Zucchini, Caramelized Onion & Gorganzola Pizza

Hello Lovelies ~

It seems Christmas comes faster and faster every year. Why is that?? My menu for the holidays looks something like this..

Chili Cheese log and crackers
veggies
Baileys and coffee
this delicious Kale and Quinoa quiche recipe Christmas morning
Lasagne meat and veggie (Christmas dinner)
Buffalo Bread ( CD)
garlic bread (CD)
Cesar salad (CD)
a delicious cherry and pistachio choc tart  (CD)
Truffles, Baileys and Peppermint

and probably some other delicious things....

What's on your holiday menu??

So lets get to this AMAZING pizza...

This is my favorite pizza! Easy to make and it doesn't weigh you down.

What you will need ~
 Pizza crust
1 baby Zucchini
1 onion
1 sm clove garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Gorgonzola cheese
Mozzarella cheese

First you want to thinly slice 1 onion and put into pan with a little extra virgin olive oil using a low to med heat caramelize your onions.

while your onions are caramelizing you can go ahead and put your pizza stone or baking sheet into a the oven and turn it on to 500. Let your pizza stone or baking sheet preheat with the oven!!!

At this point you can start getting your crust ready. You can either make homemade pizza dough or buy some fresh dough at Trader Joe's or Safeway. Cut the dough in half.

 Put dough onto a piece of parchment paper that you've sprinkled with a little cornmeal.

I use a rolling pin to roll the dough. I roll my dough out very thin so I get a crispy crunch with every  bite!

after your onions have caramelized take them out of the pan and put into a bowl for when your ready to assembly your pizza. Now you can use all of the onions, but I often save some to use in something the next day.

Now you want to cut up your zucchini into about 1/4 in slices and saute them just for a few mins on each side. when you flip them to the other side add in your minced garlic.

when your Zucchini is done get them out of the pan and into a bowl or on the counter and get ready to assembly your pizza....

start by spread about 2 tsp of EVOO onto your pizza crust with a brush. Then add your zucchinni in a single layer. I put mine on like pepperoni. Then add your onions.

Then you want to add on your cheese.

I'm generous with the Gorgonzola but I only use just a sprinkle of the Mozzarella. There was the perfect amount left in the bag.

Now your pizza is ready to go into the oven. Pull out your preheated pizza stone..
Use caution as it is flaming hot!!!!  

 slide the parchment right onto your pizza stone or pan. Cook for about 5-7 mins!

I know you will LOVE this pizza as much as I do. I leave it to cool on the pizza stone and I find that it keeps the crust really crunchy.

ENJOY!!

OX Sherice 

Almond Palmiers

Hi All ~

I know I've been MIA for way to long but I'm back and will explain why in a Vlog maybe tomo.. I've never done one and I think it would be easier to explain why I've been missing for 6+ mos in person. And I like to watch vlog posts on the blogs I watch. It's nice to hear the person's voice and see what they are like in person sometimes.

So tonight it's going to be a recipe.. a delicious, easy, recipe..

I had never heard of these but thanks to an awesome blog I LOVE, check it out here I have now made these multiple times!

Palmiers ~

These can be sweet or savory. I haven't tried a savory version yet but I'm thinking Christmas would be a great opportunity to do that. I'm thinking some herb goat cheese or olive tapenade.. that's the beauty of this recipe you can use any creation your heart desires...

My heart desires the Almond Croissants at Trader Joes. you leave them out overnight and by morning you have delicate croissants with a yummy almond filling ready to pop into your oven.. so this was my inspiration for my Palmiers..


Almond Palmiers
 1 roll Puff Pastry
1/2 cup almond meal.. I just grind my own almonds, so much cheaper
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
 real butter at room temp

Glaze
2-3 Tbls powdered sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 Tbls almond milk. 

Thaw your puff pastry in the fridge and take out when you are ready to assembly and bake. I've heard that if the dough is at room temp they won't puff up in the oven.

Mix your almond meal, cinnamon, and br. sugar, I use a rolling pin and just give the dough a once or twice over. Spread a thin layer of room temp butter onto puff pastry. Then add your mixture onto that. you will not use all the mixture.. it makes enough for probably 2 batches of these.. I use maybe about 1/2 the mix.

