15 minute Dinner: Margherita Pizza

Good evening!

Before I get to the food, I wanted to share with you some exciting news in the running department! A few months ago I blogged about a wonderful organization called ICEdot. They offer great services that keep you safe on the road, both as a driver and as an athlete. I've recently partnered with them as an ICEdot sponsored athlete and will be sharing my experiences as I train for the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon in April. Over on their site (and on here too!) I will be blogging about my training, running tips, and sports nutrition. While I haven't yet entered my first post, you can check out the site here. As soon as I get things up and running, I'll be sure to let you all know! I'm very excited to get the ball rolling!

Ok, now on to the pizza!

I honestly love all kinds of pizza. It is just so good. However, if I had to pick my very favorite it would definitely be the margherita pizza. It is light, simple, and super easy to throw together. I made this last night and it was on my plate and ready to be shoved in my face in 15 minutes flat. That's the way I like to do things around here. 

Ingredients

• 1 pre-made whole wheat pizza crust (I used Whole Foods 365 organic)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (we like garlic so I used a tablespoon..use however much you like or none at all!)
• 1 roma tomato (go organic..it is #5 on the dirty dozen)
• 2 handfuls part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
• basil
• balsamic vinaigrette

Directions

1.  preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. mix extra virgin olive oil and garlic, spread on crust
3. cut tomato into very thin slices, layer on crust
4. top with cheese
5. bake for 12 minutes (I put the pizza right in the rack, no pan)
6. remove from oven
7. sprinkle with basil and balsamic

So good! You've got your whole grains (crust), dairy (cheese), good fats (oil), and vitamins (tomato). Add a little chicken or tofu and you've got your protein. Even better, add a salad on the side with some homemade dressing for even more nutrients. I was out of greens last night and opted for a side of sauteed green beans. You do what you gotta do :)

Enjoy!

Oil Free Pear and Walnut Dressing

Hi.

I am a fan of making my own dressings at home instead of buying the bottled stuff. Sure, many of the dressings you can buy at the store are great but often they are loaded with calories and sodium. When you make your own version at home, you can control what you put in it and therefore make it much, much healthier!

I was inspired to make this dressing after flipping through my Whole Foods recipe app on my iPhone. I stumbled upon a version that included peaches and thought I'd like to give it a shot, only sub in pears.

As the name denotes, this dressing is oil free and is great for salads topped with berries or other types of fruit. It screams summer to me and although it is sadly only January, we can eat this dressing and pretend like it is warm outside. Deal?

Oil Free Pear and Walnut Dressing


Ingredients

• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup chopped pears
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Directions

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and whirl it around until smooth. That's it!

I inhaled the salad and forgot to take a picture. Oops!

This is so easy and soooo muuuuuuuch betttttttter for you. I hope you decide to give it a shot!

Happy Wednesday!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

This makes me miss the weekend...

Good thing tomorrow is FRIDAY!!! 

I really like weekend breakfasts. They are one of my favorite things, ever. There is no rush to throw something together and I can take my time making and eating something really tasty. Not that my weekday breakfasts are lame. I make sure that I am up early enough to make something great. Usually stove top oatmeal! However, there is nothing leisurely about those breakfasts. Rush, rush, rush...blah. 

Now, this recipe is nothing overly creative. None of my recipes are. That isn't my goal here. I like things easy, fast, healthy, and delicious. Meals don't have to take hours to prepare in order to taste really good and it doesn't have to be difficult to find something healthy to whip up. On that note...

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

Ingredients

• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 pieces whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread
• bananas, berries, and warmed maple syrup

Directions

1. heat a griddle or pan - medium 
2. whisk milk, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl
3. dip each piece of bread into mixture, let soak for just a moment, making sure each side is evenly coated
4. coat griddle or pan with cooking spray and add bread, allowing to cook on each side roughly 2-3 minutes (until golden brown)
5. top with berries, bananas, and warm maple syrup

Why this is good for you...

• whole wheat bread provides whole grains and fiber
• fruit gives you vitamins and nutrients

If you add a bit of peanut butter, you could also get a dose of protein and healthy fats. Add that to the fiber in the bread and you are good to go. Fiber, protein, and healthy fats will keep you full all morning long...just what you need from breakfast!

I can't wait to make this again this weekend!

Vega Sport

Do you have the day off today?! I am happy to say that I do. While I do have quite a bit of things on the agenda, it is all stuff that I want to do...food stuff, blog stuff, running stuff. Hooray for doing things I want to do. I wish everyday could be this way. Fingers crossed that someday I will have that opportunity :)

Speaking of running, I have something fun to share with you. The cool people over at Vega sent me a package of their sports performance system to check out. Vega has all sorts of amazing things like whole food energy bars, shake and go smoothies, and much, much more. Their sports performance system, which falls under their Vega Sport division, is made for endurance athletes looking to fuel their body with real, legit foods. Each product is plant based and the ingredient list is full of words I know and can understand.

Vega Sport products are broken down into 3 sections: Prepare, Sustain, and Recover. Each individual product is labeled as one of these three, making it super easy to grab what you need and go.

The prepare product consists of the pre-workout energizer. 

