servings

Allergen Tips:


Rice flour noodles are a great g-free option for any pasta dish!


2 Italian Turkey Sausages (you can use real sausage if you'd prefer, it's just not as healthy)
1/2 Onion (sliced)
1 Bell Pepper (sliced, and go for red, orange or yellow for better nutrients)
1 15 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes (undrained)
1/2 C. Favorite Marinara Sauce (this makes it a bit thicker without adding all the calories!)
3-4 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
3 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Pasta (I used Penne)
Salt, Pepper, Italian Seasonings

1. Boil water for the pasta.  Add pasta and some salt when it's ready.  Drain when it's al dente and keep covered until the topping is done.
2. Cook sausage on medium heat for about 8 mins, making sure to turn frequently.  Lower to med-low and cover the sausage.  Cook for about 10 more mins or til the juices run clear.  (I like to poke my casing once so that the juice can run free and it's easier to watch)  When they're done, take them off and cut them into slices.
3. Add a bit of oil to the pan.  Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Then throw in the peppers and onions.  Cook for around 8 mins.
4.  Add the sausage and the can of undrained tomatoes.  Season with salt, pepper, and italian seasonings.  You can also up the heat a bit with red pepper flakes.
5. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 5-8 mins.
6. Serve on top of pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Football Calzones

Every year the boyfriend's parents throw a huuuuuuuuge Superbowl party.  So I decided to contribute some food this year instead of just showing up for the festivities! :)  I have been searching high and low for 2 months for just the right thing to bring.  I spend endless hours on pinterest, I did google searches, I looked at TON of blogs, and I just couldn't pick one!  (I picked 3 or 4 or 5.... you get the point)  So finally I stumble on some random post for food ideas on a party website and I'm browsing through the 15 or so ideas when I see..... football shaped calzones...!!!!! WHAT?!?! Mind blown.  Because who doesn't like bite size anything regarding pizza???  So I ventured forth to make a test run.  (The site didn't have any recipes, just the ideas themselves.  Even better!  I love to play with recipes!)

Now when it comes to pizza in my house, we love just about anything if it involves meat, cheese, and some yummy dough.  I've spent a ton of time researching doughs for various breads (because who doesn't like homemade bread??) and I now have two pizza dough recipes that I go for.  One is specifically made for a fast throw together pizza.  The dough doesn't need to rise.  The other, (my favorite of all time) is one that can be made with a mixer, a breadmaker, your hands, or whatever else you might want to try!  This is the dough used here in this recipe.

 I made cheesy bread with my leftover dough :)

Next I had to decide fillings!  You can't just have plain ol' pepperoni... That's just boring.  So after much thought and deliberation, I landed on pepperoni and buffalo chicken (since it IS the superbowl).  Time to get cookin!

Football Calzones

*Makes 18-24 depending on how thin you roll and what cutter you use

1 batch Soft, Chewy Pizza Dough

Pepperoni Filling:
1 Jar of your favorite marinara sauce (I as always use Classico and the Italian Sausage one is great to add to the pepperoni) **You'll use 1/4 C. for the filling and some more for dipping**
12-14 pepperoni sliced (cubed small!)
1/4 C. Mozzerella

Buffalo Chicken Filling:
1/3 C. Shredded Chicken (seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder)
3 Tbsp. Onion (minced)
1/4 C. Cheddar or bleu cheese
2-3 Tbsp. Favorite hot sauce (I get mine from a local pizza place but most people love Frank's Red Hot)

Egg Wash (1 Egg and 1 tsp. Water)

1.  Start out by making the dough.
2. Boil your chicken breast for 45 mins to shred for the filling.
3. Once the dough is done, put out on a floured surface and kneed for 3-4 mins.  Then put in a bowl and cover it for about 15-20 more mins.
4. Mix together the fillings.
5. Pull out the dough again and split into three balls.  Roll them out one at a time on a floured surface and make them as close to 1/8th of an inch as you can.  Use your chosen cookie cutter and start cutting.  Making sure you cut an even number for top and bottom.
6. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and put the bottoms on it.  Start adding the filling.  Try to stuff as full as possible by stacking it tall, not wide so you can still seal the edges.  Continue until you fill 2 sheets or until you run out of dough.
7. Once your 2 sheets are filled, take the tops and start pressing them around the edges.  You can use a fork to push the edges together for a nicer look.  *I tried to cut laces in the footballs but I didn't roll the dough thin enough so they just puffed up back together*
8. Set your oven to 400 degrees.  Just let the calzones sit uncovered during that time.
9. Mix up your egg wash.  When the oven is heated, generously slather the calzones with the egg wash and put them in the oven for 20 mins or until they're golden brown.
10. Serve with ranch, marinara, bleu cheese, more buffalo sauce, or whatever else your heart desires!

