This tasty breakfast pizza also makes a quick and easy dinner in a pinch, and the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a group.

Easy to make

Serves 2
Takes less than 30 minutes, including prep

 

Ingredients:

 

2-4 slices thick-cut bacon

1/3 to 1/2 cup marinara sauce

1 garlic clove

2 eggs

2 whole-wheat pitas, Greek style (no pockets)

3/4 to 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

 

Directions:

1.      Place a cookie sheet in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

2.      Chop bacon, or cut with scissors, into 1/2-inch pieces.  Fry until crisp in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, then scoop with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb excess grease.  Don’t drain the pan!

3.      While bacon is cooking, pour marinara sauce into a small bowl.  Press garlic through a garlic press or mince finely and add to bowl with marinara.  Mix well.

4.      Break eggs into a small bowl and whisk until smooth.  Add beaten eggs to hot pan with bacon grease and stir until fully cooked.  Remove from heat.

5.      Spoon desired amount of marinara onto pitas, then top with a thin layer of cheese.

6.      Break up eggs and sprinkle on top of cheese.

7.      Add bacon pieces and top with a bit more cheese if desired.

8.      Carefully place completed pita pizzas onto hot cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and center of pita pizza is hot.

9.      Cut into quarters with a pizza cutter and enjoy with a small bowl of grapes and a glass of milk.

 

©2010 Nicole Wiese, Menus4Life

1 multi-grain baguette, cut into quarters

2 tablespoons mayo, tangy dressing or salad dressing

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

8 ounces very thinly sliced cooked pork roast (leftovers are great for this!)

4 ounces very thinly shaved cappy or other spicy ham

2-4 slices aged Swiss cheese

2 dill pickles, sliced very thin

2 tablespoons salted butter

 

Slice two of the baguette quarters lengthwise, then hollow out centers to make room for fillings.  Mix mayo, mustard and black pepper in small bowl, and spread evenly on all four pieces of bread.  Evenly layer meat, cheese and pickles on one half of baguette, then top with other half of bread.  Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, and place sandwiches in pan, flipping to coat both sides of bread.  Place another heavy, flat-bottomed skillet on top of sandwiches and weigh down with canned goods.  Flip sandwiches after about four minutes, and cook other side for about three minutes.  If you want fillings to be warmer, cook longer at lower heat so bread doesn’t burn.  Serve with a cold mug of light beer and eat hearty!

Extra virgin olive oil

1 pork loin, about 4 pounds

Kosher or sea salt and fresh ground pepper

4 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves

1 large bunch fresh thyme

1 large bunch fresh rosemary

1 20 oz package button mushrooms

4 medium carrots

3 medium Yukon gold potatoes

1 large stalk celery

6 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large sweet onion

2 lemons

2 cups chicken broth

½ cup dry cooking sherry or dry white wine

 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Drizzle about ¼ cup olive oil in the bottom of a large roasting pan.  Butterfly the pork loin lengthwise down the middle of the lean side, not quite cutting all the way through.  Stuff the opening with sprigs of rosemary and thyme.  Flip over and position meat in the center of the roasting pan, fatty side up.  Drizzle the meat with olive oil and salt and pepper thoroughly.  Line the bottom of the pan with remaining sprigs of thyme, and very finely chop (I always use kitchen shears to chop fresh herbs) about one tablespoon of rosemary leaves into the bottom of the pan, then add a bay leaf to each corner of the pan.

Wash and trim the ends off the mushrooms and toss them into the bottom of the pan, halving if they are large.  Peel carrots and cut up carrots, celery and potatoes (you can also peel the potatoes) into 1-inch cubes and add to pan, along with cloves of garlic around sides.  Halve onion and make ¼ inch slices, breaking up and spreading over top of meat and veggies.  Wedge lemons and squeeze over meat and veggies, putting the spent wedges into the pan when done.

Pour chicken broth and sherry or wine into pan and put in oven for three hours, or until thermometer reads about 160 degrees.  Check periodically and if pan is getting dry, add more broth, water or wine.  Remove from oven, cover pan with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes.  Slice pork and serve over veggies and broth in a wide, flat bowl.  Serve with remainder of the bottle of dry white wine and enjoy!

Lemonade made with lemons fresh from the tree is absolutely amazing!  Meyer lemons from the grocery store make a great substitute if you don’t have access to home-grown lemons.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

½ cup raw sugar

1 bottle San Pellegrino sparkling mineral water

2 cups crushed ice

 

Directions

Juice lemons, straining juice into large glass measuring cup until you have one cup. Add lime juice and sugar. Stir and allow sugar to fully dissolve in juice. Pour mixture into large pitcher, then add San Pellegrino and crushed ice. Stir well and serve in tall glasses garnished with lime or lemon slices for a refreshing treat!