 Start by rolling the edges tightly until they meet each other in the middle. Then slice them about an inch? I use the edge of the knife I slice them with to help lift them and then transport them to your parchment lined baking sheet. Don't worry if they kind of gap you will understand when you put them on the baking sheet. I just kinda gently squeeze them together.

Now put them in your preheated oven..if your oven is accurate the recipe calls for 400 degrees for 20 mins. My oven however, is so NOT accurate I have to constantly watch it like a baby but as it was free, I'm not complaining. I cook mine at 350 for 20 mins.. 

They puff up like little clouds of almondy goodness..

and the bottoms get this sugary, crust on them

So GOOOOOOOD!!!!

as they cool mix up your glaze and drizzle it over the top of them.. or you can leave them as is and have no glaze.. but why would you want to do that??!

Let me know how much you love these :)
Sherice oxox

Lentil Quinoa Tacos

Hi There!

It's been nice to be back in my kitchen experimenting and trying new recipes and eating them!

Today I have a Lentil Quinoa Taco recipe for ya.
 I can see that I will be putting this filling with lettuce for veggie taco salad or filling in leaves instead of tortillas! I love both Lentils and Quinoa.

Lentils ~

 Heart Health
 They have high levels of folate and magnesium.

Stabilize Blood Sugar
Due to their high fiber content, lentils help in regulating blood sugar by providing steady, slow-burning energy and balancing blood sugar levels.

High in Iron Lentils are loaded with iron and are a great way to replenish the body's iron stores, especially for people who don't eat red meat like vegans and vegetarians.
  
B Vitamins
Lentils are a great source of B vitamins, most notably folate and niacin (B3). B vitamins are important for the healthy functioning of the nervous, digestive, and immune systems.

Lower Cholesterol
Lentils are a great cholesterol lowering food due to their high levels of fiber.

Protein Packed
Protein makes up 26% of the calories in lentils and they have the third highest level of protein than any other plant food. It's no wonder that they're a staple in many parts of the world.

Info from Healthdiaries.com

Quinoa ~

 High quality protein with the nine essential amino acids, the protein balance is similar to milk. At 16.2 to 20 percent protein, it has is more protein than rice (7.5 percent), millet (9.9 percent) or wheat (14 percent).

Great source of riboflavin. Riboflavin has been shown to help reduce the frequency of attacks in migraine sufferers by improving the energy metabolism within the brain and muscle cells.

nca warriors had more

 

 stamina and quicker recovery time by eating these quinoa seeds, making it a truly ancient powerfood.

Antiseptic. The saponins from quinoa are used to promote healing of skin injuries in South America.

Not fattening! Only 172 calories per 1/4 cup dry (24 of the calories from protein and only 12 from sugars, the rest are complex carbohydrates, fiber and healthy fats).

Gluten-free. Since it is not not related to wheat, or even a grain, it is gluten-free.

Alkaline-forming. Although it is not strongly alkaline-forming, it is comparable to wild rice, amaranth, and sprouted grains.

Smart Carb: It is a complex carbohydrate with a low glycemic index, so it won’t spike your blood sugar.

 

Info from care2.com

 

 

Lentil, Quinoa Tacos

1 1/2 cups cooked lentils

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 Tbls taco seasoning

avocado

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 chopped onion

tomato

cilantro

1 lime

1/2 cup sweet organic corn 

1/2 can black beans drained and rinsed

saute your onion in pan until soft add in garlic, saute 1-2 mins add in lentils, quinoa, black beans, & corn, squeeze in juice of lime. add in 1 Tbls of taco seasoning mix and add lid until everything is heated through. 

place in Corn or Flour tortilla and add cilantro, tom and avocado for garnish!

This meal could easily become Vegan if you cook your lentils and quinoa in vegetable broth or even water. I cook mine in chicken broth just because it adds such good flavor!

 

 Enjoy!!

OX Sherice

What's been going on around here...

Hey ~

I know it's been a while since I blogged but I've been dealing with some nasty back pain.

Upon waking up about 2 mos ago after having a cold, my back was really hurting. Like can't move, spasms and a major hitch in my giddy up. I went to the Dr. as most Americans would and their advice was muscle relaxers, Advil and rest, along with some ice and heat. Things I already knew.

Well that sounds great but rest just made it worse in all honesty. After taking the rest of the week off work and suffering through, it started to feel better and back to work I went. In case you aren't aware, my job is cleaning houses for a cleaning company. Very physical. I thought I'd be great at the job because I work out all the time... or should I say I worked out all the time before starting the job.

