Taco Pizza

My husband had made me so many wonderful meals that he adapted to be meat free. When he was in school he worked at a pizza shop that had a taco pizza on the menu. Last night he decided to make a meat-free taco pizza, and it was out of this world good!

He placed a bag of Morningstar crumbles in a pan with some water and a package of vegetarian taco seasoning from Whole Foods and cooked it until the seasonings were absorbed. He then took a whole grain pizza crust from Trader Joe's and put a layer of vegetarian cheese on the crust then the seasoned crumbles, followed by another small layer of cheese. He then baked it in the oven until the crust was crispy and the cheese melted. After he took the pizza from the oven, he topped it with shredded lettuce and tomatoes.

Here is my piece with some Fage mixed with salsa on the side.

Another close up...

This was really a great meal that I never would have thought of. I'm so happy Steve is a wonderful and creative cook!

Sophie went to the groomers yesterday and they shaved her :( She was not amused and I miss her cocker spaniel ears (she is a cockapoo).

HAPPY FRIDAY!! I'm enjoying today and resting up for my 1/2 marathon in the morning, see you tomorrow.

Weekend highlights.

We had a busy weekend, and I didn't have very interesting meals Monday, so I thought I would summarize some highlights from over the weekend...



First, where Pittsburghers get their cheese... Pennsylvania Macaroni Co (known here at Penn Mac). They even carry soy cheese. When we got there around 2pm on Saturday there were 30 people with tickets in front of us. Steve gets three or four different cheeses when we go, including soy cheese for me. The website claims that they stock over 5,000 specialty products and sell over 200,000 pounds of cheese each week!! It is owned by an Italian family, and now the third generation of family owners.



If you are ever in Pittsburgh it is an awesome place to check out. They carry a lot more than cheese, it was just too crowded to take any other pictures.



Here is their cheese list:



And here are some pictures of the behind the counter action...

We hosted dinner for Steve's mom, sister, and brother on Saturday night, and I decided to make a healthy dessert. I made a pan of No Pudge brownies and topped them with cool whip that I mixed with a packet of pudding mix and berries. The family was amazed that they were healthy. They tasted so rich. If you have never made No Pudge brownies, the only extra you add is non-fat yogurt. They sell them online at Amazon for a good price. I read in a magazine that you can make this substitution to any brand of fat free brownie mix.

The other thing I love about No Pudge brownies, is that you can make one serving at a time. The side of the box gives you instructions for making a single serving brownie in the microwave in about a minute. This is a great alternative to Vitamuffins (although no vitamins in this mix).

My final new find this week was a frozen pizza from Trader Joe's. Steve and I prefer making our own pizza with Trader Joe's crust, but this was a great quick alternative. The crust was very crisp, which I liked. The big problem I have with this pizza is that it has a high amount of saturated fat. The cheese used vegetable rennet, which is something I look for before buying cheese.

Okay, have a great Tuesday!!!

Back with a full day of eats!

While I decided on breakfast I snacked on some Granola. I really love Cascadian Farm's dark chocolate almond. I decided to have a pb&j, one half just pb co's dark chocolate dreams and half of a banana, the other side dark chocolate dreams and jam.


My breakfast kept me full until 11am, and then I had a mini luna bar that has been sitting in my pantry. I needed something to whole me during my lunch time workout, so I ate it. I did about 25 minutes of cardio at the gym.


For lunch I ate 1/3 cup couscous mixed with 1/2 cup water. I cooked the water in the microwave for 2 minutes and then added the couscous and covered for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl I microwaved 1/3 cup morningstar crumbles, 1/3 cup peas, 1/8 cup chick peas, and 1 artichoke heart from a can I opened last week. After the couscous had absorbed all the water, I added the other goodies and microwaved for 30 seconds. I added a little salt and pepper. This would be good with a drizzle of EVOO or balsamic vinegar.



An hour after lunch I was still hungry, so I ate by Oikos yogurt. I really love the blueberry flavor and have one a day usually.

Even though most days my greek yogurt keeps me full for at least a few hours. I was still really hungry, so I went and got a skim latte with an extra shot.


When I got home I munched on one serving of Sweet Crisps by Genisoy. I like Genisoy's soy crisps, and they recently came out with these sweet ones. Then have less protein than the soy crisps.
Dinner was a side salad and pizza. I added some almonds and dried cherries to my salad, I loved the crunch of the almonds and the chew of the cherries. The flavors taste so good together too.

The pizza is made with soy meat and cheese and I talk about all the great ingredients we use in this post.

After dinner we decided to go to the gyms to do weights, because we never have time at lunch. We did a good leg workout and bench press exercises.

Well off to start my Saturday. I have a bridal shower for a friend I have had for 21 years. Then tonight I am doing out to dinner with friends. So I'm not sure that I will be able to have a lunch or dinner picture. I'll try!

Unhealthy Lawyer!

