Cauliflower pizza

Okay, I can not even begin to describe to you how totally yummy this recipe is. I know it sounds bizarre, if you haven't tried it before ... but you really need to give it a chance. For my fellow Take Shape for Life/Medifast friends, this meal fits the requirements for your Lean and Green. And for anyone else ... it's just plain healthy and YUMM-O! So, enjoy!!


CRUST:
1/4 cup Egg Beaters (1/8 Lean)
3/8 cup (which = 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp) 2% low-fat shredded Mexican 4-cheese variety, for a firmer crust (3/8 lean)
1 cup Fresh Raw Cauliflower, shredded in a food processor (2 greens)
Dash of Italian (optional)
Mix together and put into a Pam-sprayed foil pie pan (or on a foil-lined baking sheet). Pat down so it all sticks together. Bake 20 minutes at 450, until it starts to turn brown, then flip it over and bake another 10 minutes.


TOP WITH:
2 tsp Ragu Pizza Quick sauce (only .5g of sugar = 2 condiments)
1/4 cup 2% low-fat shredded Mozzarella cheese (1/4 lean)
1/4 cup of the Morning Star Sausage crumbles (1/4 lean)
1/2 cup of veggies - bell peppers, mushrooms, etc. (1 green)
Put back in oven for about 10 minutes so that the cheese melts.

This is the recipe exactly as I found it. The only suggestion I would really make is to check the crust after about 15 minutes during the first bake. Mine got a little crispy around the edges by the 20 minute mark. But I like it crispy, so I was okay with that. The sausage crumbles are yummy, and I will probably use them next time. But I had leftover turkey off the BBQ from last night, so I shredded some white meat and substituted it where it cauls for the "sausage" crumbles. WAY yummy. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

Oh yeah, and the total cost per serving? About $1.50. You get a personal-sized pizza for $1.50. Where else can you find any pizza for that price?!!

Skate fish? What?

Okay, I had never heard of skate before ... except for the all-couples skate at Skate World. Who knew it was also something edible??!? We were at the local Asian market last week, and there was something called "Skate Fin"  on sale for a reasonable price. So I figured, what the heck? Of course, I couldn't find recipes anywhere for "skate". Go figure. But, according to Wikipedia, it's similar to cod and flounder. So, what you will see here is a flounder recipe that I adapted to suit our needs. 


It should be noted, though, if you ever go out and buy skate fin .... there's not as much meat on there as you would think. The fin part is mostly this bony membrane. So, double up! I didn't, so we'll be supplementing our protein needs with something else tonight. However, this is still yummy and worth trying with whatever fish variety you may choose!


1 lb skate fin (buy 2 lbs!!)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup butter spread, melted (I used "Live Well" from Safeway - very low fat, no cholesterol and super low sodium)
1 tbsp low-fat or fat-free mayo
1 tsp fat free milk (original recipe called for twice the mayo - the milk helps thin it for spreading easier)
1 tsp onion powder (or you can use 2 tbsp fresh green onions)
1/8 tsp Mrs. Dash Lemon-pepper seasoning


Coat a piece of heavy-duty foil with cooking spray. Place fish on foil (on baking sheet). Coat with lemon juice. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients together. After first 10 minutes, spread mixture over fish and return to oven on broil for 5 minutes. Serve!


Total cost was about $5, which is pretty reasonable for fish. Hope you enjoy!

Skate fish? What?

Okay, I had never heard of skate before ... except for the all-couples skate at Skate World. Who knew it was also something edible??!? We were at the local Asian market last week, and there was something called "Skate Fin"  on sale for a reasonable price. So I figured, what the heck? Of course, I couldn't find recipes anywhere for "skate". Go figure. But, according to Wikipedia, it's similar to cod and flounder. So, what you will see here is a flounder recipe that I adapted to suit our needs. 


It should be noted, though, if you ever go out and buy skate fin .... there's not as much meat on there as you would think. The fin part is mostly this bony membrane. So, double up! I didn't, so we'll be supplementing our protein needs with something else tonight. However, this is still yummy and worth trying with whatever fish variety you may choose!


1 lb skate fin (buy 2 lbs!!)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup butter spread, melted (I used "Live Well" from Safeway - very low fat, no cholesterol and super low sodium)
1 tbsp low-fat or fat-free mayo
1 tsp fat free milk (original recipe called for twice the mayo - the milk helps thin it for spreading easier)
1 tsp onion powder (or you can use 2 tbsp fresh green onions)
1/8 tsp Mrs. Dash Lemon-pepper seasoning


Coat a piece of heavy-duty foil with cooking spray. Place fish on foil (on baking sheet). Coat with lemon juice. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients together. After first 10 minutes, spread mixture over fish and return to oven on broil for 5 minutes. Serve!


