Low Carb Chicken Pizza

This recipe is a staple in our house. My husband and I limit our carb intake and try to maximize the amount of protein we take in each day, and this recipe fits into our plan perfectly. It has 40 grams of protein and only 29 grams of carbs while still offering a satisfyingly crunchy "crust."

This pizza takes just a few minutes to throw together and tastes so much better than those frozen pizzas full of preservatives and chemicals. Healthy is easy!
 

Ingredients:
1 spinach tortilla (I like Trader Joe's Spinach Tortillas)
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 jalepeno, sliced
1 1/2 slices mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1 tablespoon sun dried tomatoes, chopped
pizza sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place tortilla on a non stick cookie sheet. Top the tortilla with the pizza sauce, chicken, red pepper, jalapeno and sun dried tomatoes. Then rip up the mozzarella cheese into little pieces and layer over the the top. Bake in the oven for 12-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and tortilla is light brown and crispy.

1 Serving
Calories: 430
Protein: 40 grams
Carbs:  29 grams

Clean Quinoa Crackers

 

Chips and crackers are my down fall. Salty, crunchy, and addicting, I have a hard time eating just a couple. I like to compare it to cocaine. No, I don't sniff them, but given the chance, I would probably try. 

In order to quell this addiction and yet still eat healthily, I decided to make my own crackers with only healthy ingredients. No, they don't taste like Wheat Thins. But they are healthy and have that salty crunch, so they make an excellent substitution.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, uncooked, then prepare per directions on box

1 cup brown rice, uncooked, then prepare per directions on box

2 tablespoons dried rosemary

1 teaspoon pepper

Sea salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 365 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put rice into a food processor, and chop for about 30 seconds until the grains are no longer visible. Add the quinoa and pulse for about another 10 seconds until mixed. You might have to do in two batches, like I did, doing only half of each at a time.

Add the rice and quinoa mixture to a medium bowl. Add in the rosemary, pepper and salt. Stir to combine.

Spray a metal non stick cookie sheet (I used an 17.25 x 11.5) and a spatulata with olive oil or Pam until coated. Using the sprayed spatula, spread the mixture into a thin layer completely covering the cookie sheet. I covered a 1 cup measuring cup with plastic wrap and used that to even out the mixture into a thin layer.

Sprinkle with more sea salt and pepper if desired.

Pop in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. When done, it will be light brown and crispy. I used a pizza cutter to cut it up into squares about 20 minutes in to the cooking time to let the middle pieces get extra crispy.

This is what it looked like after I spread it into the pan.

The finished product! This is only about half of what the recipe actually made, but my husband and I ate a bunch of these right when they came out of the oven. We topped them with mozzarella cheese and washed it all down with some Pinot Noir. YUM!

Grilled Veggie Packets

Courtesy of Finecooking.com

My best friend from college came for a visit this weekend and shared this simple, easy and healthy side for grilled entrees. With little preparation time and few ingredients, it makes a perfect addition to a Saturday grilled meal.

Servings: 3 hefty sides

Ingredients:
6 yukon potatoes
2 cups baby carrots
1 yellow onion
flavored olive oil (we used Tuscan Herb)
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
Salt
Pepper

Tin foil
Olive oil spray

Wash and peel potatoes. Slice thinly. Cut baby carrots into 1/4 inch slices. Chop onion to desired size. Spray one side of 6 same size sheets of tin foil with spray, then place a third of the veggies onto 3 of the sprayed side pieces of foil. (Each person will get their own individual packet of veggies). Toss one clove of smashed garlic on top of each one, and drizzle with the flavored olive oil. Sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper. Top the veggies with another piece of foil, sprayed side facing the veggies, and roll up the edges tightly to form a packet (should be about 8 inches x 8 inches).

Grill on medium for 20-25 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes. Stab with a fork to test the hardness of potatoes if needed.

Throw next to a tasty burger on a plate, and eat up!

