It's a Pita Kind of Night

Whole Wheat Pitas that is! Would you expect anything less of me? haha

When I'm looking for a yummy, easy, nutritious dinner to get out on the table in as little time as possible I turn to pitas. Pitas can be stuffed with anything you want, topped with anything you want, baked or eaten fresh, and are enjoyed by people of all ages. So, all in all, it's a winner for dinner ;-)

I prefer my pitas fresh stuffed with meat and cheese and veggies and dressing. Here are some of the things our pita nights include.

Fun and healthy side dishes include, but are not limited to (the sky is the limit!)
Applesauce, Pretzels, and fresh fruit.

Pita pockets, of course. We use Kangaroo brand whole wheat pitas with honey and they are delish. They come whole and we just cut them in half and stuff them.

Shredded chicken! I usually cook some up (with seasonings, cooking all day, starting in the morning) in the crock pot and shred it when it is done, but tonight I just opened up a few cans, broke up the chunks, and added salt, pepper, and olive oil because I was in a hurry.

Veggie Toppings my hubby likes include green bell peppers, red onions, roma tomatoes, and shredded lettuce. In jars next to the fresh chopped veggies I also had jalapenos and banana peppers out as well.

Other dressings and toppings that are great for pitas and lots of salad dressings and vinaigrettes, salt and pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and cheese.

So here's our Pita bar, SO yummy! Check out all that yummy food, it's making me hungry just looking at it :)

Easy Mini Pizzas - A 20 minute Dinner, start to finish

How great is it when you don't have to put much effort into what you cook at night and it still tastes great? Amazing, I know. So this 20 minute no-prep dinner is sure to please all and create a light cooking night for you.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

You will need:

1-2 cans biscuit dough (depending on your family size)

Pizza sauce or marinara sauce

Your preference of Salsa

Pizza toppings of your choice

Open your biscuit cans and spread out the individual dough pieces as big as you can without pulling them apart and place them on a greased cookie sheet. You can usually spread them out a little bigger once they're laid out.

Cook them in your preheated over for 5-6 minutes and take them out. 

Add a small spoon full of sauce, and a small spoon full of salsa to each and spread it out as you would on a pizza. Top with cheese and your favorite toppings.

Cook an additional 6 minutes and remove from the oven. Repeat for as many pizzas as your family needs. Cool 2 minutes, slice in half and serve hot.

These were a BIG hit in my family. They are high calorie so I don't do it often, but every once in a while when I don't fell like making a big nice dinner, mini pizzas are a great way to go.

Enjoy :)

Strawberry Banana Post Workout Smoothie

I know what you're thinking, that does NOT look like a nice pink strawberry smoothie right?

Well, it is!

I made this one yesterday after a strenuous 4 mile run and hour of lifting weights and it was just what I needed. You're going to love it.

In your blender combine:

1/2 C Light Original SoyMilk

1/4 C LowFat Vanilla Yogurt (you can use soy yogurt to make it dairy free)

1/2 Banana, broken into pieces

1/2-3/4 C spinach leaves, the equivalent of a good hand full

1 pkt Stevia in the Raw

Once blended so that you can't tell there is spinach in it anymore, add:

1  1/4 C frozen strawberries, 1/4-1/2 C at a time

until it is blended and smooth.

Using frozen fruit instead of fresh strawberries means you don't have to use ice to thicken it. Awesome, right?

*Yes I know it's the same heart straw that belongs to my six year old, but it's the perfect size for smoothies and shakes. I like my heart straw, ok? lol

And there you have it! A yummy 16 oz smoothie that is great post workout. Enjoy :)

Nutritional information is for 16 oz, the entire recipe:

Calories                     203

Grams of Fat             1.25

Protein                         8g

Sugar                      32.5g

Chocolate Protein Shake

I went for a goo 3.5 mile run this morning outside, pushing my 26 pound daughter in her 15 pound stroller, uphill half of the way. It was SO hard and I was craving some serious protein when we got back to the house. So I decided to do a little experiment. 

I am currently out of protein powder, and I do not like the taste of the protein my husband buys, but it's all we had. SO I experimented.

