Portobello Mushroom Pizzas

It's difficult to eat low carb. It's even more difficult when you are craving pizza! Today I made Portobello pizzas. It was delicious and satisfied my craving and when I calculated the calories they were just under 100 calories each.

Ingredients:

4 Large Portobello Mushrooms

2 teaspoons Olive Oil

1/4 of a Red Onion diced

17 Low-fat Turkey Pepperoni quartered

1/2 Cup Mozzarella/Provolone Blend

1 Cup fresh Spinach chopped

Pizza Seasoning

Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and remove the stems. Put the mushrooms in a baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

While the mushrooms are baking sautee the red onion in the olive oil. Dice the mushroom stems and add to the sauteed onions and cook until tender. In a bowl combine cheese, spinach, pepperoni and pizza seasoning(to taste). When the mushrooms are cooked, pat dry with a paper towel, and top with onion, mushroom mixture and then the cheese blend. Broil until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

My Top Ten Aldi Buys

I like Aldi's! There I said it and I mean it. I have to admit that I didn't always feel that way, it took me some time to warm up to the bare bones of a store. I have always loved grocery shopping, I enjoy finding new items to try. I will drive to Ann Arbor to go to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Then I learned that Trader Joe's is owned by Aldi. Yep, very hard to believe but it made me take a second and third try at Aldi's and I am hooked now. I don't buy everything there, but what I have discovered is that there are some foods that are higher quality and just plain cheaper than the conventional store. Here are my top ten picks and why:

#10 Tetra Pack Soups-this is an item I first discovered at Trader Joe's but is available at Aldi. The Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup is delicious and is only $1.99 for a 32 ounce carton.

#9 Pretzel Rods-At $3.99, these are a bargain and they were all whole since they are in a tub not a bag. These sell for $6.99 at a local food service store.

#8 Dried Cranberries-For $1.39, you can toss them in your salad guilt free.

#7 Clancy's Tortilla Chips-Don't be turned off by the "off brand", these chips are top notch at a mere $1.19

#6 Devil's Food Fat Free Cookies-Move over "snackwells" these cookies will save you calories and money, only $1.19

#5 Glazed Pecans-These are so good with those cranberries on your salad. Not sure of the price but I think they may have been $3.99

#4 Granola-The granola is good quality and good price $1.99

#3 Frozen Fruits and Vegetables-Good quality, good price

#2 Fresh Fruits and Vegetables-Aldi's only carries seasonal vegetables, 8 ounces mushrooms $.79, blueberries $1.49, onions 3 pounds for $.79

#1 Organic Soy Milk-Yes I said organic. Aldi's carries a few organic items from time to time. This one is a staple there and the cost is only $2.39.

Like I said I do not buy everything there. There are some items to avoid such as the seafood. It is all either farm raised or imported from China. I also noticed some of the canned fruit is from China. With all the stuff going on with the orange juice imports I avoid imported food. Also, when Aldi does have a name brand product it doesn't tend to be cheaper than the grocery store so pass that up also.

Be prepared when you go: take a quarter to use a cart, bring your own bags and bring cash or a debit card. They do not accept credit! Happy shoppings!

Greek Chicken Pitas

It's that time of the year. Fresh produce and grilling. It is what makes today's dinner so perfect on a hot day. Grilled chicken topped with a cool tzatziki sauce. If you are really ambitious a nice salad with feta would be good with this. I wasn't that motivated!

Grilled Chicken Pitas

Boneless skinless chicken breast

Fresh oregano

Fresh Lemon

Garlic

Olive oil

Marinate the chicken over night with the juice of 2 lemons, olive oil (1/4 cup), a couple of garlic cloves and fresh oregano. It is the marinade that makes this chicken really juicy and tasty.

Tzatziki Sauce

Greek Yogurt (16 ounces) I love this stuff!

Lemon juice

Garlic

Fresh dill

Half an english cucumber peeled, seeded and grated.

Strain the cucumber to remove moisture (you can also squeeze in paper towels). Add 1 or more crushed garlic cloves, cucumber, and fresh dill to yogurt. Add the juice of a half lemon. That's it! So easy!

Grill that chicken, cut it up and put in on a pita round. Top with red onion, tomato and the tzatziki sauce. Light food for a hot night.

Here's my kind of "lunchable", all packed up and ready to go.

Kale Chips

If you haven't had Kale chips before now is the time to make some. Kale is a nutrient dense green that is good sauteed or added to soups and very inexpensive. I paid $1.29 for a huge bunch of Kale at Meijer.

I have seen many recipes on the Internet for Kale chips, and decided to add my own Italian twist to them.

Angel's Kale Chips

Kale

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Granulated Garlic

Parmesan Cheese

Parchment Paper

Preheat your oven to 300*.

Clean your Kale, breaking into bite size pieces and removing the thick stem down the middle. Wash and spin the Kale with a salad spinner. Make sure your Kale is very dry. I did this and

then also laid it on paper towels to make sure it was super dry.

Place the kale in a bowl, sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Working with your impeccably clean hands toss the kale until it is all covered. Sprinkle with some sea salt, granulated garlic and Parmesan. Toss to distribute spices.

Place the Kale on the parchment lined cookie sheet. Make sure to not over crowd the sheet.

This will cause the Kale to steam instead of get crispy.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy this guilt free chip! I dare you to just eat one!