The back pain has returned. Back pain is something I've had it seems all my life. Be it achy, stiff, sore, spasm, or just pain...

As you can image going from feeling strong, and fit. Better than I've ever felt to feeling miserable and hardly being able to move and not working out has been really tough. I can tell such a HUGE difference in my attitude.

So last week I went to the Chiropractor. Now the Chiro is someone that you love or hate, feel is worth while or just a crock.. In my experience from talking to others.

I feel that they are very valid. If you look at your body as a whole unit. It makes sense that being outta whack or having a Subluxation as it's called when your out of whack and pinching off nerves. Those nerves supply vital nutrients to all your organs.

I think that good health encompasses more than just looking good and working out. It's about your whole body inside and out.

Upon my Chiro appt I found out numerous things...

1. I significant Scoliosis in the base of my spine
2. my Left leg is shorter than my right which is causing my whole "atlas" or skeletal frame to be off
3. my right hip is rotating forward
4. 17 out of my 24 vertebrae are "outta whack"
5. there is virtually no space between the first vertebrae and the second in the base of my neck
6. my left hip is totally compressed, meaning there should be space between your hip joints and there isn't in that one!
7. I have bone spurs on every vertebrae in the mid section of my back. which take 15 yrs to grow before showing up on an x ray
8. I have a high pain tolerance.. which I already knew. It's not always as good as it sounds though!

whew... the good news is that with treatment pretty much everything will get better... If I don't do treatment than in about 10 yrs I will be a hurting unit.. well more than I am now!   

So I have a wonderful Chiropractor that I will be seeing. He has given me a lift to put in my shoe so that my left leg will start to grow again, which will help get my atlas centered and working properly.

I also had to quit my job. As for the Personal training thing.. I'm full speed ahead. My back is already feeling better and in another couple days I will be back to normal and my workouts.

I've had these issues for a long time and I think that right now this is God's way of saying take a break and take the path that you are working so hard for. Which isn't cleaning houses.

For now I'm back to being unemployed and looking for work. I have a few things in the works so keep your fingers crossed!

OX Sherice

Lavender Honey Ice Cream

Hi There, where ever there is...

My sis and I went to the Farmers Market on Saturday and picked up a beautiful bundle of Culinary Lavender.

The original bundle was about 3 times this size.. Huge I tell ya!

Ever since watching It's Complicated.. a favorite movie of mine. I've been interested in making some Lavender Ice Cream. So after our trip to the Farmers Market we headed to Trader Joe's to pick up some Organic Milk and my sister made the ice cream. She's the one with the ice cream maker.. until I can get one. It's on my "must get" list!

I don't have the recipe yet, so this post is going to be a teaser. I will get on her to email the recipe for me and I will edit this post as soon as I've got it!!

I know that she used a basic vanilla Ice cream recipe. With whole milk, half and half, eggs, vanilla, and honey. She steeped a bit of the lavender in with the milk just until it got hot but not boiling. Then she pulled it out. From there I don't know. I've never made Ice cream before, she's the pro!

All done and churning in the I.C. maker

Finished product

It was so good. We have a lot of different ideas in the works with this recipe though, as my niece doesn't like the honey and after a few consecutive bites the honey was a bit overpowering. But all in all The Lavender Ice Cream was a SUCCESS!!!!

In other random news.. my favorite beer at the moment is....

and I bought some delicious chocolate croissants at TJ and had them Sunday Morning....

 This is what I've been doing in all my spare time....

Sherice oxoxox

Raspberry Freezer Jam

WOW.... Sorry it's been so long since I last blogged. I guess life took over.

Yesterday I was at the Farmers Market and came across these beauties.....

I've been wanting to make Jam but it seems very intimidating to me so I remember my sister telling me about how easy freezer jam is. So searched online for a recipe that sounded easy and fool proof. I used this recipe..http://www.chestertownfitforlife.com/2010/09/how-to-make-raspberry-freezer-jam.html#.UANZUnAzLRw   It was easy peaze!


First you mash up enough Raspberries for 2 cups.. I measured out 2 cups whole berries and then added another cup. 

I was texting my sister and was NOT paying attention and I added the 4 cups (I know, it's an outrageous amount of sugar) directly into the mashed Rasp. w/out measuring out the 2 cups. But oh well, I wasn't about to through out those berries and start over. So I hoped for the best. It totally worked out!! Yay!!