Incredibly craveable low-carb meal with very little sugar.  We're watching our carbs and cutting sugar before swimsuit season arrives in a few months!

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Wash and dry 12 chicken legs with the skin on (about 3 pounds total).  Line a large cookie sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil and alternate chicken legs in two rows, so there is an even amount of space between them.  They should look like this:       W M W M W M
                                                                                                                          M W M W M W

 

Lightly sprinkle the chicken legs on both sides with fresh ground black pepper, Creole seasoning, Blackened seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, and Montreal Chicken seasoning.  No salt is necessary because all the seasoning mixes will likely have plenty of salt in them.  Shake legs back and forth on pan to roll them around in excess seasonings and adjust placement so they are evenly spaced again.

Roast chicken legs for 30-40 minutes, flipping with tongs after 15 minutes and keeping a close watch on them for the last 5- 10 minutes to prevent burning.

While chicken is roasting, dump a bottle of Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce into a large bowl.  If you use a plastic bowl, the sauce may stain it.

Remove chicken legs from oven when fully cooked (at least 160 degrees on a meat thermometer that is not touching the bone) and using a fresh pair of tongs, place legs immediately into the bowl with the wing sauce.  Carefully drain the excess chicken juices into the bowl.  Shake the bowl to coat the chicken well and let cool to touching temperature while making the salad.

If serving the next day (you can try to wait that long to eat these, but you may not be successful), let the chicken cool in the bowl to room temperature, but not more than 60 minutes.  Transfer to a gallon-size freezer bag and refrigerate, preferably in a meat drawer, which will be colder than the rest of the fridge.  Make the salad while reheating chicken on the stovetop, in the microwave or in the oven.

Make a large salad of roughly chopped Romaine and Iceberg lettuces tossed with Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing, carrot and celery sticks.  Serve chicken with ice-cold light beer and small containers of extra sauce and dressing for dipping.  Have many napkins ready!
 
©2010 Nicole Wiese

Today’s tip: Whenever you cook bacon, pour the drippings into a heat-proof container, allow to cool, then transfer to a plastic bag or container, date and freeze.  Bacon drippings can add a lot of flavor to dishes like fried potatoes or eggs.

This is a great weekend breakfast recipe to use leftover baked potatoes.  This entire recipe contains only nine grams of sugar and 187 net grams of carbs.  Makes about four servings.

2-3 tbsp canola oil

1 shallot, minced

1 tsp minced garlic

3 large cooked russet potatoes, mostly peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes (note: if you have no leftover potatoes, wash and microwave the potatoes on high for 10-15 minutes the night before, then refrigerate for use in the morning)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

8 oz thinly sliced pastrami, chopped (can substitute corned beef)

2 large eggs per serving

1 tbsp bacon drippings

Kosher salt & pepper to taste

 

Heat canola oil over medium heat, add shallot and cook until soft, add garlic and cook a minute longer.  Add potatoes and turn the heat up to medium-high.

Season potatoes with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.

While potatoes are cooking, fry eggs in bacon drippings, salt and pepper eggs to taste.

Once potatoes are nicely browned, add chopped pastrami and flip to mix in pastrami.  Cook hash 2-3 more minutes until pastrami is lightly browned.

Scoop hash into bowls and top each serving with two fried eggs.

Nicole Wiese ©2010

Tangy Chopped Salad

Copyright 2009 Nicole Wiese

 

This quick and easy chopped salad can be made with any combination of veggies you have on hand.  For a sweet kick, add a chopped apple or pear.  You can also substitute chopped pickle for the olives.

 

Salad:

1 small head broccoli, chopped finely

1 large cucumber, seeded and chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

3 small or 2 large stalks celery, finely sliced or chopped

4 large button mushrooms, chopped or sliced

5 jumbo jalapeno-filled green olives, finely chopped (or use olives with pimientos)

 

Sauce:

1/4 cup olive-oil vinaigrette

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/8 tsp celery seed (or 2 pinches)

Fresh ground white pepper to taste

 

Toss ingredients in medium mixing bowl and season to taste.  Great with fish and white wine.

 

Today’s Tip:  Stock up on the mini, small and medium size dishwasher-proof disposable, reusable plastic containers when they are on sale.  They don’t take up much room in the cabinet, and are perfect for portioning foods for your weekly breakfasts when you’re on-the-go.  Just make sure you transfer contents to a glass dish before microwaving to prevent chemicals from the plastic leaching into your food.

