Olive, Pepperoni and Bruschetta Pizza {6 WW+ Dinner}

You know when you have an awesome idea for dinner and crave it all week. And than something happens and you don't get to put your idea into action? Well that happened tonight. And guess what? Dinner still turned out really well.

I made this weeks dinner list in a hurry. We were busy and in the middle of Joseph's birthday weekend but I still needed a plan. So when the week went by in a hurry and Thursday finally came I just opened the recipe link from the blog for my husband and left it at that. He'd figure it out and I'd come home to a yummy dinner of chicken and potatoes.

Well... we both didn't read past the skillet part to the part where we used the slow cooker to finish the meal. Yup. Joseph waited till one hour before I was supposed to be home to look at the recipe again and realized what had happened. So as I was driving home I asked him to grab the dough out of the fridge... I was going to make some pizza! I had wanted to use Italian sausage but we had to use it for the crock pot lasagna we had earlier in the week so I grabbed some pepperonis. This pizza was super yummy! And the best part? Joseph and my son didn't know there was spinach in there! Always a good thing to get veggies in without their knowledge.

 

Olive, Pepperoni and Bruschetta Pizza

• 1 ball Trader Joe's Garlic & Herb pizza dough
• 1 cup spinach, cut finely
• 2 ounces Trader Joe's Organic Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 2 ounces Trader Joe's Lite Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 6 ounces Trader Joe's Bruschetta
• 10 (20 grams) Hormel pepperonis
• 2 ounces sliced olives

Let pre-made or store bought dough rest for 30 minutes before rolling out. While dough rests, place a pizza stone on the bottom of a cold oven and turn the oven to 450 degrees.

Take out all sauce & toppings and have them prepped and ready to go before you start rolling out the dough.

Sprinkle your work space with a little bit of corn meal or flour so the dough doesn't stick.

Take pizza dough and flatten into a disk and then fold the dough into a ball. Start to slowly work and stretch the dough into a flattened circle with your hands. You can roll it out to a larger size with a good rolling pin or continue to use your hands.

Once the dough is to the size you want (I went with 12 inches as suggested on the dough packaging), roll the outer sides inwards to create a thin crust. Brush the crust with a small amount of olive oil.

Once the dough is completely rolled out and the crust is formed take the stone out of the oven. Place the formed dough onto the stone and spoon bruschetta onto the dough and evenly spread it around to the crust rim.

Place spinach, pepperoni and black olives on top of the sauce and then sprinkle the cheese over the toppings. Bake in the oven for 9 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.

Let rest 3 minutes on the stone once it's done and then serve with your favorite salad.

6 Servings | 6 WW+ Points

Marble Cake with Whipped Frosting {10 WW+ Dessert}

My husband, thankfully, was very specific with what type of cake he wanted for his birthday this year. Marble cake with light frosting. The trouble was I didn't have  a tried and true recipe for marble cake and had no idea what type of frosting I should make. So I went to the interwebz. And came up with this from Martha Stewart.

Now her marble cake is supposed to be in loaf form. So I changed a few things, doubled a few ingredients and put the batter into two 9" rounds instead of a loaf pan. I think it turned out rather nicely. I went with a whipped frosting. Something I had never made before. But it turns out that it was Joseph's maternal grandmother's favorite frosting! Guess I made a good decision. Next time I'll make a buttercream or custard for the filling instead of using the whipped frosting because the frosting just kind of got absorbed into the cake even though the cake was completely cooled at frosting time.

All in all it was a good cake. Not as light and fluffy as I would have liked and a tiny bit dry but that just means I'll have to experiment some more to get the perfect flavor. But don't worry, I won't be experimenting any time soon. At 9 WW+ points a serving, this cake will be saved for special occasions. I may just try the loaf version soon so I can play around a bit.

Inspiration: Martha Stewart

Marble Cake

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder plus 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter two 9" rounds and layer with parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour. Set aside 1/3 of the batter. (I forgot to do this and had to add the buttermilk after the flour was incorporated)

In a bowl, mix cocoa and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the reserved cake batter; stir until well combined.

Spoon batters into the prepared pans in 2 layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate to simulate a checkerboard. To create marbling, run a table knife (or wooden skewer) through the batters in a swirling motion.

Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake from pan and cool completely on the rack. Cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

16 Servings | 9 WW+ Points

Whipped Frosting

• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites, sugar, salt, and water. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved (or mixture registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high until glossy, stiff peaks form (do not over beat), about 3 minutes; reduce speed to low, add vanilla extract, and beat just until combined. Use immediately.  