Then you mix it well and let it sit for 10 mins. Come back and add in 1 pkg (1 box) of pectin. I used the Sure Jell kind and 2 Tbls lemon juice.

Then set a timer and mix for 3 mins.. my Gymboss timer
came in really handy for this part

start stirring.. you'll get an arm workout for sure!

Then once the 3 mins is up your ready to fill what ever it is your using. I used some small pint (I think) jars I have on hand.

Once all your jars are filled you let the jam sit on your counter for 24 hrs.. I made mine about 7 pm and when I got up this morning about 9am I put one jar in the fridge and the others in the freezer. I could tell it was already thick. I'm very impatient so I didn't wait the 24 hrs and it worked just fine!!

I got about 7 jars of jam out of 2 cups of berries.. You can use any fruit for this recipe I'd imagine. As long as you can mash it up. I'm going to try making Peach jam next month. We always go to our local peach growers and pick peaches in Aug. One of the best things about the month of August. Fresh, sweet local peaches.

Eating this jam reminds me of spending time at my grandmas. We'd always have fresh Raspberry jam with homemade bread and butter at dinner time.

Isn't it funny how eating something or smelling something can just transport you right back to a memory you've forgotten about.

This morning I still had quite a few Raspberries so I made some delicious Raspberry Muffins.

Here's the recipe...

1/2 cup room temp butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh or frozen Raspberries (toss in flour so they won't sink to the bottom of your batter)
turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top

cream butter and sugar in mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs mix until blended, add yogurt blend, add in vanilla and milk and blend until mixed well. combine dry ingredients and add 1/2 into wet, blend then add in rest of dry and thoroughly mix. Toss your berries in a little bit of flour, this helps them so they won't sink to the bottom of the mix. add to mix and blend by hand, so as not to break up all the berries. Place in cupcake holders in a muffin tin. I used a reg size ice cream scoop. Sprinkle with Turbinado Sugar. Bake @ 350 for 25-30 mins

These are really yummy!
They are moist from the yogurt with a bit of sweetness from the Turbinado sugar on top! So good with a hot cup of coffee!


Here's my workout for today.

The squats w/ leg abduction on the bosu were very hard! I do squats all the time and my legs were toast by the time I was done with 3 sets.

 Have a nice week ~
Sherice oxox

The Dark Side

Hey There ~

I hope everyone is doing well. I on the other hand, have had a doozy of a time the last couple weeks..It all started when my husband gave me his nasty cold. Even though I told him I'd rather have a dentist drill on my tooth, he gave it to me anyway! So I was feeling crummy, stuffed up, sore throat, along with sneezing and coughing. So after about a week of that I was feeling better and then Sunday came along and my back was all messed up.

I have no idea how I hurt it. But after 3 days I knew I wouldn't be able to work so I ended up having to go see the Dr.  who then said maybe it was all the sneezing and coughing. Thanks sweet hubs for your gift that keeps on giving!!

Long story short, I was laid up for about a week and I'm just now starting to feel normal again. It's amazing what some Ice, heat and muscle relaxers will do for ya!

So you can image how horrible physically and emotionally I felt after about 2 weeks of not working out and eating things I shouldn't be.. damn Trader Joes and there delicious coffee ice cream bars!! Even though my back was sore and tight this morning, I knew the best thing I could do was get back in the saddle. I headed to the gym and did some good stretching and an easy workout well it was supposed to be an easy workout but of course that doesn't really fly with me... here's what I did.

3 sets of......

1. Static Lunges R leg ~ 15 reps
2. Static Lunges L leg ~ 15 reps
3. Curl w/ press standing on 1 leg for 10 reps then switch to the other leg for 10 reps
4. Tricep push up into a cobra into a downward facing dog 10 reps (these felt good on my back) slow and controlled people!
5. 1 arm fly w/bridge 8 lb med ball 15 reps ea arm (one of my new fave exercises)

I did 60 sec of jump rope in between each exercise..


Me after this workout!! SWEATY!!!!

Then I stretched again really good when I was done with my workout. My back feels great!!

Being active is what it needed once the spasms and pain subsided.. I did need that week of rest. We each know our bodies and I knew that a good stretch was what I needed in the healing process at this point.





