That pizza turned out AWESOME! When I was getting my bread mix down from my cabinet I found I also had some sun-dried tomatoes, I put those on it. My boss also gave me some veggies from her garden, zuccinis! It was a delightful veggie extravaganza.
My husband didn't like the idea of not having pizza sauce on it though, so he RUINED his by putting salsa on it. URGH! That made me mad.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Pizza Margherita
I have some bread mix in my cabinet that has been just waiting to be used. I figured I would experiment with it tonight and make...
Pizza Margherita!
Pizza Dough (I used a bread mix in my bread maker, but here is how to do it rom scratch)
1 1/2 cups water, at 110 degrees
3/4 tablespoon fast rising yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
4 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:1Pizza Dough: Add yeast and sugar to water, whisk and set aside until foamy. 2Add yeast mixture and oil to flour; mix and turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead 5 minutes (10 minutes if under stress or worried). 3Place in oiled bowl, loosely covered with plastic wrap or clean towel; allow to rise in warm place until doubled in size, 45-60 minutes. 4Divide dough in half and roll out two 12"-15" pizza crusts.
Pizza Toppings:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Basil (1-2 leaves or 1-2 teaspoons, doesn't matter to me)
2 small tomatoes, cut thinly
Spinach
Peppers
broccoli (I put broccoli on EVERYTHING)
1-2 Chicken Breast (pre-cooked and cubed or shredded)
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
Drizzle the olive oil over the pizza shell. Use a brush to spread it around and make sure to get the crust!
3Next, disperse the finely chopped garlic evenly.
4Spread the mozzarella cheese throughout the top, but keep it thin.
5Place the thinly sliced tomatoes across the entire pizza.
6Lightly salt and pepper the tomatoes with the kosher salt.
7Spread the fresh basil leaves, making sure to get some on tomatoes and on just the cheese itself.
8Cook the pizza in the oven for about 9-10 minutes, or until sufficiently crispy and melted to your liking.
9Add a little Parmesan cheese and (optional) crushed red pepper (very optional with kids) and enjoy!
Pizza Margherita!
Pizza Dough (I used a bread mix in my bread maker, but here is how to do it rom scratch)
1 1/2 cups water, at 110 degrees
3/4 tablespoon fast rising yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
4 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:1Pizza Dough: Add yeast and sugar to water, whisk and set aside until foamy. 2Add yeast mixture and oil to flour; mix and turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead 5 minutes (10 minutes if under stress or worried). 3Place in oiled bowl, loosely covered with plastic wrap or clean towel; allow to rise in warm place until doubled in size, 45-60 minutes. 4Divide dough in half and roll out two 12"-15" pizza crusts.
Pizza Toppings:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Basil (1-2 leaves or 1-2 teaspoons, doesn't matter to me)
2 small tomatoes, cut thinly
Spinach
Peppers
broccoli (I put broccoli on EVERYTHING)
1-2 Chicken Breast (pre-cooked and cubed or shredded)
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
Drizzle the olive oil over the pizza shell. Use a brush to spread it around and make sure to get the crust!
3Next, disperse the finely chopped garlic evenly.
4Spread the mozzarella cheese throughout the top, but keep it thin.
5Place the thinly sliced tomatoes across the entire pizza.
6Lightly salt and pepper the tomatoes with the kosher salt.
7Spread the fresh basil leaves, making sure to get some on tomatoes and on just the cheese itself.
8Cook the pizza in the oven for about 9-10 minutes, or until sufficiently crispy and melted to your liking.
9Add a little Parmesan cheese and (optional) crushed red pepper (very optional with kids) and enjoy!
Monday, July 27, 2009
What's wrong with sugar?
First of all, it is my belief that it not only causes behavioral problems, but I also believe that many children who are told they have learning disorders or hyperactivity are more likely eating poorly at home.
Kids like sugar. There is no denying that. And small amounts of sweets do not bother me. It is a problem to me, however, when EVERYTHING has added sugar, or worse high fructose corn syrup. Things that are already sweet, like canned fruit, does not need more sugar added on top of that!
Now I am going to say something controversial: Most juice is not good for you either. For one, they add sugar. For another, most juices have high fructose corn syrup. Juices that CLAIM to be healthy! Not only do they contain high fructose corn syrup but also added sugar, sodium etc. They are also boiled to a point where no nutrition could survive. They are concentrated and then water is added. By the time it gets to your glass it is flavored sugar water with chemicals added for taste.
How is that healthy? Oh because they added vitamin C.
A good example is V-8 Splash. Just check out that label some time. Good stuff. Just makes you want to jump in a lake of it.
Home made juice is better for you, but I still think of that as less than nutritious. Why? Because it is squished up and broken down. It isn't as healthy as a piece of fresh fruit.
Refined sugars are just bad for you, don't do them. They are as addictive as a drug. They feed the bad stuff in you like yeast, and they actually can make you more hungry if you eat them (especially high fructose corn syrup).
Kids like sugar. There is no denying that. And small amounts of sweets do not bother me. It is a problem to me, however, when EVERYTHING has added sugar, or worse high fructose corn syrup. Things that are already sweet, like canned fruit, does not need more sugar added on top of that!
Now I am going to say something controversial: Most juice is not good for you either. For one, they add sugar. For another, most juices have high fructose corn syrup. Juices that CLAIM to be healthy! Not only do they contain high fructose corn syrup but also added sugar, sodium etc. They are also boiled to a point where no nutrition could survive. They are concentrated and then water is added. By the time it gets to your glass it is flavored sugar water with chemicals added for taste.
