Casserole Week: Lightened Up Tuna Casserole

I was pleasantly surprised that a lot of you have never had tuna casserole before either—I thought I would be in a minority!

Recap of yesterday—it’s my birthday on Monday and Mother’s Day on Sunday, so my mom and I always like to combine the two celebrations and go on a little getaway. This time we headed up to Thief River Falls—which is somewhat in the middle of nowhere, but has the Seven Clans Casino with a huge water park. Waterslides are about the only “rides” you’ll catch me on, because any other kinds make me sick unfortunately. So water parks are by far my favorite, and this is the closest one to home.

The Seven Clans has a few restaurants—the Malt Shoppe and the Sizzlin’ 7’s.

We chose the Sizzlin’ 7’s.

They had their Friday night Walleye Special. For just $7.95, you got a huge baked wallet fillet breaded with their special seasoning, corn, baked potato and dinner roll. It was the best tasting fish I’ve had in a long time, and made a overall 5 star tasting meal!

After I got hooked on the tuna casserole in yesterday’s post, I thought why not try and lighten it up? Sometimes you want the  tastes of a comforting dish without the feeling of being weighed down. I think I accomplished this with today’s recipe!

Lightened Up Tuna Casserole

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb spaghetti squash (approx 2 cups), microwave prior to baking casserole
• 1 can FF cream of mushroom soup
• 1/3 c skim milk
• 1/2 c FF shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 c canned peas
• 1/2 c diced onion
• 1/2 c sliced mushrooms
• 1 Starkist Chunk Light Tuna Sandwich Ready Pouch
• 1/4 c crushed cheddar soy crisps—I use Mr
• Dash of black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly spray a 8 x 8 baking pan.
• In a medium bowl, mix soup, milk, cheese, peas, onions, mushrooms, and tuna until thoroughly combined.
• Mix in spaghetti squash and bake for 30-35 until top is brown and bubbly.
• Sprinkle pepper on top before serving if desired.
• Let cool—makes 4 portions.

Box of Bisquick

So glad it’s Friday, like I always am!  This weekend will be busy just like weekdays though. But it is busyness I have brought on myself, and a type of busyness I don’t quite mind—I like to call it kitchen busyness! Do you know what I am talking about? Whole days in the kitchen spent mixing, experimenting, tasting, all the while trying not to sweat due to the oven and stove top on? Yes, that kind of busyness. I have a embarrassing massive amount of recipes from everywhere piling up in a box. I figured since I don’t have a lot of homework, it is a perfect time to put a dent in this box. Some things planned: Cinnamon rolls with an unsuspecting twist, a soup that my old Italian neighbor lady used to make, a new bread machine recipe, one more pizza to celebrate National Pizza Month, and 2 Halloween treats to post next week. Now whether or not I get to ALL of these is yet to be known, but keep your fingers crossed! :-) Oh and keep an eye out for some amazing product reviews soon as well.

So today’s post has reference to Bisquick, which if you don’t know is just an all-purpose baking mix sold in a box for roughly a little over $2.00. Recently I have become a big fan of their slightly newer Heart Smart Bisquick Baking Mix, which is basically just a healthier alternative to using Original Bisquick mix. It also has more calcium, low in fat with 0 Trans Fat, and it is certified by the American Heart Association. Once I logged onto the Bisquick website, I was blown away with all the recipes that use Bisquick. So I bookmarked oh, about 20 and have gotten through about 6. But I need to get through all of them by December, because I am planning on teaching “A Box of Bisquick” as one of my cooking classes that I start teaching in January(the catalog gets printed in Dec.). I think it’s a GREAT way to keep meals cheap, healthy, fast, and I bet you could find at least one recipe on the website, so it can please many palates. Within the next couple of weeks I’d love for you to stay tuned for “A Box of Bisquick” previews and recipes!

Bon Appétit a la Bisquick!

My thoughts on this recipe: Great overall! Looks super fancy, and tasted like it took a long time and expensive ingredients. However, next time I will be using fresh spinach, I am not too fond of the frozen spinach taste.

