Cheeseburger (Pizza) in Paradise

With lean ground beef leftover from last night’s dinner and a boyfriend who is a self-proclaimed “meat man,” I wanted to find a way to incorporate the beef into tonight’s dinner but avoid having burgers again. I am a big pizza fan and with a package of Joseph’s lavash bread sittin’ comfy in my fridge, I figured I could use the bread as crust for a cheeseburger pizza that would satisfy both Ryan’s love for meat and my love for pizza.

I began by gathering all the necessary ingredients.

All the Goods

I rounded up Joseph’s lavash bread, ketchup, pickles, relish, mustard, light Miracle Whip, a plum tomato, light mozzarella cheese, lettuce and lean ground beef and was ready to begin!

First I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and sprayed a cookie sheet with cooking spray before placing the lavash bread on top.

Lavash Pizza Crust

I then mixed a little more than 3 tbsp. of light Miracle Whip (mayo will also work fine) with 2 tbsp. ketchup and a big ol’ squirt of mustard to make the pizza sauce. The mixture kind of reminded me of Thousand Island dressing, but in a less-complicated way.

Mayo, Ketchup and Mustard

Stir Baby, Stir

I added relish to the mix as well.

With a Lil' Relish

I then popped the lavash crust into the oven to crisp a bit while I tended to the beef.

Lean Ground Beef Burgers

We had leftover burgers from last night, so I got to work crumbling them into burger bites!

Meaty!

After the lavash was warmed and slightly crisp, I pulled it out of the oven and smothered it with the sauce before topping it with the beef crumbles and a generous sprinkling of the light mozzarella cheese.

Saucy Pizza

Lots o' Burger

Gotta Love That Cheese

While this was baking, I sliced the plum tomato to place on the cheesy pizza once it was ready.

Lettuce and Tomato

The pizza was ready for the toppings once the cheese was ooey-gooey and melted.

Melted Cheese

I sprinkled the cheeseburger pizza with lettuce, tomato and pickle slices.

Topped Off

Pizza! Pizza!

I cut the pizza in half and split it between me and Ryan. The portions were nice and big.

My Slices

 We ate our pizza with a side of steamed green beans, broccoli and cauliflower. The cheeseburger goodness was definitely the highlight of the meal and I think our veggies may have felt a little left out. I didn’t even snap a proper picture of the poor greens. 😦

One More Time

This meal managed to satisfy two cravings in a healthy, tasty way! Hooray for cheeseburger pizza.

Snack Time Ain’t Just for Kindergartners

I am a constant snacker. I eat throughout the day mainly because I love food and can’t stand only eating three meals daily. I get too excited about my snacks to eliminate my mid-morning and afternoon snack from my food regimen.

My post-breakfast snack yesterday was one of my favorites to date.

I started with a cup of Oikos organic honey Greek yogurt (first time trying this flavor thanks to the wonderful coupons Stonyfield Farm sent to me – thank you!).

Me and one of my all-time favorites... Greek yogurt!

In keeping with the honey theme, I packed a small box of Kashi honey sunshine cereal to add on top of the yogurt.

Aw Honey, Honey

I didn’t realize the honey was at the bottom of the yogurt cup until I opened it up and began stirring. Those people over at Oikos are generous with their honey!

Lots o' Honey

I couldn’t resist trying a bite before topping the yogurt with the cereal.

I typically enjoy plain Greek yogurt topped with various goodies, but OH WOW this honey yogurt was phenomenal… thick, creamy and sweet… it tasted like an indulgent dessert.

Honey Sunshine Cereal and Honey Greek Yogurt

This combination was unbelievable. I am a huge honey fan, so this snack hit my honey-lovin’ spot.

There was too much cereal to fit into the cup, so I ate some and stirred the rest in, topping the yogurt again with another sprinkle of the honey sunshine puffs.

Sweet and Creamy

Mmmm!

Snack time is one of my favorite times of the day!

Some of my favorite snacks include:

–  Greek yogurt topped with basically anything

– My protein brownie

– Whole wheat tortilla and light cheese melted together (quesadilla-style!)

– Apple with nut butter (or just a simple peanut butter finger will do ;))

– Protein/cereal bar of some sort

– Fresh fruit and a handful of nuts

Question: What are some of your favorite snack foods?

Goat Cheese Puh-Lease!

Goat cheese is just so darn delicious. It is so flavorful and can truly hold its own against other strong ingredients. Today’s lunch centered around this strong cheese.

Goat Cheese and Broccoli Pizza

I made myself a goat cheese and broccoli pizza using freshly steamed broccoli florets and the best-ever crumbled goat cheese: Monchevré!

I used a Joseph’s whole wheat pita as the crust for my pizza and spread a liberal amount of marinara sauce on top for the sauce.

Joseph's Pita Bread

I microwaved the whole pizza for approximately 45 seconds. I would prefer to make it in the oven to crisp the crust, but limited resources are available in the work break room. 😉

Yummy Melted Cheese

I cut the pizza into four mini slices to make it easier to handle. No pizza sauce on this girl!

A Mini Slice

For some reason the goat cheese made me feel like I was eating quite the gourmet lunch (prepared by a microwave)!

Question: What’s your favorite kind of cheese? “Any kind” is not an appropriate answer. 🙂

Creamy Chocolate Breakfast Bowl

Bust out the mittens!!! Today was the first hint at chilly weather in Florida. How exciting! It was actually in the 60s, which for me is fleece-wearin’ weather. Sadie was especially nutty on our morning walk and a man sitting on a bench by the lake even said “Hot damn it’s cold out here!” So I’m not the only one who thinks 60-degree weather is cold. 🙂

With fall weather upon us, I took the first opportunity to bust out my boots!

Mah Boots!

(Funny story about these boots: My mom ordered them for me for Christmas two years ago and when I went to try them on I had two left feet! I am rather klutzy, so it seemed fitting. Luckily I received the right boot within a month. Phew!)

Since it was slightly chilly outside, I began craving a cup of hot chocolate on my walk with the dog this morning. I am a true chocoholic. I am always in the mood for the creamy, cocoa flavor of anything chocolate. This morning I decided to make myself a chocolate breakfast bowl using Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and cocoa powder to satisfy my chocolate craving.

Chocolate Breakfast Bowl Supplies

I began by blending a quarter cup of cottage cheese with a plain Oikos organic yogurt cup, a spoonful of cocoa powder and a dash of Splenda for added sweetness.

Cottage Cheese and Greek Yogurt

Sadie Loves Greek Yogurt Too!

Cottage Cheese, Greek Yogurt, Cocoa Powder, Splenda

Cottage Cheese, Greek Yogurt, Cocoa Powder & Splenda Blended

The mixture tasted like chocolate cheesecake! Yum.

I sprinkled the creamy chocolate base with chocolate chips and half of a cocoa chip full bar that I took from my parents’ house this weekend. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Everything's Better with Chocolate Chips

Can you spot Sadie???

Ready to Eat

This chocolate delight hit the spot. Gotta love chocolate for breakfast!