Sweet T and a Honey B
Food, Fitness, and the Adventures That Make Life Sweet

A Very Special Christmas Tradition

Every year since I was about 15, my mom and I make it a point to take one full day out of the busy and fast-paced weeks leading up to Christmas for our annual ‘Christmas in the City Day’. We take the train downtown, eat lunch at Pizano’s (our favorite pizza in Chicago), finish up some Christmas shopping, and take in all of the lights at the Christkindl Market at Daley Plaza. Our evening ends wrapping presents, cooking a warm dinner, and watching the Bells of St. Mary’s on our old VHS tape that was recorded just shortly after I was born. This is arguably my favorite day every year, especially the last few years after I’ve moved out of the house and gotten married. Now we call it our annual ‘sleepover’. 

This tradition was extra special this year. Almost six months ago to the day, I had more than a few moments where I was unsure Mom was even going to be here, let alone shoveling pizza and dodging hundreds of Christmas shoppers. Back in June, I wrote about mom having a benign brain tumor removed and a couple complications she had afterwards. At that time I wrote about that, little did I know the complications were only beginning. After an infection that left her in a debilitating amount of pain, a stroke on the night of the 4th of July, and two very dangerous allergic reactions to medication, the summer thankfully ended and mom came home for good. I didn’t share a lot of this at the time because our family experienced so many ups and downs-and the downs were very scary. Watching my best friend experience so much pain and depression due to her temporary loss of independence was difficult to say the least. June, July, and August are a complete blur and that time period is still one I get emotional thinking about. A lot of my emotion comes from the pride I have for her and how hard she worked every day to get better. There were many days where even standing up to the use the restroom was a huge feat yet here we are six months and a world of difference later. 

This weekend, we made the decision to change this year’s ‘Christmas in the City’ to ‘Christmas in the Burbs’ as Mom is still finding her balance in large crowds, but I can truthfully say this was the most fun we’ve had to date. I picked her up just before lunch time and we still managed to make a stop at Lou Malnati’s for some deep dish pepperoni pizza. In the last few years, there has been a Christkindl Market location in the suburbs and this year we took full advantage. We did a couple laps while sipping on Hot Cocoa with fresh Bavarian cream and munching on cinnamon roasted pecans (this day never lacks in the snack department). After a little while, we made our way to the outlet mall for a bit of shopping. In full disclosure, we bought more presents for ourselves than others this weekend 😉  

After being out in the cold all day, it was time to head home to wrap some presents and watch our movie. Mom made us some toasted ham sandwiches and coffee while we transformed her living room in to Santa’s workshop for the night. I made it a point to stand back and take in how wonderful the entire day had turned out to be. I ended up being the one that had a hard time keeping up with her and fell asleep on the couch by the tree. 

Our day was nothing less than perfect and watching my mom participate in our normal traditions while enjoying herself fully made my entire Christmas season. I continue to be in awe of how hard she pushes herself to get a little better each day and I hope this tradition is something we carry on for many years-complete with a pepperoni pizza. 

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Goat Cheese Pizza

I am a certified pizza addict and I’m not ashamed to admit it. It’s no exaggeration when I say I have made every healthy pizza alternative there is.-quinoa pizza bites, pizza roll ups, cauliflower pizza, pizza salads, you name it. While a pizza inspired dish satisfies the craving, there’s nothing quite like, well, actual pizza. 

Since I had tried every other Simple Mills product (and loved it), I picked up a couple boxes of the pizza crust. It’s all natural, gluten free, and made with almond flour. The mix requires very few ingredients (Apple cider vinegar-which kills bacteria, supports gut health, lowers blood pressure, and contains probiotics-coconut oil or avocado oil, and water), takes minutes to make, and turns out with the perfect amount of crispiness. 

I topped our pizzas with a little of the pesto, some soft goat cheese, and my favorite veggies, and I had an actual pizza. One that tasted good and was good for me. This is a quick weeknight meal that satisfies the strongest of pizza cravings without all the extra grease.

(I bought two boxes of mix so that we had leftovers for the next night. The below recipe for sun dried tomato pesto is enough for 4 8-inch pizzas which uses the two boxes)

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

  • 1 jar (250 ML) of sun dried tomatoes in oil (do not drain!)
  • 1 cup fresh basil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

Gluten Free Pizza (Serves 2)

  • 1 box of Simple Mills Gluten Free Almond Flour Pizza Crust, made as directed (2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 tbs oil, 6 tbs water)
  • 4 oz soft goat cheese
  • 1 cup arugula
  • 1 small roma tomato
  • 1/2 small onion
  • sea salt
  • Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 cup of the Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (save the other half in an air tight container)

 

  1. The Simple Mills mix makes two 8-inch round pizzas. After baking the crusts for 5 minutes at 350 degrees, take them out of the oven to add your toppings.
  2. Spread 1/4 cup of the Sun Dried Tomato Pesto evenly on each crust.
  3. Add roma tomato slices, arugula, and onion on top.
  4. Place 2 oz. of goat cheese on top of each pizza.
  5. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and Italian seasoning.
  6. Bake 15 more minutes at 350 or until ends of crust turn golden brown. 
  7. Cut each pizza in to four slices and enjoy!

Sausage and Pepper Flatout Pizzadillas

Nothing is more real than the struggle to find a healthy alternative when all you want is pizza with a million toppings. I find myself struggling with this more times than I’d like to admit because there’s very few things I like more than a Friday night pizza. Don’t get me wrong, picking up a small Lou Malnatis for hubs and I after a long week of work will always be an occasional happening, but what happens when you have a taste for delivery pizza more times than not? How do you eliminate all the carbs and loads of extra cheese but still feel like you’re eating your favorite pie? These little Flatout Pizzadillas. 

This pseudo pizza/quesadilla recipe is so simple I hesitate to actually call it a recipe. Like most of the meals I have shared with you, you can whip these up in no time and it makes for good lunches the next day.  I often change up what ingredients/toppings I add each time depending on what we have a taste for that night. These little triangles are fun to eat and fun to make.  Serve with a side Caesar or garden salad and your meal is guaranteed to satisfy even the most intense pizza craving!

I really enjoy making flatbreads and wraps with the various flavors of Flatout Bread because they are low carb but so delicious. There are an abundant amount of recipes on their website.  They even have a section dedicated to other Weight Watcher friendly recipes!

                        

 

Makes 2 servings (2 triangles per serving) – 10 WW SPs per Serving

Ingredients:

  • 2 Light Original Flatouts
  • 4 tbs pizza sauce
  • 1 cup part skim shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 pound ground Italian turkey sausage
  • 1/2 white onion, diced
  • 1/2 large green pepper, diced
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning

-Cook ground turkey over medium heat in a large skillet until it starts to brown. Spoon meat in a bowl and set aside.

-Reduce heat to low-medium and place one Flatout in the skillet

-Spread 2 tbs of the pizza sauce evenly on the Flatout. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese on one side of the Flatout. Add 1/2 of the ground turkey sausage, 1/2 of the diced onions, and 1/2 of the diced peppers on top of the first layer of cheese. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup of the cheese and 1 tsp of Italian seasoning on top.

-Fold one side of your Flatout over with a spatula to create a pocket or a ‘quesadilla’. Cook each side for 1 minute. Cut in half with a pizza cutter and serve!

 

What are your favorite pizza toppings? Do you have any healthier alternatives when it comes to that doughy/cheesy craving?