Impossibly Easy Spinach Parmesan Pie

Ingredients:

1	tablespoon butter or margarine
4	medium green onions, sliced
2	garlic cloves, finely chopped
1	package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain
1/2	cup small curd creamed cottage cheese
1/2	cup  Bisquick® mix (preferably Heart Smart!)
1	cup milk
1	teaspoon lemon juice
1/4	teaspoon pepper
3	eggs
3	tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4	teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

1.Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic in butter 2 to 3 minutes or until onions are tender. Stir in spinach; spread mixture in pie plate. Spread with cottage cheese.

2.Stir Bisquick mix, milk, lemon juice, pepper and eggs until blended. Pour into pie plate; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and nutmeg.

3.Bake about 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Nutritionals and such can be found here.

Check out one of my prior Bisquick recipes here.

Want some free muffins? Of course you do—head here for your chance!

Brain Food

Hey friends!

Sorry if posting gets a little sporadic this week—it’s midterm week already and I have to dedicate 80% of my time to studying. (10% eating, 10% sleeping). So basically no time left to do anything else—thankfully on Friday it’ll be all good till finals!

Whether you’re in school, out of school, or in between, there’s always going to be a time you need to use your brain for things other than everyday easy tasks. Tests, problem-solving at work, multi-tasking, planning, etc all require your brain to be working top-notch. How to make sure it will work for your advantage? Well ample sleep and good food are priorities.

I like to call it brain food!

How to eat to best benefit your brain?

• Breakfast: If you’re strapped for time in the morning, as we all tend to be, a bowl of fruit is a much better energy source that will start the brain working. Later on in the morning something with more protein, a cereal, will do the same to keep energy in the brain all day. A piece of toast or sandwich does the same, directly improving memory and attention.
• Snacks: Energy bars with not a lot of sugar such as Lara bars provide a steady stream of good for you ingredients that will satiate you and stop stomach grumblings from disrupting you until your next meal.
• Lunch: Vegetables do much of the same good as fruit. Glucose levels alter during cooking so sticking to a salad may be better. Think about adding an egg to the mix. Egg yolk is a leading source for choline, a nutrient that, recently, has been proven to boost brainpower by speeding up the sending of signals to nerve cells in the brain. Complementing this with nuts [particularly walnuts] balance omega-3 acids with omega-6’s while neutralizing blood sugar levels.
• Drinks: While eating food for the brain, it is important to keep hydrated. At least 80 ounces of water every day reduce stress hormones. Drinking non-caffeinated tea, like green tea, relaxes the brain and induces mental alertness. A juice, such as grapefruit juice, has the same affects for the brain as fruits and vegetables along with the hydration benefits.
• Dinner: Let your dinner contain some carbs because when eaten with protein or fat they may indeed be mentally soothing. Pizza is a good example because it contains a lot of carbs, but protein and fat as well. Soothing for the mind. There are times when we all need some of that!

Here’s my brain food I am eating this week to power me through this studying and tests!

Fruit, yogurt, and granola parfaits. The perfect balance of protein(yogurt), carbs(granola), and natural sugar(fruit). Also easily packed for lunch!

 

Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal. Not only is cereal a breakfast food, but it can be put in a small baggy to eat as a pre-portioned snack, which is what I like to do for in between classes or a test snack! :-) This cereal reminded me of Captain Crunch, but with a honey touch instead of PB—now it’s a definite staple in my cereal stash.

Nature’s Valley Nut Lovers clusters consist of cashews, pecans, peanuts, granola and a smidgen of honey. Such a good snack to hold you over—not only are nuts super good for you in moderation, these are a little tastier than your average plain nut! (Watch for the review on the whole line in the near future!)

Okay, so a lollipop is a lollipop, but lets just say Yummy Earth takes it to a whole new and healthier level. Their lollipops are handcrafted and the flavors are made with real fruit extracts.  They even use organic black carrots and
organic pumpkin for fabulous color!! Be sure to check out their 21 YUMMY flavors! Studies show that students who chew gum or suck on candy concentrate significantly better.

 

These Meteor Bites are from Galaxy Granola are super hard to find. But they are worth the hunt! The flavor I had this time was Blueberry Yogurt Flax—I’ve tried em’ all and this is my favorite! It even has a delicately sweet icing over the top of the quarter-sized granola snack! Most granola contains good for you fiber to keep you satiated. I buy these here.

