A Package and Roasted Veggie Pizza

When I walked in the door and saw a big brown box on the coffee table, I immediately locked eyes with Ryan and asked, “Is that for meee?”

Considering I was expecting a package of various foodie goods, I was already on my way to grab a pair of scissors to rip that baby open when he said “Yep!”

Me and My Goodies

Getting a package in the mail is one of my very favorite things in life. I think that’s why I continue to shop online even when I live less than five minutes from a mall and less than  15 minutes from a mall that’s actually decent. It’s like Christmas morning everytime I pull up to my apartment and see a glistening (albeit dull and brown) package waiting for me.   

Aside from my package, I also received two free samples (my other favorite thing to get in the mail) from Fiber One and Bear Naked granola to add to my goodies from Netrition.com (Carba Nada pasta, Joseph’s pitas and lavash bread and Baskin Robbins sugar-free mint chocolate chip hard candy).

After receiving Joseph’s lavash in the mail, I decided I’d make a roasted vegetable pizza for dinner using leftover roasted veggies. I began chopping the leftover vegetables and steaming some broccoli while I crisped the lavash in the oven.

Zucchini, Brussels Sprouts, Plum Tomato

Once the lavash was slightly crisp, I took it out of the oven and topped it with marinara sauce (every last bit that I had remaining).

Any more in there?

I then spread the colorful veggies all over the lavash.

Roasted Veggie Pizza

I sprinkled lots and lots of MontChevre goat cheese over the veggies to add a flavor punch.

The Best Goat Cheese Ever

Yum!

Roasted Veggie Pizza with Goat Cheese

After baking for less than 10 minutes, the goat cheese melted slightly and the smell of the lavash and roasted veggies began to fill the apartment. I was gettin’ hungry!

Done!

Though the goat cheese really made the pizza for me, the bright roasted veggies added a healthy and tasty dimension to the meal.

A Slice of Yum

I will definitely be makin’ this bad boy again!

Pumpkorn: A New Fall Favorite

As a texture fanatic, I add all sorts of goodies to my Greek yogurt and am always on the look out for intriguing nuts, granola, fresh or dried fruits and even candies (Raisinets! Reese’s Pieces!) to add to my breakfast staple.

After spending close to 45 minutes wondering the aisles of Chamberlain’s (a natural foods store near my apartment), I stumbled upon several colorful packages of pumpkin seeds dusted with cocoa, honey, sea salt, chili powder or garlic and pepper.

Honey 'n' Flax Pumpkorn

I snagged the two sweet varieties of Pumpkorn organic shelled pumpkin seeds: Dark Cocoa and Honey ‘n’ Flax.

Admittedly, I couldn’t wait until the next morning to use these crunchy, salty and sweet lil’ seeds on my Greek yogurt and I opened the pack of Dark Cocoa Pumpkorn on my way home.

Taste explosion! They were delicious and I knew a fantastic food relationship had just begun. I opened the Honey ‘n’ Flax Pumpkorn as well to see if they measured up to their chocolatey brother.

They were two peas in a delicious lil’ pod.

Pumpkorn seeds now are a welcome alternative to adding regular nuts to the foods I typically improve with almonds, pecans or walnuts such as  Greek yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes and salads. I still love traditional nuts, but in the midst of fall, Pumpkorn is a very festive seasonal delight.

Dark Cocoa Pumpkorn Seeds

Surprisingly I did manage to save enough of the seeds to add to my Greek yogurt.

Greek Yogurt with Dark Cocoa Pumpkorn

Here are additional pictures of my Pumpkorn creations:

Blueberry Bowl with Honey 'n' Flax Pumpkorn

Greek Yogurt, Prickly Pear and Honey 'n' Flax Pumpkorn

Since this is a pumpkin-filled post, I leave you with a pump-tastic picture from a past Halloween. Meet Pumpkie:

Me, Ryan and Pumpkie

Portobello Repeat

I looove leftovers. My family often ate our dinner from the night before for lunch the next day. Today’s lunch centered around the leftover grilled portobello mushroom cap I had from Monday’s lunch.

Portobello Sandwich

I placed the mushroom on a toasted (and slightly burnt) Arnold whole wheat sandwich thin smothered in Laughing Cow light French onion cheese and light Miracle Whip.

After placing sliced plum tomatoes and two slices of Nasoya light firm tofu on top, my sandwich was mouth-ready.

Mushroom Burger Revisited

The toasty bread coupled with the creamy cheese really made this sandwich a winner.

Mushroom Tofu Sandwich

I know the tofu probably seems like a random addition to this sandwich, but I had some that was about to go bad in the fridge. I think the additional protein will help keep me full, since I got a little hungry not too long after Monday’s mushroom sandwich.

Gettin’ Some Omega-3s in Me

We had some leftover turkey sausage from Sunday night’s creole shrimp and sausage stew, but I just wasn’t feelin’ that for dinner last night. Ryan popped open two beers and boiled the sausages in the bubbling brew before tossing them on the grill for his dinner while I opted for a salmon burger… gotta get those omega-3s!

Sea Pak Salmon Burger

SeaPak salmon burgers are phenomenal. The burgers are big, juicy and contain 18g protein in each 110-calorie patty.

I created a dill-mayo spread to add a creamy kick to the burger.

Miracle Whip, Dijon Mustard, Dill

I combined light Miracle Whip, Dijon mustard and lots of dill to make the spread.

Creamy Dill Goodness

I smothered the spread on top of a toasted whole wheat Arnold sandwich thin and topped it with sliced plum tomatoes and cucumber.

Added Veggies

While Ryan was cooking the salmon burger and turkey sausages on the grill, I chopped up some Brussels sprouts and tossed them with two teaspoons of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Brussels Sprouts

I spread them out on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and roasted them in the oven at 375 for 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through.

Before Roasting

As the burger and sausages came off the grill, I pulled the sprouts out of the oven and popped a few in my mouth.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I know they have quite the nasty reputation, but I promise these lil’ babies are quite tasty!

All Done

I gave Ryan a lot of credit for cooking my salmon burger perfectly. It was juicy and had some pretty impressive grill marks! He’s like a real chef or something!

Check Out Those Grill Marks!

My Plate

One More Time

Just in case you’re curious, here’s a snapshot of Ryan’s turkey sausages… or what I could capture of the links before they were devoured.

All That Remained

I give him credit for eating a lot of the Brussels sprouts. He also managed to make one balance on his fork.

Houdini

Magic!

After dinner I headed over to a friend’s house for a girl’s night and decided to eat these two bad boys for “dessert”:

Chex Mix

Chips and Guacamole

Needless to say, I went to sleep with a full belly.