pizza for the win

You know those cliché icebreaker questions? Like, “which utensil would you be?” or “which superhero power would you pick?” or, my favorite, “if you were stuck on a deserted island, and you could only have one food and one book, what would it be?” Those really irk me. I’m just not a very spontaneously creative person. I like to think of myself as creative in nature… but I’m like a wine, my creativity blossoms with time.

ANYWAYS.  I know I could answer that part of which food to have on a deserted island in a heartbeat. EASY PEASY.  Pizza. I absolutely adore pizza. You get crunchy starchy bottom with stretchy oozing middle and OVERLOADED colorful things on top (you know, TONS of veggies… at least on my pizzas, of course).  I know it’s not the healthiest thing out there… which is why I’m on the neverending quest to find a suitable wheat-free (unprocessed) pizza crust that will hold under the weight of lots of veggies and cheese. And I think I found a winner. This crust combines two standard Paleo-pizza-crust options (almond meal and cauliflower), which creates a crust not too dense or crumbly (downfall of all almond meal or cauliflower crusts, respectively). The almond meal gives it some body, while the cauliflower provides some lightness, and the egg keeps it all together. 

 

zucchini, summer squash, shallot with ricotta dollops and shredded guyere on Trader Joe's traditional recipe (e.g. minimal ingredient) marinara sauce YUM

almond meal + cauliflower pizza crust

• 1 cup almond meal
• ½ head cauliflower, riced, cooked, and drained
• 1 whisked egg
• ½ teaspoon salt, garlic powder, oregano, basil
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare your cauliflower by first ricing the chopped florets in a food processor, and then cooking for about 3 minutes in the microwave. Once cooked, drain using a tea/dish/paper towel. Doesn’t need to be 100% drained of water. Add cauliflower to almond meal and add remaining ingredients. Combine well. Spray parchment paper with oil and add dough to parchment paper. Shape your crust as you please. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes, or until crust starts to brown. Take out crust, let cool for a couple of minutes, and then add toppings. Place back in oven, bake for another 10 minutes or so. Voila! Pizza for the win.

After all this, pizza is decidedly a funny word.

simple eats

Last post was kind of fluffy, eh? It was kind of short and didn't have any recipes or pictures, but I had been grappling with that topic (in my head) for a couple of weeks.  The feelings I hope I had relayed were legitimate-- a busy summer was awaiting me and I was just feeling unbalanced. I wanted to get back to feeling grounded in my life and make sure I understood my priorities (beyond being a good girlfriend, daughter, cat-mom, friend, employee, intern, etc). I wanted to informally commit myself to staying balanced and grounded this summer.

So let's check in and see how my informal commitment is proceeding ...

Dinners recently have been simple and straightforward. Also relatively clean! Goal #2, check; goal #3, check. Some examples for your consideration (and inspiration, I hope!)...

Breakfast... avocado egg salad (mashed avocado mixed with chopped hardboiled eggs) on toasted Ezekiel 4:9 seasame bread. New goal: eat this breakfast EVERY DAY. So good.

 

 

Lunch... leftover tuna cakes from dinner  below on salad with shredded cheddar and hummus.

 

 

Simple tuna cakes with green bean and mushrooms on cauli-rice.

Simple tuna cakes: combine 2 cans of tuna, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp coconut flour, 1 tbsp flaxseed meal, and seasonings to taste (whichever you like... I included cajun blackening seasoning too!). Heat and oil and griddle. Form small patties with hand and cook until browned... maybe 3-4 minutes each side. Since it's canned tuna, no need to worry about undercooked meat!

 

Roasted brussel sprouts. Pan-seared salmon. Cauliflower-mash.
 

Cauli-mash is so simple and delicious and might I say healthier than your typical fare? First, steam chopped cauliflower florets until al dente. Place steamed cauli into food processor. Process until smooth, stopping to add seasonings (I add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and basil... may I also suggest grated parmesan? DELICIOUS). Once reaching your desired consistency of smoothness, transfer to bowl and cover until ready to serve. Cauli-mash will thicken as it sits.

One-pan sautee of sweet potatoes, mushrooms, green beans. Haddock served as protein. Nothing fancy about this meal!

 

 

While I love going overboard at times with elaborate meals, last week served as a helpful reminder to me that clean and simple is just as delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

goals for the "now"

Goal numero uno for this summer: committing to the now. Commit to what’s possible in the short-term. Don't get worked up because so-and-so is targeting a fast marathon for the fall AND OH GOSH THAT SOUNDS LIKE FUN  and their mother's sister's son just got a road bike for his summer trialthon AND OH PICK ME I WANT TO TOO! I've got an internship that is part of my graduate program, which is somehow going to be completed in between my 40-hour full-time job. So, I am fully expecting there will be less time for the more fun things in life (J-Hay quality time, running, sleeping, cat-cuddling, lifting… you get the idea). Less time for fun things means focusing on the things that matter most in my life and prioritizing smartly... i.e. not overcommitting myself to goals that can wait (fast marathons, triathlons of any sort, etc).

Here are my “now” goals… the goals that I need to commit and achieve NOW and DAILY.

1.    Make time to run, strength work, and stretch. Plan out the day and figure out when there is free time to run. Commit ten or fifteen minutes to do rounds of squats, lunges, pushups, burpees, anything. Dedicate just five minutes after a run to stretch out. There will be dividends in the future.

2.   Eat cleaner and clean-ish. This doesn’t mean I have to commit to clean eating 24/7/365. I could live with 75/25. Yeah, yeah, it's not that standard-you-hear-everywhere-80-20, but come on, you only live once, yo.

3.   Focus on simpler eating for the weeknight meals. Meals that can be prepared in under 30 minutes. Less food prep = more free time for other things, like J-Hay quality time and cat-cuddling!

 

And if a few races here and there get thrown into the mix, I won't be too upset :)