You simply add the mix to 8 oz of cold water and drink 20 minutes before activity. I tossed the mix into my water bottle after work and drank it on my way to the gym. I liked how it didn't have a chalky texture and that the acai berry flavor was subtle. I had a great workout that day, feeling focused and strong. My workout consisted of 20 minutes of weight training and about 30 minutes on the treadmill, totaling just under an hour of activity. This product was great for this type of workout. Short and sweet. When my training picks back up in the next few weeks, I plan on using this product again to see how it measures up to longer, more intense workouts. 

The sustain products consist of...

• endurance bars
• electrolyte hydrators
• endurance gels

While I haven't tried these yet (as I haven't started officially training), I am so pumped to give these a shot! I'll be sure to tell you all about them as I try 'em out. 

The recover products consist of...

• performance proteins
• recovery accelerators
• protein bars

So far, I have tried one of the protein bars and I am definitely a fan. I ate the chocolate coconut version after a 5 mile run one afternoon a few weeks ago. 

I really liked the chocolate coating and the inside had a nice, fluffy texture. Often times, protein bars have that icky cardboard thing going for them and I am happy to say this did not. I also really, really like that this bar is made of a mixture of brown rice and pea protein...no isolates to be found. With 240 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 15 grams of protein, this bar has all that your muscles need to heal up and prepare for another intense run, swim, bike...whatever! 

As another round of training begins for me in a few short weeks, I really look forward to incorporating each of these Vega Sport products into my nutrition plan. Based on the two products I have tried, I am more than optimistic! Can't wait to share it all here!

What are your favorite sports nutrition products or foods?

Short + Sweet

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Oats

Mix half a cup of oats, half a cup of water, half a cup of skim milk.

Add one tablespoon protein powder (I used Lifetime Life's Basics Plant Protein - chocolate flavor).

Heat oat mixture on stove top over medium high heat, stirring constantly until it reaches desired consistency.

Top with chia seeds, a bit of maple syrup, and a blob of peanut butter.

One of my favorite breakfasts of all time. Whole grains + good fats + protein keeps me full all morning. 

Served with a banana (for added nutrients) and coffee.

Happy Sunday!

What is your favorite way to eat oats? If you don't eat oats, what is your favorite breakfast?

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

This roasted sweet potato salad was a part of our Christmas feast this year and the minute I tried it, I knew I wanted to make it myself. My boyfriend's mom made it originally and did a fantastic job. She got the recipe out of a local newspaper and when she realized how much I liked it, she tore it out and gave it to me for blog material! Of course I put my own spin on it, leaving some things out or changing an ingredient or two. To make this recipe, you don't need too many ingredients and you probably already have most of them on hand. Love that.

Ingredients

• 4 large sweet potatoes
• 1 teaspoon rosemary 
• 1/4 lime juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon Herbamare
• 1 1/2 tablespoon pepper
• 1/4 stone ground mustard

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Then, peel your sweet potatoes and chop into cubes.

Toss the potatoes with the salt, pepper, Herbamare, rosemary, and olive oil. I used my fancy new spice crusher (otherwise known as a Mortar and Pestle) to grind my rosemary. 

I also used my new olive oil which I looooooove. It is from Mecca Coffee Company. Such a great place. 

Now, bake those puppies until they are nice and soft (roughly 30 minutes). You don't want them to be firm in any way or too soft either. So make sure you keep your eyes on them! Nobody likes firm potatoes in their salad. Booo. 

Once baked, toss with with the mustard and lime juice. Ta-da! I threw some parmesan on top of mine for good measure. 

You can either eat this immediately (like I did...I have no patience) or let it cool in the fridge for 4 hours and serve as a cool salad. 

Go make this! You'll like it. 

Coconut Curry Chicken with Red Peppers and Whole Wheat Cous Cous

This was my first go at making a curry dish and now I am wondering what took me so long. This was SO EASY yet so good.

Not only is curry delicious, it also has a number of health benefits too! After doing a little research, I found that Curry may be able to...

• reduce swelling in joints
• up your immunity (full of vitamins A, C, and B6)
• reduce the risk of cancer
• lessen your chances of getting Alzheimer's
• improve the look of your skin
• protect against heart disease
• lower high cholesterol 

I decided on this recipe after flipping through my Cooking Light cookbook and spying Curried Chicken Saute. There were only FIVE ingredients and had good nutritional stats. I made a few substitutions but for the most part, stayed true to the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into slices (try to use organic...peppers are among the dirty dozen!)
• 1 cup light coconut milk (I used So Delicious Coconut milk, original flavor)
• 1 lime

Directions

1. cut chicken into cubes
2. sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the curry powder over the chicken (you can also add a dash of salt and pepper if you like)
3. toss chicken into a wok (or skillet) over medium heat, make sure to spray with cooking spray first
4. cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until cooked through
5. add the pepper and remaining curry powder, saute for roughly 1-2 minutes
6. add the coconut milk and bring it all to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens up a bit
7. squeeze lime juice over the mixture and mix
8. serve over whole wheat cous cous or any other whole grain such as brown rice or quinoa 

Probably not the best food to photograph but I promise, the taste makes up for it! At least the peppers are pretty. 

This meal has a great source of protein, colorful veggies full of good for you vitamins, and whole grains. You could also easily sub out the chicken for tofu or just add a bunch of vegetables and have a simple veggie curry saute. 

Have a great Saturday!