Breakfast is the best way to start your day the healthy way!  I know this sounds corny, but it is so true.  Always drink a full glass of water as soon as you wake or with breakfast to counter the mild dehydration that occurs overnight.  If you don’t have time to make eggs in the morning before running out the door, here are some healthy alternatives to eggs or boring cereal that are quick and easy (and portable).  These are also great after-school snacks for two kids (or one small kid and one big kid – you!)  I portion the ingredients for these recipes over the weekend for the upcoming week so I can grab and go!

1.      Raspberry yogurt (about 150 calories): This is my new favorite quick breakfast and a fantastic alternative to store-bought yogurts that are full of sugar and/or corn syrup.  Microwave one cup frozen raspberries (or other berries) on medium for about two minutes or just until thawed.  Stir in one packet of Truvia or a teaspoon of sugar.  Swirl one-half cup low-fat, plain (organic if possible) yogurt into the raspberries and enjoy!

 

2.      Banana pops (about 150 calories): Cut ripe bananas into halves or thirds, depending on the size of the banana.  You want pieces that are about three inches long.  Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat, I use Ghirardelli’s 60% Cacao bittersweet Chocolate bars.  Stick popsicle sticks about three-quarters of the way into the bananas and roll the bananas in melted chocolate, then optionally in chopped nuts (peanuts are my favorite, but any kind of nut is great).  Place banana pops on a plate lined with waxed paper, then freeze until set.  Peel the pops off the paper, wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze all the pops in a gallon-size freezer bag.  It’s like having an ice cream treat for breakfast!

 

3.      Hard-boiled egg and grapefruit with sugar (about 200 calories):  I like to peel my grapefruit and eat it like an orange, dipping the sections in a tiny bit of sugar before each bite.  Two teaspoons of sugar total 32 calories, so moderation is key here.

 

4.      Apple with peanut butter (about 180 calories): Use an apple slicer/corer to cut a medium Granny Smith apple into slices, then spread about 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter onto the slices (not one tablespoon per slice!)

 

5.      Peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat (about 250 calories): Cut one slice of whole wheat bread in half, and spread one half with 1 tablespoon peanut butter, then spread the other half with one tablespoon all-fruit spread or low-sugar jam, jelly or preserves without artificial sweeteners.  Fold the slices together and feel like a kid again!

These slenderizing and economical breakfast treats are designed to keep you satisfied for no more than a few hours, so make sure you aren’t waiting until you’re starving at lunchtime to eat again.  Keeping your body evenly fueled with healthy food throughout the day is the best way to rev your metabolism and avoid blood sugar fluctuations; planning mini-meals in advance is the best way to make sure you achieve that goal.  Happy planning and breakfasting!

This is how I eat for life:

 

I have two eggs for breakfast nearly every day:

 

-Mediterranean scrambled eggs with shrimp, spinach, kalamata olives and Italian herbs

-Bacon and caramelized onion scrambled eggs with chives

-Frittatas with lots of veggies and mushrooms and a bit of cheese, especially gouda

-Ham bites with American cheese mixed into scrambled eggs

-Bacon and over easy eggs with whole wheat toast and all-fruit spread

-Italian egg sandwiches with marinara, garlic and parmesan on whole-grain toasted baguette slices

Ham, egg and cheese on toasted mini-croissants

Scrambled eggs with enchilada sauce, diced green chilies and cheddar cheese on corn tortillas

 

With a little pre-prep work, I usually have breakfast ready within fifteen minutes and there is no limit to the tasty combinations you can make with eggs. Experiment to find what you like best. I always split a banana, orange or apple (or whatever fresh fruit is in the house) with my husband as "garnish" on the plate along with whatever egg dish I make. I rarely have juice or milk to drink with breakfast, or only in very limited portions. If not eggs, I make oatmeal loaded with fruit and nuts and cinnamon topped with milk, or if really rushed for time, a whole-grain cold cereal (with little added sugar, check the label) with low fat milk or soy or almond milk.

 

I eat fruit or vegetables at every meal, every day. If you do nothing else, adding vegetables and fruit to your diet will help tremendously. If you don’t like many fruit or veggies, eat lots of the ones you do like and at least try new ones, you might be surprised that your tastes have changed since childhood. At dinner, I always make a vegetable or two and a salad or broth-based soup. I serve salad or soup before the entrée, which reduces appetite and the tendency to wolf down the entire meal. I make different salads, not just leafy green salads. I add things like pickles, olives, roasted red peppers, pickled jalapenos, hard-boiled eggs, black pepper and artichoke hearts to salads. I also add a bit of cheese (shaved parmesan or Romano and feta are good choices, since a little goes a long way) or bacon bits for even more flavor.

