Home

25 Apr 2013

Smoked Salmon and Dill Flatbread Pizza {And why flatbread pizzas can save the day!}

April 25, 2013 By Bree 9 Comments

I don’t know about you, but when the spring weather starts tease me with some intermittent sunny days, I get antsy.
Really antsy.
As in, it is hard to sit at my desk antsy.
I want to be out hiking with my kids.
With my face in the sun.
Spring shopping.
And I certainly don’t want to spend hours in my kitchen.
That’s when…Flatbread pizzas are lifesavers!
Flatbreads are great for dinner, breakfast, lunch and even appetizers..

They can be done in less than 15 minutes and you can make several to meet all the different tastes within your family.

This Smoked Salmon and Dill Flatbread Pizza is for me.

Here’s What You Need:
1 garlic flatbread (I like the naan from Archer Farm’s from Target) 2 Light Swiss Laughing Cow wedges 1/2 tsp Penzey’s Country French Vinaigrette 1 small tomato, sliced and seasoned with salt + pepper Olive oil Handful of baby spinach, cut into strips 1/4 cup smoked salmon (I like the cracked pepper. You can find these in the refrigerated section near the seafood.) Crumbled feta

Here’s What You Do: Preheat oven to 400. Mix Laughing Cow with the seasoning. Spread onto the flatbread. Top with the salmon and then with the tomatoes and spinach. Add the feta crumbles. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Oh wait! So is this one…

My kids love a traditional pepperoni and cheese like this one.

My husband? A modified version of my BBQ chicken pizza..

I even make flatbreads for breakfast. Check out this handsome one!
pizzabest2
Wait! What about this one?!
bkfastpizza6
Seriously the list goes on…I am obessed with these things and I think you will be too…

XO,

Bree

Let’s be friends! LIKE Skinny Mommy on Facebook: www.facebook.com/skinnymommyllc

24 Apr 2013

Chickpea Ragout (And the Original Skinny Mommy!)

April 24, 2013 By Bree 13 Comments

The Original Skinny Mommy.
That would be my Grandma, aka Gigi.
To say she is amazing would be an understatement.
She is extraordinary.
She is in her mid 80s (Sorry for the big reveal Grandma!)
and she runs TEN MILES every other day.
And on the opposite days? She lifts weights.
I am sure you just exclaimed, “Wow!”
Wow is right.
-And way before anyone was doing pilates or eating organic my Grandma was doing aerobics to a record player and eating rice cakes.
She’s the only Midwestern Grandma I know who likes Thai food and tofu.

I am only 4’11 so that gives you an indicator of how tiny she is!

Aside from being incredibly fit, she’s equally smart. She was the valedictorian of her high school class and then went on to graduate from Bradley University and taught ESL.
And did I mention that she had 6 children?!
She’s the cutest, tiniest thing and an inspiration to everyone.

I asked her for a few of her favorite “Skinny Mommy” recipes and this Chickpea Ragout recipe was one of them. I spruced it up a bit with fresh lemon and herbs and put it over polenta.

I love how it gets better every day….Kind of like you Grandma.
Big Hugs,

Brita
Here’s What You Need: (Serves 4)

Olive oil
½ large yellow onion, diced 1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp cumin
2 can of organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can of Organic Roasted Tomatoes, not drained (I prefer Muir Glen)
2 stalks of fresh thyme
2 tsps honey
1 lemon
2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
Salt + Pepper
Serve with polenta or couscous

Here’s What You Do:
Preheat a pot over medium high and drizzle with the evoo. Add the onion and the garlic and stir to coat. Add the cumin. Saute until they start to soften. Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, and thyme (removed from the stalk). Add the broth and ½ tsp of salt and pepper to taste. Boil for about 10 minutes. Serve over grilled polenta* or with couscous. This is one of those dishes that gets better every day!

*Preheat a grill pan over medium high and then drizzle with evoo. Slice the polenta and then season it on both sides with salt and pepper and “grill” for a few minutes per side. You can add a dash of parmesan to the top if you want too!

Kid Tip:
I got my kids to at least try this which was a feat since it is not really a typical kids dish and I think it is important to expose them to different foods even if they are not crazy about them. I kept the polenta and the chickpeas in separate compartments on their plates. My husband said he doesn’t like chickpeas or tomatoes and that he thought the flavors here were really great. Plus!

