Posts from — May 2011

Hi guys!!!  Things are hectic ‘round here.  The daughters had school events and I’m running like a nut to prepare for some fun parties this weekend.  So, I’ll most likely be MIA until after the holiday but I’ll definitely be back Tuesday for a recap of it all!

In the meantime and in honor of Friday Pizza Night, here’s a repost featuring one of our favorite ways to eat pizza when the warm weather hits!  Fire up the grill, everyone!

How To Make Pizza On The Grill

Friday night pizza has been taken to a new level!  The key is using a baking stone.  It heats up inside the grill helping to bring the temperature similar to that of a commercial pizza oven.  The crust gets crispy while the cheese gets perfectly melty.  A match made in pizza heaven.

Since we’ve been making pizza on the grill there is no more need for take-out!  And the whole shebang is ready in less than 15 minutes.  Beat THAT pizza guy

Here’s the how –to:

First, break out the grill…

Before turning it on, place a baking stone in the center of your grill grates.  Mine is from Pampered Chef, but any brand will do…

Fire on all cylinders!

Close the lid and heat until it’s at least 500 degrees (this takes about 5 –7 minutes)…

Meanwhile, get the lazy girl’s dough out…

Or use your own if you’re an overachiever.  Show off

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface…

Now, you need a pizza peel…

Well, you don’t NEED one, but I highly recommend it.  It makes sliding the pizza onto the hot baking stone much easier.  If you don’t have one, a flat cookie sheet without rims will suffice.  Make sure to sprinkle a good amount of cornmeal or your dough will stick!

Same goes for the peel…

Place rolled dough onto peel sprinkled with cornmeal…

Now, get creative!  I opted to make a Caprese Pizza using fresh roma tomatoes and light string cheese!

Thinly sliced tomatoes cover the dough…

Then get decorated with slices of string cheese …

Sprinkled with shreds of fresh basil and seasoned with kosher salt, pepper and a drizzle of garlic oil…

Time to grill!  Carefully and quickly slide pizza onto the hot baking stone…

Whew… made it…

Close the lid and stand by the grill!  This takes less than 5 minutes to cook!

Tadaaaaa….

Enjoy and have a great day,everyone!

Poll:  Do you like thin crust or thick crust?

Hi all!  I’m going to try and make this super short because I’m uber excited to watch The Biggest Loser finale tonight!  I have to confess that I don’t always follow the show in its entirety.  I usually watch the initial episodes, then hop in again toward the end.  I’m not so into the drama of it all, I get more excited to see the transformations!  Okay, see???  I’m already babbling.  Here goes…

Got in a 2.5 mile run this morn.  HOLY HUMIDITY!  It was already 75 degrees and about 90% humidity out there!  I forgot how hard it is to BREATHE during a run when it’s that humid out!  Not the best day to decide to bump up my intervals to 3:1, but I trudged through…

Whew…schweaty …

Breakfast was…. well, you know…

Hey, see ^ ?  I changed it up a little!  Ezekiel english muffin, 2% cheese and hard boiled egg (7 PP)!  Wild, I know

Oh, and I added banana… on the side…

I ran a bazillion errands all morning long in preparation for our Memorial Day picnic this weekend.  By the time I got home, lunch was way overdue and I was starving!  I needed a “grab and slap” lunch.  Grab the first thing you see  in the fridge and slap it together speedy quick!

Turkey and turkey pepperoni on Thomas’ pretzel bagel (5 PP)…

Along with these awesome chips …

Like Doritos, but better!  And you get a big serving for 3 PP …

Inhaled …

Dinner required veg!  I’ve been obsessed with Grilled Chicken with Caprese Salad lately, but I switched it up tonight with grilled shrimp and served it over a bed of butter lettuce!  I coated my shrimp with this new find from the produce section (near the fresh herbs)…

It added another level of flavor with very little calories ( only 10 calories per 3/4 tsp).

A delicious 11 PP dinner…

Time for dessert …

And Biggest Loser!

Have a great day, everyone!

Did you follow The Biggest Loser this season?  Who was your favorite contestant?

Glad to see that you guys are with me on tracking and having a GREAT on-program week!  Now that the warmer weather is here (requiring less clothes – EEK!), I feel extra motivated to stay focused with my food and exercise.  Hope my body cooperates with the effort!

Speaking of body cooperating… I took my measurements today.  It’s been 6 weeks since I began my weight lifting program.  I’ve been consistently doing weights for 3 days a week and was hoping to see something happening! 

Survey says… I got nothin’.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  I actually GAINED a half inch on both my arms!  YIKES!  On a positive note, I feel the muscle definition forming under the blub.   I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong, or I just need to get some more weight off before the inches start to go.  I do enjoy the weight lifting workouts, so I’ll keep at it until I see progress or bust out of my clothes.

However, I decided to change it up a little today and bring back an old pain in the butt friend …

I was prepared for a major butt-kicking, but guess what?  I didn’t die!!  I remember when I first tried The Shred a couple of years ago, I almost had to call 911.   Today, the workout was definitely a challenge, but I was able to keep up!  An NSV (non-scale victory) for sure!

Okay, enough blubbing blabbing, let’s talk food…

Breakfast continues with my Ezekiel english muffin obsession this week.  Toasted and topped with Laughing Cow  along with non-burned turkey bacon (7 PP)…

Lunch was a little bit of Italy – Prosciutto, Mozzarella and fresh basil on a ciabatta roll (9PP)…

Altogether with bbq chips and carrots (3 PP) …

Dinner’s main event was courtesy of the freezer.  I knew it was some kind of chicken, but I didn’t have it labeled, so no idea what the PP value was!  Mystery chicken was served with mushrooms, sauteed zucchini and a 1/2 cup of pasta (est.  11 PP) …

I’m off to little daughter’s chorus concert then to bed!

Have a great day, everyone!

Can you sing?  Without people cringing?   Me = N.O.  But, I do it anyway