Dinner Tonight: Mini Margherita Pizzas

This recipe for mini marghertia pizzas is definitely one of my favorites. I'm a sucker for a great slice of pizza (or the entire thing), but not a fan of how unhealthy it can be. So I created this recipe for mini pizzas on pita breads, which give them the thin crust effect. They're healthy, contain fresh ingredients but feel like a cheat!

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 pita breads (I use Joseph's brand. Each is only 60 calories and are made with flax oat bran & whole wheat. They're also low in carbs and enriched with protein) The key to this recipe being low-carb, protein enriched and low-calorie is the pita bread, so if you can't find Joseph's brand, look for something equivalent.
• 2 small-medium tomatoes
• 1 oz. of fresh mozzarella cheese
• 8 sices of turkey pepperoni (I use Hormel Turkey Pepperoni)
• Fresh basil
• Ground black pepper, crushed red pepper & garlic powder to taste

Before you start assembling your pizzas, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Next:

• place your two pita breads on a baking rack
• cut and crush up each tomato in a food processor to make a sauce, add ground black pepper, crushed red pepper and garlic powder to taste. Strain the extra juice from the tomatoes, it'll help the thin pita from getting soggy. Divide the sauce onto each pita
• add 1/2 oz. of mozzarella cheese to each pita
• add 4 turkey pepperonis to each pita
• cut your basil and sprinkle over the top

Bake together on the same baking rack for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted and pitas brown around the edge. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Cut each pizza into slices and enjoy!

Nutritional Info: 2 pizzas equal about 267 calories.

Dinner Tonight: Sweet Potato & Spinach Quesadillas

This recipe might sound a little weird to some people but trust me it's super healthy and very tasty. This recipe is a great way to get fiber, calcium and beta-carotene into your diet.

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 whole wheat tortilla's (I use Joseph's brand, they're the best)
• 2 cups of spinach
• 1 small sweet potato
• Cheese (I use Weight Watchers American Cheese singles, but you can use any kind of cheese you like)
• Ground black pepper
• Non-stick cooking spray (I use Pam)
• 1 large skillet, 1 small skillet

First, poke holes in your sweet potato and put in the microwave on high until tender. Depending on your microwave, this is should take about 5 minutes for a small sweet potato.

While the sweet potato is in the microwave, cook your spinach in the small skillet.

When the sweet potato is done, scoop out the contents of the potato into a bowl and throw out the skin. Add ground black pepper or whatever spices you like and mix together.

Next, spread the sweet potato mixture onto one tortilla.

Spray some Pam or non-stick cooking spray onto your larger skillet and heat up at a medium temperature. Once the skillet is warm place your tortilla with the sweet potato mixture onto the skillet. Add your cooked spinach and cheese and then top with your other tortilla.

Cook on each side, continuing to flip the quesadilla every few minutes until it's golden brown.

Remove from the skillet, let it cool a little bit and cut into 4 equal sized pieces. Add some tomato or mango salsa, or any type of side you like and enjoy!

Approximate nutritional information: 1 quesadilla is 259 calories.

Team KAB on Wheels Was a Success!

Thank you to everyone who supported Team KAB on Wheels for the Jim Calhoun CardioRaiser. We raised $750 towards the Connecticut chapter of Autism Speaks!

My teammates and I successfully completed 3 hours of spinning and we're looking forward to the event next year!

CLICK HERE to watch Team KAB on Wheels on Channel 3 News!

Smart Snack: Sweet Potato Fries

I'm always in the mood for a healthy snack that will fill me up and hold me over between meals (snacks should be anywhere between 100-200 calories).  So what's better to snack on than french fries?! Here's an easy, quick and healthy recipe I created for homemade sweet potato fries that are under 150 calories. One sweet potato, baked is about 103 calories and serves 1, so doubling this recipe for you and a friend is still easy and healthy!

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 medium sized sweet potato (when picking out a sweet potato pick one thats hard, if it's soft that means its rotten, ew)
• 1 tsp. of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. of brown sugar
• Ground black pepper
• Pinch of salt
• Vegetable peeler
• Baking sheet
• Tin foil 
• Ziploc bag

To Prep: 

• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees 
• Wash and peel the sweet potato
• Half the sweet potato into thick slices, like steak fries
• Place the cut up pieces into a Ziploc bag with the extra virgin olive oil, brown sugar, pepper and salt, shake until all pieces are covered evenly  
• Spreed the pieces of sweet potato out evenly on a tin foil covered baking sheet, making sure the pieces aren't overlapping

Once the oven is preheated put the fries in for 15 minutes, flip them over to the other side and then cook them for another 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool for a few minutes and they're ready to eat. Enjoy these sweet potato fries as a healthy snack or even as a side dish with lunch or dinner!



My Not-So Boring Treadmill Workout

Running on the treadmill can sometimes feel like a chore. On the days I wouldn't go spinning or couldn't run outside, I used to have to force myself to get on it and I'd constantly be looking down at the clock to see how much time I had left. I'd be one of those people who would cover the whole front of the treadmill with a towel just because I didn't want to know how much longer I had left.

When I learned about how great interval training is for your body, I started looking into different treadmill workouts that included intervals. There are so many out there that are designed for a lot of different fitness levels.

