"Healthy" Pizza Rolls

Hey everyone!

Sorry it's been so long, life's a little crazy right now, but things are actually calming down, so I'm going to try and blog a lot more for you guys. 

Today's blog features a food makeover from one of my favorite healthy foodies, Alyssia Sheikh from Mind Over Munch! A while ago now, she made over a healthier version of Pizza Rolls, everyone's favorite guilty pleasure. With her genius recipe, I was able to curb my craving, so now I'm passing it on to you guys. Let me know if you make this recipe yourself, make sure to send me lots of pictures via my social media and check out my Instagram and Tumblr (it's new!) for my exercise routines and my monthly challenges (I'm doing two right now!) I changed some of the ingredients, I'll tell you all about them, what pasta sauce I used, and all the deets of cost too!

Here is Alyssia's original (amazing) recipe:

Image from Mind Over Munch website

Ingredients

1. ½ cup diced mushrooms
2. ½ cup diced zucchini
3. ½ cup finely diced onion
4. ½ cup chopped spinach
5. 1–2 tsp garlic
6. 2/3 cup sauce (I use Classico Tomato & Basil for lower sugar!)
7. 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8. ½ tsp garlic powder
9. Salt & pepper to taste
10. about 40 wonton wrappers

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Sautee vegetables, garlic, garlic powder and salt and pepper in a skillet until cooked.
3. Add sauce to vegetable mixture.
4. Fill each wonton wrapper with about 1 tsp sauce mixture and 1 tsp mozzarella cheese.
5. Fold into pizza roll shape and crimp edges to seal.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until browned, flipping halfway through.

Nutrition

1. per serving (4 rolls): 120 calories | 16g carbs | <2g fat | 8g protein

Hers turned out much prettier and put together than mine did! But, they still tasted amazing, and for me, that's what really counts. These are so easy to make. I made two different kinds of "pouches" for mine (I have a very hungry husband) and I figured about two of the small rolls are worth one big roll that I made. 

I followed Alyssia's recipe, only changing minor things to suit my family's budget. For one, I didn't buy any egg whites. I only used water to close the pockets and I sprayed them with cooking spray, then topped them with chia seeds. As you can see, the cooking oil doesn't crisp the pockets up, only prevents them from burning, and some of them burst instead of staying together, but I was fine with that. If you want crispier pockets, then definitely use the egg whites. 

For our filling, I used 1 cup of diced zucchini, 1 diced green bell pepper, one diced small onion, one shredded carrot, 2 oz diced turkey pepperoni, and 1 cup of cheese. I pretty much doubled the recipe because I made two whole batches and froze the second batch. This means that whenever we want pizza rolls, I just have to pull them out of our freezer and toss them into an oven to heat up (we don't have a toaster oven). For the sauce, I used the whole jar (375 ml). This is the Selection brand (we live in Canada, so we shop at Food Basics) Tomato and Basil with Olive Oil and Garlic. It was the least expensive and only had about 5g of sugar per 1/2 cup. yes, I definitely could have made my own, I normally do, but this time, I figured that I was putting for the effort to make my own pizza rolls, so I could cheat a little. The mozzarella is not low-fat because it's the only bulk mozzarella in Costco. I will have to take the hit on the fat content in order to save money. The wanton wrapper were 2 for $5.00 at Food Basics, which was a great offer because I was able to make a double batch with just this pack, which means I can freeze or refrigerate the other pack and use them for wanton hamburger bites, taco bites, Thai bites, General Tso's bites, veggie bites, or even falafel bites! you can even put your favorite fruit into them with your favorite "dip" and bake those for a quick and easy dessert. There are so many amazing things you can do with wanton wrappers, it's crazy. And they bake up super super fast. 

A bag of Pizza Rolls in Food Basics costs about $6.00-$7.00. With my home made pizza rolls, I only spent about $7 to make twice the amount in the bag! 

I thought they turned out very well, and when I asked my husband if they were a good replacement for pizza rolls he said, "Yeah, I like these a lot better." Score!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe makeover. I'll try and post more recipes throughout the week. 

Give me suggestions of more recipes to make!

Chicken, White Bean, and Squash Chili

This recipe is everything I love about fall. Warm, comforting, and full of spices that nourish the body and warm the soul. Cheesy, right? I know. I think that my grandmother got this recipe from a WeightWatchers cookbook, but I honestly don't know. The only reason I think it's a WeightWatchers recipe is because she had the Points Value on the bottom of the note card. Either way, this recipe is full of amazing whole foods that are easy to put together and to find in the store. 