 

I received these yummy Nature's Path toaster pastries from the company itself awhile back to review. I used to be a Pop-Tart fan when I was younger, so I was up for the review! Looks similar to a Pop-Tart? Check. Tastes like a Pop-tart? Not so much. But in fact it was much better than a Pop-Tart, and much healthier as well. The Wildberry Acai filling was rich along with the decadent frosting and perfect flaky crust. A must for a healthy breakfast to keep that brain fueled! Acai berries are ranked in the Top 5 Brain Health Foods!

And lastly, to keep myself fueled with a guarantee for no rumbling tummy, I reach for Special K protein shakes in three yummy flavors—Vanilla(favorite), chocolate, and strawberry. With  10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, it’s a surefire way to satisfy your hunger.

Time to study!

Oh Me, Oh My, a Healthy Pie?

So I just heard on the weather that snow is predicted for Saturday! Snow? Already?! Where did fall go? Oh that’s right, this is Minnesota and it’s so ridiculous unpredictable. Humph! At least I have this delectable dessert in my fridge to boost my spirits.

When it comes to pies, I actually would rather have a bowl of ice cream or a cinnamon roll. I have never been a fan of pumpkin pies, apple pies, or any other. However, there is one pie that I could eat 10 times over! It’s been a favorite since childhood..

Banana Cream Pie!

I used to get it all the time at one of our local restaurants that is known for their array of pies. The crust, the fluffy banana cream filling, and that inch thick layer of silky whipped cream is a one-of-a-kind taste sensation. Although I knew I could probably not get too close to the original taste of that pie, I wanted to give it a shot just for the heck of it. And of course, now I wanted to try to “healthify” it a bit.

First..What makes a pie unhealthy in the first place?

• A typical pie has a crust made up of white flour, full-fat butter, and sugar.
• Many people do not eat a pie by itself—they will add unhealthy toppings such as ice cream, whipped cream(not Cool Whip), or different sugar laden sauces.
• Fillings can contain cups of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, saturated/trans fats, high in cholesterol and astounding sodium levels.

However, I am about everything in moderation—so go ahead and have a slice of your favorite pie, or if it’s a bit healthier like mine, have 2 slices =)

My Too-Good-To-Deny Banana Cream Pie

How is this healthier than a standard Banana Cream Pie you ask?

• Starts with a Fiber One/Banana Cheerios crust combined with a little banana puree and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter FF Spread.
• Next comes a layer of potassium-filled bananas.
• The bananas are followed by a rich and thick SF pudding/yogurt filling paired with creamy Almond Breeze milk.
• Any finally, some bananas top it off to garnish and a layer of Cool Whip just for fun! =)

 

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup Fiber One cereal
• 1 cup banana flavored Cheerios, or just plain if you don’t have them.
• 1 Tbsp mashed banana
• 4 Tbsp ICBINB FF Spread
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 large banana, plus more for garnish if desired
• 2 c. milk, I used Almond Breeze, any will do.
• 1-8 oz container of Banana Cream Pie yogurt(from Wal-Mart’s Great Value brand)
• 1-6 oz box of SF vanilla pudding and pie filling mix
• 1/2 c Cool Whip, thawed

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Pulse cereals, 1 Tbsp mashed banana, cinnamon, and butter spread in food processor until a fine crumb consistency is formed.
• Spray pie plate generously with cooking spray and pour in crumbs, forming a pie crust along the bottom and half way up the edges.

• Bake pie crust for 10 min.
• Meanwhile, cut up the large banana into thin slices. Once pie crust comes out of the oven, let cool briefly, then layer slices evenly around crust.

• Mix milk, yogurt, and pudding/pie filling mix with mixer on medium speed for 1-2 min.
• Pour over pie and refrigerate for 2 hours.

• Spread on whipped cream and top with additional slices if desired.

 

YUM!!

Healthy,Homemade,and Home baked

• 93% of Americans eat AT LEAST one of this per month.
• Each year, this food produces a $30 billion industry.
• Children ages 3-11 prefer this over all other foods for lunch and dinner, according to a recent Gallup Poll.
• Everyone in the United States eats about 23 lbs. of this every year.
• Americans eat approximately 100 acres of this EACH DAY.

What is it? Any guesses?

If you guessed pizza, you are right!

October is National Pizza Month, so I figured I’d give you a heads up beforehand!

Where else can you get all the food groups in one? Crust(grains),veggies,fruits(pineapple for me!), and fat(oil) in the crust.