Don’t forget to like Skinny Mommy on Facebook! www.facebook.com/skinnymommyllc

Filed Under: Chickpea Ragout Over Grilled Polenta Tagged With: Chickpea Ragout, meatless dinners

22 Apr 2013

The Ultimate Power Breakfast

April 22, 2013 By Bree 15 Comments

It was one of those weekends.
Sprinkled with fun—
And dashed with a few snafus.
Then the sun came out after an entire week
and I kissed my friend’s new baby on the head.
- We ended Sunday with a fun dinner at another friend’s where our kids ran around laughing and causing havoc while we simultaneously laughed and drank white wine.
We went to bed much too late and so I sit in my pajamas getting a slow start this Monday morning.
This Power Breakfast, however, will help kickstart another busy week.
-Probably sprinkled with fun and dashed with snafus, because-
Such is life, right?
A tiny little roller coaster of ups and downs and upside downs….
How was your weekend my friends?

Have a great day!

xo,
Bree

Here’s What You Need: (For 1)
1 organic, cage free egg
1 piece of hearty bread
1 small tomato, sliced
Handful of kale (I like lacinto)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt + Pepper

Here’s What You Do:
Spray a pan with non-stick and then cook an egg sunny side up while toasting your bread. Add the tomato, seasoned with salt and pepper, to the toast, followed by the egg also seasoned. Keeping the pan still hot, add the kale, season it and cook, tossing constantly for about 30 seconds until it starts to soften up. Serve on top of or next to the toast/egg combo.

Kid Tip:
Scramble the egg with the kale, which you have diced finely and top with a dash of shredded cheese. Serve like this or create a breakfast sandwich with a whole wheat bagel or two pieces of toast.

Don’t miss a recipe! LIKE Skinny Mommy on Facebook: www.facebook.com/skinnymommyllc

Filed Under: Open Faced Egg & Kale Breakfast Sandwich Tagged With: healthy, kale recipes, Open Faced Egg & Kale Breakfast Sandwich, quick breakfasts

18 Apr 2013

Wild Rice & Glazed Walnuts Spinach Salad with a Citrus Dressing

April 18, 2013 By Bree 13 Comments

I heard Jillian Michaels talking recently and she said she had to be the tough persona she is on Biggest Loser because,
“These people are suiciding with food.”
Wow.
What an incredibly powerful statement.
-And yet, I guess it is an accurate way to look at morbid obsesity.
Slowly killing one’s self with food.
I think what makes that show in particular so successful is that they work not only on what people are eating and how much they are excercising, but what’s behind the eating.
It is rarely as simple as a love affair with food.
Often it is a void that is attempted to be filled
or a sadness that is temporarily being forgotten by food.

I think at some point we all, myself included, have chastised ourselves for our bodies or had unhealthy relationships with food.
Getting to the heart of emotional eating is the key to successfully losing weight, to making a true lifestyle change.

–And most importantly, to wholly love ourselves.
Our bodies.
To be incredibly strong.
Both inside and out…

What do you think about what Jillian said?
Food for thought, right?
In the meantime and on a lighter note, here’s a tasty salad…
XO,

Bree

Here’s What You Need Salad: (For each)
1 Handfuls of baby spinach
1 mandarin orange (I love Cuties)
Handful of walnuts
1 celery stalk, diced
(Best Life Spread, Salt + Pepper, Cayenne, Agave)
2-3 TBS of wild rice (I like the microwaveable one from Target Archer Farms for how easy it is!)

Here’s What You Need Dressing:
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp of red wine vinegar
Salt + Pepper
1 TBS agave or honey
1/2 TBS orange juice

Here’s What You Do:
Preheat a pan over medium high and add the walnuts along with about a tsp of the Best Life Spread, salt and pepper and a good dash of cayenne and cook until the “butter” melts. Drizzle with agave and then stir to coat. Meanwhile pile the lettuce onto a plate and top with the rice, celery and orange segments. Top with the still warm walnuts and drizzle with the dressing to coat. Season with s+p.

Kid Tip:
My kids do not dig salads! But I gave them the celery and the oranges along with their dinner–basically deconstructing the salad.

