Fresh Tomato Basil Flatbread

Here is an amazing flatbread recipe that I have been wanting to share with you for awhile now. I finally sat down today and typed it all out. It's so delicious and although it isn't pizza, it defiantly satisfies my pizza craving, without all the added calories and fat. It's great served as a meal with a side salad or cut into even smaller pieces and served as an appetizer.

The recipe below is listed in 2 parts (the basic dough and the complete recipe).

Cut into appetizer size

Basic Flatbread Dough
Makes 6 servings

This is the base dough used for my Fresh Tomato Basil Flatbread. This makes enough dough to make 2 13x5 flatbreads. You can make them both now OR freeze ½ for later.

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (110º to 115º F)
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp active dry yeast
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
1 ¾ whole wheat flour
¾ to 1½  all-purpose flour
Olive oil non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir together the warm water and sugar until sugar dissolves. Stir in yeast. Let stand about 10 minutes or until foamy. Stir in oil, salt and pepper. Stir in whole wheat flour and as much of the all-purpose flour as you can. 
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in remaining all-purpose flour for about 6 minutes. Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1-1¼ hours).
3. Punch dough down. Divide into 2 equal parts.

Dough before toppings are added.

Tomato Topping Ingredients (for 1 flatbread):
¼ tsp Italian seasoning
1-2 pinches salt
1-2 pinches black pepper
1-2 gloves garlic, minced
3 tsp sun-dried tomato pesto (see image below)
1-2 medium plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
¼ cup 2% shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)
2 tbsp snipped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Prepare flatbread dough (directions above)
2. Preheat oven to 450º F. Use a baking stone for best results.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 portion of the dough into a 13x5-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking stone. 
4. Top dough with salt, pepper, and minced garlic.
5. Spread sun-dried tomato pesto evenly over dough
6. Arrange tomato slices on top. Sprinkle with cheese. 
7. Bake for 10 minutes or until flatbread is browned on edges. 
8. Just before serving, sprinkle with fresh basil.  (I added basil both before and after cooking but I suggestion just adding it after)

Ready to go into the oven!

The above "tomato topping" ingredient list is enough for (1) 13x5 flatbread. If you are making 2, then you will need double the amount of ingredients. Since the dough recipe makes enough for 2 flatbreads, I usually cook one at a time and freeze the other half. To freeze, wrap the dough in saran wrap and place in a covered container and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to use, simply defrost at room temperature for about 2 hours.

Hot out of the oven! Yum!

This is the sun-dried tomato pesto I use. It has around 250 calories per ¼ cup, which seems high but remember you are only using 3 tsp. If you can't find this brand, just look for one with a similar calorie count.


Nutritional Information:
Per serving, based on 6 servings total

Calories 140
Fat 2.5g
Sodium 276mg
Carbohydrate 20g
Fiber 2.8g
Sugar 0g
Protein 1.6g

This is so low in calories and fat, you could even have more then 1 serving! :)

I'm going to experiment with other toppings to use the flatbread next time I make it. I'm thinking a really good low-calorie chicken alfredo sounds yummy! I'll be sure to post any new recipes I come up with! If you have any suggestions for a topping, please comment on this post and let me know.

Linking this post to: Slightly Indulgent Tuesday - Be sure and check out all the wonderful healthy recipes listed!

Product Reviews Coming Soon!

Easy 4 Ingredient Breakfast Casserole

Today was a lazy Saturday. I didn't do much of anything, including not going to the gym. Since we weren't busy, I decided to experiment with a new recipe.

I really need to help the kids get back into the habit of eating healthier. They were doing so well there for awhile, but got sidetracked. Now that I'm back on track, the kids need to be as well!

I'm going to start cooking more for them, especially at breakfast when they usually eat a bowl of cold not-so-good-for-you cereal. So this morning I decided to whip up this low-calorie breakfast casserole. It was very easy to make, filling and the whole family liked it.

It's high in protein, low in fat and carbs. Serve it along with some fresh fruit and you have a great breakfast!


4 Ingredient Breakfast Casserole
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 Whole Eggs
6 Egg Whites
1 1/3 cup shredded potatoes (I used Southwest Style Simply Potatoes)
1/2 cup 2% Shredded Cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, mexican blend, it's totally up to you)
2 Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Links (sliced into small pieces)


You will see that pitcher of yellow stuff in a lot of my pictures. Those are egg whites, we buy in bulk.

Ready to go into the oven

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º
Microwave the shredded potatoes for about 3-4 minutes to pre-cook them.*
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork
Spray an 8″ pie pan with nonstick spray and pour mixture into it.
Bake for 35 minutes

Slice into 4 large servings or 8 smaller servings.

