Ruta-ruta-bo-buga

On yesterday's menu: rutabaga fries! ::crickets:: 
Yeah, it was hard for me to get excited about it too-- but I did-- because I'm trying new ways to get more veggies in, and this is a great one. 

Yes. It's ugly. 

 Fugly, perhaps?

 Got rid of the nasty protruding part... it's starting to look a little better...

 Took a basic vegetable peeler to the skin... starting to resemble a potato...

Chopped it up into 1/4 inch thick sticks, and I really couldn't tell the difference. Mind was sufficiently tricked in the visual department. 

I seasoned with sea salt, Adobo, and my new favorite: Penzey's Arizona Dreaming. 

Still fooled in the looks department!

Served them with a little ketchup, and felt my life changing with every nibble. The Mister liked them too-- they were gone in record timing!

My waistline thanks you, Mother Nature!

Now get going to your grocery store, peep this recipe or the million others, and get your rutabaga on! 

Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

So I finally recreated something from Pinterest {and yes, of course it was food}.


Best thing about this recipe is that measuring isn't really all that necessary. I don't mind all the measuring and exactness in baking—but when I'm making something savory, I just want to throw ingredients in a pot and end up with something delicious. Thankfully, this was just such a dish!


Here's the original post: Mini deep dish pizzas 


As I mentioned before, I only used this recipe as a guideline-- I didn't measure any of my ingredients at all, and I left out the sweetener and black pepper.


For much more aesthetically pleasing photos, please refer to the original post... these are quick and diiiirty {cue Christina Aguilera}:

Ingredients. And now for a little critical thinking: which ingredient is most important and why? 

What does one do with leftover tortilla pieces?

I bet this goober has an idea. He may or may not have gotten a few pieces for faithfully guarding the kitchen. Puppy dog eyes get me every time. 

I used the Don Pepino can to cut out perfect tortilla rounds.

I used a whole can of pizza sauce, a heaping handful of both the mini pepperonis and mozzarella cheese, then gave it a good stir.

It was surprisingly easy to fill the tortillas, hardly any spillage!

Top them with cheese and some mini pepperonis and pop them into the oven at 400º for about 15 minutes {or until the cheese is golden brown}.

And there you go! Easy Peezy, lemon squeezy! {I obviously spend too much time with third graders}. I know they're looking a little dubious with those burnt cheesy shreds, but only a crazy person would get rid of that goodness, so the jagged edges get to stay. 

Mini Deep Dish Pizzas - ☆☆☆☆☆

♡ quick and easy

♡ great recipe to mix and match ingredients

♡ healthy! {whole wheat tortilla, reduced fat cheese, mini pepperonis}

♡ built-in portion control 

Fact: These mini pizzas have already had an encore appearance this week. Hope you enjoy yours just as much!

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Yesterday, I took out ground turkey breast without really thinking it through. I aimlessly defrost meat more often than I care to admit... so I'm used to this little conundrum. As much as I enjoy turkey tacos and burgers, the thought of having them wasn't making my tummy do it's normal "ooh yeah, make that" jig. Sad. 


After a few minutes of deep thought, I remembered a SparkFriend mentioned having turkey meatloaf muffins with her dinner a couple nights ago. I like turkey... I like meatloaf... and I have been known to get down with a muffin or two-- so it seemed like a no-brainer. 


I went over to Bodybuilding.com and found Jamie Eason's recipe for clean turkey meatball muffins. I pretty much followed her recipe, but I left out the celery and I swapped the garlic powder and salt for some Adobo seasoning (had to work with what I had on hand).

Here are the meatloaf muffins from start to finish:

Hmm... please excuse the cooking spray puddles. Oh, and that I don't have photos of these on a plate or other dish. You can thank the mister for that— these meatloaf muffins didn't last very long at all.

Jamie Eason's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins - ✩✩✩✩✩ 

These little guys are easy to prepare and perfect for batch cooking. They're also just as good cold {which I've found is surprisingly important to me}. At 80 calories and 11 grams of protein per muffin, they're a great anytime snack or as part of a meal. They would also make pretty tasty turkey sliders if you just have to have a bun in your life {which I completely understand}. 

