Quick & Healthy Dinner!

In a rush to get out of the house in the morning, I don’t always remember to lay something out for dinner, so I try to keep a few things in the house that I can throw together relatively quickly. A few years ago, I came up with the easiest “quick” dinner and it’s delicious and healthy and a friend of mine suggested that I share it on here, so that's what I'm doing... I pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees, and then I take 4 Tilapia fillets (still frozen) out of their individual packages and lay them in a small casserole dish. I then take Wish-Bone Balsamic Breeze Spritzer and spray them liberally, about 15-20 squirts. Then I take a little bit of salt and sprinkle over the top and then liberally pepper them. Once the oven is heated, I stick them in for 20 minutes. And that’s it! The dressing bakes on to the top of the fish and the extra makes a little sauce in the bottom. I then heat up a Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice, Long Grain & Wild Rice package that takes only 90 seconds! It’s easy and delicious and I have dinner ready in about 20 minutes! Let me give you a quick run-down on the facts: A (4 ounce) Tilapia fillet has about 93 calories, and 1 gram of fat (as stated here). The Wish-Bone dressing has 10 calories and 1 gram of fat in 10 sprays (we used 20, but divided into 4, that’s 5 squirts per fillet). The rice has 220 calories and 3 grams of fat in the entire bag (which is 2 servings). If you eat 1 fillet with 5 squirts of dressing, you are looking at 98 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. Then, you can have a cup of rice for 110 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. Right now, we are at 208 calories and 3 grams of fat for dinner. Pair that with a salad or some veggies and you have yourself a healthy, quick, delicious and filling meal! PS: I normally do not like the taste of Balsamic anything, but this flavor is light - not overpowering.

I hope you try it out and love it as much as we do!

Pizza! Pizza!

I had planned on making homemade pizza on Friday night, but my in-laws came in and I had just gotten through "cleaning" and they suggested we go out to eat and I happily oblidged. I mean, they are guests, so I would be a bad hostess not to grant their requests. Little did I know, my husband was really wanting that homemade pizza, so I told him I would make it Saturday night. Well Saturday, we got home too late and we caved in and went and ate Mexican food. Since we were eating a big lunch for my sister's birthday on Sunday, I had already told the hubby that I would not be cooking on Sunday night. Yesterday, I told him that I didn't really feel like cooking since we had so many leftovers from the weekend. He should probably eat them and I would make the pizza tomorrow (which is actually today). Anyhow, he told me that he was really wanting homemade pizza, and that he REALLY wanted it on Friday. But since things had changed, he looked forward to it on Saturday, but since that didn't work out either, he really wanted it for dinner (yesterday). I told him to deal, and that I would make it today. :) You know, because I'm a good wife and I aim to please. Well, after talking to a girlfriend of mine yesterday, we decided to do dinner tonight, and I knew that I wouldn't want to cook once I got home. Knowing that I would NEVER live down the fact that I have been promising this stupid pizza for almost a week, I threw caution to the wind, and made it last night. Now, I know that those leftovers in the fridge are going to go to waste, but I knew that I would have one happy guy at my house, so I got to work.

I gathered all of the ingredients, for the crust: flour, sugar, salt, olive oil, warm water and quick-rise yeast.

Then, I proofed the yeast, in the warm water.

I mixed all of the ingredients together, and added garlic powder and italian seasoning - just to give the crust some flavor.

I rolled it out - doesn't it look great. You can really see all the herbs.

And because I had seen the very end of a Emeril show (you know, the one with him in the grocery store teaching people to cook), where he used a cast iron skillet to make a pizza, I thought I should too.

Then, I LOADED on the toppings. I started with pizza sauce, then canadian bacon, and then grated parmesan (the kind from the little green can), and then I grated (with a zester/grater) fresh parmesan over that.

Then, I covered it with pepperoni, because what is a pizza without pepperoni, I ask you.

Then I piled on shredded mozzarella, and more pizza sauce.

And more parmesan from the can, and more of the fresh stuff.

And then more pepperoni.

And then more mozzarella.

And then it baked, and let me tell you right now - it smelled as good as it looks! And then it came out of the oven, right as Darren was walking in the door and I don't know if I have ever seen my husband smile like that. I like to think he did, on our wedding day, or at least on our wedding night, but I'm not so sure he did.

Pizza isn't even his favorite food! Look at that thick deep-dish like crust, and the loads of toppings. Damn, I'm a good wife! :) And the husband was very happy! :)