Let’s be friends! LIKE Skinny Mommy on Facebook www.facebook.com/skinnymommyllc

Filed Under: Wild Rice & Glazed Walnuts Spinach Salad Tagged With: Wild Rice & Glazed Walnuts Spinach Salad

16 Apr 2013

Make a Sweet & Smoky Breakfast Quesadilla in the Panini Maker!

April 16, 2013 By Bree 2 Comments

Two weekends ago my adorable friend Jaime got married in an Asian Fusion style wedding.
It was elegant.
It was fancy.

I was honored to be in the bridal party. I am on the left.

And it was so stinkin’ fun.
I for one, had too much fun.
It may have been the shot of tequila that my friends and I capped the night off with at midnight.
oops.
Note to self for future events:
You are a 37 year old mom who is an official light weight.
SKIP the tequila.
Especially when you have a 7:30am t.v. appearance the next day.

OH my.
I think I still felt crappy two days later, but there’s nothing like a night of laughing with your friends…

Oh and this breakfast quesadilla will surely make anyone feel better…

Hugs,

Bree

Here’s What You Need: (For 1)
2 corn tortillas (You will never want to eat another one again after trying the Hand Made Style ones from La Tortilla Factory!)
1 egg whisked lightly with a dash of ff milk or ff half and half
1 wedge Laughing Cow Light Queso Fresco & Chipotle
1-2 TBS of mango salsa (I used the Peach mango salsa from Chachies)
1 TBS of shredded cheese (I like the all natural Andrew & Everett)
Chipotle seasoning
Small handful of spinach.

Here’s What You Do:
Preheat your Panini maker. Heat a non-stick pan coated with organic non-stick or grapeseed oil spray over medium high heat. Whisk the Laughing Cow into the egg mixture and sprinkle with the chipotle to your taste. Add the egg mixture to the pan for 1 minute and then add the spinach. Let the egg “set” then flip. Spread the egg mixture out over one of the tortillas and then smooth the salsa over the top. Add the shredded cheese and top with the other tortilla. Cook for 4-5 minutes in the Panini maker. Delicioso!

Kid Tip:
Your kids should love these! I suggest leaving out the chipotle seasoning to keep it really mild. You can also cut the spinach really small to hide it from them. Two kids can definitely split one of these.

Why can’t we be friends?! www.facebook.com/skinnymommy.com

Filed Under: Sweet & Smoky Breakfast Quesadilla Tagged With: Sweet & Smoky Breakfast Quesadilla

12 Apr 2013

Make Your Own Teriyaki Sauce

April 12, 2013 By Bree 16 Comments

Happy Friday my friends!
Did I tell you how a couple of weeks ago we went to Jamaica for my sister in law’s wedding?
Well, the wedding was beautiful-probably one of the most scenic weddings I have ever been too and I couldn’t get enough of the food at the rehearsal or the wedding-it was delicious!
The house we stayed on the other hand?
Oh my.
Let’s just say, we survived it.
It was way up on this hill in a local Jamiaca town. I want to emphasize local, no tourists to be found in this town!
The view was incredible.
See?The inside?
Not so much.
There was filth and mold dripping from the walls.
I am drama, but this is no exaggeration.
See?

My sister pointing out the beautiful bathroom!

There was no air conditioning in 86 degrees.
I love it hot.
But so do the mosquitos.
See?

Poor little guy doing shots of Benadryl!

We still had fun of course.
See?

Andy and I at the rehearsal dinner on the beach!

And the owner of the house, though untidy, made a mean teriyaki sauce.

Here’s my version…

Here’s What You Need for the Sauce:
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2-1tsp of minced garlic
2 TBS + 1tsp of sugar in the raw
1 tsp of agave (Honey should work too)
1 cup of water

And for the chicken:
1lb of chicken cubed
Penze’s Singapore seasoning (Or other Asian inspired spice)
Olive oil

Here’s What You Do: (Sauce)
Heat all the ingredients and bring to a rolling boil for about 10 minutes.

Here’s What You Do: Chicken
Season chicken on both sides. Heat pan drizzled with evoo over medium high and cook chicken about 6-8 minutes, turning once or until cooked through. Cook in two batches so as to not crowd the pan! Remove chicken to a bowl and then saute the remaining chicken. Add all the chicken to the pan and pour the teriyaki sauce over the top and simmer on high for 2 minutes.
Serve with Tasty Bite rice (I like Ginger Lentil), drizzling extra sauce over the top.

