I'm posting this recipe tonight as a special request. I have been posting pictures of my Meatza on FB... and the recipe is in demand! Well one faithful follower wants it, that's more than enough reason to share it. OH YEAH! and Meatza ROCKS!!
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| The Deluxe Meatza |
I shared the Paleo Pizza, then I thought I would make a true Paleo Pizza, a Meatza. I found the recipe on Pinterest of course, and got busy right away. The first time I made it, I made it by the books... the second time I made it, I made the deluxe edition! LOL I changed the seasoning in the crust, added a bunch more toppings, way better looking pizza.
The first Meatza was good. It calls for Thyme in the crust, wasn't my favorite flavor. I switched it up this time for my special smokey seasoning (If you remind me, I will share it -- or you can get it from Practical Paleo)
The Family Review 2/3 Stars!! I LOVED it. My Husband really enjoyed it although he did not get to eat much (he asked me to please save him some of the deluxe). Avery, well I did not even bother giving her any. Why waste a good Meatza!! LOL
So here is the original recipe, my comments in red and the additions to create the deluxe is in GREEN
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. organic ground chicken - I used ground turkey - I used .76KG
1 egg
1 tsp. each of dried oregano, dried thyme, and garlic powder - I didn't have oregano - I used my smokey seasoning and garlic powder (no measurements)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. fresh black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional) I skipped this - we didn't have any
1/4 c. Barbecue Sauce- Home made BBQ Sauce
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced - I only had a white onion so that's what I used
1 roasted red pepper, cut into slices
goat cheese, crumbled We skipped the goat cheese and used coarsely shredded parmesan
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1 package of bacon - minus the pieces Avery and I ate
1 pot of sliced brown mushrooms
3 BBQ chicken thighs (skin removed) - I BBQ'ed mine (in sauce) while I was cooking the crust
FOR CRUST:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. I cooked it out on the BBQ
- Combine the ground chicken, egg, and spices in a large mixing bowl. Combine with your hands.
- On an olive-oiled (coconut oiled) baking sheet, spread chicken mixture evenly, about
1/2″ thick. Place in preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or
until set and golden brown.
FOR TOPPINGS:
- Spread BBQ sauce evenly on crust, about 1/2″-1″ from the edge. Add
sliced red onions, roasted red pepper slices, and crumbled goat cheese.
- Cook your bacon, then set aside and cook the mushrooms in the remaining bacon fat
- slice / shred the chicken
- Layer the pizza... sauce, onions, peppers, chicken, bacon, cilantro, mushrooms, and cheese
- Place under broiler for 4-5 minutes or until goat cheese is melted. Remove and sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro. I cooked my cilantro in the pizza
- Slice and serve!
I got the recipe from: http://laqfitness.com/paleo-bbq-chicken-pizza/ my version is way better though
Tonight I served my pizza with avocado and roasted red pepper salsa!
mmmmmm.....mmmmm.....mmmmmm ENJOY!!
JoJo!!
Its summer, and what do you do in the summer?? You BBQ!! What's a BBQ without BBQ sauce?!?! I found a few recipes for sauce, but I like things that are easy, so this is the recipe that I tried first. Luckily for us, we liked it, and I just made a fresh batch!! Its not the kind of BBQ sauce that you would want to use as a dipping sauce, but after it has been on the grill its delicious!! I suppose you could try cooking it first if you wanted it as a dipping sauce...
How did the family like it? Avery has not eaten anything I have made her in the sauce so far, but that is not much of a surprise. My husband, he likes it! He is quite happy to have his chicken thighs/wings dunked in BBQ sauce and thrown on the grill. It was great on my BBQ chicken Meastza, and I have even used it on some grilled eggplant!! Yum Yum!
I think the next time I make it I am going to experiment with the spice blends a little. I quite fancy a Chipotle BBQ sauce!
Ingredients:
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce – no sugar added - I used a giant can of crushed tomatoes and just guessed what 15oz would be
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste – no sugar added - we get 5.5 oz cans here in Canada, or at least the stuff I bought was
- 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce - you can use coconut aminos, OR my soy replacement
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika - I used smoked paprika, and I am very generous
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 4 tablespoons unsulfered molasses
- 3 tablespoons honey - use raw honey - we like Grandma Bee's (you can buy it at the St Albert Farmers market, or Save on Foods) Grandma Bees Honey
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl and mix well using a whisk.
- Use as you would any other bbq sauce!
I got the recipe from: http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-bbq-sauce/
I told you it was easy!! LOL. It makes quite a lot of sauce, so be sure to start saving your empty jars!
Happy BBQ'ing
JoJo!!