This is the treadmill interval workout that I use. Not only is this workout using an incline, but it changes pace every minute, so by the time I get sick of the speed I'm running at, it's time to switch. This workout only takes 30 minutes to complete, and every minute is different (besides the first 5 minutes of the warm-up and the last 5 minutes of the cool-down). You can definitely adjust the time, speed and incline of this workout to your liking as well.

Print this off and take it to the gym with you for a not-so boring treadmill workout. Good luck!

Time	Speed	Incline
0:00-5:00	4.0	2.5
5:00-6:00	5.0	1.0
6:00-7:00	6.0	1.0
7:00-8:00	5.0	1.0
8:00-9:00	6.5	1.0
9:00-10:00	4.0	1.0
10:00-11:00	6.5	1.0
11:00-12:00	5.0	1.0
12:00-13:00	7.0	1.0
13:00-14:00	5.0	1.0
14:00-15:00	7.5	1.0
15:00-16:00	4.0	1.0
16:00-17:00	6.5	1.0
17:00-18:00	5.5	1.0
18:00-19:00	7.0	1.0
19:00-20:00	5.5	1.0
20:00-21:00	8.0	1.0
21:00-22:00	5.5	1.0
22:00-23:00	7.0	1.0
23:00-24:00	5.5	1.0
24:00-25:00	6.5	1.0
25:00-30:00	4.0	2.0

Dinner Tonight: Chicken Stir-Fry Fajitas

Some weekdays I often don't have time or don't want to be in the kitchen making dinner for more than a half hour, so I created this quick, easy and healthy recipe for chicken stir-fry fajitas that takes about 20 minutes to make from start to finish. The trick that makes this recipe so quick and easy to make is the healthy pre-packaged/portioned brands that I found at the grocery store.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 wheat tortilla (I use Joseph's whole wheat tortillas. You can find them in the deli section at most grocery stores. They're made with flax seed and enriched with omega-3, also they're low in calories)
• 1-2 cups of mixed vegetables (to make this recipe even easier I use Bird's Eye Pepper Stir-Fry frozen vegetables. You can find them in the freezer section. The vegetables are already cut up into the size you need and they are cooked and then freeze dried so all you have to do is heat them up in the skillet)
• 1/4-1/3 cup of shredded cheese (I used Weight Watchers Mexican Blend)
• 6 oz. of boneless, skinless chicken breast (I use Purdue Perfect Portions, found in the poultry section, they're already portioned boneless and skinless chicken breasts in individual packages)
• You can also use hot sauce, salsa, crushed red pepper, or any other spices you like!

 

To Prep:

• Measure out all your ingredients
• Cut the chicken into strips or cubes and season with black pepper
• Spray a little Pam or non-stick cooking spray over a warm skillet

Next:

• Add the strips of chicken to the skillet and flip until the chicken is cooked through, it should take about 8 minutes over a medium heat
• Add the vegetables to the skillet and cook everything until the veggies are no longer frozen, and they should start to shrink up and brown

If your tortillas were kept in the fridge, you can microwave them to warm them up. Once then chicken and vegetables are cooked, pour the contents of the skillet onto your tortilla and top with shredded cheese. They should look something like this. Enjoy!
 

Nutritional Information: 1 tortilla (Joseph's) 70 calories, 1 1/2 cups of vegetables (Bird's Eye Pepper Stir-Fry) 38 calories, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese (Weight Watchers Mexican Blend) 60 calories, and 6 oz. of boneless skinless chicken breast about 150 calories. Total is approximately 318 calories

Dinner Tonight: Baked Salmon with Vegetables

I am often in the mood for seafood so I created this quick, easy recipe for baked salmon and vegetables. Salmon is a great tasting way to get anywhere between 20-30 grams of protein into your diet. The protein creates a full feeling that will leave you satisfied and feeling great. Salmon is also full of omega-3's and the "good kind of fat", so eat up!

Here's what you'll need:

• 4-6 oz. of a fresh salmon fillet (some grocery stores sell them with the skin off, and some grocery stores like Big Y also sell marinaded salmon fillets as well)
• 2-4 cups of any type of vegetable you like (For this I used 1 whole zucchini and 1 cup of mushrooms)
• Ground black pepper
• Crushed red pepper
• Garlic powder
• Non-stick cooking spray, like Pam
• A little extra virgin olive oil
• Tin foil and a baking sheet
• 1 Ziploc bag

To Prep:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
• Rinse the veggies and cut up to the size you like
• Put the veggies in a bag, pour a little extra virgin olive oil on them (you shouldn't need any more than 1-2 teaspoons)
• Sprinkle as much black pepper, crushed red pepper and garlic powder that you like
• Close the ziplock bag and shake it, making sure all the veggies are covered
• Rub the spices over the salmon fillet

Once the oven is preheated, place the salmon fillet with the skin side down on one side of the non-stick baking sheet, spray a little cooking spray on the baking sheet where the veggies will go. 


Bake everything on 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through. The veggies may cook a little quicker or take a little longer, depending on your choice.

Eat it. Enjoy it. And drink a little wine with it.

Nutritional Information: 4 oz. of salmon is about 200 calories, about 28 grams of protein, and about 9 grams of fat.1 whole zucchini with skin is about 35 calories, 1 cup of sliced mushrooms is about 15 calories.