How is that healthy? Oh because they added vitamin C.
A good example is V-8 Splash. Just check out that label some time. Good stuff. Just makes you want to jump in a lake of it.
Home made juice is better for you, but I still think of that as less than nutritious. Why? Because it is squished up and broken down. It isn't as healthy as a piece of fresh fruit.
Refined sugars are just bad for you, don't do them. They are as addictive as a drug. They feed the bad stuff in you like yeast, and they actually can make you more hungry if you eat them (especially high fructose corn syrup).
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Caserol
On tonight's dinner menu:
From: Campbell's Kitchen (modified)
Prep: 15 minutesBake: 50 minutesStand: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)1 1/3 cups water 3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice ground black pepper to taste2 cup frozen mixed vegetables 2-4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed in bite sized piecesshredded Cheddar cheese
Directions:
Heat the oven to 375°F. Stir the soup, water, black pepper and vegetables in a 2-quart shallow baking dish.
Top with the chicken. Season the chicken as desired. Cover the baking dish.
Bake for 50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Top with the cheese. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes. Stir the rice before serving.
From: Campbell's Kitchen (modified)
Prep: 15 minutesBake: 50 minutesStand: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)1 1/3 cups water 3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice ground black pepper to taste2 cup frozen mixed vegetables 2-4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed in bite sized piecesshredded Cheddar cheese
Directions:
Heat the oven to 375°F. Stir the soup, water, black pepper and vegetables in a 2-quart shallow baking dish.
Top with the chicken. Season the chicken as desired. Cover the baking dish.
Bake for 50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Top with the cheese. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes. Stir the rice before serving.
How I make my meals healthy (to my standards) and cheap
*I try to make each dinner with a protein, a starch and a vegetable.
*The goal is to make the vegetable the main staple in the meal, if it isn't, when I serve my children I make sure they receive at least as much vegetables or more than anything else. The level of importance for each meal is as follows:
1. Vegetables (veggies are not only good for you and your growing children, but also a diet higher in vegetables than protein is cheaper)
2. Grains/Legumes
3. Meat
4. Breads
*I have been trying to make less pasta. Where I can, I substitute noodles with rice. If I cannot do this, I limit the amount of pasta on the plate to maybe a quarter of what we eat.
*When I make dishes such as caserols I cut the meat up. Take the chicken and rive caserol: The orriginal recipe by Campbells soup calls for whole chicken breasts. I cut the chicken up into bite size cubes. When I do this, I can make a meal for four with two chicken breasts in tight times.
*BUY IN BULK whenever you can! I can't stress this enough. I am not able to go on bulk shopping sprees like some, but I can get a bag of bulk chicken pieces and it will last me a lot longer than a pack of four chicken breasts from the meat section. No, I don't do this for everything. You have to keep in mind what you will and will not consume in time.
*Buy frozen fruits and veggies. Why? For one they take longer to spoil. They are also much more nutricious than canned goods. Frozen produce is often-at least in Colorado-fresher than something out of the produce department because it is frozen as soon as it is picked and sorted, before it is shipped. For a third, this stuff goes on sale a lot! I shop at City Market (a Kroger store) and get the Kroger brand frozen veggies when they are on sale. My freezer contains mostly veggies.
*Keep fruits for snacks. Cut them up. If I cut it all up, there is less waste, and less of the "Her apple is bigger than mine!" fuss. I do not buy sugary snacks to keep in my house. I am on an anti-sugar mission right now. I don't even keep the crap in my house. Yech. I'll write another blog on that later.
I believe that is it. I will update as I think of more.
*The goal is to make the vegetable the main staple in the meal, if it isn't, when I serve my children I make sure they receive at least as much vegetables or more than anything else. The level of importance for each meal is as follows:
1. Vegetables (veggies are not only good for you and your growing children, but also a diet higher in vegetables than protein is cheaper)
2. Grains/Legumes
3. Meat
4. Breads
*I have been trying to make less pasta. Where I can, I substitute noodles with rice. If I cannot do this, I limit the amount of pasta on the plate to maybe a quarter of what we eat.
*When I make dishes such as caserols I cut the meat up. Take the chicken and rive caserol: The orriginal recipe by Campbells soup calls for whole chicken breasts. I cut the chicken up into bite size cubes. When I do this, I can make a meal for four with two chicken breasts in tight times.
*BUY IN BULK whenever you can! I can't stress this enough. I am not able to go on bulk shopping sprees like some, but I can get a bag of bulk chicken pieces and it will last me a lot longer than a pack of four chicken breasts from the meat section. No, I don't do this for everything. You have to keep in mind what you will and will not consume in time.
*Buy frozen fruits and veggies. Why? For one they take longer to spoil. They are also much more nutricious than canned goods. Frozen produce is often-at least in Colorado-fresher than something out of the produce department because it is frozen as soon as it is picked and sorted, before it is shipped. For a third, this stuff goes on sale a lot! I shop at City Market (a Kroger store) and get the Kroger brand frozen veggies when they are on sale. My freezer contains mostly veggies.
*Keep fruits for snacks. Cut them up. If I cut it all up, there is less waste, and less of the "Her apple is bigger than mine!" fuss. I do not buy sugary snacks to keep in my house. I am on an anti-sugar mission right now. I don't even keep the crap in my house. Yech. I'll write another blog on that later.
I believe that is it. I will update as I think of more.
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