Last night Blogger was having an internal error and I couldn't upload my pictures. My throat still hurts but I have still been eating as normal.


Breakfast was Chocolate Covered Cherry Oatmeal. I used 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup of canned pitted cherries (no sugar added), 2/3 cup unsweetened almond breeze and a little more water as needed. I also mixed in a yogurt. This picture doesn't look the best, but it really was so good.





Lunch (because my throat hurt) was a GNC Peanut Butter Surprise Smoothie from the GNC Smoothie Bar. It included Chocolate soy milk, peanut butter, banana, and some GNC smoothie mix. No picture because I drank it walking around town with Steve and threw it away without thinking before going back to work. It was a 20 ounce smoothie.


Part two of my lunch was back at the office...a Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar. Whole Foods finally had them in and it was so worth the wait. Mine was cold from being in the work fridge, but that didn't change the flavor. I really thought it tasted like a Peanut Butter Cookie. I was really full after this and the shake.

Around 4pm I left work because I was feeling sick and when I got home I had a bowl of grapes.

For dinner I tried Amy's Gluten Free Cheese Pizza with Rice Crust. It was different but it still tasted good. I added some broccoli and mushrooms.

While the pizza cooked I ate some baked tostitos (not pictured) and carrots with Annie's Dressing.

Here is the picture of my pizza. I resorted to a habit I have, because Steve wasn't home to sit down with me, and I ate this pizza standing up (that is why I picture is still on the pan). The full pizza serves three so I had about 1.5 servings since I ate half of the pizza.

I am not a big juice drinker, but because my throat was feeling so sore, I decided that I would have some but I mixed it with sparkling mineral water. I used 1/2 cup Naked juice and 3/4 cup of mineral water. This was so good and may become a drink for even when I'm not sick.

Off to work, later than I had hoped. See you all tonight!!

Quick Question: I am stressed that I haven't worked out since Friday because I haven't felt well, what do you do (if anything) for exercise when you are sick?

Soccer Sunday!

This morning my husband decided to make french toast. He used Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Bread and dipped the bread in a mix of egg whites and skim milk. I had two pieces with about a cup of berries and 2 tbsp of cool whip free.

Lunch had to be on the go, because at the last minute I decided I would go to my husband's soccer game which was being played at a field an hour away from our house. So I grabbed a Kashi Go Lean Crunchy Chocolate Pretzel flavored. I really love these Kashi Crunchy bars, they even make a great snack because of their calorie, protein, and fiber counts.

I also prepared some sparking water with ice and lime to take to the game with me.

I also requested that my husband stop at Starbucks for a drink (I said yesterday that I'm addicted) :)

After my husband's game was over (which took 2 hours) we stopped at Sheetz to get drinks. I got some water and this pineapple wedge. Which I thought was a tasty treat to hold me over until we could make dinner.

Close to the soccer field was a nice lake with a 1/2 mile paved track. My husband and I decided to go for a jog. We jogged 3.3 miles at 8.50 min/mile and then walked another 1/2 mile.

Dinner tonight was homemade pizza. It was so good, due to the fabulous ingredients we use.

We found a great crust from Trader Joe's that I highly recommend. One Serving (1/8 slice) has only 130 calories, 5 grams of protein, and 4 grams of fiber.

We then use meatless pepperoni. Tonight we used a kind we have not tried before. I thought it tasted just as good as the other brands we have tried, but my husband thought it was better. This adds very few calories to each serving, about 25 calories on 1/4 slice. Now might be a good time to mention that my husband is not a vegetarian but he has come to like the vegetarian meals and the proteins I use.

The sauce we use was Newman's Own Sockarooni Sauce, which is our favorite. Besides the fact that the Newman's Own products taste so good, they donate all of their profits to charity and since 1982 have donated over $200 million to charities worldwide. We also added fresh mushrooms and cheese from whole foods that is free of animal-enzymes. I only eat soy cheese or cheese that is derived from vegetable or microbiotic enzymes.

Here is my piece of pizza on a small plate (it is 1/4 of the pizza).

With the pizza I made a salad and used 1 tbsp of Newman's Own Lighten Up Honey Mustard Dressing.

My husband has some homework for his MBA classes (he works full time and takes classes at night), I baked him some Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. I didn't sample one, and it was a new recipe I put together, but my husband claims they are really good.

Here is the recipe, I would love to know what other's think if you test this recipe:

2.5 or 3 bananas

1/3 cup egg whites

1/2 cup Splenda or Sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 3/4 cups quick oats

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mash the bananas, then add the egg whites and splenda and mix well. Add in the peanut butter. In a smaller bowl mix oats, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the banana mixture. After the dry ingredients are mixed well into the banana mixture add desired amount of chocolate chips. Drop cookies on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Although the cookies smelled so good, I had a bowl of watermelon because we have a huge seedless watermelon to use up.

I hope you all enjoy the last few hours of this long weekend, I know that it will be hard for me to go back to the office in the morning!!