Thai Chicken Pizza

I am spoiled when it comes to pizza. Last year, we would regularly trek over to a friend's house for pizza night -- but not just any pizza. Oh no.

Pierogie Pizza. Banana Pepper with Vodka Sauce Pizza. The Reuben Pizza. You get the idea. We aren't talking delivery here.

Needless to say, when I came across this recipe over on How Sweet It Is, I was sold. I love me some Thai food -- as long as it doesn't have coconut in it. Which may or may not be a large percentage of it. But that is neither here nor there.

Where was I?

Oh yes. Talking about how combining some classic Thai flavors on a pizza is a brilliant idea. Because it is. Trust. Perfect for breaking up the inevitable heavy winter food monotony.

Thai Chicken Pizza

Adapted from: How Sweet It Is

1 pound pizza dough
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon corn meal
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sweet Asian chili sauce
1 shallot, thinly sliced
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 ounces shredded cooked chicken
2/3 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Place pizza stone (or large baking sheet, or metal pizza pan) into a cold oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

If using refrigerated dough, let rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll dough out to a rough 1/4-inch thick circle. Sprinkle a pizza peel with cornmeal (this will keep the dough from sticking to the peel). Transfer dough to the peel.

Place 1/2 cup sweet Asian chili sauce onto the dough, spreading evenly across. Top with the mushrooms and shallots. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper and shredded chicken. Add the Mozzarella cheese.

Open the preheat oven and slide the pizza from the peel to the pizza stone. Close the door and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheesy is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon Asian chili sauce. Sprinkle with peanuts, cilantro, and basil.

Serves: 8

While we don't have a fancy pizza stone, and I didn't make my own pizza dough (yay for Trader Joes!), this still turned out fabulous. Even though I may have slightly under-baked it. Let's just ignore that, shall we?

Because sweet + spicy = awesome. It's an equation you really can't argue with.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 128g
Amount per serving
Calories 427	Calories from fat 220
% Daily Value
Total Fat 24.5g	38%
Saturated Fat 6.3g	32%
Cholesterol 16mg	5%
Sodium 470mg	20%
Total Carbs 37.8g	13%
Fiber 3.1g	13%
Sugars 7.5g
Protein 21.2g
Vitamin A 5%	Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 9%	Iron 13%

47 Recipes to Kick Off the New Year

"I'm going on a diet." or "I'm going to lose ___ pounds." or "I need to eat healthier."

It doesn't really matter how it's worded, eating better and/or losing weight tends to end up on almost every resolution list (shoo, I know it ended up on mine). And almost every single one of those resolutions will be broken by the end of the month.

Most people outside the foodie world associate healthy eating = tastes like cardboard. Those in the know, know that it absolutely doesn't have to be the case. I refuse to eat some lackluster bland-tasting meal just because it's "healthy" for me. No wonder people can't stick to healthy eating if that's the route they go.

So to help you on your way (or at least to February), I've rustled up 47 recipes that aren't only healthy but taste great, too. And not just main dishes, but snacks, drinks, soups, sides, and lo and behold, you can have you cake and eat it too. Or, in this case, cookies.

How do I know it's healthy? 40 of the 47 recipes are either under 500 or 100 calories (depending on what it is) and qualifies for 2 or more of the following: Low in Saturated Fat, Low in Cholesterol, or Low in Sodium. The remaining 7 recipes qualify for all three of those categories but are not under 500 or 100 calories and are denoted by an *. (How do I classify my recipes? Read here.)

