Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I have been wanting to make this for weeks. I bought the ingredients for it about 2 weeks ago, but then ended up in the ER with pancreatitis which put me on an all liquid diet for almost a week. That was not fun! So finally today I was able to make my pizza and it turned out great!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust
makes 1 large crust

Recipe courtesy of Doris Choi

Ingredients:

4 cups cauliflower rice, steamed and strained
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup soft goat cheese (chevre)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400F, then get to work on your crust.

Step 1: Begin by making your cauliflower “rice.”

Simply pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, until a rice-like texture is achieved.

Step 2: Steam & Strain the rice.

Fill a large pot with about an inch of water, and bring it to a boil. Add the “rice” and cover; let it steam for about 4-5 minutes. Drain into a fine-mesh strainer.

Now here comes the secret:

Once you’ve strained the rice, transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel.

Wrap up the steamed rice in the dishtowel, twist it up, then squeeze all the excess moisture out!
It’s amazing how much liquid will be released, which will leave you with a nice and dry pizza crust.

–Step 3: Make & Shape the dough.

In a large bowl, mix up your strained rice, beaten egg, goat cheese, and spices.

Don’t be afraid to use your hands! You want it very well mixed.
Press the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (It’s important that it’s lined with parchment paper!)

Keep the dough about 1/3″ thick, and make the edges a little higher for a “crust” effect, if you like.

Step 4: Bake!

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 400F.

Step 5: Load on the Toppings!

Now’s the time to add all your favorites– sauce, cheese, and any other toppings you like.
I used organic tomatoe basil sauce, mushrooms, zucchini, squash, organic ground beef and sprinkled goat cheese on top....that's the best part!

Return the pizza to the 400F oven, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, just until the cheese is hot and bubbly. If you're using goat cheese, it doesn't appear melted like most cheese do. Once out of the oven, the crust will probably be a little flimsy. Let cool a little before serving. ENJOY your HEALTHY PIZZA!

Day Two

Still feeling pretty crummy today, and I can't taste a thing. If I don't feel better tomorrow, I may wait a few days to post my third and final day of meals so that you can see what I eat when I'm feeling normal and exercising!  I was really running late today...felt achy and did not want to get out of bed, so I had to grab something quick on the way out the door. I made a protein smoothie, which I usually put a banana in, but we were out of bananas at my house, so its a scoop of protein powder, a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, about a cup of raw spinach, a teaspoon of almond butter, and some ice.


I made my morning snack last night, and since I didn't know what I'd be eating for breakfast, I made my snack a little more substantial.  It's plain greek yogurt with chia powder (an excellent s source of protein, fiber, and healthy fats), a half scoop of protein powder, and some mango (which are pretty much buried under the yogurt in the picture!).  Leaving it in the fridge overnight with the chia powder makes it pretty thick, just the way I like it!

I went to get my lunch together and realized didn't have any sweet potatoes left this morning. So I decided that was a good excuse to hit up the H&H salad bar again for lunch! I have no rhyme or reason to my salads...I just put everything I like on it. I always start with spinach, add all the veggies they have that I like, a protein (grilled chicken in this case), either a little nuts or a little cheese (shredded swiss here) or avocado if they have it (they don't at H&H) for the fats, and then some straight balsamic vinegar with just a little olive oil or vinaigrette.  At H&H, I can't resist a bite of their chicken salad and their pesto pasta salad. They're so yummy so I just put a bite of each in my dish so I don't go overboard! This salad is delicious and keeps me full for hours. I have to be disciplined so that I don't get one every day, because they charge by weight!

Afternoon snack today is the same as yesterday, and most days. I love these things!







Okay, I'm a little behind on posting Day 2's dinner, but better late than never! I broke my own rule here by having salad twice in one day. My parents were having pizza for dinner, which I can't have on Paleo, so after digging around their kitchen, this is what I could come up with! I also had a very small glass of chardonnay and a couple of dark chocolate covered almonds for dessert :)

Day One

Disclaimer today: I have a sinus infection and I'm on an antibiotic, so I'm not very hungry and I can't taste much. But I'm going to do my best and try to eat things that will help my body to heal! So breakfast was the Primal Juice from Foods Fit 4 Life. Freshly juiced kale, spinach, broccoli, celery, lemon, and apple. Yum! I also had a dried date. Normally I make sure to eat protein with every meal, but my appetite just wasn't there this morning. However, I'll have protein for my morning snack!



So morning snack was 1 hard-boiled egg and 1 hard-boiled egg white sprinkled with cayenne. One of my favorite snacks!

I made several of these quick and easy lunches for this week on Monday night, so all I have to do in the morning before work is refill my dish and I'm good to go! It's ground turkey mixed with a red bell pepper, a tad tomato sauce, cayenne, and cinnamon. Then there's steamed asparagus and some sweet potato sprinkled with cinnamon. This meal has filling fiber and protein, along with healthy doses of antioxidants and vitamins. And it tastes great too!

This is my afternoon snack pretty much every day. It is one of the most natural nutrition bars on the market and has a great balance of protein, carbs, and healthy fats. And it's made in Austin! It's also my Paleo cheat every day :)

So I felt like a salad for dinner since the family was having a grass-fed tenderloin and I don't eat beef.  I stopped at Hubbell and Hudson (best salad bar ever!) and got a scoop of their chicken salad (which I ate before I got home) and some salad toppings: artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and feta cheese. Then when I got home, I put in spinach and a couple slices of turkey along with some avocado, asparagus, and honey mustard vinaigrette. Yummy! I also had a little dessert to satisfy my sweet tooth: one of my paleo chocolate chip cookies and, just before bed, a sugar free Fudgesicle (not really healthy, just good!).