My sister made a delicious pizza that I feel in love with and I had to have the recipe.

Caramelize some onions in evoo until they are sweet and brown, then I sauteed some thin zucchini slices with garlic for about 5 mins.. brush rolled out pizza dough with evoo and put on your sauteed veggies then add fresh mozzerella cheese and bake on heated pizza stone at 475-500 for 10 mins...

This is what you'll get to eat... so delicious! I'm in love!!!

I took the down time with my back to get some studying done. If you didn't see my last post I just started studying for my Personal Trainers Certificate through the NASM..

It's gonna be a hard but anything worth doing is, Right!!

This was just funny!!

I can totally geek out on Star Wars and who doesn't LOVE Pink Floyd??

Catch ya on the Dark Side..... :)
oxox Sherice

Lunch @ CLOVER

Hello Darlings ~

I just love that word... Darlings. It just sounds so European.
This weekend was super Rainy and cold. Well at least cold for being June. Come on Mother Nature, it's summer time!!

Saturday I got together with my sister and we headed to the library. I haven't been to the library, I'm sad to say for probably 5 yrs. NO JOKE!! I was pleased to see some new DVD Titles and some new book titles I've been wanting to read.

My book Hual. The Crazy Sexy Diet I'm gonna have to buy

Then we needed a little warmth in our tummies. We really wanted a light healthy lunch of soup and salad and my sister remembered this new restaurant that opened not long ago in our neighborhood. As it turns out I've also been wanting to go there. GREAT idea sis!

So we headed to Clover....

 

Clover has a great court yard and patio seating that I can't wait to enjoy with a delicious brunch on a sunny weekend! Unfortunately I didn't snap a pic of the patio but I did get a few of the landscape.

really cool fountain

This is the door leading into the courtyard, Isn't it just awesome. We loved it!!

Once inside out of the rain, the staff was very friendly and welcoming. They have seating downstairs as well as upstairs. We choose to sit upstairs and I'm glad we did. 

The pictures really don't do it justice.. The upstairs was open and welcoming and the downstairs has a nice bar area with a little nook of window seating and some seating to the left.

Beautiful plank hardwood floors and soft lighting really add to the comfort of the place.

Once we headed up stairs and were seated,  I ordered a refreshing drink. A lime spritzer with meddled mint and ginger in sparkling water. It was really light and refreshing.

 Then we ordered lunch. We shared the Clover salad of greens with shaved parm, candied pecans and a house citrus vinaigrette and soup. She got the French onion and I got the Tomato Bisque.

The salad was ok, we both thought it needed a little something more, like some pears or beets to liven it up and the dressing was lacking the citrus component. I was thinking it would be a party in my mouth but nope. But the soups were delicious. The Tomato was thick and hearty and her French Onion was AH. MAZ. ING!!!!!! I've never had F. O. Soup before and let me tell you, I will be ordering this next time. It was savory and rich with a crusty, cheesy delicious topping. Everything a French Onion soup should be!!

What the salad lacked in pizazz the soups definitely made up for!! Once we had savored our lunch and eaten every last bite of salad and sipped every last spoonful of soup it was dessert time..

We shared an order of Baklava, which was really good and the perfect amount. We enjoyed dessert with a mug of hot Decaf. 

Baklava w/ Blackberries

Cheers to sister time and a great lunch!

The Breakfast and Dinner menu looked delicious as well.. yummy omelets, french toast and Steaks and seafood. 

We will for sure be going back for a brunch on the patio and a steak or in my sisters case a seafood dinner. 

If you live in Spokane give Clover a try. You won't be disappointed! 

**********

In other news.. guess what I'm doing....

Yep... I finally ordered my stuff from NASM and I'm heading down the path I've been waiting to venture for the last 4 yrs. It's been such a long time coming but everything happens for a reason and I just need to remember that! I'm doing the CPT (certified personal trainer) and the FNS (fitness nutrition certification).

I'm looking forward to getting these 2 certs and finding a job that I LOVE, which is helping change someone else's life like fitness has changed mine. It's my passion. I want the world to know that feeling good is not an unattainable goal. Everyone has the right to look in the mirror and like what they see. It's hard work and sacrifice but it's so worth it. And before long it really isn't a sacrifice because you will feel better, look better and be better and you will want to continue on your journey.

So Cheers to a healthy happy you! 

OXOX Sherice