Pizza Crust!

Here's another recipe that sounds just plain gross. But you'll have to trust me - it was actually pretty good! Elijah & Josh both ate it, too, without complaining! So it's definitely something to at least consider. You ready? Here it is: Cauliflower Pizza Crust. I found the recipe on pinterest, and since we're trying to eat healthier, I thought I'd give it a try. I decided to modify it just a tad and see what happens. I'm glad I tried it! It was a bit time consuming, but that's just because you have to grate the cauliflower, and it didn't really like my grater. So make the crust, then add your own sauce, cheese, and toppings! When we make our own pizza, we always have half cheese and then half whatever Josh & I want (tonight Josh wanted onion, tomato, and mushroom). So seriously, give it a try! It's a great way to sneak some veggies in!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

1 12 oz. pkg. frozen cauliflower with garlic
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley

Preheat oven to 450. Cook the cauliflower, drain, then shred. Mix the cauliflower, mozzarella, and egg. Grease a pizza pan or cookie sheet, and evenly spread the cauliflower mix on it. Evenly sprinkle the herbs over top. Cook at 450 for 15 min. or until golden.

Then just pour pizza sauce on it and top with cheese and your choice of toppings. Broil until golden and cheese melted. (Only a couple minutes.) Enjoy!

Spinach Artichoke Pasta!

I actually did really well with juicing last week. Now let's just see if I can keep it off! So my goal is to find good, healthy (or at least semi-healthy...) meals that my family will eat. Josh & Isaiah's favorite pizza at Cici's is the spinach alfredo pizza. And Isaiah, Josh & I all love spinach artichoke dips (Elijah use to love them, too, when he was younger. Sigh.) So I figured this had to be something most of us would like, right? I just pulled it out of the oven and had a bite - it's really good! I found this recipe on Pinterest, but I did modify it a bit. I thought it was really good! Elijah wouldn't touch it, but who's surprised about that? Isaiah enjoyed it, and Jonah enjoyed the tiny little bites I gave him, too. I think Josh will, too, but he's still at work. Anyway, here's the recipe! (I should have cooked mine a little longer, until it was golden, but with hungry boys, I didn't wait...)

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

14 oz. orecchietta pasta
1 Tbsp oil
1 small chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 c sour cream
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp savory
1 tsp lemon juice
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
13.5 oz. can artichoke hearts, rinsed & finely chopped
1 c mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to the directions on the package. Reserve 1/4 c of the pasta water before draining the pasta; set aside. Heat oil in a skillet & cook onions 8-10 min., until tender. Add garlic and cook another minute. In a large bowl, mix sour cream, cream cheese, Parmesan, lemon juice, onions, garlic, celery seed, and savory. Add the pasta and mix. Stir in spinach, artichokes, 1/4 c of reserved pasta water, salt, pepper, and 1/2 c mozzarella. Place in greased 3 qt. baking dish & top with remaining mozzarella. Place in oven and cook at 350 until golden brown on top, about 15 min. Enjoy!


I have made this again since posting this, and I added a jar of alfredo sauce. It was DELICIOUS! Even Elijah said he liked it! :) I know it makes the calorie count jump up, but it was pretty tasty! :)

Ratatouille!

Dinner tonight is the Garlic Ranch Chicken. And one of Josh's favorite side dishes is ratatouille! (If you want to get your kids to eat it, maybe try watching the Pixar movie Ratatouille before dinner?) When making this, I've always left out the eggplant. No, I had never tried it, but something about it just seemed repulsive to me. However, at my friend Megan's house, she made pizza out of eggplant! I'm always encouraging Elijah to try new things, and I really don't like being a hypocrite. So I tried it. And guess what? It was good! (I'll try to have the recipe for that on here before too long...) I do not have any eggplant right now, but that's because I'm just cooking for Josh & the boys, and I know they won't eat it. (I have to admit, this week, I've jumped on the juicing bandwagon lol.) Anyway, here's the recipe for Ratatouille. (For anyone who's trying to watch their weight by counting calories, there are 120 calories per cup... 12g carbs.)

Ratatouille

1 unpeeled eggplant, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2 in. slices
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, cut into fourths
1/4 c veg. oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Stir all ingredients together in a skillet and cook over medium heat 12-15 min., stirring occasionally. Heat until zucchini is tender. Enjoy! :)