Appetizers & Snacks
1. Apple Chips
2. Black & Blue Fruit Leather
3. Cheese Straws
4. Haitian Chicken Pâté Puffs
5. Sweet Chipotle Snack Mix*
6. Spicy Red Pepper Hummus*
7. Tzatziki

Drinks
8. Blueberry Lemonade Soda*
9. Russian Tea

Soups & Stews
10. Ancho Pork & Hominy Stew
11. Cheese Tortellini & Vegetable Soup
12. Minestrone Soup
13. Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup
14. Spicy Tomato and White Bean Soup
15. Tortellini, Kielbasa, & Spinach Soup
16. While Chili

Entrees
17. Chicken Biryani
18. Chickpeas with Spinach*
19. Chipotle Bean Burritos*
20. Cranberry Chicken with Wild Rice
21. Easy Cajun Jambalaya
22. Fusilli with Pistachio Pesto
23.Gemelli Salad with Asparagus, Pistachios, and Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette
24. Ginger Hoisin Stir Fry
25. "Meaty" Meatless Pasta with Parmesan & Pine Nuts
26. Pad Thai
27. Parmesan Polenta & Spicy Sausage
28. Pasta with Chickpeas & Garlic Sauce
29. Pasta with Feta, Tomatoes, & White Beans
30. Pasta with Prosciutto & Spinach
31. Penne Alla Vodka
32. Pistachio Chicken Fingers
33. Radiatore with Caramelized Onions & White Wine
34. Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
35. Spicy Malaysian-Style Stir Fried Noodles
36. Spicy Orange Noodles
37. Spicy Peanut Chicken over Rice*
38. Udon Noodles with Asian Vegetables & Peanut Sauce
39. Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Sides
40. Brussels Sprouts*

Desserts
41. Chewy Amaretti Cookies
42. Chocolate Crinkles
43. Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies
44. Snickerdoodles
45. Spritz Cookies
46. Sugar Cookies
47. World Peace Cookies

Looking for other combinations of these categories? Check out the newly renovated Recipe Index which now makes it easy to find recipes with certain health characteristics. Or simply choose a category from the list to the right (under Labels) if you're just interested in one.

2012 Goals - Goal #2: Run a Half Marathon

Keeping in line with my 2012 goals, I've decided to sign up for a half marathon near the end of March (goal #2). Since I'm focused this time around on actually training for a race this time (rather than just building up to the distance and calling it good) I decided to share my workouts weekly with all of you.

Mostly because I love to cheat. I cut out a workout here, and a workout there, and before I know it I only ran half the workouts for the week. Oops.

And I also wanted to start bringing the other half of the title of the blog into my posting as well. Consider it another goal for 2012.

SO.

Before I actually start my training, I like to sit down and outline a training plan that goes all the way through the race. I generally start with an already well known plan such as those from Hal Higdon or Runner's World, then tweak them to fit my needs.

Step one is to determine when your race is going to be taking place:

March 31st

Check.

Step two is to count backwards to see when the start date is to begin training. For a half marathon, a typical plan is about 12 weeks.

Which of course means that tomorrow kicks off the training!

The original training plan looks like so:

Monday:	Stretch & Strengthen
Tuesday:	3 mi run
Wednesday:	5 x 400 @ 5k pace
Thursday:	3 mi run + strength
Friday:	Rest
Saturday:	3 mi run
Sunday:	5 mi run

Buuuut, that's not going to work for this kid. So with a bit of rearranging and dabbling, my plan for the week looks like this:

Sunday:	Rest
Monday:	3 mi run + yoga
Tuesday:	5 x 400 @ 5k pace
Wednesday:	3 mi run + strength
Thursday:	2 mi run + Indoor Soccer Game
Friday:	Rest/Yoga
Saturday:	5 mi run

Yeah. So. We'll see how this goes.

Baked Tortellini with Rose Sauce

Dear Sister,

Happy 30th Birthday! (Okay, so I'm a day late and a dollar short -- aren't I always?) Now I get to officially tease you about how old you are now, all the while pretending that that particular number isn't all that far off for me. I have blinders, and I like them, okay?

Here's hoping you got lots of hugs from Squirt & Squishy. Okay, or maybe several tackles from Squirt and the random pat on the back from Squishy (maybe just maybe he'll get around to crawling for you one of these days).

