Easy Chicken Pesto Flatbread

3/31/14

     As I've mentioned before, Justin's favorite food is pizza. He's obsessed. So when he gives up pizza for lent, it's a big deal. To help him go through his struggle, I surprised him by making a flatbread (which is allowed) and threw it in the fridge to come home to. Although I still think a flatbread is pretty much a pizza, I guess it's not the same to pizza addicts! Here's a Chicken Pesto flatbread/pizza recipe that is really easy and has a different twist than the regular cheese and tomato sauce version. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Can Refrigerated Pizza Crust
1 Tomato
1/2 Onion
1/2 Green Pepper
1 Jar Pesto
1 Clove Garlic
1/2-1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425F.

2. Spray a baking pan with a cooking spray and spread the pizza crust onto the pan (I didn't spread mine out too far because I wanted it to have a softer bread texture). Make sure to fold the sides to create a crust. Bake for around 8 minutes, or over halfway baked.

2. Chop up the chicken breasts into small pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add a dash of oil to a saute pan and start cooking chicken until it becomes a golden brown and fully cooked.

3. While the chicken is cooking, chop up the tomatoes, onions, green pepper, and garlic. Once chicken is almost finished cooking, add the onions, green pepper, and garlic into pan. Save the tomatoes for later.

4. Take the pizza crust out of the oven and coat the entire bottom with pesto. Add the chicken and vegetables to the crust and arrange the tomatoes over the top. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top.

5. Bake the pizza for about 5-7 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese begins to melt.

6. Slice and enjoy!

     The abundance of vegetables and the reduced amount of cheese in this recipe makes it a great healthy alternative. If you use a whole grain crust, even better! Make this for the pizza lover in your life and you'll definitely make their day =)

Happy Eating! xo

Not Your Ordinary Cupcake

3/24/14

     I know this might sound crazy, but I'm not the biggest fan of cupcakes. I'm not sure if it's the frosting to cake ratio, but either way, I just prefer other desserts. However, when there is meatloaf in the form of a cupcake, i'm all about it. There is a cute, local place in Lincoln Park called the Meatloaf Bakery. It always caught my eye, but I was a bit skeptical of it at the same time. Justin and I decided to give it a try on Sunday and our tastebuds were pretty impressed.


     The Meatloaf Bakery has pretty much thought up every type of meatloaf cupcake you could think of (I didn't even know you could make that many types of meatloaf!). From the Motherloaf, to the Italian-style Loaf-a-Roma, to a Burger Loaf- this bakery pretty much has it all! The meatloaf cupcakes are topped with mashed potatoes, cheesy potatoes, or some type of fancy addition to make it a complete meal. 

     The part I love about this place is that even if you feel hesitant to try a whole loaf, they have "loafies" which are miniature versions of the regular loaves. Justin and I tried a few different varieties and it was fun and delicious!

I chose the Herby Turkey Loaf- Lean ground turkey with a blend of spices, garlic, red pepper, fresh herbs, and parmesan cheese. It is topped with a white bread stuffing and a few cranberries. It's pretty much a Thanksgiving dinner!

Justin chose the No Buns About It Burger Loaf- Bacon, cheddar, onions, mustard, ketchup, pickles and beef. It is then topped with some fluffy cheesy potatoes. I liked Justin's the best, but I guess that's how I always am. The grass is always greener on the other side =).

The Meatloaf Bakery creates special loaves for each season so we'll have to stop in again soon to check out the new additions. This turned out to be a perfect take home meal and I suggest you try it out!

Happy Eating=)

Frosty Friday

3/21/14

     Happy Friday! As we are slowly melting out of a polar vortex, also known as Chicago, I thought I would share this super simple smoothie recipe I came upon. For the past month I have had the constant craving for a Wendy's Frosty. Unfortunately, there is not one in walking distance of my apartment or work. It also doesn't help that Wendy's has been taunting me with their commercials on TV. So what's a girl to do? Make her own of course!

     Not only did I find a frosty-like recipe, but it's also healthy and low in calories. Whether you are craving chocolate, trying to stay healthy, or both...you need blend this up!

Ingredients:
1/2-1 Frozen Banana
1 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
3 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Handful of Ice Cubes

Directions:

Throw all of your ingredients into your blender and blend until it has a thick, icy consistency. You may want to add extra cocoa powder or milk for more or less flavor.

Bananas make the texture creamy without the calories from ice cream

It even works if you have the worst blender ever (like I do!)

Pour yourself a tall glass of creamy deliciousness and cheers to the start of spring!

Quinoa Chicken Pesto Bowl

3/13/14

     After my recent quinoa discovery, I had been wanting to make a new recipe that incorporated this tasty super food. When I came across a quinoa recipe with pesto, my eyes lit up and I knew it was the next dish I had to make. I am so in love with pesto I could literally put it on anything! This Quinoa Chicken Pesto Bowl is very similar to the ones found at Protein Bar, however, this recipe is much cheaper and you can make a big batch to eat for days.

     Since I have been feeling pretty tired lately, I decided that I needed a nutrient-rich dinner to help energize my body. This recipe includes vitamin A packed spinach, vitamin C and lycopene-filled tomatoes, whole grain and fiber rich quinoa, and cholesterol-reducing garlic. Adding pesto to these ingredients really kicks things up a notch and you don't even feel like you are eating a healthy meal!

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts
3 Cups Quinoa
2 Roma Tomatoes
1 Clove Garlic
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Lemon Garlic Pepper
3 Cups Spinach
2-3 Tbsp Pesto
Sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese (or more if you would like!)

Directions:

1. Chop up the tomatoes and finely dice up the garlic.

2. Chop up the chicken into small pieces and toss with lemon garlic pepper (This makes them cook a much faster and provides more flavor).

3. Pour olive oil into a sauté pan and add garlic. Once the garlic is browned, add the chicken and cook for about 5-7 minutes until it is golden brown.

4. Add tomatoes to the sauté pan with the chicken for a minute or two to cook them down and incorporate more flavor.

5. If you already have pre-cooked quinoa (like I did), heat the quinoa up in a pan over med-low heat and add lemon garlic pepper.

6. For the spinach, you can wilt them over low heat to intensify the flavor, or just chop them up fresh.

7. In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, quinoa, tomatoes, spinach, pesto, and cheese. Toss the ingredients around until everything is mixed evenly and... voila! There's your new and easy go-to meal =).

I love quinoa bowls because you can easily change it up by adding a variety of ingredients. Quinoa is the perfect, healthy base for so many different dishes. I encourage you to make up your own!

Enjoy and Happy Eating!

I Loved this a Latte ;)

3/9/14

Although I love lattes and frappuccinos from Starbucks, there is nothing like getting a handcrafted espresso drink from a local coffee shop. It's even better when it doubles as a bike repair shop! Justin and I went for a fun and relaxing Howaboutwe date at Heritage Bike Co. this Saturday.

I loved the trendy but rustic feel to the interior of this cafe, and it's fun to hang out and see some bikes being worked on. The staff was very friendly and put extra time into making a delicious and visually appealing latte. If you're in the mood to grab a coffee with a friend or bring your computer to get some work done, this relaxing cafe is the place to go!

We enjoyed hazelnut lattes. They looked so pretty I almost didn't want to drink it!

We were each allowed to choose a pastry and the banana pecan muffin caught my eye.

I was not surprised when Justin grabbed the maple donut topped with glazed bacon.

I loved everything about this place and the fact that it is right by my apartment. I will definitely be back soon because I love helping out local businesses and I LOVE coffee!