Let's get on with the delicious recipe!

Chicken, White bean, and Butternut Squash Chili

Serves 4

Ingredients:


2 pablano peppers
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp ancho chili powder*
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 (15 oz) can white beans
1 (14 oz) box chicken broth**
1/2 cup water
1/2 butternut squash, cubed in 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup bulgar
1/4 tsp salt***
2 cups diced, cooked chicken breast****
4 tbsp fat free sour cream
2 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 tbsp jalapeno*****

Process:

1. Sautee pablanos and onion in nonstick spray until softened on medium heat.

2. Stir in garlic, and all spices. 

3. Once combined, add in chicken, beans (make sure you rinse them thoroughly!), broth, water, squash, and bulgar. 

4. Stir everything together until well combined and then cover with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes. If you want this "chili" more like a stew, then add more water. if you like it thicker, like a chili, take the cover off and let some of the liquid evaporate as it's simmering. 

5. Once the chili has thickened, serve in 1 1/2 cup servings. Top with 1 tbsp of sour cream, cilantro, and jalapeno. Don't be afraid to go heavy on your jalapeno and cilantro, or even add your own toppings like salt-free salsa, cherry tomatoes, peppers, chopped onions, or even reduced fat shredded cheese. 

* I enjoy ancho chili powder because of the smokiness, but regular chili powder will do just fine. i buy my ancho chili powder in BulkBarn, and it barely costs a thing because you only need a little bit. Don't over-buy your bulk spices! 

** I buy my chicken broth from Costco, so I have only one or two options for chicken broth. one of which is organic. If you are just buying your chicken broth right off the shelf, try and get no salt added or reduced sodium and try and steer clear of bullion. 

*** You DO NOT have to add this! The beans have salt on them already, not matter how well you rinse them. Make sure you make healthy choices over delicious choices. You can add so much on top of the chili to make it more flavorful, and leave the salt adding to your guests and family members. 

****I pre-roasted my chicken breasts. We buy bone in, skin on chicken breasts because they are less expensive. I thin take the bone and skin off and roast the chicken in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 15-20 mins, with cooking spray, salt, and pepper on them. While you're roasting your chicken, you can roast other veggies for later in the week. 

*****This can be pickled jalapeno, fresh, hot peppers, whatever you like! Make it spicy! or skip this step, up to you. 


BONUS!!!!

I made this recipe for lunch, and by dinner that day, I was exhausted. SO, instead of making a totally new meal, I simply took out my trusty veggie tortilla wraps and scooped about 1/4 cup of the chili into the wrap and topped it with lettuce, tomato, shredded carrot, home made chipotle salsa, 2 tsp fat free sour cream, and cilantro. I ate it with broccoli and green beans and about 2-8 oz glasses of water. 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! make sure to check out my social media links and I hope you have agreat day!

Unique Smoothie Week- Blueberry Thyme Smoothie

Blueberry Thyme smoothies

I love this recipe. it is fresh and unique and everything that this week of smoothie recipes is all about. Perfect for summer, or for that little kick you need in the winter to make it through. 

Everything you need for 1 smoothie:

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 tsp lemon juice

1.4 cup plain 0% yogurt

1/2 cup water

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 1/2 tsp agave or sugar

Place all ingredients into a blender and puree.

It's that easy! have for breakfast and add a TBSP of protein powder in, or have it as a light snack, or even with a small lunch. balanced, clean, bright, and completely refreshing. 

I hope you come back tomorrow for a review on Organic Wipes and another smoothie recipe. 

Warm wishes. 

Jolly Ol' England

Cheerio!

Yes, that was quite cheesy, hopefully you will get over it within your lifetime. If not, leave a comment down below and you will get extra love from me. Though, that too, would probably be cheesy. Sorry. 

Anyway, so today was a trip to the great misty country. No, not Scotland, the other one. Yes! Great Britain. The good ol' GB. I don't think anyone calls it that... awkward.... moving on. 


For today's #EatAroundTheWorld meal, I chose something very simply, yet delicious, and of course, added a bit more simplicity and a twist. Fish and chips! But not just fish and chips, Bubbly Fish with Two Tone Chips and Fresh Veg. Yes, that is a long name for the recipe, but it's more a meal than anything else, so hopefully it works for the situation. I think if Rachael Ray can pull it off in her cookbook then so can I. 