Daily Meals

Ok, so I have had several people ask me what my daily eating plan looks like. So, I've decided to keep a photo journal of it. This is also a way to keep me accountable for what I eat, because since I have started working again, I've gained a couple of pounds that I wouldn't mind losing. Now, with my history (I am a recovering anorexic), this is not something that I want to become obsessed about. However, I think that being accountable for what I eat can help me in both ways, ensuring that I'm eating enough but not too much. (And I will hear it from my family and close friends if it doesn't look like I'm eating enough!) 

Hopefully, this will also give people who have asked an idea of a (basically) healthy eating plan, cheats and all. If you have any questions about what I post, please let me know and I will do my best to answer them! I'd love to hear your critiques also, because I'm no expert and I'm always open to learning new things.

Starting tomorrow, I'm laying it all out there! I'm not sure if I'll post all my meals once a day, or post as I go, or what...I'm thinking it will probably be a combination of the two, based on what I have going on that day. Stay tuned!

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes, another chocolate chip cookie recipe! Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies? I hadn't made them in a long time because I don't like having them sit around the house, calling to me every time I pass the kitchen.  Then when I switched to a Paleo diet, I figured they were pretty much off limits. However, TA-DA! An Internet search turned up this recipe, which I made last night. The verdict? Delicious! My son even raved about them.

Although many Paleo cookie recipes call for ground nuts, this one actually calls for almond flour. And the secret is that it has to be very finely ground. The recipe's author advised against using Bob's Red Mill brand, which is the only one that I could find in stores, because it is too coarse. So I followed her recommendation and ordered Honeyville Farms Blanched Almond Flour online (you can find it on Amazon or its even a bit cheaper on the company's website).  Unfortunately, its not cheap, but if you're eating Paleo, its great to have around because you can use it as a substitute for regular flour in your baking. I'll be trying out a muffin recipe with it next!

Now, these cookies don't taste quite like regular chocolate chip cookies. But I think that I may like them even better! And the fact that they're actually not bad for you (in moderation, of course) makes me like them even more :). Guilt-free dessert? Bring it!

1 1/4 c. very finely ground blanched almond flour
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 c. raw agave nectar (you can also use 1/4 c. raw honey + 1-2 t. water)
1/8 c. macadamia nut oil (since I didn't have this, I used coconut oil which gave the cookies a slight coconut taste)
1 t. vanilla
a scant 1/4 c. dark chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 325.

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, then combine and add chocolate chips.

Make about 15-18 small balls of cookie dough and space them evenly on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Press cookies down as flat as possible with your hand (you may want to put a little oil on your hands because the dough will be sticky).

Bake about 6 minutes, but watch closely and remove when the edges start to brown (could be anywhere from 4-8 minutes depending on your oven).

Enjoy warm with a glass of almond/coconut milk!! :)

Pecan Coconut Tilapia

I hadn't had fish in a while and I know that there are several health benefits to eating fish on a regular basis. White fish is one of the best for you and with that I prefer tipalia. I was toying around while cooking some the other day on how I could add some flavor to it, come up with something different besides regular spices. So, I looked in my cupboard and had shredded coconut and pecans....and there was my recipe!

• Tilapia filets
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• shredded coconut
• pecans pieces

1. Set the oven to 400 degrees
2. line a cooking sheet with tin-foil
3. Melt the coconut oil in a bowl completely until it is liquid
4. coat the tilapia in the coconut oil and lay them on the cooking sheet
5. sprinkle the fish with as much shredded coconut and pecan pieces as desired
6. bake in the oven to 15 min., or until fish flakes easily when pricked with a fork

Toasted coconut and pecans are my favorite combo!

Chicken with Kale and Red Peppers

So I meant to post this last night, but got glued to "Mad Men" instead. But better late than never! I just tried this recipe last night for the first time and it was SOOO good. The only ingredients are kale, red peppers, chicken, and spices, so its easy and so good for you. I ate this as a  complete meal but added some brown rice for my husband; you could also add quinoa, barley, farro, or whatever whole grain you like! 

This dish is cooked in coconut oil; if you're not familiar with this healthy fat, it adds a very subtle flavor to whatever you cook it in, but I find it more nutty than coconut-y (I don't like coconut, so this is a good thing).  Don't be freaked out by the fat content on the label; cooking with it on a consistent basis can positively effect your immune system because coconut oil is loaded with antioxidants. Furthermore, it has been shown to elevate the absorption of calcium, magnesium and amino acids as well as decrease abdominal obesity.

(Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/426222-what-are-the-benefits-of-cooking-with-coconut-oil/#ixzz1qEFDtqyt)

1 lb. chicken breasts, diced
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1 t. sea salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 T. coconut oil
1 bunch kale, stems removed
1 diced red bell pepper
1/2 c. toasted slivered almonds (optional)

Combine the chicken, cumin, chili powder, sea salt, and garlic in a medium bowl. Mix well until chicken is fully coated.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add coconut oil.  When the pan is hot, add chicken.  Brown, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes.  Add the kale and red pepper.  Stir and continue to cook until the chicken is 165 degrees and the veggies are slightly tender (about 5 minutes).  Top with toasted almonds, if desired.