 

More salad/veggie/fruit ideas:

 

-Veggies and French onion dip made with low-fat sour cream

-Chopped salad with warm bacon Dijon dressing using veggies left over from dipping

-Cucumber salad with Italian dressing, fresh cracked black pepper and feta cheese crumbles

-Spinach salad with bacon bits, hard-boiled egg slices and shaved parmesan

-Strawberry spinach salad with Asian-inspired dressing

-Mixed baby greens and apple or pear chunks with dried cranberries and shaved Romano cheese

-Cucumber, celery and green apple chopped salad with raspberry vinaigrette

-Citrus salad with orange, grapefruit, blood (or Cara Cara) orange, tangelo and mandarin with honey cinnamon dressing

-Cucumber, tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and black pepper dressing

 

Make salads combining vegetables and fruit you really like and try new combinations.

 

I make meatless dinners once or twice a week. I substitute mushrooms or beans with lots of herbs and spices, and the meat is never missed:

 

-Pizzas on whole-wheat pitas (the Greek kind) with sautéed mushrooms and garlic topped with fresh mozzarella cheese slices (I use store-bought pizza sauce or make my own with tomato sauce, a bit of tomato paste and Italian seasoning)

-Creamy mushroom risotto

-Bean tostadas with lots of lettuce, tomatoes and guacamole on top

-Homemade mushroom gravy over whole-grain pasta or mashed potatoes (leave the skin on, please) is a favorite

-Baked potatoes topped with lots of steamed broccoli and cheese sauce (American cheese and a bit of milk, melted and blended together with a bit of salsa)

 

Sometimes dinner is simply a rich, hearty soup:

 

-Bean soup with ham

-French onion soup

-Chicken tortilla soup

-Broccoli and cheese soup

-Cream of mushroom

-Creamy potato and shrimp soup

 

I love making a big batch of soup or chili on Sunday while watching football, then getting several meals (dinners or lunches) out of it for the week. Serve with a big salad and a small portion of hearty, crusty bread, preferably whole-grain.

 

I eat fruit or veggies for most snacks, every day:

 

-Apples with peanut butter

-Celery with cream cheese

-Red peppers with hummus

-Carrots with French onion dip

-Strawberries dipped in yogurt or coated with balsamic vinegar and a tiny bit of sugar

-Grilled pineapple slices

-Frozen grapes

-Small bowl of canned fruit (in juice), drained and sprinkled with cinnamon

 

If I must have dessert (and I do!), I eat a piece of fruit or one piece of really great dark chocolate. I shop sales and buy tons of whatever fruit is on sale and in season and we eat that all week.

 

I make a menu for the week, make a list, and grocery shop from the list for meals, then stop at the store mid-week to purchase produce that just went on sale or anything I missed earlier in the week. By planning meals and snacks, I eliminate the need to eat out or eat junk.

 

I get roasted chicken or turkey breast from the store and turn it into quick dinners:

 

-Potato-topped pot pie full of veggies

-Enchilada casserole with canned black beans and diced green chiles and corn tortillas topped with Cheddar cheese

-Burrito casserole with beans and cheese

-Quick chicken stew with peas, carrots, mushrooms and potatoes

-Dinner-sized salad with diced chicken breast

-Chicken salad with halved red grapes and chopped fresh spinach mixed in

-Chicken taco salad (sauté onion, garlic, & jalapenos, then add shredded chicken, chili powder, ground cumin and a bit of water, then cook down until water is saucy) with lettuce and tomatoes and refried beans and guacamole and a bit of low-fat sour cream

 

I frequently grill marinated lean meat (flank steak, pork tenderloin, bone-in chicken breasts, salmon, shrimp) and lots of veggies on skewers, and that's dinner. No starch necessary.

 

I make one or two seafood-based meals a week, usually shrimp or salmon or white fish. Fish and seafood cook quickly and are great time-savers for fast meals after a long day.

 

I use a lot of herbs and spices. When food is really flavorful, you need to eat less of it to feel satisfied.

I have a list of meals I make frequently and try a new dish or two each week, getting recipes from eatingwell.com or foodnetwork.com and adding them to the list if they turn out well and are easy and quick.

 

When I find a recipe I want to try that is not-so-healthy, I halve the amount of meat and/or starch, then at least double the amount of veggies. I also try to find an acceptable whole-grain alternative for starches or a lean alternative for fatty cuts of meat.

 

I buy red or white or yellow or fingerling or new or sweet potatoes instead of russet potatoes, and limit portions.