So I am throwing in the towel... sort of... I am going to keep some aspects of the detox going, but I am also adding some things back into my diet.
This has been a really hard decision for me to make... I am not a quitter, I don't just give up on things, but I do think it is for the best... LONG TERM.
So WHY am I giving up?
I need to think long term. I have spent the past 3 months training to run the Edmonton Marathon in August. (That's a big commitment). Since I have started the sugar detox my runs have suffered, and I am struggling to recover from my workouts. Yesterday I ate a lot more "carbs" (meaning almond flour, sweet potato, fruit) than I was supposed to, and this morning.... well I had a good run. On top of that I was able to double up and do a Hot Yoga workout. I didn't need a nap today, managed Avery, and even took her for a bike ride! I really want to race well, so I think I need to make the commitment to my race, not the sugar detox.
I'm not feeling all the "positives" that are supposed to come along with the detox. Granted I don't crave the sweets as much as I used to, and I am not chugging bottles of wine on a bad day. BUT, I am not feeling a new found energy. I have been tired and groggy. I have been needing naps and feeling very lazy!! Not what I signed up for!!
What am I giving up? What am I keeping?
I'm not giving up 100% on the detox. I will continue to eat the Paleo way I have been eating. I will also not be jumping back into the wine. I will stick to one fruit serving a day, but it will be a fruit of my choice. If I have the urge for something sweet (chocolate) then I will eat some more fruit. I am not going to avoid sweet potatoes on the days I am not working out. I will incorporate them into every meal, just not as the bulk of my vegetable servings. I will avoid eating foods with added sugar (even if it is a natural sweetener such as raw honey or pure maple syrup); however, if I want one of my delicious muffins before a workout, then I will have one. I'm allowed treats :-) I will continue to avoid dairy. I have given up sour cream and liquid whipping cream in my coffee, and I can say I don't miss them too much!! I now use guacamole (homemade) and unsweetened almond milk.
I know I was hoping to lose weight, and some more inches from the middle, but that will come with time and hard work. My goal was by the end of the summer, and I still have 6 weeks to get that done!! So stay tuned for my updates on my progress, and more exciting new recipes!!
Hope your not too disappointed in my decision!!!
JoJo!!
Yes, that's right, PIZZA!! Avery LOVES pizza, so I have to give this one a try. I love pizza too, but because of the silly 21DSD I was not supposed to be eating anything of that nature. Screw it, I tasted the crust of Avery's pizza and I loved it. It was absolutely delicious. It tasted like a focacia bread to me. Yum Yum Yum. Avery seemed to enjoy it too. She ate about as much of the crust as she would a regular pizza, so in my books its a winner!!
I know Tapioca flour and arrowroot flour are "questionably" Paleo, but everyone needs a treat once in a while and this seems like a much better option. Since my goal for Avery is just gluten free, I think we did good.
The crust is super easy to make. They are not joking when the said that it would be a runny batter rather than a dough either! It does firm up into a bread formation though, so don't worry (and you bake it a bit before you top it). It is a pan style crust, so you could try to make a thinner crust I suppose.
I personally think it would be just good as a bread... or garlic bread. Who needs pizza all the time?!?! Well maybe some of us do ;-)
Ingredients
2 cups almond flour
1 cup arrowroot powder (or tapioca flour) I bought both flours, but I am pretty sure I used tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. oregano - I didn't have any oregano, so I used dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 eggs
1/2 cup almond milk - unsweetened almond milk in our house
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a round pizza pan (no holes) or cookie sheet.
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk to blend together.
- Add eggs and almond milk to the dry ingredients. Mix well. (The batter will be runny–not like typical pizza dough.)
- Use a spatula to spread batter onto greased pan. The thinner you spread it, the quicker it will cook (duh) I sprayed my pizza dish with coconut oil - wonder if my stoneware would have worked?!?!
- Bake crust in preheated oven 8-12 minutes. If it’s really thick you may need to continue cooking for 3-4 more minutes. The crust was kind of thick for me, so I baked it 12+ minutes
- Remove crust from oven and top with sauce and desired toppings.
- Bake for another 10-15 minutes.
Recipe from Unrefined Kitchen
Let me know how it goes for you, and if you enjoy it!!
PIZZA!!
JoJo!!
This morning I took some ground turkey, sweet potatoes, and bacon out of the freezer. I had no plans for what I was going to do until later in the day I became inspired to make shepherds pie. I think it must have had something to do with all the carrot rounds I had been making!
Of course it is not a traditional Shepherds Pie. I used ground turkey instead of lamb, didn't use a layer of carrots, and didn't use mashed potatoes!! Not much of a shepherds pie. lol. My layers include ground turkey in a tomato sauce (with bacon and hidden shredded cauliflower), shredded zucchini and carrot, and sweet potato/pumpkin mash. I hid the cauliflower in the meat sauce because I am hoping my husband and Avery at least eat the meat sauce. LOL. I made Aver some individual sized pies and skipped the veggie layer... baby steps!!