Virtually all towns have either a mom&pop pizza shop or a chain pizza restaurant, so it’s one of those foods you never have to search too hard to find. Not surprising, since pizzerias represent 17% of all restaurants. (Source: Food Industry News) Check out the blogger on the quest to find the perfect slice here.

As far as topping go, I love veggies with pineapple, and if I do go with meat, I will choose ham or chicken. What is your favorite pizza topping? A few popular pizzas toppings are: Mushrooms, Extra cheese, Sausage, Green Pepper, and Onion. In the list of most popular pizza toppings in America, the last one is anchovies. Also new gourmet pizza toppings have rapidly became popular. Some of those toppings include: Chicken, Oysters, Crayfish, Dandelions, Sprouts, Eggplant, Cajun Shrimp, Artichoke Hearts, Venison, Duck, Canadian-Style Bacon and Tuna.

As far as eating out for pizza, I really like Pizza Hut’s Natural Pizza(check out my previous review here).

But who wants to order pizza out all the time? Not only can it get expensive, but it can get boring, and for me frozen pizzas aren’t an option—I don’t like em’ too much. So how about making your own from scratch? The dough, the sauce, and all the veggies hand chopped by you? Sounds too hard you say? Anyone can do this as long as you know how to assemble a pizza!

Fresh Veggie Pizza on Honey Whole Wheat Crust

[[Makes 1-12” pizza]]

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 1/8 tsp dry yeast
• 1/8 tsp sugar
• 3/4 c warm water (110)
• 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c whole wheat flour
• 1/2  Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1 1/4 tsp salt (I used kosher, but table salt is fine)

Sauce:

Makes 1 1/3 c

• 1/4 c fine chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 c vegetable broth or white wine, your choice
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 (14.5oz) can of crushed tomatoes, un-drained
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Toppings:

• Basically whatever you want to use! I used zucchini, onions, green peppers, olives, spinach, fresh basil, mushrooms, tomatoes and 3/4 c of cheddar cheese blend.

Directions:

Crust:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, oil, and salt to yeast mixture, stirring until well-blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).
• Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide dough in half; roll each half into a 12-inch circle(or a square like me) on a floured surface. Top and bake according to recipe directions.

Sauce:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in wine; cook 30 seconds. Add tomato paste, oregano, pepper, and tomatoes. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; stir in basil and vinegar. Cool.

Assembly & Baking

• Preheat oven to 400 F. Once preheated, prick crust with a fork, then bake for about 8 minutes.

• Meanwhile, chop all your desired toppings and measure out your cheese.
• Take crust out and top with sauce. Then spread on toppings and cheese.

 

• Now just pop it in the oven for about 12 minutes, but just keep checking and take out when your desired pizza is reached!

Bon appétit!

Fruit + Veggies = ?

It seems these days we are always hearing messages whether it be in print, on tv, or from your doctor that we should be meeting our quota of daily fruits and veggies. (Find out how many you really need here) For me, it’s never been a big deal, because thankfully fruits and veggies are always welcome on my plate! There is never really a meal that I eat that doesn’t have some type of produce.(Either fresh, frozen, or canned.) But for others who can’t down broccoli, or moms that have picky kids, you need to find recipes that can “sneak” produce in foods in unlikely ways. Today’s recipe contains one veggie and two fruits, so if you eat a slice (which is not hard to do!), you’ll knock off some out your daily fruit & veggie quota.

Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes: 16 slices

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 c cake flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 2 egg whites, room temp
• 1/2 c granulated sugar (or Splenda if you prefer)
• 1/2 c apple butter (I used 1 jar of carrot baby food instead)
• 1/4 c canola oil
• 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 carrots, coarsely shredded (about 1 1/2 c)

Frosting:

• 1 (8 oz) package fat-free cream cheese, at room temp
• 1 1/2 c confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 c plain reduced-fat (2%) Greek yogurt (I used Yoplait Thick and Creamy Cinnamon Roll yogurt instead)
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (nuts are optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 2 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl—set aside. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs and egg whites on high for about 2 minutes, or until thickened. Gradually add the granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture and beat until just blended. Stir in the pineapple, carrots, and raisins.
• Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let pan cool on racks completely.
• To make frosting, with an electric mixer on high speed. Beat the frosting ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth, about 1 minute.
• Place 1 cake layer, rounded side down, on a serving plate. With a narrow metal spatula, spread 1/2 c frosting over the layer. Top with remaining layer, rounded side up. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle walnuts on the top of the cake.

