Clean Eating Pizza Dough

Tonight I decided to give it a try ( yet again) at making my own homemade pizza dough. I am not too successful usually with these things. So far so good.

I used (and modified) a recipe from The Gracious Pantry. You can click on that and go right to her recipe. Mine is a tad bit different, but not much.

Instead of using oat flour, I used whole wheat flour. I also used wildflower honey and I think she used agave nectar.

I did notice that it was easier to blend by hand, and not with a spoon.


Here's the finished version:

And here's what our pizza looked like when done:

We had ground turkey, fresh mushrooms, and cheese with the homemade sauce on ours.

Move over Dominos, FRESH sauce coming through!

So, as you have probably realized by now, I am on a quest to eat better foods, more whole foods... in simpler terms more REAL FOOD. And I have been researching different things to come up with to fix me and my husband, that is not expensive, nor requires a whole lot of time.

I came across another wonderful recipe from The Gracious Pantry, and decided to give it a try. Here's my results: (we have not ate this yet, we are making the pizza dough tomorrow night and I'll have the recipe etc on that then)

First off- the recipe! Its super easy, super fast, and super cheap!

4 Vine Ripe tomatoes- diced
4 cloves of garlic ( I use my Pampered Chef garlic peeler and slicer for this)
15 oz of No Salt added tomato sauce
Salt to taste
Basil to taste ( we didn't use this as I did not have any on hand)
Instead I used onion powder, just a little, as real onions would have been too strong for us

You blend all but the sauce in a blender, then add the sauce in. I blended it all smooth ( looks like tomato juice but light pink lol) or you can just food process it just a few times to make it chunkier! Either way, it tasted yummy when I tried it, before putting it into a container to save for tomorrow night. Here's some photos and some video  :) Enjoy!

CHALLENGE- WEEK 3

Ok, so we've upped our walking, motivated the mind, now we need to FEED THE BODY... with good foods.

I challenge you this week to cut back on ONE thing that is not good for you- whether it be soda, fast food, sugar etc. Just one.

Im cutting back on sugars. I'm going to be doing more whole foods, real foods this week, more clean eating. Im getting ready to start a new diet and health program, and I need to try to condition my mind and body to get used to eating clean.

So tell me... what are YOU going to cut back on this week????

-Stephanie

Smoothie King, you aint got NOTHING on me!

I'm trying to eat breakfast. But so many "breakfast" foods have some sort of bread attached to it. And, as we all know, I am trying hard to stick to cutting out a ton of my bread. Carbs are my weakness.

So this morning I used my Ninja ( which by the way, is the best invention EVER) to make a smoothie.

2 fresh mangos (peeled and the seed out)
1 Yoplait smoothie package ( this makes two but I drink them both)
1 8 oz of low fat milk

Blend all together and drink up!

It was so good. And you can use other fresh fruits, yogurt and ice as well. Or freeze your fruit, and take the place of the ice.

-Stephanie

WEEK 2 BLOG CHALLENGE!

Ok, so as I was reading over some other forums getting ideas for this week's challenge, a thought popped into my head. It was so simple, I cant believe this did not occur to me earlier!

So this week's challenge is super simple - They say that walking is one of the best exercises you can do for your overall health. So this week's challenge is right here-

Walk 10,000 Steps- You can do it!

Go there and read- its very helpful. I challenge EACH OF YOU to walk 10,000 steps AT LEAST ONE DAY this week. If you dont have one, get a pedometer. They are cheap ( a few bucks) at Wal-mart, and really do help measure how much activity you are doing ( steps per day)

I want each of you to tell me below in a blog comment " Im going to aim to walk 10,000 steps for ______ Days this week."

Seriously. Get off your tush and walk. Its good for you.

-Stephanie

This little piggy went to market... and got GOOD food!

So its the end of week one today. Its been kinda a so so week for me, really, if Im going to be honest with myself and everyone else.

We had donuts yesterday morning. Which , now I remember WHY I dont like sweets, especially three cream filled donuts. So, lesson learned. Yep I cheated. I do that sometimes. Im human.

We decided to go do some shopping last night, as I really wanted to take my husband over to Whole Foods Market and show him the place. He's not a "Health food" eater, but I wanted to show him that they had really good stuff, and taste would not be affected.

We ended up spending about an hour in there, browsing and smelling stuff, and then had our late lunch there. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: "Do you want to eat here? They have some really good sandwiches."
Him: " Uh, like the one you said had hummus on it, I dont want that one."
Me: "They have more than just the garden wrap! Look, they have one that has meat and cheese on it."
Him: " Ok, ill try that one. But I dont want hummus."
Me: "You dont have to have hummus on it. Geesh."