The Squirt	The Squishy

This recipe is perfect for you -- you know, for all those time you call or text me asking what to make for dinner? Oh, don't act like you don't. Not only is it super easy, but you probably already have almost everything in your pantry or fridge. Well, except for the tortellini. AND you can feed it to both the boys, double yay.

Am I a great sister or what?

Baked Tortellini with Rose Sauce

Adapted from: Pass the Sushi

20 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (24 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (or 24 ounces of your own homemade is fine too!)
3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup 1% milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 4 16-ounce ramekins (or 1 2-quart dish) with cooking spray; set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions. Drain.

In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti sauce, cream cheese, milk, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and herbs. Whisk together until cream cheese is fully incorporated into the sauce.

Add the drained noodles to the bowl with the sauce mixture. Toss to coat. Divide the tortellini mixture evenly between the 4 prepared dishes. Top each with 1/4 cup Mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and starts to brown.

Serves: 8

As I noted above this is really really easy to throw together, especially if you have jarred spaghetti sauce handy (or if you have some hiding out in the freezer). I used cheese tortellini here, but I think you could definitely use some with meat, or even throw in some Italian sausage if you wanted to get crazy with it. ;)

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 205g
Amount per serving
Calories 394	Calories from fat 155
% Daily Value
Total Fat 17.2g	27%
Saturated Fat 7.7g	38%
Cholesterol 52mg	17%
Sodium 900mg	38%
Total Carbs 39.0g	13%
Fiber 4.4g	18%
Sugars 9.2g
Protein 21.2g
Vitamin A 12%	Vitamin C 3%
Calcium 37%	Iron 13%

Wait, what? It's already 2012?

I swear it feels like I just celebrated New Years. 2011. Not 2012. Oy vey.

2011 just flew by, and while the year had it's ups, I'm definitely ready to say good-bye and head on into 2012. Although I typically don't make resolutions, I thought this time around it might be a good idea to set a few goals for myself.

Things like:

Incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet. Actually, basically just eat healthier in general. This includes adding more of those green things to my diet, as well as trying to stay away from all those lovely processed foods. My goal is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store as much as possible.

Run a half marathon. But wait, don't I already have two marathons and two 30k races under my belt? True as it is, I am still missing out on two big race distances: the 10k and the half. As I've gone father distances than both these races, my goal is to actually train for them, rather than just building up to the required distance and calling it good.

Get back to planning a weekly menu. Boy have I really fallen off the train on this one. Between moving and a lot of events happening this summer, it was hard to come up with a weekly menu every week as we were most likely going to be gone the next. But, I need to quit using a busy schedule as an excuse. Building a menu each week makes for less headaches and "no, what do YOU want?" arguments. Not to mention less wasted food and easier trips to the grocery.

Serve more sides. Um, this is a pretty obvious one. I actually tried this a couple years ago, but didn't last too long. BUT, the way I can look at it this go around is that adding a side gives me a chance to incorporate those little green and brown things called veggies I like to avoid, as well as helping to cut down on the intake of calorie-laden entrees.

Start clearing out my Foodbuzz archives and Google Reader starred items. I really hate to admit how many recipes I've tucked away between these two sites over the years. Yes, years. And now Pinterest is not helping. These guys need a serious purge, and there's only one way to do that...

Start doing yoga again. Adam and I used to do this quite regularly a while back, but as per my usual excuse, things got busy and we stopped. I miss how much more relaxed my muscles felt and how much more flexible I was when we did yoga. It really doesn't take that much time and isn't super exhausting (at least the kind we do).

Drink more water. No, this isn't based on the fictional science about the 8 glasses of water a day. Apparently though, thirst can also present itself as hunger, which means eating a bunch of calories my body doesn't really need. So my goal is to drink a glass of water before giving in to those snack cravings as well as to drink a glass before each meal.