Kid Tip:
My son literally said to me. ” Can you make that chicken with the rice again exactly the same” a mere two days later. That’s a good sign that it is kid friendly, right?!

Why can’t we be friends? Like Skinny Mommy on Facebook! www.facebook.com/skinnymommyllc

Filed Under: Make Your Own Teriyaki Sauce Tagged With: Easy Teriyaki Sauce, teriyaki chicken

10 Apr 2013

Skinny Baked Rigatoni

April 10, 2013 By Bree 13 Comments

I have become one of those super annoying people who talks incessantly about the weather.
I try not to, but come on! It was 35 degrees and pouring rain for the third day in a row as I drove my kids to school this morning–In mid April.
It makes me want to stay in my pjs and linger in bed.
Frankly, tt’s bad for productivity
I think that is why my spring fever is in full swing. I have become obsessed with looking for a new house, a cabin or a beach house. Just something NEW to replace the old that is winter.
So for these super chilly days of early spring this Skinny Baked Rigatoni is the perfect comfort food.

-Comforting me from the reality that I probably won’t get a new house, cabin, or beach house…
Enjoy this recipe my friends and send some sunshine my way!
Hugs,

Bree

Here’s What You Need: (Seves 4)
2 Smart Chicken Spicy Italian sausage links (casings removed)
Extra virgin Olive oil
1 small zucchini
Marinara (About 26oz) I like Field Day Organics-tastes great, is organic and affordable!
1 TBS red wine
8oz organic or whole wheat rigatoni
Babybel mozzarella flavored (About 3)
Optionals: parmesan, red pepper flakes

Saute the chicken with the zucchini

Here’s What You Do:
Make the pasta according to the directions but about 2 minutes shy of al dente. Preheat the oven to 375. Saute the sausage in evoo and add 1 small diced zucchini once the sausage is starting to brown. Pour in the marinara along with the red wine and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the pasta. Pour the pasta into a baking dish coated with non-stick and top with the Babybels, cut into tiny pieces. Bake covered with foil for 10 minutes and then uncovered an additional five minutes. Season with salt and pepper and pass with parmesan and red pepper flakes.

Add in the marinara

Kid Tip:
Pasta is usually a fairly big hit with kids, especially with a big dollop of parmesan on the top!

Let’s be friends! LIKE Skinny Mommy on Facebook: www.facebook.com/skinnyommyllc

Note: The Babybel cheese was provided by the Laughing Cow, but the opinions shared here are all my own.

Filed Under: Skinny Baked Rigatoni Tagged With: Skinny Baked Rigatoni

08 Apr 2013

Copycat! Starbucks Vanilla Spice Latte

April 8, 2013 By Bree 20 Comments

There is this local coffee shop here in Milwaukee called Stone Creek and they have an amazing Cardamon Latte. It is such an interesting, exotic flavor and is my 100% favorite coffee. Starbucks Spiced Vanilla Latte comes it at a close second. Because I work from home I usually make my coffee here with my (lifesaving!) Keurig and attemped to make my own Vanilla Spice Latte. I thought it turned out pretty darn good.

Here’s What You Need: (For YOURSELF!)
1/4-1/2 cup of ff half and half
Pinch of cardamon spice
Pinch of good quality cinnamon (I recommend Penzey’s)
1/2 tsp of pure vanilla
1 cup of brewed coffee (regular or vanilla flavored)

Here’s What You Do:
Add the half and half, vanilla and spices to the blender and blend until nice and fluffy. Pour over your coffee and then add an extra dash of cardamon and cinnamon. Sit back and relax and watch some day time television! (Which is what I want to be doing right now!!!)

*Note: The less half and half you use the more flavors will come through.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

04 Apr 2013

Grilled Chicken Burrito

April 4, 2013 By Bree 10 Comments

Hello my friends!
As you all know, after winning the Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Contest last July life has been insanely busy launching my new product line-Busy Bree’s Dinner Starters. One thing I have figured out is that selling the product to the grocery store is not the hard part-supporting the grocery stores is the hard part. –Staying in touch to make sure they have adequate product, doing demonstrations to sell the product, and in my case, schlepping the jars across town from my manufacturer to the stores in the back of my Volvo.
With 100 or so employees at Futura I have really taken a step back in selling Busy Bree’s because I want to do it right. I want to support the stores and make sure my product sells.
But as the new Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge starts and there is new media coverage, I am looking forward to the renewed excitement for Busy Bree’s and Skinny Mommy as well!