I used a couple of cheats for this recipe, actually. The first, Fish Crisp. Yes, good old Fish Crisp. I used the beer batter kind. Only, I didn't have any beer, being on a budget and all, so I used seltzer water instead; which is exactly why it is called Bubbly Fish, because I had to use some sort of fizz, and "Seltzer Battered Fish" didn't sound very appetizing or fun. 

Yes, this is me cooking with HelperBaby on my shoulders 

I also am not some great master chef who spends hours in the kitchen everyday perfecting her recipes, which means I used frozen veggies(though not pureed like in the traditional meal) and I used store bought mayo. I know, lazy, lazy Caitlynne. 

Let's get on with the recipe so that I can get on with sleeping. Because boy, am I exhausted. 

First thing's first: always look at your meal and prioritize. What takes the longest? Is there something that takes a long time to heat up, or preheat? Is there something that can cook and I don't have to watch it?

In this meal, that was our Two Toned Chips. I call these Two Toned Chips because they are sweet potato and russet potato fries. I cook them in my Actifry. This is seriously one of the best inventions ever. I am a huge food person, as you might have already guessed, and part of that is loving things that are crunchy and deep fried. Now, the Actifry does not deep fry things, more like lightly fries things. Which, in my head, is great, but in my heart, makes me cry. While I will always love a deep fried mozzarella stick, the Actifry does an amazing job. It can make sauces and even whole dishes in it, and when it comes to french fries, it's the best. The french fries in the Actifry take 23 minutes. You use about 1 TBSP of oil altogether, and they come out crispy but soft on the inside. So good!

Two Toned Chips:
2 medium russet potatoes, washed and cut into sticks or wedges
1 large sweet potato, washed, cut into stick or wedges
Canola oil
Salt
Pepper
Curry Powder

One of the key things about this recipe, isn't just that it doesn't have any splattering oil, but it is so much healthier because of the small amount of oil that is being used, and because we leave the skin on our potatoes, amping up the nutritional level. 

Also, I soak my potatoes after they have been cut up. I put them in a large bowl of water and let them soak for about an hour before I start actually cooking. this helps remove as much starch as possible and allows the potatoes to brown on the outside, even though we are frying them with a method that doesn't use a lot of oil.

After the potatoes come out of the Actifry, they are screaming hot, so make sure to be careful, but season them liberally with the salt, pepper and curry powder. I like my fries to have a kick to them. If you aren't a fan of curry, them you can skip it, but it is so unique, and really gives this traditional dish a twist. 

Bubbly Fish:


This is so simple, it hurts. And yes, I completely cheated, but I like to think that a few cheats here and there won't ruin my reputation. 

A happy smile after dinner; she cleaned her plate!

2 fillets of haddock, cut in half horizontally
Beer Batter Fish Crisp
1 can of club soda
salt
pepper
paprika
4 TBSP canola oil (or another oil with a high smoke point)

All you have to do is add the can of club soda to the beer batter and whisk them together. The batter is so light and fluffy, I couldn't get enough! Then I add in 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper, along with 1.4 tsp paprika. If you like your fish to have a bit of zip, you can add 1/8-1/4 tsp of cayenne here, that would taste amazing. 

In order to make sure your oil fries your fish correctly without your fish being oily, soggy and limp, I only do two at a time, and I don't add all the oil in; it's a TBSP of oil for each fillet half. I add the oil into the preheated pan (I put my pan on Medium) and gently lower the fish fillet in away from you so you don't burn yourself. Then I cook them on each side for about two to three minutes. I like mine dark golden brown and very crunchy, but if you like yours light, then go for less time. I put a paper towel on a plate and let the fillets sit for as long as I cooked them for. 

While those are sitting, I can make one of the easiest sauces on the planet: tartar sauce. 

Scratch Tartar Sauce:

1/2 cup light mayo
2 TBSP relish or diced pickles
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp lemon juice

Yes. that is all that is in tartar sauce. Mix all these ingredients together and you will have enough for a family of four or five to have a generous scoop. I only use 1 TBSP on my fish. 

The last step is the veg

A cheeky rip off of classic mushy peas... peas and corn with salt and pepper. 

Yes, this is the simplest thing by far. Simply steam your peas and corn in a steamer, then put them into a serving dish and spray with all natural cooking spay. Mine if canola oil, but whatever you can get is good. Then season with salt and pepper. 