WFD? Week of 4/4/2011 {Weekly Meal Planning}

I didn't have a chance to meal plan yesterday due to some birthday festivities for my husband, Joseph, but I got right on top of it this morning and planned out an awesome week of meals! Take a look at what's ahead: 

Week of 4/4/2011

Sunday - 14 WW+ Points
Hamburgers & Sweet Potato Fries
Monday - ?? WW+ Points
Dinner out at Benihana's for Joseph's birthday (emailed them to see if I could get nutritional information)
Tuesday - 9 WW+ Points
Crock Pot Lasagna via Two Pink Hippos
Wednesday - 10 WW+ Points
Skinny Italian Spinach Meatballs via Gina's Skinny Recipes
Thursday -7 WW+ Points
Sage Chicken & Red Potatoes via Weight Watchers
Friday - 10 WW+ Points
Crock Pot Shrimp Marinara with Spaghetti via Two Pink Hippos
Saturday - 6 WW+ Points
Homemade Pizza

Teriyaki Salmon {9 WW+ Dinner}

I'm always up for a good fish recipe to try during Lent. This Lent I haven't been too adventurous. I've been sticking with tuna noodle casserole and marinated frozen fillets from Trader Joe's. It's simple and easy. And when I get home from work on Friday I need simple and easy.

But I've gotten kind of stuck and wanted to get out of this rut. I LOVE trying out new recipes and really like stepping out of our typical meals. Or taking a typical meal and changing it up a bit. This recipe took something I'd normally do with chicken and used fish. And boy was it tasty!

For those readers on Weight Watchers, if you'd like to reduce the points in this meal you can reduce the fish size to 3 ounces. I just prefer a larger portion of fish when points allow so I feel more full.

I'm hoping to try a few more fish recipes before the end of Lent. If you have any to suggest please do!

Inspiration: What's Cookin, Chicago?

 

Teriyaki Salmon

• 4 6 ounce salmon fillets
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 minced garlic cloves

Mix all of the ingredients in a ziploc bag and let marinate in the fridge for 6-24 hours. Preheat grill (or grill pan) and spray with cooking spray. 

Remove the salmon from the bag and place on grill. Cook on each side until opaque and flakey, about 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets. 

Serves 4 | 9 WW+ Points

Crockpot Salsa Chicken {4 WW+ Dinner}

This is the easiest crock pot dish for those just starting out with their crockpot. You don't have to thaw any meat, you don't have to worry about the chicken drying out, you don't have to worry about the size of your crockpot. The ingredients all meld so well together and taste delicious however you serve it up.

I served the chicken with rice and zucchini but you can put the chicken in tacos, enchiladas or anything else you can think of. I'm already planning on using the left overs on Saturday for enchilada lasagna. I was going to go with beef but have more than enough left over chicken to use up so I'm making it easy on myself and saving the beef for another day. Another great way to use this as left overs is to put it on top of a salad or make a soup out of it.

Inspiration: Crockpot 365

 Crockpot Salsa Chicken

• 3 chicken breasts (can be frozen)
• 1 cup corn
• 1 cup kidney beans
• 1 1/2 cups salsa
• 2 tablespoons dry taco seasoning
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Place the chicken in the crockpot and top with the other ingredients. Set the crock pot to cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Remove the chicken from the crock pot and shred. Place it back in the crock pot and set it to warm while you prepare the rest of your meal (rice, beans, vegetables, etc).

Serves 6 | 4 WW+ Points

You can top with your favorite light sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese for just 2 more points! That's what I did and it was delicious! My whole meal was 9 WW+ points total and included a serving of salsa chicken, a tablespoon of light sour cream, a sprinkle of light shredded cheese, a 1/2 cup of brown rice and a cup of roasted zucchini. It was delicious and filling.

Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta {9 WW+ Dinner}

I love trying a Weight Watcher recipe from their website and find that it actually tastes flavorful! So many times in the past I've tried one and it's just been waaaay too bland. Maybe it's just me but I always find myself adding lots of herbs and spices to their recipes.

Not this one. It was perfect. The onions and peppers were delicious when paired with the red wine and my son loved that the onions got stained "burple" from the red wine. The italian sausage was definitely the way to go with this meal. I think if you subbed anything else it wouldn't be as tasty without a LOT of spices thrown in.

And while I didn't absolutely love this dish, I'll probably make it sometime in the future. Just not every month :)

Inspiration: WeightWatchers.com

Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta

• 2 teaspoons olive oil, extra-virgin
• 1 green peppers, cut into 2-inch long thin strips
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 15 ounce canned diced tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt 
• fresh black pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 3 links mild Italian sausage
• 8 ounces gemelli (or fusilli) pasta

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, to make sauce, in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage, stirring and breaking up meat with back of a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes; remove to a plate.

Heat oil in same skillet. Add yellow peppers and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are lightly colored and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Add wine and garlic; cook until most of liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, crushed red pepper, salt and browned sausage; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender and sauce is heated through, about 10 minutes.

