Keto Pizza

We've been trying to do the Keto thing for a couple weeks now, it's not as hard as I thought it would be. One thing we have missed though is pizza! I have made and liked cauliflower crust but it's not as "stiff" as normal pizza crust and has to be eaten with a fork once cheese and toppings are added. I wanted pizza we could slice and pick up-- the real deal! Luckily, after piecing together many recipes I've found online, I found a pizza crust that is virtually no carb and delicious! Not to mention, it actually tastes like pizza crust and acts like pizza crust! The best thing about pizza is you can customize it with any toppings you like!

I started with raw ground chicken breast and mixed it with powdered parmesan cheese (which helps absorb some of the moisture when it cooks so it doesn't get soggy), grated mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, and a little Italian seasoning. Next, I lined my pizza pan, or you could use a cookie sheet, with parchment paper and dumped the chicken mixture into the middle. I used another sheet of parchment paper to press the mixture out into an even crust that filled the pan. Bake at 400° for 20 - 25 minutes and the result will be a delicious pizza crust that tastes nothing like chicken and everything like pizza crust! 

After the crust is cooked I dab it with a paper towel to get rid of any extra moisture. Next comes the sauce! I like to use Rao Homemade Pizza Sauce-- it's super low carb and has no added sugar. It is really good! I think I have found it at both Sprouts and Walmart-- maybe even Target. 

                                            

After the sauce comes the cheese and whatever toppings you like! All we had on hand this night was olives so that's what we added. In the past we've added pepperoni and even a ham and pineapple pizza one night. So good! Once the cheese and toppings are added, put it back in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is all melted and bubbly! 

                                     

Let it cool slightly, slice it up, and enjoy! 😋 

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Keto Pizza 

Ingredients: 

Crust

- 1lb. ground chicken breast 

- 3/4 - 1 cup of powdered parmesan cheese 

- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 

- 2 tsp. garlic powder

- 2 tsp. onion powder

- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning 

Topping

- pizza sauce of your choice 

- 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese 

- any other toppings you like 

Directions: 

- Preheat oven to 400°

- Prepare pan by covering it with parchment paper 

- Mix ground chicken, powdered parmesan cheese, mozzarella, and seasonings in bowl until combined

- Use second sheet of parchment paper to press and even out chicken mixture onto pizza pan 

- Bake for 20-25 minutes until done 

- Add sauce, cheese and toppings 

- Bake for another 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted 

- Let it cool, slice it up, and enjoy! 

Back to School Meal Prepping

       Today I spent about 4.5 hours shopping and prepping meals for the next couple months since I go back to work Tuesday. The first couple months back at school tend to be very busy so meal prepping is a HUGE life saver. I prep the meals, freeze them, and cook them in the crockpot as needed. 

       I made 21 meal bags which should translate into about 100 or so meals, give or take. I didn't use exact recipes.. just eye balled and estimated. I don't have an exact recipe for you but I will share what I used and I'm sure you can do the same! Hope these help you save time and help you continue to feed your family health whole food meals! 

       Let me know if you try any of them and what you think. Cost of these worked out to be less than $3.00 a meal! 

 

**I suggest you brown your turkey prior to adding it to a freezer bag. It will cook in the crockpot, but it won't brown and something about it still being pink makes it inedible for me!** 

• "Fajita" tacos- about 3/4lb ground turkey, cut up bell pepper; taco seasoning and 1 can black beans  
• “Fajita” chicken-3-4 chicken breasts, cut up bell pepper, taco seasoning and 1 can black beans 
• “Unstuffed” peppers-about 1 lb. ground turkey, brown rice, black beans, tomato paste (normally I would also add corn, but I didn't have any and forgot to buy some)
• Broccoli ranch chicken-cut up broccoli florets, 3-4 chicken breasts, ranch seasoning, 1 can chicken stock 
• “Pot roast"-about 1 lb. beef, red potatoes diced, carrots-diced  cauliflower, and 1 can chicken stock. Season to preference-pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, red paper flakes, etc.
• BBQ pineapple chicken-1 ½ to 2 cups of pineapple chunks, 3-4 chicken breasts, and BBQ sauce

              

              

       I also make sure I label what each bag is, when it was put together, and cooking times--that way if my fiancé has to throw one in, all the directions are right there for him! 