Full size calzones made with the extra fillings (I forgot the egg wash)

Truffles

Dark chocolate is really good for you in small doses!  I decided to make it worth my while with truffles! :)


Truffles
*Makes 15-20 balls

1 C. Chocolate Chips (dark, regular, white) MAKE SURE IT'S ROOM TEMPERATURE
1/2 C. Heavy Cream
2 C. Chips (whichever you'd like to coat it in, I don't recommend white....)
You can also cover them in chopped nuts, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, or crushed candy canes :)

1. Boil heavy cream on the stove, and add to a bowl with the cup of chips.  Let it sit for 2-3 mins.
2. Mix until it's smooth and creamy.  Put in the fridge uncovered for an hour.
3. Pull out the granache and spoon it into little piles. (about a small spoonful for each)
4. Roll each pile into a ball.  (it gets messy!!!)
5. Put back in the fridge for about 15 mins to harden them up again.
6. Start melting your coating chocolate on the stove with a double boiler or in the microwave.
7. Using two forks, drop a ball in the chocolate, coat it and put on wax paper on a cookie sheet.
8. When you're all done, put in the fridge (or freezer if you have room) to cool.  5-15 mins depending on which.
9. Put in a freezer bag or container and keep in the freezer!

Chinese in a Nut Shell

We LOVE Chinese food in our house and let me tell you, the delivery price just isn't worth it sometimes!!!  I've been dabbling in Kung Pao (chicken and beef) and it's been a great hit either way!  And when it comes to veggies, Who says it has to be textbook kung pao?!

Kung Pao/Stirfry (chicken or beef)

*Makes 6 servings

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or 1 Medium Steak (sliced thin)
1/2 Onion (chopped large)
2 Bell Peppers (chopped large)  Red, yellow or orange
1 Jalapeno (chopped)
1 Large Zucchini (sliced and halved)
2 handfuls of Snow Peas (maybe a cup and a half?)
1 C. Broccoli (chopped)
1 C. Cabbage (chopped sort of big)
2-4 Celery Stalks (chopped)
2 Bunches of Green Onions
1/3 C. Peanuts
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder (generous on the meat!)
Olive Oil (2-4 Tbsp depending on the frying)
1 1/2 C. Brown Rice
3 C. Water 

Sauce:
1 Packet of Kung Pao (chicken or beef) Seasoning Packet- Prepared
or 1/3 C. Szechuan Sauce or any other House of Tsang sauce (I'm a big fan)

 1. Put the water and rice in a pot and boil. Lower to simmer, cover and keep an eye on it.  Add 2 Tbsp. Oil to the pan on med-high heat.  When it's hot enough, add the meat and cook thoroughly.  Put in a bowl and set aside.
2. Drizzle a bit of oil and fry the peanuts by themselves.  This should take about 90 seconds.  Add them to the meat in the bowl.
3. Add more oil to the pan and throw in the veggies.  My method takes about 10-12 mins rather than 2-3 just to make sure the veggies are cooked enough.  Make sure to toss/mix often.

4. Mix the sauce.
5. Add the meat/peanuts/sauce and cook for another 5 mins until the sauce thickens a bit.
6. Serve up!

Lasagna Rolls

I've never made a lasagna before because I remember it taking foreeeeeeeeeeeever as a kid.  It doesn't really take much at all apparently! :)  I decided to make individual serving sized ones instead of a whole casserole.

Lasagna Rolls

*3-4 servings

Allergen Tips:
Rice flour noodles are a great g-free option for any pasta dish!

1 Bottle Favorite Marinara Sauce (I only buy Classico)
3/4 lb. Ground Hamburger
1/2 Container of Ricotta
1/4 C. Parmesan
1/3 C. Mozzerella
6 Lasagna Noodles
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasonings

1. Brown the ground beef.  Season with all the above seasonings.
2. Cook noodles until they're done with salt in the water. \
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
4. Mix the ricotta, and the other cheeses together.
5. Drain the noodles and lay out on the counter or a cutting board.
6. Spread the cheese along each noodle.
7. Add spoonfuls of the sauce to the noodles.

 8. Roll up.
9. Spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom of a 6x9 pan.  Add the noodles.  Top with the rest of the sauce and then add more cheese to the top.
10. Tent tin foil on top and cook for 35 mins. (don't want the cheese to stick to that foil!!!)