[[Recipe adapted from here.]]

Carrot cake has to be one of my favorite cakes out there! I think my mom may have passed her love of it on to me—but I’m not complaining! What is your favorite cake to eat? Or are you just a frosting eater? Any super recipes?

Flapjack Friday

Can you believe it? The long weekend has finally arrived! What are you doing for the Labor Day weekend? I’m going on a little road trip down to St.Cloud, MN and taking part in some retail therapy. =)

   So after seeing all the pancake posts back when the pancake challenge was taking place, slowly my craving for a good ol’ pancake kept growing. Those pancake creations were borderline amazing, but for me, I prefer the less fancy flapjack foray. Usually I would make them from scratch, but I came across an awesome deal at Wal-Mart—for a big box of their Great Value Extra Fluffy Pancake Mix for just $1.25, so it would have cost me more to whip them up from scratch. I used to be a total generic snob, and wouldn’t even think of buying off-brand, but now generic brands are just as good, if not better than brand-name! Do you buy generic foods?

 My Thoughts: This mix was great—I did a side-by-side nutritional comparison to Bisquik Healthy Smart mix and everything was very close, except for the price, with Bisquik about a dollar more. All you have to do is at water to the mix—I added pumpkin pie spice , a teaspoon of vanilla and some fresh blueberries.

 

 

 

 

 

See you soon!

Just Another Stuffed Saturday

It’s the weekend!

I think I forgot how it feels to actually need a weekend to relax. I was so used to my summer weeks and weekends running seamlessly together, which was no big deal—now, with college deadlines, reading, and keeping up an apartment, I definitely hanker toward Friday to relax for 2 whole days! This weekend I need to do some reading, cleaning, and baking of course! An awesome recipe coming soon, so keep an eye out for that. :-) What do you like to do with your weekends? Relax, shop, cook, a little bit of everything?

So I just realized that I have been on a stuffed food kick. I made stuffed zucchini the other day, now another stuffed recipe coming at ya today! So that’s two this week, and I figured why not go for three stuffed recipes because three’s a charm, right? So one more stuffed recipe after today—any guesses to what it might be? This recipe today came out better than I imagined! It’s meat free so perfect if you are a vegetarian, but even if you don’t have people who eat eggs, you can also sub tofu.

Breakfast Stuffed Potato

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized potato
• 3 broccoli florets
• 1/8 C chopped yellow onion
• 1/8 C chopped mushrooms
• 1/4 C chopped baby spinach
• 2 egg whites or 1/4 C Eggbeaters
• 2 Tbsp shredded Cheddar cheese blend
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• Ketchup or salsa, optional

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 F.
• Microwave your potato until soft. I used a Speedy Spud (from Wal-Mart) which is a pre-cleaned, wrapped potato that you just place in the microwave for 7 minutes—and presto! You have a perfectly cooked and cleaned spud!

• Next, scoop out pulp leaving a generous potato shell to stuff.

• Now start your scrambled egg mixture. Heat skillet on Med-High heat. Stir eggs, mushrooms, onion, spinach, and seasonings together.

• Pour mixture into skillet, and stir constantly to get fluffy eggs. As soon as all visible moisture has dissipated, turn off burner, and add egg mixture to the reserved potato pulp. Add broccoli florets, and chop everything up well.

• Now comes the fun part—stuff your spud! I did end up with more pulp mixture than I could fit in my spud, but I ate it on the side of course :-) Then top with cheese, pop in the oven, and when it’s done in approximately 15 minutes, top with whatever you desire!

ENJOY!

 

Check out the fab giveaway here!

Jungle Time

 

Even though I have never been to a jungle, it’s still on my list of to-do’s at least once during my life. I love the lush greenery, the animals, and of course the fruit that comes from the jungle. My favorite would have to be a banana! (Did you really think I was going to ramble on about an actual jungle ha ha?)

