Margarita Style Portobello Pizzas

You know those recipes you read and think, "OMG I can't wait for my husband to go out of town so I can make that???" ...what? That's only me?? Lol! The hubs HATES pesto. He will grimace if he even senses I may have used it on a dish. He tolerates mushrooms, but that's only been in the last ten years or so. FUN FACT: We've been together for more than half my life! Crazy, right???

Anywho, when I read this recipe originally I knew I would love it but for the two reasons listed above PLUS the fact that it was a vegetarian dish, I knew this was going to be a cooking-for-one sort of night. Who would have thought I would have two back-to-back posts about cooking for one??

This recipe is a great way to use up those end of summer tomatoes. It's also a really great way to satisfy the cravings for a hearty Italian meal when you are trying desperately to stay on track and be good (or...in the land of my 21 Day Fixers, you are trying to save a yellow container for wine!!). 

One of my FAVORITE successes EVER from a
21DF challenger!!!

Speaking of 21DF, I'm so PUMPED to start my next challenge group on Monday! It's a crazy time of year for our family with school starting back up, but that is all the more reason to have a fabulous accountability group making sure I get my workouts in and stay on track nutritionally. My last group just ended and the ladies lost an average of 5.5 inches each--and that's during the summer (aka the season of never ending pool parties and vacations!!). Everyone also reported some great "non scale victories" too--fitting in pants they hadn't worn in years, getting back into prepregnancy clothing, feeling confident, noticing the program become lifestyle not "diet."

 ...AND 21 Day Fix is on SALE through tomorrow. If you commit to giving Shakeology a shot for one month (and you know you're curious!!), you get 21 Day Fix for just $10. That's a no brainer, y'all!! Comment below if you want more info about the challenge group or the sale!! Ok, back to business!! I loved how quickly this recipe came together and how yummy my kitchen smelled! This recipe is a stretch on 21DF, but I would look at it as probably two green containers, a red container, a blue container, and 1-2 of your gray teaspoons. 

Margarita Style Portobello Pizzas 
(yields two servings)

Ingredients:
2 large portobello caps, stems removed and gills scraped out
2 tbsp prepared basil pesto
1 roma tomato
4 slices of fresh mozzarella (from the little ball; not a "Kraft" package ;) )
Salt and pepper
EVOO

Preparation:

You're going to LOVE everything about this.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. While over is warming prep mushrooms by wiping with a wet paper towel, removing stems, and gently scraping gills (the blackish part inside the cap). Rub each cap with a small amount of EVOO and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place caps gill side down on a foil-lined baking sheet (clean up is SO EASY this way!) and roast for 5 minutes. Flip mushrooms over (now gill side up) and roast for an additional 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, use a serrated knife to slice the tomato and mozzarella. Remove mushrooms from oven (if any liquid has formed inside the cap, drain this off in the sink before "stuffing" the pizzas). Top each cap with 1 tbsp of pesto, 2 slices of fresh mozzarella, and 2-3 slices of tomato. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top of each pizza, and return to the oven for 5-8 minutes (or until mozzarella has reached your desired state of melty goodness).

 Serving suggestion: I enjoyed my pizza over a bed of quick sauteed spinach to add some "green" to the plate...and my belly :) I just heated a small amount of EVOO in a pan with red pepper flakes and garlic. Careful not to burn the garlic! Add 3-4 handfuls of baby spinach and use tongs to turn it over in the oil. Add a few tbsps of water to the pan and allow spinach to wilt. This whole process seriously takes no more than 3 minutes!!

Dijon Pork Chops with Roasted Sweet Potato, Quinoa and Kale Salad

You know when you need a recipe to get you in the right frame of mind for something? No? Only I'm that crazy? Figures.

We are on the final countdown to the last few days of summer vacation. Being a teacher has lots of perks, but one thing I could do without is the annual feelings of trepidation as we lose the freedom of summer and welcome the anxiety of a new year. Don't get me wrong--there is nothing better than the fresh start of a new school year, but that same feeling you got in your belly as a kid the night before the first day of school never goes away!

This recipe was a great way to reintroduce the flavors of fall without the overwhelming pumpkin-spice-on-all-the-things mentality :) This was one of the featured recipes on my clean eating challenge menu this week. If you haven't been following my facebook page or the blog for long, I regularly host FREE five day clean eating challenges. Additionally, if you are looking for a bigger push to get healthy, I host longer fitness based accountability groups, too!

Alright--down to business. The original recipe (as posted below) calls for a full pork tenderloin. Hubby's work schedule didn't allow for him to be home for dinner last night, so I subbed a single boneless pork loin chop. Method stayed EXACTLY the same (quick sear in the pan then off to the oven for a bit)...so don't let cooking for one be a detractor for you!! Buying the single pork chop at the butcher counter yesterday for a whopping $2 allowed me to not wallow in mommy self pity and actually enjoy a delicious dinner after little went to bed.

Dinner for one doesn't have to come in a
cardboard box!

Dijon Pork Chops with Roasted Sweet Potato, Quinoa and Kale Salad (serves 4)

Ingredients:

6 oz bonless pork chops (as many as you need!)

2 T Dijon

1/2 tspn thyme

1/2 tspn ground black pepper

1 tspn raw honey

               

Salad (makes about 4 servings)

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tspn onion powder

1/2 tspn oregano

1/2 tspn chili powder

1 cup cooked quinoa

2 cups kale

4 tbsp water

1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp  extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tbsp honey

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Toss sweet potatoes with EVOO, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and chili powder until coated.  Spread sweet potatoes on baking sheet lined with foil in single layer and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, flipping once.  

While the potatoes are getting started, mix dijon, thyme and pepper together and coat pork chops. Sear chops over medium-high heat in EVOO until it’s brown on all sides (about 3 min per side). Scootch the potatoes to one side of the baking sheet and add pork chops to the pan. Roast for 15-25 minutes until internal temperature reads 145 degrees.  Allow pork chops to rest for 4-6 minutes before serving.

While sweet potatoes and pork are finishing up are roasting, wipe out the skillet and add a smidge more EVOO. Toss in the kale and water and saute kale till tender. Stir in cooked quinoa and potatoes. 

In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic through honey and stir into quinoa salad.

Serve pork over quinoa salad.