Smoothie Basics: Blueberry

     Smoothies are great. And healthy. So here's my favorite most basic, simple blueberry smoothie recipe. You can easily take this basic formula and run with it, try different berries, add-ins like spinach or flax seed.. etc.

    

Simple Blueberry Smoothie

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• a little less than 1 cup of almond milk (I don't usually measure this, just add more as needed to achieve desired texture)
• 1 tablespoon of honey

I like to blend the berries and milk first to get those nice and pureed. Then add in the Greek yogurt, honey and a little more almond milk to get the perfect consistency. This smoothie is sweet with the honey and creamy with the Greek yogurt, not to mention filled with antioxidants from the blueberries. I like smoothies for breakfast or for a mid afternoon boost before yoga or other physical activity. Also if you're counting calories, this specific smoothie recipe is about 270 calories (give or take a few depending on how much almond milk you use). 

Best Homemade Pizza Dough // BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe

I'm obsessed with this pizza dough recipe. I can't even tell you how many times we've used it and how fantastic it turns out every time. It's really not too difficult of a recipe and can be a fun group/family activity. It makes enough dough for 2 pizzas and is a freezer friendly recipe so you can make one and throw the other one in the freezer for a quick backup dinner plan. Bonus: it only takes 10 minutes to bake. I got the recipe from Money Saving Mom. 

For the dough:

• 2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons oil (vegetable, canola or olive oil)
• 5 cups flour (can use all whole wheat, half white/half whole wheat, or all white)
• a bit of olive oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper and a blend of Italian seasonings

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Pour the warm water into a large bowl and sprinkle yeast in. Stir to dissolve.

Add remaining ingredients and mix.

Dump onto a floured surface and knead dough for 2-5 minutes until smooth and no longer sticky (you could also use your electric mixer at this point if you want!)

Divide pizza dough into two equal sections and roll out one half (if only making one pizza) with a rolling pin into a circle that's a little bit larger than the pizza baking pan. Place dough on pan and roll up the sides to make a nice thick crust and spread some of the olive oil/garlic & Italian seasoning mix on the crust. 

*If you wanted stuffed crust you could roll up some cheese into the crust at this point. Strips of string cheese seem like they would work well. Disclaimer: I haven't actually tried this, just an idea.*

Add sauce/toppings and bake at 500 degrees F for 10 minutes (until crust looks crispy and lightly browned).

To freeze:

Place dough (your other half) in an airtight freezer bag and freeze for up to 4-6 weeks. To thaw place frozen dough in the fridge overnight or at room temp for 3-4 hours. Roll out and follow directions above.

Easy BBQ Chicken Pizza

• Frozen chicken breasts
• BBQ sauce of choice
• cheddar cheese
• tomatoes
• red onion (not pictured)
• pizza dough from recipe above

Throw some frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot with a good amount of BBQ sauce (I'm so detailed with my measurements, I know) and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8. Shred the chicken with forks (or with your mixer!) and stir to blend the BBQ sauce in.

Roll out your dough and spread some BBQ sauce across the surface. Layer shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, sliced tomato and sliced red onion. Follow baking directions for pizza dough (above).

Other easy homemade pizza ideas:

Buffalo ranch chicken pizza: Same concept as the BBQ chicken pizza. Throw some chicken breasts in the crock pot with buffalo sauce and a dry ranch mix (I use my homemade one).

Caprese chicken pizza: Grilled chicken breasts with fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil. Get extra fancy and trickle a Balsamic reduction on top of that! 

Classic pizza: Make a yummy homemade pizza sauce  and top with the favorites: cheese, pepperoni/sausage, green peppers, mushrooms, olives.. really whatever floats your boat! 

Cilantro Lemon Salmon with Peppers and Cherry Tomatoes

     I've been so inspired lately to make new meals that are delicious AND nutritious (overused phrase anyone?)! I've done fish with peppers for a long time as a quick go-to lunch. But today I had a few more fresh ingredients to use so I did some experimenting with it! Here's what I came up with.

Cilantro Lemon Salmon with Peppers and Cherry Tomatoes

For 2 servings:

2 salmon fillets (thawed)
2 bell peppers (sliced)
1/2 lemon (sliced into wedges)
handful of cherry tomatoes (quartered)
fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
cooked rice for serving (quinoa would be good too)
feta cheese for topping (optional)

Lightly coat a large frying pan with olive oil and heat on medium-high.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper. After the pan is hot, add the salmon. If you want to sear it let the pan get really hot before putting the salmon in.