So we get our food. We check out with our cart full of groceries, and he takes them to the car, while I go to settle in at the tables in the back, where some delightful bluegrass music is starting to be played by a few gentlemen. He comes back, and I realize I didnt get anything to drink. So while he's starting to eat, I go run to get me a green tea. Come back, and he's already halfway through his sandwich. Im like " Is it good?" to which he replies "Yes this is really good, here try a bite!"

Im thinking in my head , "I knew if he just tried it he would like it." So, me being the ever evil one, said "Here try a bite of MINE." Apparently he had forgotten that there was hummus on this. And he took a big bite. And liked it. Im like you just ate hummus. To which he argued that he ate the side without it. Um no, dear, it has it on both sides.

Long story short- my husband agreed that we should come twice a month to get dinner and buy our fruits, vegetables( some), meats and a few other select items. Which is good news for me. Because we spent 100.00 easily last night. But im determined to eat healthier ( as much as I can)

Our dinner was 15.00 so subtract that from the 94.00 we spent, and really, we only spent 79.00.

We got:
1 lb ground lamb
3.5 lbs of top sirloin steak
1 thing of aged cheese ( omg im a cheese snob as my husband )
Some goats milk soap - Almond ( i could like, sniff this stuff, ALL DAY)
Organic onions
Organic avocados
Organic tomatoes
Organic Kiwi
Organic Corn on the cob
Hummus ( which by the way, he tried this kind and liked it)
And something else but I forget what it was now!

Anyways this will last us 2 weeks. With adding in things to make these things- breakfast- snacks- lunch's and dinners, 79.00 well spent.

I actually will be going to the farmers market soon too. I used to go a lot a few years back, but its so early in the mornings Im usually asleep lol

-Steph

Sample Meal Plans- Lunches

Ok here's some sample meal plans for a week's worth of food. Remember, you can modify this!

Day one- Soup and Sandwich- I use Healthy Request by Campbell's or Progresso, both are light on calories and filling. If its got more than one serving in a can, like the Healthy Request, Ill divide that into two meals.
For the sandwich part, I use whole wheat bread, cheese, fillers like lettuce and tomato, mustard ( its a free food on most diets) and pickles, and then lean meats- Oscar Mayer turkey breast or chicken breast is usually 3 slices per serving and under 100 calories. - Total meal calories will be around 450-500 calories depending on bread and condiments you put on your sandwich.

Day Two- Smart Ones - they are usually between 280 and 310 calories per package. And they come in a wide variety. I like to pair them with the other half of that soup and some fruit!

Day Three- Salad w/ grilled chicken and veggies. You can have a whole head of lettuce for under 100 calories. (small head) if you think you arent going to get enough to eat with a salad. Just remember to not overdo it on the dressing and the stuff you put ON the lettuce. We use the Tyson Grilled ready to eat chicken chunks or strips, one serving is 3 oz and around 100 calories, so you could easily use 2 servings and STILL stay within your calorie goals for a lunch. Add on the dressing, which can range from 60 calories and up for light and full fat dressings, and add tomato slices and maybe a sprinkling ( and i do mean a sprinkling) of shredded cheese to round it out. Add a side of vegetables - canned is fine, i always drain and rinse mine, and then pop them in the microwave with a few spritz's of butter spray, and you have a lunch for 500 calories

Day Four- Turkey Chili Frito Pie- yep you can still have some yummy stuff- just use turkey chili , use ONE serving of the Frito's, and mustard and some onions. Please watch the calories on the Turkey Chili b/c they can get up there. And most cans have 2 servings plus. But even using a serving and a half of turkey chili at 250 calories plus fritos and your toppings, you will still come in at under 500 calories, and you can add some fruit or something to the side to round it out.

Day Five- Smart Ones Cheeseburgers- yep you can have these too. Both of them under 500 calories , so add some applesauce or fruit to the side to round it out.

Day Six- Mock pizza- we make these with Grands reduced fat biscuits. If you make a whole can, it will make 8 pizzas, and you can have 2 plus some fruit. So make this to share with your hubby or kids. Take the biscuits, flatten them out like mini pizza dough, add 1 tablespoon ragu spaghetti sauce ( i use this because i can get it cheap and i use the garden vegetable kind) and then add a little bit of cheese and you can also add bell pepper, onion etc cut up. I do add 2 slices of pepperoni if i have it on hand. Pop them in the oven for what the package says and you have a mock pizza!

Day Seven- Taco time! Use whole wheat soft taco sized tortilla's ( 2) add some ground turkey ( i make 1 lb at a time and divide it out for various meals ) some light sour cream, some tomato, some salsa, and a little bit of cheese, and then add a side of spanish rice ( you can get these in small packets for cheap and it will make two servings) and add you some pudding for dessert and you have another 500 calorie meal

Again , these are just suggestions. You dont have to eat like a bird, or eat "diet" food to eat and loose weight. You just have to learn PORTION CONTROL.

-Stephanie