Judging by the rate at which these were devoured— this won't be the last time turkey meatloaf graces my muffin pan! Mmm.  

Slow Cooker Meal: Salsa Chicken

I have yet to meet a slow cooker meal I don't like. This little ditty is no exception. One of my teammates has been singing the praises of her very favorite salsa chicken for quite some time now, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. She told me the basics:

• boneless chicken breasts
• packet of taco seasoning
• salsa

I started with those then added:

• 1 can of low sodium cream of chicken soup
• 1 small can of green chiles
• 1 can of black beans {normally I'd go with dry beans, but I forgot to soak them}
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt {aka MY Frank's Red Hot—I put that *bleep* on everything}

The procedure is pretty no fuss from here... as long as the chicken is covered, it doesn't really matter what order all the other ingredients get in the pot. 

This did not look very appealing...

...rest assured, it will look pretty darn delicious by the time you get home.

I set my slow cooker on low for 8 hours.  I shredded the chicken, then rinsed and added the beans during the last hour of cooking. I couldn't find those fun taco salad shells, so I made my own... 

I situated the tortillas into a muffin pan and weighed them down with the beans I use for my pastry crusts {yay for more than one use!} I think this method would have worked much better in an oversize muffin pan. The tortillas were in a 400º oven for about 15 minutes.

And here's the fully assembled salsa chicken, with lettuce shreds and some greek yogurt on top {it's a fantastic substitute for sour cream}.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken - ✩✩✩✩

1 package of boneless chicken breasts

1 packet of low sodium taco seasoning

1 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa

1 cup of low sodium cream of chicken soup

1 can of chopped green chiles

2 cups of black beans

1/2 cup of greek yogurt {more for garnish}

Iceberg lettuce shreds {or your favorite lettuce}

This is a super simple meal you can easily mold to your tastebuds. It can be mild or as spicy as you'd like depending on your ingredients. The chicken is great in a salad, but would also make for a fantastic taco, burrito or quesadilla filling. It would also make a yummy dip—basically, the possibilities are endless. If you're looking for a way to jazz up boneless chicken breasts, this is the perfect recipe to stick in the rotation!

✳✳✳

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Easy protein-packed breakfast

Working 7ish to 4ish certainly has it's advantages—most of which come on the 4ish end of things. 


I wouldn't classify myself as a morning person, but it's not that I mind getting out of bed... it's just that I'd rather make my way to the couch and watch Saved by the Bell than get myself fed and out the door. 


Last week, I figured out a way I could eat a nutritious meal and still get my Zack Morris fix: BATCH cooking! The winning recipe was Mac Muffins, a creation of SparkFriend and Quest Protein Bar-sponsored athlete, Rachel Mac. This is a great recipe because, as the blog title says, it's easy and protein-packed. Easy is good {for lazy people like me} and protein is wonderful {because it keeps you full and helps strengthen and build muscles}. 


Here's what you'll need:

• 8x8 pan, cooking spray, egg whites, oats, canadian bacon {Rachel has the exact values here}. I didn't follow the measurements exactly, so do what works best for you!

Now here's what you'll do:

• Preheat your oven to 350º
• Evenly coat your pan with cooking spray
• Pour a layer of egg whites
• Sprinkle in oats
• Place 4 slices of canadian bacon on your layer
• Bake for about 10 minutes
• Rinse and repeat until all your ingredients are gone!

I ended up with 3 layers and it was perfect for us. I also added some shredded cheese to the top layer. This is a great recipe to experiment with as far as portion sizes, seasonings, cheese and the meat and grain you use. 

Layer 1

Layer 2

Layer 3

Mac Muffins! 

This recipes makes 4 servings, and you end up with a yummy breakfast "lasagna" type dish. It puffs up like a soufflé because of the eggs, but falls shortly after you take it out of the oven. You might want to place your baking dish on a pan to prevent possible spillage. 

I reheated my Mac Muffins in the toaster oven on 300º for about 10 minutes. I tried a few different ways of eating them during the week {as one big piece, sliced in half with cheese, and sliced in half with salsa}. The winning variation was sliced in half with cheese in the middle {like a sandwich}. 

If you're looking for a tasty, easy-to-prepare/customize AND healthful breakfast, give these a try!