I for one, always stay excited about the products themselves. I truly use them every single week cooking for my own family.
Hopefully, someday, they will be at a grocery store near you…
-and when that time comes, here is a super easy, really delicious Grilled Chicken Burrito recipe.

Have a fabulous day,

Bree

Here’s What You Need: (For 4)
*1lb of ground chicken (I prefer Smart Chicken)
½ of a yellow squash, chopped
½ of a zucchini, chopped
1 jar of Busy Bree’s Dinner Starter Healthful Mexican (Previously known as Skinny Dinner Starter!)
1 avocado
Whole wheat tortillas
Lime

Here’s What You Do:
Preheat your Panini maker*. Drizzle a pan with extra virgin olive oil and heat over medium high. Add the chicken until it starts to cook slightly before adding the vegetables. Cook for a few minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and then add the Dinner Starter and simmer for about 5 minutes. Chop the avocado and add some to each tortilla and top with the chicken mixture. Squeeze a quarter of a lime over the top. Fold up and then place in a heated Panini maker for 4- 5 minutes. Serve with Greek yogurt in place of sour cream and hot sauce or salsa for dipping.

*You could also make this with chopped chicken breast or all vegetables. If you don’t have a panini maker, simply put the burrittos on a heated grill pan and and add another pan to the top to press it down to make the great grill marks. You could add a tiny bit of shredded cheese to the burrito if you like!

Kid Tip:
These actually do make nice finger foods! Play up a fun Mexican theme to get the kids really excited.

Let’s be friends! LIKE Skinny Mommy: www.facebook.com/skinnymommyllc

Filed Under: Grilled Chicken Burrito Tagged With: Grilled Chicken Burrito, Skinny Mexican

02 Apr 2013

A Real Mom Dinner

April 2, 2013 By Bree 12 Comments

Wham.
A kick to the gut.
Wham.
A wack over the eyes.
A tug of war.
For the pillows.
For the sheets.
This is what it is like when my little one attempts to sneak into our bed.
Yet there is nothing sneaky about his restless sleeping, which often takes place at a 90 degree angle across Andy and me.
Grr.

Real mom problems.

5:30pm.
One child is whining for a snack while standing periliously on the kitchen counter.
Another child is doing back rolls off the couch.
The dog is barking incessantly.
I am breaking a slight sweat from the chaos.
‘Gotta love weeknight dinner time.
Real mom problems.

So as much as I adore cooking there is nothing fun about cooking under these circumstances, which is why I have a few ‘go to’ dinners to save the night…
I make “special green pasta” at least once a week along with paninis, and these super simple flatbread pizzas.
Real mom dinners.
Ie: Sanity solutions….

Hope you, on the other hand, are sipping wine and reading Bon Apetit during dinner time!

Xo, Bree

Here’s What You Need:
2 large flatbreads (I like the Garlic Naan from Target’s Archer Farms)
Organic marinara or pizza sauce
Handful of baby spinach cut into strips
Uncured nitrate free pepperoni
Shredded cheese (Four Cheese Italian or similar)
Salt + pepper, Italian Seasoning, Extra virgin olive oil
Serve with: chopped fresh veggies and hummus or yogurt-based ranch dressing and fresh fruit

Here’s What You Do:
Preheat the oven to 400. Spread the marinara or pizza sauce on the breads. Sprinkle with the cheese. Top with the pepperoni and the spinach. Drizzle lightly with evoo and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake for 10-12 minutes and pass with salt + pepper, parmesan, and red pepper flakes.
Easy peasy!

Kid Tip: See those kid plates above?! Voila!
Let’s be friends! www.facebook.com/skinnymommyllc

Filed Under: Flat Bread Pizza Tagged With: Easy weeknight dinners, flatbread pizzas

25

Apr 2013

24

Apr 2013

22

Apr 2013

18

Apr 2013

16

Apr 2013

12

Apr 2013

10

Apr 2013

08

Apr 2013

04

Apr 2013

02

Apr 2013

About Bree

Search

connect

Popular

Disclosure

Categories

Archives