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Light Ramen Salad

Light Ramen Salad

This is my absolute favorite item to bring to potlucks, food days at work, and family dinners. It's light, quick to whip up, and is a great side to go with grilled chicken and burgers. Slightly tangy and a little bit sweet, it's a perfect summer food. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 bag of coleslaw
2 packages of chicken Ramen Noodles
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 bunch chopped green onions, stems and all

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup vinegar (I added a splash more)
1/2 cup Truvia
2 seasoning packets from the Ramen

Crush Ramen Noodles in the packages. Remove seasoning packets. Mix coleslaw, almonds, ramen noodles and onions in a medium bowl. Add olive oil, vinegar, Truvia and seasoning packets to a separate small bowl. Whisk until blended. Pour over coleslaw mixture and stir to combine.

I recommend letting the dressing sit on the mixture for about 2 hours before serving. Keep refrigerated.

Chocolate Protein Bars

Holy cow. These bars are delicious. And healthy. How often does that happen? I would dare to even call them brownies.  They're that good!

This is another one of Jamie Eason's brilliant recipes -- and I highly recommend trying them. You won't be disappointed! Packed full of protein, low in calories, and you get to eat two bars per serving. Go crazy!

Ingredients:

1 cup Oat Flour (or put 1 cup of quick cooking oats into a Cuisinart and grind to a powder)

4 Egg Whites

2 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

½ cup Truvia

½ tsp Baking Soda

¼ tsp Salt

8oz Berry flavored Baby Food (I used two 4 ounce jars of apple and blueberry medley)

3 tbsp Baking Cocoa

4oz Water

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.       Mix dry ingredients (oat flour, vanilla whey protein, baking soda, salt, baking cocoa) together in a large bowl.

3.       Mix wet ingredients (egg whites, Truvia, berry flavored baby food, water) together in a medium sized bowl.

4.       Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together with a whisk.

5.       Spray cooking dish with a non stick spray and add batter to dish.

6.       Bake 25-30 minutes in oven, or until middle is set.

Makes 16 squares, serving size is 2 bars. 

Per Serving:

Calories:  96

Fat:  1.4 grams

Carbs:  12 grams

Protein: 10 grams

Almond and Orange Salad

Photo Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

When I think of Easter, I think of little white bunnies, orange and turquoise colored eggs and various animal-shaped chocolates. I also think of Spring, sunshine and light, fresh and summery foods. This salad definitely hits the mark.

This salad is sweet, light and has a bit of a tanginess, thanks to the apple cider vinegar. It's also a great recipe to bring to a potluck, as the dressing and sugared almonds can be made ahead of time and everything can just be thrown together on site. I do recommend waiting to dress the salad until pretty close to dinner time, as the moisture in the oranges will make it wilt if it sits too long.

 

 

Ingredients

The Dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons sugar

The Salad

• 2 bags romaine lettuce
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 avocado, peeled and cubed

The Topper

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

1. Combine the oil, vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, parsley, salt and pepper in a small tupperware container.
2. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add the other 2 tablespoons of sugar. Leave the sugar in the pan without stirring, until the sugar melts (about 12-14 minutes).  Remove from heat, toss in the almonds and stir quickly to coat. Spread out on a sheet of wax paper. Break apart into small pieces once dry.
3. When ready to serve, grab a big bowl and toss together the lettuce, onions, oranges, and dressing until evenly coated. Top with the sugared almonds.

Carrot Cake Protein Bars

I recently discovered Jamie Eason, an amazing fitness and weightlifting model. She has a bunch of articles on Bodybuilding.com, including a fitness and diet plan. She's seriously ripped. I stumbled upon one of her recipes for Carrot Cake Protein Bars and decided to give them a try. 

I made a few tweaks to this recipe. The original called for oat flour, which I didn't have, and I used an egg beaters product instead of separating 4 eggs. The result was amazing. My husband and I gobbled these bars down. With only 94 calories and 10 grams of protein for 2 bars, these are a healthy and delicious treat. Finally, a sweet snack full of protein! Enjoy!

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 12 tbs. liquid egg whites (like Egg beaters 100% Egg Whites)
• 3/4 cup Truvia
• 8 oz baby food carrots
• 4 oz water 

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, whey protein, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
3. Mix egg white substitute, Truvia, baby food carrots and water in a bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Spray glass pyrex dish with non-stick butter spray.
6. Pour ingredients into dish. 
7. Bake 30 minutes.

Makes 16 squares, 2 squares per serving.

Calories: 94
Fats: 1.25 grams
Carbs: 10 grams
Protein: 10 grams