Throw the sliced peppers and cherry tomatoes on top of the salmon. Squeeze the lemon wedges over the whole thing and throw those in as well. Sprinkle a small amount of salt and pepper across everything and cover for a minute or so.

Turn the salmon and give the veggies a good stir. Salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

Serve over rice with fresh cilantro and feta cheese if desired.

This is a quick and extremely easy recipe. Perfect for lunches at home or if you need a fast dinner idea!

Apple-Cheddar-Squash Soup Recipe

     I've been looking for inspiration for new recipes lately, and I realized that I have a ton of cookbooks that haven't been cracked open for a long time. I marked recipes that looked good a long time ago and then the cookbook went on the shelf where it was forgotten for quite a few months. Well I opened again to find this delicious fall soup recipe from Food Network that I'd like to share with you all! The flavors blended together so well for a chilly autumn evening. It does take a bit of time to make but it is so worth it. Here's the recipe straight from the book:

Food Network Magazine's
Apple-Cheddar-Squash Soup recipe

Active time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium apples, thinly sliced
1 large white potato, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled butternut squash, fresh or frozen
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup apple cider
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into bite-size pieces
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
Chopped chives, for topping (optional)
Crusty bread, for serving (optional)

1. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium-low heat and add the onion, apples, potato and squash. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the sage and flour. Add the cider and cook over high heat, stirring until thickened. Add the broth and the milk, cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the potato is soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto and cook until crisp, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

3. Add the cheese to the soup and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Puree in a blender in batches until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Top with the prosciutto, more cheese and chives, if using. Serve with bread if desired.

Nutrition Information Per serving: Calories 532; Fat 34 g (Saturated 19 g); Cholesterol 117 mg; Sodium 807 mg; Carbohydrate 35 g; Fiber 5 g; Protein 24 g


I made a few changes of course. I didn't have apple cider so I used a white wine instead (which gave the soup a great taste!) and we also didn't have prosciutto so I used bacon. It still turned out fantastic and I definitely recommend this soup! You can also make this vegetarian by skipping out on the prosciutto/bacon. The combination of squash and apples is perfect for that all that fall produce you're trying to eat up!

Banana Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips

 

    Another homemade fall treat for your autumn season! I went off of this original recipe: http://alidaskitchen.com/2012/09/12/pumpkin-banana-muffins/ and made a few changes. Like adding the chocolate chips for one! These muffins were delicious and very filling. My husband described them as more of a breakfast muffin than a snack muffin.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (or you can do all whole wheat or white if you choose)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 bananas, mashed
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate chips

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin tins with baking spray.

-Whisk together your dry ingredients in a large bowl: both flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

-In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients: brown sugar, bananas, pumpkin puree, oil, eggs and vanilla.

-Add wet ingredients to dry, gently fold and do not overmix. Here's where you can add your chocolate chips- I added about half of a small bag of chocolate chips. You can add more or less than that depending on your tastes. I love me some chocolate. Fold into the mixture and once again, do not over mix.

-Add mixture to muffin tins and bake at 350. The original recipe says to bake for 11 to 13 minutes for mini muffins and for 13 to 15 minutes for standard muffins. Mine took almost 20 minutes to bake. Pretty much just bake them until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Homemade Crockpot Apple Sauce

     Homemade apple sauce is super easy and delicious to make! I buy a bag of whatever's on sale or not too pricey- these ones were Fuji apples I believe. You can use whatever kind you prefer. Peel the apples and then dice them up.

     Throw them in the crockpot with a few teaspoons of water, a drizzle of honey (in place of sugar) and roughly 1/2 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice (which usually consists of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice) and 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon. I honestly don't really measure much when I do things like this, so you can adjust the amounts of spices you would like according to your tastes. 

Mix it all together and throw a lid on it. Turn it on high and let it be for 3-5 hours. This makes the BEST homemade air freshner ever by the way. It smells amazing.

Of course I didn't take a picture of the final product.. but once the apples are nice and mushy, mash them together with a vegetable masher. Or if you want the consistency to be really pureed you can throw it in a blender if you so please. Store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!