 

Over the past 18 years, I have had my share of banana bread; dense bread, fluffy bread, tropical banana bread, glazed, not-so-good, delicious, etc. This new recipe is based off of this one, but of course I made significant changes that make it go from “just a good banana bread” to one that you want to make all the time! The secret is…

• A jar of sweet potato baby food
• Imitation Banana Extract (found by spices, vanilla, etc.)
• Pumpkin pie spice (you can make your own—see how here)

So grab your bread pan and all of those frozen bananas that you aren’t using for the oh-so-famous banana soft serve(I still need to try this), and be prepared for your kitchen to smell like the jungle and your taste buds to go wild like a monkey! ;-)

Amped Up Banana Bread

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup no calorie granulated sweetener of your choice 
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 bananas) + 1/2 c sweet potato baby food                               
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
1/2 cup no-sugar-added applesauce (I used cinnamon applesauce)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract and 1 tsp banana extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine both types of flour,sweetener, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon (in other words, all dry ingredients).

In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, baby food, egg substitute, applesauce, and extracts (all the wet ingredients).

Add this mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until just blended. Spoon batter into a large loaf pan (about 9" X 5") sprayed with nonstick spray.

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly, and then cut into 12 slices. If you like, spritz with some spray butter or spread on some Cool Whip Free.

Enjoy!

Perfect Your Pizza

Do you ever go to a local pizza place or buy a pizza at the store and wish you could recreate that same flavor, texture, and of course taste? Ever since I was little, I have been eating pizza from a local mom and pop shop called Dave’s Pizza. It’s nothing completely out of this world, but I think the thin crust, their special sauce, and the overall put together of the pizza is to-die-for. So, through the years I have been trying to perfect my own pizza pie making skills—finding the right base, the right sauce, and the right combo of flavors. After a few years, I am finally happy with my pizza technique! And the awesome thing about it is that it’s totally customizable and takes under 30 minutes to whip together. This is not gourmet, but it’s good nonetheless!

I could make my own dough, especially with my bread machine, or I could whip together a quick whole wheat crust by hand. I could even buy premade pizza dough, but I choose to use a unlikely candidate. Lavash bread—more specifically Joseph’s Lavash bread, and I use their pitas interchangeably for this recipe also.

Do you have these in your area?! I’m interested as to what areas don’t have them, because you are missing out on a AWESOME bread opportunity and should request them at your stores stat!

Now usually when using pita breads or flatbreads in pizza recipes, they can turn out a soggy mess instead of the pizza crust you were going for. This happened a few times to me, and besides being a mess to eat, it wasn’t like pizza at all. So, after a few tries of different techniques to getting the perfect flatbread pizza—I found it and couldn’t wait to share!

The key to prepping the crust is to pan fry is before adding toppings and baking. Using the dry heat method (turning your burner on high and letting the skillet completely heat), you need to place your pita or flatbread on the skillet and place a heavy spatula on top, flipping the bread about every thirty seconds until the desired crispiness is reached.

Once you’ve completed that step, since your skillet is already hot, you can add all your pizza toppings you are going to add and sauté them until caramelized. If adding spinach, wait until the last minute or so to throw it in.

Meanwhile, place pan-fried bread on a tinfoil lined cookie sheet and spread with the desired amount of sauce. Once toppings are finished sautéing, place those on next. If you’re adding some type of protein, this would come next followed by cheese! I then add some roasted tomatoes to add the the overall appeal. :-)

Bake in a 350 F preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted. Take out, cut, and savor each bite! I can never get enough of this—the crust turns out fabulous with a hint of that “brick-oven” taste so many pizza places try to achieve. Check out how I made my latest pizza creation! 

 Garden Veggie & Crab Pizza

• Started by pan-frying my Lavash bread.

• Meanwhile, I chopped my veggies. This time I used fresh garden spinach, garden onion, and garden bell pepper(good ol’ grandpa is a fab farmer I tell ya!), mushrooms, zucchini, and canned stewed Italian tomatoes.

• Next, I spread the Lavash with pizza sauce while the veggies were sauteeing. Once they were done, I layered them next, then came the canned flaked crab meat(if you’re a seafood fan this is an amazing addition!), Italian blend of cheeses, and then some Italian stewed tomatoes to give it a real tomato kick! Once I sprinkled it with some fennel seeds, in the oven it goes!

• And then here is the finished result—this super satisfying pizza in less then 30 minutes. Plus it’s not expensive to make either! One pack of 4 Lavash’s runs about $2.08 give or take a little. I use 1/2 a Lavash per pizza :-)

What’s your favorite method for creating a priceless pizza?!

Let me know if you try my method—I’d love to hear what you think!