Ingredients:
- Ground Turkey -- I just used a prepacked chunk, I have no idea what it weighed
- Bacon -- use as little or as much as you like. I cooked the whole pack, but Ave and I ate at least 1/2 of it ;-)
- Sundried Tomatoes -- use as many as you like. I love them so I use lots (probably 3 forkfulls) I buy mine pre-shredded at Costco
- 1 can diced tomatoes -- I used a medium sized can
- 1 can tomato paste
- shredded cauliflower -- this you can use as little or as much as you want. I wanted it subtle, so I probably used 1/4 cauliflower head
- shredded zucchini, and carrot -- I just used up whatever was in my fridge and I used all I had
- 2 sweet potatoes
- pureed pumpkin -- I used leftover canned pumpkin. Just make sure its not sweetened
- salt and pepper to taste
- cinnamon
Directions:
- Roast sweet potatoes until soft -- I cooked one in the microwave from frozen.
- Remove skins and mash.
- Add equal amounts of pumpkin and mix well.
- Add cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside mash.
- In a large skillet, cook up the bacon. Crumble/chop the bacon and set aside. Try not to eat it all!
- throw your shredded zucchini and carrots in remaining bacon fat and cook - place in a bowl and set aside.
- cook the cauliflower in remaining bacon grease - place in a bowl and set aside I needed a little more fat, so I tossed in a little extra bacon grease (we keep ours stored)
- add ground turkey and sundried tomatoes into skillet and brown turkey I kept chopping mine up to avoid big chunks
- add the bacon, diced tomatoes and tomato paste and mix well
- add cooked cauliflower to the mix
- Begin layering your dish (oven safe). I used pyrex dishes Meat mixture, veggies, mash.
- place in the oven and bake at 350 until sauce bubbles- 15-20 min, and broil for 10 minutes to brown the mash
My recipe intructions are not written as beautifully as most blogs, but you get the point! LOL
I hope you enjoy it....
Happy Eating!!
JoJo!!
Yes! You heard me right, the proof is in not eating the pudding? What does this mean?!?! It means that I have cut out sugars and made some pretty significant changes! In the first 6 days I lost 5 pounds, 2.75 inches off my belly, 0.5 inches from my hips, and 1.8 inches from my love handles. I would say that is success!! The nice part is, the last time I weighed myself, I had maintained the weight loss!! I will weigh in again tomorrow, and take my week 2 measurements.
Has this been easy? Yes and No.
What Has Been Easy?
- Surprisingly -- not drinking wine. The have been some tough days with Avery where I would not have minded a glass, but not big deal
- Not eating sweet potatoes. I have introduced so many other great foods/veggies, that I have not really missed them as much as I thought I would
- not eating all the fruit. I have not even had my daily dose of fruit, there have been days that I have not eaten any fruit
What Has Been Difficult?
-the energy levels. I have not felt an uplift in my energy. In fact, I feel more tired than I ever did before the detox. Granted I am working out more, but I sitll feel the detox is effecting it.
- work out recovery. I am finding it much more difficult to recover from my workouts. My muscles seem to be sore much longer than usual.
- I cant run!! My runs have really been suffering. I am sucking wind badly. Doesnt seem like I have enough glycogen stores to get through a 16km run! I did read somewhere that it really takes 3-6 weeks to become fat adjusted and to stop depending on carbs.
How Do I Feel?
Like CRAP! LOL. I am tired and frustrated. I thought this was supposed to decrease the fatigue, but I feel like it has increased. I am frustrated because my workouts, specifically my runs are suffering. I dont want to give up on the challenge, but I really expected better results (energy wise)
On a positive note, I feel great about the weight loss and the size changes. That is one of my big reasons for doing this. I also feel good about myself for sticking to it. I'm pretty proud of myself for that one. I am excited for my next weigh in and my next set of measurements. I am really hoping to see some more progress. I dont expect to have lost another 5lbs and 3 inches, but I would like to see a little change.
Have I Cheated?
Sort of. I made Avery some gluten free pizza, it used almond flour and tapioca flour. I did taste the crust, it was DELICIOUS!! I can not find anywhere in the 21DSD in the manuel that tapioca flour is off limits, but is is questionably paleo, so I would assume its not safe, but OH WELL!! At least now I know now what I want for my treat day when I am done the detox!!!
SORRY I HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATING!! I have been so tired by the end of the day, that I just want to go to sleep, so I do!!
Until next time!!
JoJo!!