Total cost was about $5, which is pretty reasonable for fish. Hope you enjoy!

Yet another shrimp recipe

Okay, this is by far my favorite new shrimp recipe. Totally made it up on the fly, and I figured I better write it out before it got lost forever! So, here goes:


1 lb shrimp, peeled & de-veined
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (whatever variety you like)
4 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup whole grain rotelle pasta
Mrs. Dash tomato/basil seasoning
Nu-salt (we're salt-free these days) & pepper to taste
Mrs. Dash fiesta lime seasoning
1 tsp garlic (normally would do minced, but I just threw in some garlic powder this time)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp olive oil


Prepare pasta per package directions. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add shrimp. Season with tomato/basil and fiesta lima seasonings, per your tastes. Cook for 4-5 minutes on medium heat, or until shrimp is pink all the way through. Turn shrimp halfway through. Once shrimp is finished, remove from pan & set aside. Add bell peppers and mushrooms to pan. Saute in the drippings left from the shrimp. Once peppers and mushrooms have started softening, add tomatoes and remaining seasonings (again, season to your taste). This will cook down to a sort of marinara. Add shrimp back in and serve over pasta.


For us, this made enough for 2 people. And, since I have not added grains and starches back in yet, I ate it without the pasta. This totally gave me the Italian fix I needed. Absolutely yummy and filling. Probably cost about $5 to make, which came out to $2.50 a serving for us ... and you know how a "cheap" meal makes me happy!

Good NW deals 10/1/10

Just wanted to pass along a few good deals I found this week. If you're looking to re-stock your freezer and/or fridge, Haggen has some great deals, through this weekend. Just a few of them that I took advantage of today, include:

• Whole fryers - 77 cents/lb
• Boneless/skinless chicken breasts - B1G1 - I got about 5 lbs of fresh, local, hand-trimmed chicken breasts for just over $7 (anything below $1.99/lb is good in my book - especially since these are the ones that have been hand-trimmed, not the normal fatty ones that go on sale)
• Petite sirloin steak - $2.97/lb (I normally don't like to pay over $1.99/lb for any meat, but is a good deal for petite sirloin)
• Extra-lean boneless pork shoulder ribs - $1.87/lb
• 1 dozen large eggs - 77 cents (definitely a good deal these days!)
• Kraft shredded cheese - $1.99/8 oz package (average, but definitely the cheapest option in the store)

Also, if you like to shop at Fred Meyer, you can now load electronic coupons right onto your Freddie's rewards card! Go to: FredMeyerRewards and either register your card or sign in and just choose which coupons you want to load. Nothing to print, and they automatically apply them to your purchase when you use your rewards card. In addition to this convenient feature, this next week (October 3-9) is double rewards week. So, for every dollar you spend, you earn 2 reward points instead of 1. If you're like me and like to use those rewards for an extra discount on your gas ... this week will get you there that much faster!

Southern Gifting ... and a Coupon Code!

Through the wonders of modern technology, I have recently "met" a new friend in the on-line world. She has a fabulous and completely fun website that is loaded with amazing monogrammed items for sale. Plus, she makes the most adorable tu-tu's ... seriously, you have to check them out at SouthernGifting.

She has a great coupon code that is good through the end of this month. If you enter "NewBagSale" at checkout, you will receive 10% off your purchase. Also, if you link through to her Facebook site and friend her, she offers a 20% code on your birthday! Now, who doesn't want to treat themselves to something fun, at a discount, on their birthday?! So, go check her out, and have fun cruising around her site. The stuff is seriously adorable!

Use your coupons!

As I was going through one of my supply drawers this week, it reminded me to be thankful I had used all those coupons last summer. And by "last summer" ... I mean 2009. I felt a bit ridiculous at the time, buying bottle after bottle of laundry detergent. But it is a year later, and I still have a storage drawer FULL of those lovely bottles. In the last 12 months ... I have spent exactly $0 on laundry detergent. 

And, for that matter, I have not spent a dime on toothpaste. I still have about 8 tubes in the hall closet, so it will easily be another year before I have to buy any. We have enough shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, soap, lotion and shave gel to last us another year or two. 

It may seem like overkill to buy all those products, spending all that time clipping and sorting coupons and searching for the best deals. But you will thank yourself in the long run. Take an extra 5 minutes today and plan for the future. A year from now, you (and your grocery bill) will be thankful!