* The first time I made this, the potatoes didn't cook completely, so the next time I make this, I will microwave the potatoes for a few minutes before mixing with the other ingredients to make sure they are completely cook when the dish has finished baking.

Hot out of the oven

Nutritional Information:
Per serving, based on 4 servings total

Calories 246
Total Fat 6g
Sodium 461mg
Total Carbohydrate 9g
Dietary Fiber 0.5g
Sugars 0g
Protein 17g

I hope you enjoy! If you make it please let me know. And if you have a family favorite breakfast casserole that's healthy, I would love for you to share it. I'll be looking for new things to try with the kids! :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

So I've defiantly been on an "oatmeal kick" lately. I LOVE the stuff! I eat it every morning and I love that I am able to do so much with it and still keep it healthy and 98% clean!

I have to say this one by far is my favorite! I've made it twice this week already and it's only Wednesday. I woke up craving it this morning. Thank goodness I have some in the frig for breakfast :)

It's so good and really taste like something so bad for you but it's not!


Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry oats (NOT the instant kind)
1 cup water
3 tbsp liquid egg whites
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (apple pie spice or cinnamon work too)
1 tbsp sugar-free vanilla coffee flavoring (I use Archer Farms from Target OR Torani)*
2 tsp brown sugar splenda*
3 tbsp can pumpkin

* A note on sweetness: I'm use to eating my oatmeal plain! I've come to like it that way, so all of my baked oatmeals are not overpowering with sweetness! They may or may not be sweet enough for you. The best part about it, is you can adjust the sweetness to your liking. I'd just add a lil at time until it's as sweet as you like it. And of course you can use all natural sweeteners like honey or raw sugar instead. In both cases remember that the nutritional values may change anytime you make a change!

Directions:
Mix all of the above together in a small oven-safe container and bake at 350º for 35 minutes.

When it comes out of the oven the pumpkin has somewhat risen to the top. You can eat it like this (see pic above). I topped it with a dollop of fat-free cool whip just to see how it tasted! Oh goodness, super yummy!

Or mix it all together and eat it like this:
Nutritional Information:
Calories 159
Total Fat 1.38g
Sodium 81mg
Total Carbohydrate 13.1g
Dietary Fiber 3.87g
Sugars 9.8g
Protein 8.75g

PS. I added 4 halves of a walnut chopped up to my pumpkin pie oatmeal last night and it was super yummy too! :)

Weekly Weigh-In: Week 2

I had a pretty good week, stayed on track about 95% of the time with my eating and trained really hard. I was so expecting a loss on the scale come Saturday, but as life goes, I started my period, so when I got on the scale I weighted in exactly the same as last week: 171lbs. I usually carry an extra 2-4 lbs during the time of the month, so I'm sure that's the reason for the "no change" on the scale this week.

Even tho the # on the scale didn't change, I feel a difference already. I don't feel as bloated, pants don't seem as tight and my husband says my stomach has gone down. I'm training really hard so I know I'm putting on muscle as well so I have to keep that in mind when I jump on the scale on Saturdays. As long as I can tell my body is changing I'm not going to be so focused on the scale. Or least try not too :)

I experimented with some more baked oatmeal recipes this weekend and have 3 totally yummy ones to share:
Baked Apple/Cranberry Oatmeal
Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Look for those recipes coming soon! The pumpkin pie was my favorite. Yum!

Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal! So YUMMY!

Until then....

Baked S'mores Oatmeal




1/2 cup dry oats (NOT the instant kind)
1 cup water
3 tbsp liquid egg whites
1 tbsp sugar-free vanilla syrup (I used Archer Farms from Target but there are many other brands)
1 packet splenda
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp mini dark chocolate chips (if you can't find mini, you can use regular but the mini chips seem to distribute better, giving a lil chocolate with every bite)
1/2 sheet of of a low-fat graham cracker (crushed)
15 mini marshmallows

Directions:
Mix the first 7 ingredients together. Spray oven-proof bowl with cooking spray. Pour oatmeal batter into it. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then take the crushed graham cracker and mini marshmellows and layer on top of oatmeal. Broil for 1-3 minutes until marshmellows are toasted (not melted tho).

Nutritional Information:


Calories 305
Total Fat 8g
Carbohydrates 51g
Dietary Fiber 5.5g
Protein 9.1g
Sugars 17g

2 Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies

Sweet Pumpkin Goodness!

Please Note: The can of pumpkin in the picture is a 29 oz. can. You do NOT want to use this much. Only 15 oz.). My store didn't have small cans so I used half of the large can.

