Roasted Cauliflower Soup

(I would double it next time for my family--as is it only makes about 3-4 good sized servings)

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 Tbsp. roasted garlic olive oil
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. flour
14 oz. chicken broth
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Place cauliflower in small roasting pan, drizzle with oil and season with garlic powder, salt & pepper, toss to coat
Roast the cauliflower, stirring frequently until golden brown and tender (20 min or so)
Melt butter in saucepan, add onion and brown (about 10 min.). Sprinkle with flour and add liquid, bringing to a boil while it thickens.
Turn down heat and add the roasted cauliflower. Blend half and add back in for thicker consistency.

So yummy!!

Pizza Wheels

I made these the other day just to mix it up a little bit and I was so happy I did. These were delicious.

1 recipe pizza dough (below)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1 pkg pepperoni (I use turkey pepperoni)
1-2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 tbs. Johnny's Garlic seasoning (You can get this at Costco and will be glad you did, so good!)
1/4 cup grated parmesan.

Make pizza dough and let it raise for 30 minutes. Roll it out into a long rectangle, like cinnamon rolls. Spread sauce (you want the sauce to be thin), layer pepperoni, and cheeses, then sprinkle with Johnny's. Roll it up lengthwise, so you have a long roll, again just like cinnamon rolls. Cut into 1 1/2-2 inch slices and lay on a greased cookie sheet. Let them raise for about 45 minutes, sprinkle with a little extra parmesan cheese, back at 375 for about 20-30 minutes or until it looks cooked and golden brown.

Serve with marinara or ranch. So good!

Flaxseed Apple Muffins

Sorry! It's me again. I made these muffins this morning. So healthy and really yummy (just don't overcook them like I did - totally forgot they were in the oven). I am big fan of flaxseed and throw it in where I can. Give them a try!

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 c ground flax seed

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 apples, peeled and cored

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients (flour, ground flax seed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon).

STEP 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (egg, brown sugar, yogurt, apple sauce, and vanilla). Core and chop the apples into small pieces.

STEP 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir just until combined. Fold in the chopped apples just until they are evenly distributed. Try not to over stir the mixture or else the muffins may become tough or rubbery.

STEP 4: Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or line with paper cups. Evenly distribute the muffin batter between 12 muffin cups. Bake in the preheated 400 degree oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 20-25 minutes). Remove the muffins from the tin and let cool on a wire rack.

Originally posted here.

Meal Planning

I'm sure no one else has a problem with meal planning (wink, wink) but it's something I dread and avoid. However, I need a schedule and I need to stop making quick trips to the grocery store. So I started thinking of ways to encourage meal planning. And I decided to do theme nights. Every week, each day has a theme and I try to find meals to fit that theme. I have all of September planned out - and I am super excited about it. Here are the themes for us for September (I may change them up in October - we'll see):

Meatless Monday

Taco (or any Mexican) Tuesday

World (different ethnic foods) Wednesday

Throwaway (leftovers) Thursday

Italian (usually a carbo load) Friday

Soup/Salad Saturday

Home Cooked Sunday

Of course you could change it up to meet your family's tastes, but so far, I really love the theme idea. I use foodgawker and pinterest for a lot of my ideas. Let me know what you think and what themes you come up with. Also if you are interested in any of the meals I have planned for the various nights, let me know and I'll send you my calendar.

Chicken Gyros

photo from Handle the Heat

{I wish I had taken a picture of mine because they really did look this good!}

I am so excited about tonight's dinner that I couldn't wait to post. Seriously, so yummy! I also found a new food blog that L.O.V.E. It's could Handle the Heat and it's definitely worth looking into. So onto tonight's meal...

For the tzatziki sauce:

• 16 oz. greek yogurt or plain yogurt
• 1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced {I used the jar minced garlic and only did 1 tsp instead of 2}
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:

• 4 cloves garlic, smashed {Again the jar garlic and only did 3 tsps instead of 4}
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 heaping tbsp. plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips or bite sized chunks

To assemble:

• Pita bread, whole wheat if possible
• Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
• Red onion, sliced thin (I skipped this because I don't like raw onion) {so did I}

To make the tzatziki sauce:
If using plain yogurt, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible. Note, if using lower fat yogurt there will be more liquid strained. If using Greek yogurt, skip this step.

Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel and squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken:
Combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Preheat broiler. Cook chicken under broiler for about 2-4 minutes per side, depending on size of pieces. Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.

Warm pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Copied from here.

Fruit and Spinach Salad

This has become my FAVORITE salad. I really love it. I try to have everything on hand so I can make it anytime. I don't use spinach (Matt can't eat it) so I used red and green baby romaine instead. Give it a try. So good!

1 head red leaf lettuce

1 bunch spinach

2 Johnny smith apples

2 cans mandarin oranges

1/4 red onion slices {I leave these out}

1/2 c sugared almonds (see recipe below)

feta cheese to taste

poppy seed dressing {I either make my own - Alicia's recipe - or use Brianna brand}

Sugared almonds

1 C chopped raw almonds

3 T sugar

1. For the salad, just chop all the ingredients and toss together.

2. For the Sugared Almonds, place the nuts in a small skillet and sprinkle with sugar. As the sugar melts, stir the contents of the pan and let the sugar turn brown, being careful to not let it burn. When the sugar has reached the color of a paper sack place the nuts on a cookie sheet to cool. That's it!