That is it for this meal. The dog is begging to go out, and the bed is calling me. I hope you guys have a lovely week, and hopefully i will see you tomorrow!

If you have any comments, requests or suggestions, make sure to check me out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, pr leave a comment here. And if you try a recipe, use the hashtag #EatAroundTheWorld to let me know what you though of it and how it turned out! I would love to see pictures! 

See you soon! Warm wishes

Mexican Fiesta!

Hello everyone!

Today on our #EatAroundTheWorld week, we are doing some very simple Mecian dishes, including super simple ground pork taco filling, mango salsa, pico de gallo, and guacamole. 

I hope you enjoy these super easy and simple recipes from my kitchen. 

Mango salsa:

1/3 of a ripe mango
1/2 a yellow pepper
1/2 jalapeno (seeded and de-ribbed if you want it mild, or are cooking for children)
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 a ripe tomato
2 tsp fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp white vinegar

 Chop all of your ingredients into large chunks

Throw them all into a food processor and press "chop" until it becomes the consistency you like

Serve with your Mexican favorites!

You see how easy that is? All of these recipes for the day are like this. It is just good, wholesome, simple cooking, that anyone can accomplish with the right tools and ingredients. I love cooking food like this, and I try to whenever possible. It is so fun to see the bright colors, smell the aroma in the kitchen,
and hear the silence after you let everyone dig in. Mom
made this? 

Yes. Oh, and hell yes. 

Our next recipe is just as simple! 

Pico de gallo:

1 ripe tomato
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 jalapeno
1 tsp garlic
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 lime, juiced (aka the juice of 1 lime)
1 TBSP fresh cilantro

 Place all your ingredients, cut up into large chunks, into a food processor. Chop into thick chunks. I simply washed my food processor out with dish soap in between dips, but you can make these days in advance if you don't have the time/energy to stand in the kitchen and make salsas one after the other. I would recommend that the guacamole is made the night of, so that it doesn't oxidize, otherwise, all these salsas can be made in advance. 

Also, this next stp completely depends on what is happening in your area, but in our home we compost. So I leave the clean compost bin out on the counter the entire time I am cooking so that all the peels, shells, rinds, seeds, piths, and ribs can go into the compost without me having to touch the cabinet to get the bin out every five seconds. It helps me keep my work area clean and helps me keep my mind on composting, otherwise, like most people, I forget. 




Small batch Guacamole:

This is perfect for a family of four or five. There might even be cries of outrage at the end of the night because it will have disappeared magically during dinner. I served this to HelperBaby and my hubby, while I was cooking as an appetizer of sorts, so that HelperBaby wouldn't get mad over the fact that there was food that she couldn't have yet. I served all the dips with the Tostitos Baked Scoops, a very healthy and delicious alternative to regular tortilla chips. 

2 ripe avocados
1/2 yellow onion
2 TBSP fresh cilantro
1/2 red bell pepper
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt 
The juice of half a lime

 Place into food processor and chop until creamy.

Serve as an appetizer, snack, or with your main meal. 

Avocados are a great source of healthy fat and the freshness of this guac is sure to please. 

 

Cilantro-Lime Quinoa

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
3 TBSP fresh cilantro
1 lime, fully juiced and zested






Simply place the quinoa and the water into a pot and set on medium high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and let simmer until the water is fully absorbed. This normally takes about 15 minutes. this serves about four to five people. 

After all the liquid is absorbed, chop the cilantro and lime zest together and add in the mixture as well as the lime juice to the quinoa. Stir well until full combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Yes, quinoa is that easy! It is such an amazing super food, a great grain, and so delicious, even my hubby likes it! We have quinoa over rice most days, and rice is reserved mainly for Chinese or Japanese night. Quinoa is too versatile and too fast and delicious to pass up. We buy ours in bulk from Costco, this way it isn't as expensive, and it lasts us quite a while. But, if you are not accustomed to buying in bulk, I would recommend Bulk Barn so that you can decide how much you want, and you aren't paying for the packaging. Just remember to grab a directions card! 

The rest of the meal is very straight forward. I served warm whole grains tortillas with ground lean pork seasoned with home made taco spice. Warmed black beans, Firey Habenero cheese (normally I wouldn't buy pre-shredded cheese, but desperate times called for desperate measures), lettuce, tomato, yellow pepper, diced jalapeno, and 1% sour cream. 