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
 
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets. (I use stone sheets so no greasing needed)
2. In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix and pumpkin until well blended.
3. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet (I use a cookie dough scoop).
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
5. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Scooping out the dough

Optional:
You can add mini chocolate chips or chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter before cooking. Remember when doing this, it does change the nutritional information.

Nutritional Information:
Per Cookie
 
Calories 78
Total Fat 2.2g
Saturated Fat 0.8g
Sodium 150mg
Carbohydrates 13.7g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Protein 0.8g
Sugars 8.16g

Baked Banana Bread Oatmeal

Yummy Warm Goodness Right Out of the Oven!


1 cup water
3 tbsp liquid egg whites
1 tbsp sugar-free carmel syrup (I used Archer Farms from Target but there are many other brands)
1-2 packets splenda (depending on how sweet you want it, I use only 1 because I don't like it too sweet)
6 walnut halves, broken
1/8 tsp baking powder
cinnamon to taste ( I used about 1/8 of a tsp)

Directions:Mash banana, mix with other ingredients. Spray oven-proof bowl with cooking spray. Pour oatmeal batter into it. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.


This recipe is for only 1 serving but it makes a lot! I ate about 1/2 of it this morning and will eat the other 1/2 tomorrow.

Next I'm going to experiment with "Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal" and "Baked Blueberry Muffin Oatmeal". If they turn out good, I will be posting the recipe!

Nutritional Information:
Calories 232
Total Fat 4.2g
Sodium 60.04mg
Total Carbohydrate 42.01g
Dietary Fiber 6.13g
Sugars 11.8g
Protein 9.04g

Mexican Lasagna

Posting a "blast from the past". This is a recipe that I use to make often for my famuly. It's REALLY good, even my kids like it! I found the orginal recipe over at Meal Makeover Moms. I did made a few small changes to mine to lower the sodium and fat content.

Makes 8 Servings

Ingredients:
1 pound extra lean ground beef (I use 96% lean)
1 large carrot, shredded (about 1 cup)
One 16-ounce low sodium jar salsa
One 15 1/2-ounce can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
One 10-ounce bag frozen corn kernels, thawed (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Five 8-inch whole wheat flour tortillas, cut in half
One 16-ounce container lowfat cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups preshredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Cook the meat and carrot in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the large pieces, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
3. Add the salsa, black beans, corn, chili powder, and cumin to the skillet and stir to combine.
4. To assemble the lasagna, arrange a third (about 2 cups) of the meat mixture in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or dish. Layer half the tortillas over the meat, allowing them to overlap. Spoon half of the cottage cheese and 1/2 cup of the Cheddar cheese over the tortillas and spread evenly.
5. Place 2 more cups of meat mixture over the cottage cheese. Layer with the remaining tortillas and cottage cheese. End with the meat mixture.
6. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese and bake uncovered until the cheese melts and the lasagna is heated through, about 25 minutes.

Before eating I usually top mine with shredded lettuce, salsa or even a couple cubes of avocado. YUM! :)

Weekly Weigh-In: Week 1

Hello everyone and Happy Saturday! :)

Today was my first week weight-in after starting my 2011 Goals. I have to say I did pretty good, I ate about 98% clean all week. I did have 1 cheat meal on Thursday that wasn't planned and I actually felt really bad about it afterwards BUT I'm only human and can't expect perfection. I did get right back into eating clean after that and still had a loss for the week, so that is good!

I weighted in at 171 lbs. That's a 2 lb loss since last week. I'm happy with that as my goal was 2-3 lbs. I also hit a PR (personal record) on leg presses during leg training this week, so that was awesome! I'm going to be posting my training routine soon so I'll give more details in that post.

So all in all, it was a good week! Looking forward to the week to come and hopefully dropping a couple more lbs! :)
Have a Great weekend!

40 by 40 - Mini Bucket List

1. Travel out of the country with my husband
2. Be debt-free aside from our house payment
3. Wear a size 6 again
4. Run a 5K
5. Start video blogging
6. Get another tattoo DONE
7. Wear a bikini and feel sexy in it
8. Build a bonfire pit in the backyard and enjoy nights sitting by the fire DONE
9. Go to Myrtle Beach DONE
10. Go hiking
11. Go snow sking
12. Go tailgating
13. Host an adult Halloween party
14. Have a spa day
15. Read a book
16. See a Broadway show with my husband
17. Play a practical joke on each one of the kids
18. Go horseback riding
19. Pose nude (haha just joking, but I do want to take some boudoir photos for my husband)
20. Squat 225lbs
21. Bench 135lbs DONE
22. Learn to accept my stretch marks and wrinkles
23. Host a naked beer tasting party (like a naked wine party)
24. Get my ears re-pierced
25. Watch the last season of Lost (yep still haven't watched it) DONE
26. Take the kids on a float trip DONE
27. Make bread pudding from scratch following the recipe from Ohana's at Disney World (YUM)
28. Go to DollyWood
29. Go zip lining
30. This one's a secret :) DONE
31. Send out photo Christmas cards
32. Take a family vacation to Disney World
33. Get family portraits taken
34. Take a kick boxing class
35. Get my nails done
36. Visit my friend Mari
37. Have a romantic candle lite fondue dinner at home with my husband DONE
38. Get season passes to Worlds of Fun and go often DONE
39. Get our wedding photos printed (it's only been 6 mths since the wedding)
40. Go somewhere that has amazing waterfalls

Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal

I LOVE oatmeal! I have it for breakfast every morning. I usually eat just plain oatmeal with a little bit of cinnamon and splenda brown sugar. Well I decided to make some "Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal" tonight to see how I liked it. I only ate about 1/4 of it because I really want to stay on track with my eating plan, but I had to taste it before posting the recipe, just to make sure it was good! And oh was it ever! Very Yummy! :) I will be making lots of baked oatmeal from now on!

Hot! right outta the oven!

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry oats (NOT the instant kind)
1 cup water
3 tbsp liquid egg whites
1/8 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/4 tsp apple pie spice (or cinnamon)
1-2 packs of splenda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped apples

Directions:
Mix all of the above together in a small oven-safe container and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Yummy Goodness!

Calories 227
Total Fat 3g
Sodium 52.5mg
Total Carbohydrate 43.16g
Dietary Fiber 6.36g
Sugars 14.81g
Protein 8.69g

This is something I will be making again for sure! :) Enjoy!

My 2011 Goal - Muscles are so Sexy! I want to be Sexy!

I have decided that this is the year I really start to get serious with how I look and feel!

It's not that I "hate" the way I look now. I think I look good! I think I've come very far and if this was as far as I could possibly go, then I would accept that. I would be content with myself and maintain what I have accomplished. BUT I know without a doubt, this isn't as far as I can go, this isn't the BEST I can be! I can do better! I can push myself harder! I know I have the drive and determination to improve my body even more! I want to be able to post a picture of myself in a itty bitty bikini and think "dam I'm hot"! I want to have tight 6 pack abs (never in my life did I think that was possible, not this almost 40 year old Mom of 3, Grandma to 1!  BUT I DO now)! I want to have more energy than I ever have and I want muscles! YES I love muscles! Muscles are so Sexy! I want to be Sexy!

And so I'm going to step it up a notch! NO! Several notches! I'm going to kick my own butt like I've never kicked it before! I'm going to go full blown with clean eating. No more 50/50!

I can do this!

Today I weighted in at 173 lbs! I've gained some weigh over the last year, however me today at 173lbs wearing a size 10 is totally different than me 2 years ago at 173lbs wearing a size 14-16! What a difference muscle makes! BUT I still have a lot of fat on top of that muscle! I'm going to burn that fat away to reveal those sexy muscles! I don't have a "goal weight" in mind, but I need to lose a good 30+ lbs and I need to drop my bodyfat %!

You may be thinking "how is she going to do that:"? Like I said I'm going to eat 100% clean! For those of you that aren't familiar with clean eating, the basics are as follows...

Clean Eating Basics
•Eat small meals every two to three hours (5 to 6 small meals per day)
•Combine lean protein and complex carbs at every meal
•Avoid all over-processed and refined foods (especially white flour, white rice, and sugar)
•Avoid saturated and trans fat, instead consume healthy fats
•Avoid soda and other sugary juices and drinks
•Avoid high-calorie, zero nutrient foods (junk food)
•Eat proper portion sizes
•Drink at least a gallon of water every day

So NO pre-packaged meals (sorry Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine), NO white pasta or potatoes, NO low-calorie cookies or cakes, NO sugary juices! Just clean whole foods like chicken, lean beef, brown rice, sweet potatoes, green beans, broccoli, apples, oranges and water! LOTS of water! :)

I'm going to continue my training with my husband. Thank goodness I have him! He has taught me so much and pushes me to do my best! It helps that he was a personal trainer (a very good one if I might add) and knows what he's doing. It feels good to have a spouse who cares about how he looks as much if not more than I do! Makes things so much easier that we are both on the same track.
 
My goal is to lose 2-3 lbs a week. I'm going to weigh myself every Saturday morning and will share the results here on my blog. I also plan on sharing pictures of my progress.
 
That is my Goal for 2011! Call it a New Year's Resolution (first one I've ever made)! I AM going to do this! I know I can! I'm willing to give 100% to MYSELF!
 
You CAN Too! Join me in becoming the "BEST" you can be! What are your 2011 Goals?