While sauce simmers, add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package instructions. Drain pasta; return to pot. Add sauce and basil; toss to mix and coat. Yields about 1 1/3 cups per serving.

6 Servings | 9 WW+ Points

Cranberry Walnut Gorgonzola Dressing {2 WW+ Dressing}

Best Salad Dressing EVER!

Want to know how to make a low point salad that's super tasty and full of lots of yummy veggies? Use this dressing! A friend of a friend (maybe I can just call her a friend now...) suggested it and could only rave about it so I figured what the heck? And I picked up a bottle of it at Trader Joe's.

I grabbed some spinach, romaine, shredded carrots & sliced cucumber and piled them high in my bowl. I then carefully measured out two tablespoons of dressing and poured it over the veggies. And started eating. I don't think I stopped for a breath after starting because it was soo yummy!

Confession - I even went back and licked the dressing off the measuring spoon...

No need for adding anything else. The dressing has all the flavor you need. Walnuts, gorgonzola AND cranberries!! So perfect. And only 2 WW+ points per 2 tablespoon serving. I tried it last night with my dinner and than again for lunch today.

 

Even Molly approves: 

 

Baked Peanut Butter and Banana Oatmeal Squares {4 WW+ Breakfast}

If you're a peanut butter lover AND watching your figure don't walk, run to go make these! They are soo tasty. And super filling. And really, if you look at the recipe, there's nothing "diet" about them. I mean they have butter and real sugar! No skimping out on this one. And if you're like me and eat a hearty breakfast every morning help yourself to two servings piled with bananas on top and non-fat vanilla yogurt on the side for an awesome and very tasty breakfast.

Seriously... go make these now.

Inspiration: Two Pink Hippos (if you don't already follow these ladies you should!)

Baked Peanut Butter & Banana Oatmeal Squares

• 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup 1% milk
• 1 egg
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp salt
• cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x13 baking dish. Mix all ingredients in a bowl then spread out evenly in the baking dish. Bake 20-25 until the edges are golden brown.

15 Servings | 4 WW+ Points

Smothered Buttermilk Chicken with Peas {9 WW+ Dinner}

When planning this week's menu I think that tonight's meal was the one I was most looking forward to. The recipe sounded almost like a chicken pot pie filling over a biscuit and it ended up tasting pretty similar to it! The only thing I'd change is I'd add more spices.

Since I had to work today I had Joseph prepare this meal and he did great. He changed the amount of water added from the original recipe since he didn't think there was enough and he added in a splash of chicken broth to add more flavor. Another change he'd make is to switch the water with chicken broth for more flavor as well.

All in all I loved this meal and will definitely be attempting it again with some more spices. I even had a second helping (don't worry... I had enough points!). Don't get me wrong, one serving would have been more than enough to satisfy me normally but I hadn't eaten since lunchtime due to a busy day at work. I also paired this with a delicious spinach & romaine salad.

Inspiration: Food.com

Smothered Buttermilk Chicken with Peas

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced into coins
• 1/3 cup onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 chicken gravy mix packet
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup(s) frozen green peas, thawed
• 6 Trader Joe's refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits

In a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker, mix together the chicken, carrots, onion, water, butter, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

During the last 20 minutes of cooking time, stir in the gravy mix.Remove the bay l eaf; mix the buttermilk and flour together; stir flour mixture and peas into chicken mixture. Increase heat to HIGH; cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until peas are hot.

While the chicken mixture is cooking, prepare biscuits as directed on can. Split biscuits; serve chicken mixture over biscuits.

Serves 6 | 9 WW+ Points

WFD? {Weekly Meal Planning}

Along with joining Weight Watchers again comes menu and meal planning. I haven't been doing it for the past few weeks but now that I'm going into week 9 I feel like I have to be more accountable for what we fix for dinner. Plus, I don't need any excuses to forego a meal at home for fast food or restaurant food that's double what my homemade cooking would cost me in points (as well as money!).

So I'm going to start posting my weekly dinner meal plan for all to see. I may blog all of the dishes, I may blog just one, and I may just be using another meal I already blogged about. But I'll list them all here and will try to review each and every one at the end of the week (if my kids give me the time).

Week of 3/27/2011

Sunday - 9 WW+ Points
Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta via Weight Watchers
Monday - 10 WW+ Points
Smothered Buttermilk Chicken With Peas via food.com 
Tuesday - 5 WW+ Points (plus pasta points)
Skinny Italian Spinach Meatballs via Gina's Skinny Recipes
Wednesday - 9 WW+ Points
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken via Crockpot 365
Thursday - 8 WW+ Points
Enchilada Lasagna via this blog
Friday - 9 WW+ Points
Honey Teriyaki Salmon via Joelen's Culinary Adventures  
Saturday -
Disneyland for Joseph's birthday