 

I eat one piece of dark chocolate every day, sometimes as a snack, sometimes for dessert, but I always take the time to really savor it.

 

I have a glass of wine, usually red, every day, while I'm cooking dinner or with dinner, and really savor it.

I try to eat a small portion (1/4 cup or less) of nuts every day.
 

I never eat anything (or much of anything) that doesn't taste really good. It's not worth it. Life is too short and calories are too hard to burn.

 

I eat three meals and at least two snacks every day. I try to never let myself get so hungry that I feel the need to overeat or eat too fast.

 

I have a “binge” day once a month or so, when I eat and drink whatever I want and don’t worry about it, usually on a Saturday. Some people say this actually stimulates the metabolism.

 

I limit alcohol and if I drink socially, try to have a full glass of water between drinks.

 

I drink water.  Lots of water.  Every day.  No soda, juice or shakes.  Water is life.

 

I cook and bake occasionally with heavy cream, butter, bacon fat, lard and olive oil. I eat full-fat cheese and natural ice cream (Breyer's) and gelato fairly frequently. I eat bacon, fast-food cheeseburgers (singles without the bottom bun) and pizza. Fat is flavor, but I strictly limit portions of this stuff or eat it infrequently. I stay away from fried food everywhere and processed crap at the grocery store like cookies, crackers, chips, white bread, cake and pastries. If you must, make snacks and desserts at home, not from a box, and at least you’ll know what's in them. I modify ingredients to make these treats a bit healthier without sacrificing flavor. For example, I always use a combination of whole-grain (oat, brown rice, whole wheat and soy) flours in brownies, banana bread and corn bread. This flour can be mixed ahead of time and stored in the freezer. Nobody has ever noticed!

 

On fitness:

 

I weigh myself every day and log my weight and body fat percentage. This provides immediate feedback on what I ate the day before and gives me a really good idea of how I'm trending each week. This is where I disagree with weekly or monthly weigh-ins, especially for maintenance. How can you possibly expect to control something when you don’t even know what the basic numbers are? It’s like trying to pay bills when nobody knows what the checking account balance is. I can easily gain three to five pounds in a week. Why wait to notice that and make corrections?

 

I log what I put into my mouth. Everything counts, even vitamins and gum.

 

I log all of my exercise. Everything counts, including the fifty jumping jacks I did in the bathroom at the office.

 

Keeping one log with all three of these items is easiest. I get notebooks small enough to fit in my purse.

 

I squeeze in “exercise” whenever and wherever possible. I do leg lifts or stretch my arms while I'm watching television. I do jumping jacks in the bathroom at work. I fidget while I'm waiting in line at the grocery store. I tap my toes or heels while sitting at my desk (I'm doing it now).

 

I will be providing recipes for many of these meal ideas, and will also blog about any new tricks I learn to get and/or stay lean.

 

The most recent science on weight loss is coming out against the prevailing “wisdom” that if you eat less and exercise more, you will lose weight. New evidence is showing that added sugar consumption is the number one predictor of obesity as well as diabetes, heart disease and many cancers. I am especially fond of nutritional advice from Dr. Andrew Weil (drweil.com), Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen (realage.com), as well as Jorge Cruise (jorgecruise.com or bellyfatcure.com).

Key lime pie is my absolute favorite summer dessert!  It is light and refreshing, and provides a tart and tangy finale to any grilled meal.  Using Key lime juice from a bottle and eliminating the meringue topping makes this a fast and simple summer option.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

To make the crust, combine in a medium mixing bowl:

 

1 1/4 cups vanilla wafer cookie or pretzel crumbs (break them up a bit, put them in the food processor and pulse until you get fine crumbs – just don’t use sourdough pretzels –they’re way too hard!)

1/2 cup melted butter (or full-fat butter substitute like Smart Balance)

1/4 cup sugar

 

Mix well and press crumb mixture on bottom and up sides of glass pie plate.

 

To make the filling, stir together in a medium bowl until blended:

 

3 large egg yolks

1/2 cup Key lime juice (fresh squeezed or bottled, if you can find it)

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt (1/8 teaspoon)

Pour mixture into crust. Bake for 15 minutes and remove from oven.  Cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate until chilled and ready to serve.

Top each slice with:

 

Whipped cream, whipped topping or vanilla ice cream

 

Garnish with:

 

Lime slices dipped in sugar

You can also triple the filling ingredients and divide evenly between two crusts, one pretzel and one vanilla wafer (this will also make much fuller pies).  Makes eight servings per pie.

© Nicole Wiese, 2009.  All Rights Reserved.