 I hope you enjoyed coming to Mexico with us today! Again, these dishes are very simple, fresh and filling. I am not claiming to be a personal chef, or an expert in authentic Mexican cuisine, I just know what my family and I like, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Thank you for reading, and come back tomorrow for another day of great food and some beauty reviews. 

Warm wishes.

This week on the Imperfect Parent...

Hey all!

I wanted to give you an update and let you know about a few things that are happening around here. First off, the reno is done! Finally! and I am in a new setup with an amazing camera and and a new veal for cooking, baking, DIY, and blogging. I am so excited to share this with you, and I can't wait to get started. 

This brings me to our update section. I am adding a new tab to my blog called Weekend Update (yes, after the SNL sketch) to let you know on Sunday what has happened the past week and what I am doing for this next week. This allows me to let you know if posts will be up late, and what DIY, food, etc I will be doing.

That brings me to what I am doing this week. I am pretty excited about this, so hold onto your seats! We're going in!

I will be doing an Around the World for dinner this week! My family really LOVED this week's menu plan, so I'm excited to share it with you!

Our weekly menu:

Monday: Mexican Fiesta! 
Tuesday: Classic English Pub Grub
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: A Bella Notte in Italy
Friday: Thai Wonderpot
Saturday: Shwarma on the Grill
Sunday: Leftovers

I hope you enjoy this week of recipes. All of this food is healthy, balanced, and 100% satisfying. 

I hope you have a wonderful week, and keep coming back! 

Warm wishes. 

Turkey and Bean Chili

Hey everyone! 

It feels like ages since I have come and talked to you guys! I hope you have been anxiously awaiting my next post ;)

I wanted to share a recipe with you with is my go-to chili recipe. The thing I love about this chili is that this has so many staple items (for our family) in it that I can literally defrost my meat (either in the morning before I start my day, or in the microwave for about 4 minutes) and throw this chili together. It is also great because you can use ANY type of ground meat (or soy meat, tofu, vegetarian ground "meat") and I mean any type! I have done this with chicken, beef, pork, turkey, and lamb! The lamb one was the most interesting, but it was rwally delicious still! This is a super fast, no mess chili that is whipped together in half an hour and gives you time to spend eating and being with your family! 

No more babbling at you and let's get going!

Turkey and bean Chili

1 red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
200mL of chili sauce (it's basically ketchup with spices and onions and peppers in it, you don't have to add this, I just needed to use mine up)
1 (369mL) can tomato sauce
1 (540 mL) can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 (796mL) can diced tomatoes
1 (540 mL) can red kidney beans
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp marjoram
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp masa (this is just to thicken the chili, you can use a slurry of cornstarch if you want, but masa is so versatile and handy to have in the house)

Heat pan to medium heat. Add oil and let heat for 30 seconds. Add in your chopped onion, peppers and garlic. Saute for five minutes. 

Add in your ground meat. Cook all the way through. Meanwhile rinse the beans and mix them together in the strainer. Let them drain and then once your meat is cooked all the way through, add them into your pot. 

Add all your spices and salt and pepper if you would like to. I add the s&p at the end. But to each his own. Next, add in your chili sauce, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes (if you don't want to have to thicken your chili at the end, you can drain the diced tomatoes and just add in the pieces). Mix everything together and let it simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. 

Then add in your masa and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. And your chili is ready to eat! You can dress it up or down, add in avocado, sour cream, onion, or jalapeno, or put it over chips with velveeta cheese if you want, it's all up to you! That is the beauty of this chili You can easily double or triple this recipe, or cut it in half, if you have a small family, and freeze the other half for later in the month. It is so simple yet versatile.

Have fun with it! Make it sweet by adding a couple tablespoons of agave or honey, or make it spicy by adding in a chipotle pepper! Make it savory by adding ancho chili powder and cocoa powder for that authentic taste. You can eat it with Fritos, or Doritos, or Tostitos, or even home made tortilla chips! You can put it over rice, a baked potato, rice, or quinoa. Add yogurt, sour cream, a splash of heavy cream, or shredded cheese. or so non-dairy and add guacamole and cilantro and fresh tomato slices. Do your thing and everyone around you is sure to love it! (The pan in the background of that picture is not dirty, it is just a weird light thing, I don't know why it looks like that, I just hadn't put it away yet.)

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and I hope to see you again soon! 

Warm wishes!