Usually my experiments don't turn out, but God was smiling on me today because I came up with a winner!!! So I'm going to share this delicious protein shake with all of you so you can enjoy it as well. I have posted the nutritional information at the bottom of this post for those of you who are interested :)

In your blender mix all of the following:

1/2 C Light Original SoyMilk

(You don't have to use SoyMilk, it's all I buy because of my family's allergies to dairy, regular cow's milk works just as well, but the nutritional information will vary by what kind of milk you use)

1/2 a Banana, broken into pieces

1 Scoop Chocolate Whey Protein powder, I used Muscle Milk

1 T Natural Peanut Butter, I used Skippy Brand

1 Packet Stevia in the Raw, optional (I only used this to combat the bitter taste I get from the protein powder)

Blend well till you see no chunks of banana or peanut butter floating around. All you have to do from here is add about 5-6 ice cubes at a time until you get a consistency you like. I like my shakes REALLY thick.

And there you have it! One of the world's yummiest chocolate protein shakes ever. Enjoy one today!
This recipe makes 2 servings. A great idea with this is to drink half and freeze half for another day.

Nutritional information is per serving

Serving Size 11 oz, Makes 2 servings

Calories                        166

Fat                                  7g 

Protein                     11.75g

Net Carbs                   18.5g 

Sugar                         10.5g

Pinterest Sunday: Apple Lollipops

Since my blog has been lagging lately I've decided that I'm going to start dedicating a Sunday post each week to another blogger (not exactly a blogger page blogger, but someone else who loves cooking and blogging) who's wonderful recipe I found on Pinterest.

Yes, I'm addicted to Pinterest. It's good stuff!!

So this Sunday's shout out goes to RosaRot and her Apple Lollipops, which look DELISH!

I cannot wait to try this one! Her blog is in German (I think) and she has a neat Google translation button that will translate it into English for your reading and treat-ing pleasure. What will Google think of next??

My friend Any thought it might be even yummier to dip the slices in caramel first, let them cool, and then dip them in the chocolate. How yummy does that sound? To die for, for me at least! LOL

Without the caramel, these delicious treats would be SO easy to make a non-dairy and non-gluten version so everyone could enjoy them, just use the right kind of chocolate of course :)

Happy Sunday!

Bake Sale Donation

My daughter (kindergartener) attends a charter school that we just love. Last month they had a bake sale to raise money for new sports and PE equipment and I signed up to donate a cookie platter.

Using this recipe I chose 3 flavors and made up this platter. I was so pleased with the way it turned out that I just had to share.

The bake sale ended up being cancelled, but the elementary director bought it from me and donated the money to the school and just used it for a staff meeting instead. She said the cookies were a delicious hit and to feel free to donate another platter anytime!

In my it's-almost-valentine's-day mood I chose Strawberry, Lemon, and Cherry Chip. (which were all delicious)

I put all the cookies in rows on a clear platter from Dollar Tree, added a package of little plates and napkins...

and tied a big tulle bow around the whole thing.

Turned out great, right? Love it :)

CopyCat Recipe - McDonald's Caramel Apple Parfait

I was on a play date at McDonald's the other day with my girls, and some of my girlfriends from the gym and their kiddos. We go there for the play place when it's too cold to visit the park.

I decided that I would act healthy in front of my friends and I ordered a sort-of-healthy-but-not-really-that-healthy Caramel Apple Parfait for my snack. I'd never had it before and thought it sounded good.

HOLY EXPLOSION OF YUMMINESS IN MY MOUTH!

Can we say "New favorite snack?"

So I looked it up on McDonald's.com for the nutritional info and what was in it... turns out it's just low fat vanilla yogurt with diced red apples and caramel sauce. So simple. So I took home the cup it was in for measurement purposes and bought all the ingredients to make my own at home.

And here it is, incase you need to know how. Simple, easy, yummy, and slightly healthy. At least it only has 180 calories ;-)

You just need low fat vanilla yogurt, any brand, a red apple, any kind, and caramel sauce. Hershey's made that part convenient!

Slice the apple as you normally would and leave out one slice. Cut it into small chunks. Put the apple together and put a rubber band around it. This keeps it from getting brown in the fridge. Learned that little trick on Pinterest. Who knew?

Sprinkle your diced apples on top of the yogurt in your cup. (about 8 oz of yogurt) Drizzle a small amount of caramel sauce on top of it all. (I got a little excited so I put too much. Won't happen again! lol

And there ya have it! One caramel apple parfait, comin' right up!