Whole30/Paleo Chili

Maybe it's because we should be experiencing fall weather or maybe it's because it just sounded good, and lets be honest, easy to make, that I decided to make chili as one of my main meals for the first week of this new plan. Here's the basic recipe:

Whole30/Paleo Turkey and Veggie Chili

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. ground Turkey
- 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 can of tomato sauce, no salt or sugar added
- 2 small cans of tomato paste
- 2.5 tomato sauce cans full of warm water
- 5-6 carrots, finely chopped
- 3 bell peppers, I used one yellow, orange, and red
- 2 yellow squash, chopped
- white pepper, to taste
- salt, to taste
- cumin, to taste
- chili powder, to taste
- paprika, to taste
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- onion powder, to taste

Directions:
- Add olive oil to a pan and heat, add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds to soften
- Add turkey and cook until no longer pink and is thoroughly cooked
- Once turkey is cooked add it to the crockpot (I use a crockpot bag to make clean up easier)
- Add remaining ingredients and stir well
- Cook on high for a few hours (3-4)
- Serve immediately or freeze in batches for another time

30 Days- Whole30 (Paleo) for Picky Eaters!

It's been a while, a long while, actually, since I last blogged. Life got in the way in a big way and I just couldn't get to it. But now, I'm prioritizing cooking healthy, easy, meals and am going to try and blog both the meals and the progress/results I get from this change.

For the next 30 days I am going to follow the Whole30 "rules" which from what I can tell seems pretty much like a Paleo inspired plan--its more strict in order to focus on eating just whole foods and not creating substitutes. 

Approved foods on the Whole30 plan:

• Lean meats
• Veggies
• Fruits
• Healthy Fats 

That means no dairy, legumes, processed food, added sugar (natural or not), or grains for the next 30 days. The goal of Whole30 is to build a new relationship with food--one where you're not emotionally or physically dependent on any type of food. 

My main concern--I'm a pretty picky eater so I have to try and find variety in my meal plans without trying to force-feed myself something that will derail my plan. 

The best way for me to stick to any kind of plan is to meal plan for the week on the weekend, that way I can grab and go to work and when I come home I just have to grab and heat-up. 

Today I started my meal planning, on the menu this week is a paleo/whole30 friendly turkey-veggie chili, turkey meatballs, spaghetti sauce and zucchini noodles. 

For breakfast I plan to scramble some eggs, roast some potatoes, and have some avocado with it. 

Stay tuned for this 30 day journey with me, and bare with me as this blog transitions between just recipes and moves towards recipes and updates. :)  

Valentine's Day Cake Pops

   

 

Red Velvet Cake Pops

Ingredients:

Cake Pop:

-       Red Velvet Cake Mix

-       3 eggs

-       ½ cup melted butter, cooled

-       ¼ cup chocolate milk

-       ¼ cup heavy cream

-       1- 1 ½ cups of Cream Cheese Frosting

Outer Coating:

-       Red candy melts

-       Pink candy melts

-       White candy melts

Directions:

Cake pop:

1.     Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flower 13x9 pan.

2.     In the bowl of your stand mixer mix the red velvet cake mix, 3 eggs, melted butter, chocolate milk, and heavy cream. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

3.     Let the cake cook. Crumble the cake, add frosting and mix with hands until the consistency is almost like cookie dough that can be rolled into smooth balls.

4.     Freeze for 30-45 minutes.

5.     Remove from freezer and let them sit out for about 15 minutes while you melt the candy. Cover the end of the stick in melted candy and then push half way through cake ball and let harden. Repeat for all cake balls.

6.     Dip in candy melt color of your choice and decorate to your taste. Stand up straight to harden, and then enjoy!

Red Velvet Rice Krispy Treats

Red Velvet Rice Krispy Treats

Ingredients

Rice Krispy Treats:

5 cups of Rice Krispies Cereal

40-45 large marshmallows

4 tbsp. butter

1/3 cup red velvet cake mix

Frosting:

½ cup butter-softened

16 oz. cream cheese

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

2-3 cups of powder sugar

Directions

Rice Krispy Treats:

1.     Prepare cookie sheet or jellyroll pan by lining with parchment paper

2.    Melt butter in pan over medium heat.

3.    Once butter is melted add marshmallows stirring constantly until melted.

4.    Add in red velvet cake mix and stir well. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir well.

5.    Mix in cereal stirring until incorporated.

6.    Press into jellyroll pan until smooth and rectangular. Set aside to cool.

7.    Once cool frost with cream cheese frosting cut in half and place one half on the other. Cut to desired size.

Frosting:

1.     In the bowl of your stand mixer combine butter and cream cheese; beat on medium-high until smooth, scraping sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. 

2.    Beat in the vanilla extract. Turn mixer down to low and begin adding sifted powdered sugar until desired consistency.