A Quick and Easy Meal

Tonight I wasn't feeling the best, after spending all afternoon at my Drs office I was looking for a quick and easy meal.
So here it is, nothing fancy just worked with what we had.
One can of refrigerated biscuit dough
1 lb of ground hamburger (or turkey)
1 can of Manwich (Or make your own for a healthier version...Manwich is LOADED with sodium and preservatives!).
1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

I took the refrigerated biscuits and flattened them out on a cookie sheet and built up the sides using my fingers to make little "bowls".

Make hamburger and Manwich as instructed too on can...brown hamburger, drain fat, add the Manwich and heat through.

Once hamburger and Manwich is heated through spoon some of it into each little "biscuit bowl". Top with shredded cheese pop in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. The cheese should be melted and the biscuits should be brown.



Simple meal that didnt take much prep work!

Our Take On Alice Springs Chicken

We rarely go to Outback Steakhouse. We find the food to be mediocre and slightly overpriced. However the one dish we have enjoyed there was the Alice Springs Chicken.
It’s a chicken breast topped with sautéed mushrooms, bacon, melted Monterey Jack and Cheddar and topped with honey mustard sauce.
It’s a very delicious dish and I am glad that my husband and I have found a way to make it home. For less money and for fewer calories!

We take 2 chicken breasts and cook it in a pan with light oil and cracked pepper once it’s cooked set aside. Fry up 2 slices of bacon (one slice for each chicken breast). If you want to make it even healthier use turkey bacon! Once bacon is done frying saute some mushrooms, once they are done its time to put it all together.

Slightly grease a baking dish. Take a slice of bacon cut it in half and lay it on the chicken making an “x”. Lay some sautéed mushrooms on top of that. Then add some honey mustard (IF you like it) we normally make our own honey mustard. Just add honey and yellow mustard together until you find your perfect mixture.
We also like to mince up some onion and add that to the honey mustard mixture. You can also add a couple teaspoons of your favorite BBQ sauce if you like.
Then we top it off with 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. We used a cheddar jack.
Here is what ours looked like before putting it into the oven:



Pop it in the over for 10-15 until its all heated and cheese is melted!




For those of you who are interested here is the nutritional information for the dish as prepared at Outback Steakhouse:
Calories: 1327
Carbs: 20.3
Fat: 92
Protein: 102

YIKES! 1327 calories and 92 grams of FAT?! That is insane! Here is the nutritional information for our homemade version

Calories: 488
Carbs: 22
Fat: 18
Protein: 58

Morning Goodness

Saturday mornings are usually reserved for waking up early and heading downtown to the Farmers Market. However since my husband had his hernia surgery a week ago we are laying low yet again this week to make sure he recovers properly and in good time.

This morning I decided to make some Cinnamon Coffee Cake. So I took a regular recipe and modified it a tad, usually when I modify things I make it healthier…not this time my friends!

Here is the recipe for the batter:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk
Combine dry ingredients for cake. Beat together egg, oil and milk, then add to dry ingredients.

Here is the recipe for the filling/top crumble-I doubled this recipe but kept them separated.
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon


I put 1/2 of the batter into a greased pan then put spread one bowl of the crumble mix over the top of the batter. Then I took the remaining batter and place it over the crumble. Lastly take the remaining crumble and place it on the top of the batter.



Bake for 20-25 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven...beware depending on the type of pan you use it may take longer. Mine took about 35 minutes to cook. Always use the toothpick trick. Insert a toothpick into center of cake and if it comes out gooey it’s not done, if the toothpick comes out clean you are good to go!

It was very good, will for sure make again another time!

My Take on Noodles & Company

I really enjoy Noodles & Company, however, every time I go there and enjoy my meal I am plagued with guilt about spending so much money on noodles that I can make at home. Especially since I usually order just plain old noodles with marinara sauce with chicken and mushrooms…crazy!

One of my other favorites at Noodles & Company is their Penne Rosa. Its penne noodles in a spicy tomato cream sauce with mushrooms and spinach. It’s amazingly good…especially if you add some grilled chicken.
However here comes the down fall of the deliciousness, it runs about $8.25...if you order it with chicken breast and I always order extra mushrooms as well (because the 5 slices of mushrooms they add just doesn’t cut it for me!).

Then there is the nutrition aspect of…not the healthiest. Here is the breakdown-mind you this breakdown is JUST the noodle dish no chicken.
Calories:810
Fat: 26
Carbs: 119
Protein: 24

This evening I decided to get creative and find a way to make this dish, or one very similar to it, for dinner. I have made cream sauces in the past but we didn’t have the necessary ingredients to do so tonight and to be honest I am just too lazy to run to the grocery store today.

We had a box of Pasta Roni Shells in White Cheddar. I made that as the box instructed to do so.
As that was cooking I was cooking up a chicken breast in light oil and some cracked pepper.
Once the chicken was cooked I cut it up and set it aside. I added to the pan a can of Hunts Fire roasted tomatoes (drained), mushrooms, and a few handfuls of spinach. I sautéed them and added a pinch of garlic.