Aside from all the goal making hullabaloo, it's also fun at the end of each year to take a look back and see which recipes really caught your attention. Last year I simply asked Adam for his list of favorites. This year, I'm checking out which recipes you all made the most popular. And they are:

Top 10 Recipes from 2011
(according to page views)

#10 - Peppermint Hot Chocolate
#9 - Broccoli Cheese Soup
#8 - Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies
#7 - Russian Tea
#6 - Lofthouse Cookies
#5 - Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats
#4 - Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Blossoms
#3 - Baked Red Velvet Doughnuts
#2 - Swirl Sugar Cookies
#1 - Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Mwuahaha. (That is my evil laugh by the way.)

I bet you thought I was done with cookies. So did I.

Then I saw these. And I wasn't done.

Something about the white chocolate and cherry mixture called to me. It disregarded the fact that I don't like dipping things, and said "make me". Kind of creepy, actually.

Thank goodness I was able to look past that. And my dislike of dipping desserts. (Which stems from the fact that usually the chocolate ends up everywhere -- in my case, it is most definitely "operator error".)

Case in point -- there is already chocolate on my shirt this morning and all I did was EAT it. Dang it. Somebody put a bib in my stocking. And yes, I totally had chocolate as part of my breakfast. Early lunch?

Annnnyways. We were talking about these cookies I believe. That need to go on your to-make Christmas cookie list. Which is already 3.47 miles long. Don't worry. There's still time. You can do it. I have faith.

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from: Baking Serendipity

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
12 ounces white chocolate baking chips, divided
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening
Sprinkles (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Place cherries on a paper towel to completely drain.

In the large work bowl of a mixer, stir together the flour and sugar. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender (two knives work as well).

Finish drying cherries and finely chop. Chop 4 ounces of white chocolate until fine. Using a spatula, fold the almond extract, cherries, and white chocolate into the dough until a smooth ball forms.

Scoop out a 1" ball of dough and place on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the ball with the base of a drinking glass until about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat until sheet is full, spacing cookies 1-2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool for 1-2 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies have cooled, combine the remaining white chocolate with the shortening in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. Dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate, then shake of any excess. Place cookie on wax paper. Coat with sprinkles if desired; let the chocolate harden.

Makes: 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Due to my recent flurry of baking activity, I failed to notice how low I was actually getting on my almond extract before making these. Turns out, I only had about 1/4 teaspoon left. Although I supplemented with vanilla, definitely think the right amount (or even a bit more) of almond extract will really make these sing. Shoo, even without the full amount they were still pretty darn tasty. My only complaint is I wish the cherry flavor was just a smidge more prominent. Then they'd be perfect.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 27g
Amount per serving
Calories 120	Calories from fat 63
% Daily Value
Total Fat 7.0g	11%
Saturated Fat 4.5g	23%
Cholesterol 12mg	4%
Sodium 40mg	2%
Total Carbs 14.0g	5%
Sugars 8.2g
Protein 1.4g
Vitamin A 3%	Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 1%	Iron 2%

Christmas Dinner

Oh my goodness. 4 days until Christmas. FOUR DAYS. I think I've been in denial.

You would think not, as I've wrapped all the presents, and made all the cookies... but I still feel like it's at least a week off. Maybe two.

While cookies and sweets are staples of the holiday, I suppose we do have to eat. Real food, that is.

Even though we haven't quite settled on our Christmas dinner yet, I've come up with a few ideas for you if you happen to be like me, and totally forgot about the whole "dinner" thing. Since everyone goes about the main meal a little differently, I've come up with two separate menus: one fancy pants menu for those that are looking for an elegant way to serve up dinner, and another with more casual fare.

Christmas Dinner #1

Appetizer - Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms OR Chestnut Fennel Soup
Entree - Beef Wellington
Side - Mashed-Potato Casserole with Smoked Gouda and Bacon OR Wilted Spinach Salad with Warm Apple Cider and Bacon Dressing

Christmas Dinner #2

Appetizer - Baked Brie OR Spin Dip
Entree - Honey-Glazed Ham
Side - Cheesy Corn Bake AND/OR Honey Yeast Rolls

So... what's on your Christmas Dinner menu?