Once the noodles were finished cooking I added the chicken and tomato/mushroom/spinach mixture to them.

To add the spice there was a couple different ways I could have gone about it but I chose the easy way and added a few splashes of Franks Hot Sauce.




Here is the nutrition information for what I made for those interested, this includes everything (including chicken!):
Calories: 540
Fat: 5
Carbs: 62
Protein: 62

It had a good flavor, when I do it next time I think I will add some cayenne pepper to the chicken while its cooking to give it more of a kick.
Overall I am pretty satisfied with the meal, hope you enjoy!

Coffee Drinks Are My Weakness

I am a HUGE fan of coffee. Once the summer months arrive I get very excited to have the chilled coffee drinks from Starbucks and Caribou Coffee. I like Caribou Coffee more than Starbucks, but as luck would have it we have a Starbucks 2 blocks away from our house (the nearest Caribou is 20 minutes away!).

I could drink an iced coffee of some sort everyday…however they are not cheap and they are in no way healthy for you (SO MUCH SUGAR!!). Even the “light” versions of the drinks come with a hefty calorie count. I realize not everyone is concerned with nutrition but in this economy everyone should be concerned with what they are spending their money on.
I purchased a few Caramel Frappuccinos from Starbucks last week, my husband had hernia surgery so I was taking care of him as well as our 1 ½ year old son...they were needed. A medium drink was about $4.50 a hefty price tag but worst (for me) was the 390 Calories, 15 grams of fat, and an alarming 59 grams of SUGAR!
59 grams of sugar, in a single drink!? Are you kidding me?! That is equivalent to eating 3 packs of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (6 total peanut butter cups!) at one time. Yum…but eww. That’s a lot of sugar!

Today the craving hit me so I decided to take matters into my own hands. We happened to have a bottle of liquid caramel syrup (no sugar added) that is used for flavoring coffee or for flavoring in desserts. Perfect!
I took out the Magic Bullet-yeah I know it’s from an infomercial and has a questionable name-but hands down best thing EVER! I LOVE IT! Once I had the Magic bullet out and found the appropriate blade I added about 1 ½ cups of ice, ½ cup of skim milk, ¾ cups of cold coffee (left over from being brewed this morning), 3 tbsps of the caramel syrup, and 3 tsps of Sugar in the raw. Then blended all of it for about 30-45 seconds.



It looked good…I take that back…it looked AWESOME. I was so excited about how it looked I was almost afraid to try it in fear that it would suck.
I gave it ago and was pleasantly surprised! It was obviously not as good as Starbucks however it is cheaper, healthier, and I didn’t have to leave my house!



Here are some tips if you plan on making it yourself. I used Sugar-in-Raw. I normally do not use white sugar at all (unless baking and it’s called for). So if you use white sugar normally go ahead and use that. If you are like me and prefer turbinado sugar you can use that too-it’s more course than white sugar so it took a few extra seconds for it to really get good and blended in the drink.
I used liquid caramel syrup that is made to be added to drinks and desserts, if you are not worried about calories/fat/sugar go ahead and use caramel syrup that you would put on top of ice cream. And as they do at the coffee houses add some whip cream on top as well (if you have it)! I found that the milked frothed up nicely for me and whipped cream was not missed!

There are SO MANY different flavors you can play with when making your own drink, chocolate, strawberry, cinnamon, etc. be creative, have fun, and enjoy!

Super Salad

I LOVE LOVE LOVE salads. Even as a child I loved eating salads. When I was younger my parents would take us out to eat at the restaurant of our choice on our birthday. I distinctly remember choosing a place known for its steaks but only because it had the largest salad bar I had ever seen! My father thought I was nuts….he may have been right.

Now when I start to feel sluggish and worn down from over indulging in not so healthy foods I like to load up on fresh fruits and veggies for a few days. This is where going to local farmers markets or having a food share is great! You can get local and sometimes organic fruits and veggies for a reasonable price tag!

One of my most favorite things to eat is a huge fresh salad loaded with veggies. I know..I know it doesn’t sound as good as say Buffalo Chicken pizza but believe me its good and your body will love you for it!

I start by loading up plate with about 2 cups of spinach, I prefer baby spinach and I always tear the stems off of my spinach leaves. I have no idea why I do this, maybe it’s because I hate taking a big bite of salad and having a stem poking out of my mouth or maybe its just one of my weird quirks. If you don’t care for spinach maybe try only 1 cup of spinach and a cup of lettuce or other type of green goodness. Spinach is so healthy for you, and you can usually get it anywhere you shop! If you are not a fan, start by adding it to things a little at a time and in no time I bet you will love it!

After I have my spinach down I chop up ¼ cucumber, 2 jumbo black olives, 1 stalk of celery, 2 large fresh mushrooms, ¼ green pepper, ½ tomato, 1 egg white hard boiled (no yolks for me!), and about 5 baby carrots.
I then out some freshly ground black pepper on top of it all and use one of my favorite dressings. My two favorites are Kraft Fat Free French Style dressing and the Kraft Italian Vinaigrette made with Olive Oil. I only use the serving size which is normally 2 tablespoons. If you measure it out it’s actually a LOT of dressing.
Now this salad is very filling however it’s also very low on calories (for above salad with dressing Calories: 140, Carbs: 24 Fat:2 Protein:9) so on days when I am running or working out I will add grilled chicken breast to it. On days that I am especially hungry I will just add more of the veggies. The add-on possibilities are endless which makes salads so much fun!
You can also pair this salad with a big bowl of soup or a sandwich because lets face it you can’t live off of 200 calorie salads, your body will love all the veggies but hate you for not eating enough!

Pizza Heaven...

While reading through my recent copy of Food Network Magazine I came upon a pizza dough recipe. I looked at the ingredient list and realized just how simple it is to make pizza dough. I had all the ingredients in our house so why not give it a try!?

Pizza is loved by many and it’s usually a good “fall back” food when nothing else sounds good…at least that’s how it goes in our house.

I have never before made pizza dough, it never really occurred to me to make my own dough. We normally buy frozen pizzas or occasionally order one from a local pizzeria, and let’s be honest there is a ton of pizza crusts you can buy in the grocery store if you really wanted to make your own pizza.
But again, seeing that there isn’t a lot to the dough it seems so silly to buy pre-made dough/crust that probably has a lot more added preservatives to it that our bodies just don’t need.
So I made the dough-not realizing that the recipe actually makes 2 crusts (SCORE!).
It was so simple to make, I am actually quite shocked at how easy it was. However kneading the dough was certainly a good work out for my arms! LOL!
The second ball of dough can be frozen for up to a month in the freezer, which ours didn’t last a month, it didn’t even last a week!

Below is the recipe and after that are the two pizzas I made for my family.

Basic Pizza Dough (compliments of Food Network Magazine March 2011 pg.120):
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 ¼ packet of dry active yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for brushing)
3 ¾ Cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 ½ teaspoons salt

1.Whisk 1 1/3 cups warm water and sugar in a bowl; sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the olive oil.
2. Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture. Gradually stir with a wooden spoon to make a rough dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, dusting with more flour if necessary. Form into 2 balls. Brush 2 large bowls with olive oil, add a ball of dough to each and turn to coat with the oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until doubled in size (about 1 hour and 30 minutes). Roll out and top as desired, or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze up to one month.


BBQ Chicken Pizza


Pizza Dough
Chicken Breast
BBQ Sauce
Onion
Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
Any other veggies you would like!


I used the above pizza dough; spread it on a large greased cookie sheet. I cut 1 large chicken breast into cubes and cooked it in light olive oil in a frying pan with a generous amount of black pepper.
I used about ½ cup of Rays Sweet and Spicy BBQ sauce on the crust, then added the cooked chicken, diced onion, sliced black olives, thinly sliced mushrooms (add during last 5 minutes of cooking), and then mozzarella cheese.
I cut the mushrooms thin and add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking. I have read numerous articles that the mushrooms can actually become quite soggy and actually make the pizza soggy as well. Cutting them thin give the edges a nice crunchy texture and no soggy pizza.
Oven was pre-heated to 500 degrees. Pizza was cooked for 10 minutes total.
My husband gave it good review and I enjoyed it however the crust wasn’t rolled out enough, in my opinion, I like a thinner crust…lesson learned for pizza #2!


Buffalo Chicken Pizza




Pizza Dough
Chicken Breast
¼ cup Ranch Dressing
2 Tbsp butter (melted)
½ Cup Hot Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese Shredded

I used the pizza dough I had frozen from the last batch I made. Spread the pizza dough on greased cookie sheet. I spread about ¼ cup of ranch dressing onto the dough. I used full flavored ranch- I didn’t use a low fat/calorie dressing because I wanted a nice thick sauce.
I cooked one large chicken breast in a lightly oiled pan. After the chicken is done cooking I put it between two paper towels to soak up any extra oil so that the pizza didn’t get greasy.
I mixed Franks Hot Sauce (Original is my favorite) with 2 tbsps of melted butter and added chicken. I added butter because in all of the recipes I have read through for actual chicken wings they recommend placing the chicken wings in melted butter and hot sauce, so I figure if that’s what makes good chicken wings it will work for this too.
Once all chicken was coated with mouth-watering hot sauce I spread the chicken on top of the ranch and then add the remaining sauce from the bowl over the top of the chicken. Top with mozzarella cheese.
I baked the pizza at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. I always flip the oven to broil for an additional minute at the end to get the cheese on top nice and melted…just make sure to keep your oven door open and an eye on your pizza-you don’t want it to burn!

You can get really creative and add lots more toppings, carrot slices, celery slices, red onion, green peppers, blue cheese crumbles etc. but considering this was my first attempt I kept it simple! I am sure the next go round will be a different story!

2 Steps away from Gluttony

I have re-vamped this blog multiple times and every time I do it I fall back to what I really want to blog about..FOOD. So this is my new blog. It will be about the food I make for myself and my family, as well as foods that we try when out and about, and new things I learn about general nutrition. I will post the recipes I follow so that if sounds good you have the option to try it out yourself. So here goes my first entry, well it will be 2 new entries I guess! I hope you enjoy!