Dinner for One.

If you have a husband that is in the military or works a lot, you probably know what it's like to have to cook for one. 

Most nights, I have to dig deep to even find the motivation to cook at all because it's never fun eating alone and even less fun trying to find healthy options to cook for one person.

I've decided to start blogging about my meal plan for the week, once again, to try and hold myself accountable for my choices.

Weekly food shopping for just myself has also posed a problem lately with actually getting a chance to use the fresh foods that I purchase before they go bad. Here in Hawaii, anything perishable has to be refrigerated; otherwise, you can expect it to go bad within a couple days. Because of this, I have resorted to going to the commissary or grocery store every few days or on an as-needed basis. 

I have also found, that with an active lifestyle, where I am not always home for lunch and/or dinner, it's better to plan for just a few meals at home in the event that I do not make it home in time to cook. This has also been helping to save money and avoid buying food that goes bad before I have a chance to eat it.

Here is my [dinner] meal plan for the week.

Grilled Mahi Soft Tacos w/ Spiced Mayo & Avocado Salsa

(The original recipe actually calls for grilled chicken, but I'm doing it with Mahi.)

Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli

Shrimp Burgers

Do any of y'all have advice for cooking for one?

Easy Pizza Dough & Grilled Pizzas!

Yesterday I mentioned that we made grilled pizzas for dinner on Sunday night and it was some of the best pizza ever; I'm not even exaggerating, so I thought I would share the recipe with you all today :)

I normally like to buy the pre-made pizza dough from the bakery at Publix and you are still more than welcome to do that, however, since we don't live as close to Publix anymore and BI-LO didn't have it, I decided to make my own.

We made two different pizzas, but started with the same dough, of course.

Quick Pizza Dough

 Ingredients:

1-3/4 to 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup very warm water (120 to 130*F)
3 tablespoons oil

Directions:

Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.  Dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes.

Margherita Pizza with Prosciutto 

Toppings:

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
2 large cloves fresh garlic, minced
6 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade*
4-5 Roma tomatoes, sliced to about 1/8" thick
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced very thin or about 1/8" thick
10-12 slices prociutto, sliced very thin

*Aren't familiar? See here!

Directions: 

1. Place pizza stone on grill and preheat grill.
2. In a small bowl or prep dish, combine minced garlic and olive oil. Spread sliced tomatoes out on top of a couple paper towels. Next, take a couple more paper towels and cover the tomatoes, pressing down to absorb any water/ moisture (this is very important, otherwise, you will have a soggy pizza.)
3. Using floured hands or a rolling pin, spread out the dough on your counter, large enough to cover the pizza stone. Pinch the edges to form a crust. Once your stone is preheated, place dough on top of it.
4. Brush dough with olive oil and garlic. Place sliced tomatoes next, spread them out evenly. Next, add your fresh mozzarella and I like to do the prosciutto last because it gets a little crispy being on top.
5. Add your chopped basil at the end or really at any point that you would like.
6. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes.
7. Enjoy!

Grilled Pepperoni Pizza

Toppings:

1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced to about 1/8" thick

approx. 1/4 lb. sandwich-sized pepperoni, sliced very thin

3/4 cup pizza sauce or your favorite marinara (I use Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce)

1/4 sweet onion, sliced thin

2 fresh jalapenos, sliced with seeds removed (You can also used pickled for less heat)

Directions:

1. Place pizza stone on grill and preheat grill.

2. Using floured hands or a rolling pin, spread out the dough on your counter, large enough to cover the pizza stone. Pinch the edges to form a crust. Once your stone is preheated, place dough on top of it.

3. Spoon the sauce onto the dough, spreading out evenly and leaving space along the edges for the crust.

4. Place the pepperoni down, space evenly to cover the entire pizza. Next, add onions and jalapenos.

5. Evenly place the sliced mozzarella to cover the entire pizza.

6. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes.

7. Enjoy!

Hope you have a chance to try these out, they are delish! Grilling pizza makes them come out a little more crispy and more like a wood-fired oven. You can also do them in a regular oven or without a pizza stone. To learn more about grilling pizzas without a pizza stone, check out this link!

Also, don't forget to check out the new giveaway that I posted last night for Sassy Shortcake Boutique!!

**Curried Rice & Shrimp Recipe**

My mom loves getting me cookbooks for Christmas because she knows how much I love to cook and bake. I was on a huge Rachel Ray kick a few years ago and she bought me like five of her cookbooks lol, too bad I hardly ever open those anymore. More recently though she bought me a Southern Living cookbook and over the weekend, as I was planning our meals for the week, I decided to break it out and see if there was anything in there that sounded good for dinner.

I came across the recipe below and since S and I LOVE Indian food, this curry dish sounded right up our alley :)

Curried Rice & Shrimp

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 large russet potatoes (I used 6 small golden potatoes, skin-on)

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 cloves garlic,chopped

2 tsp curry powder

1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked 

(I used basmati brown rice that I found at Trader Joe's)

kosher salt and black pepper

1 lb peeled and deveined medium shrimp

1/2 fresh basil

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and potato and cook until they start to soften, about 6-8 minutes. If vegetables start to stick, splash a little chicken broth in the pan.

2. Add the garlic and curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the rice, 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

4. Season the shrimp with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 pepper. Nestle them in the partially cooked rice. Cover and cook until the shrimp are opaque throughout and rice is tender, about 4-5 minutes. Fold in the basil.

5. Enjoy!

S LOVED this recipe and even though it made 4 servings, there wasn't much left by the time he was done eating. If you like curry, this is a great, slightly healthier, dish to turn to.

 Also, don't forget to link up tomorrow for Fitness Friday and 50 in 30!

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Related Posts:

1. Southern Staples and Easter!
2. Tomorrow is FRIDAY! :) 
3. Cuppie Cakes!
4. Turkey Sausage and Parmesan Frittata recipe

Southern Staples and Easter!

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that since S was out of town with his family over Easter, Lindsey and her hubby took me in for the day. I had a great time spending Easter with great friends and it made me feel so grateful to have friends that are like family.

That day, I made a Smoked Gouda Mac N Cheese and a Caramel Apple Cake. Two southern staples that I felt must be included in any holiday dinner. Here are the recipes!

Smoked Gouda & Cheddar Mac N Cheese

 {Source}

Ingredients: 

4 cups Dried Macaroni 
4 Tablespoons Butter 
¼ cups All-purpose Flour 
2-½ cups Fat-free Half-and-half 
2 teaspoons Dry Mustard 
1 whole Egg Beaten 
⅓ pounds Smoked Gouda
½ pounds Cheddar Cheese (any Kind You Want)
¼ pounds Aged Cloth-bound Sharp Cheddar 
½ teaspoons Salt 
½ teaspoons Fresh Grated Pepper
½ teaspoons Cajun Seasoning (any kind)
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Boil macaroni in a pot of water until very firm, for only about three minutes. Drain off the water and rinse macaroni with cool water.
3. Grate up all of your cheeses and set them aside..
4. In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt butter then sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for about five minutes or until the mix is light brown, whisking constantly.
5. Mix the half-and-half with mustard in a small bowl then add it a bit at a time and whisk until smooth each time. Once all of the cream has been incorporated cook the mixture until very thick. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
6. In a small bowl, beat egg. Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs.
7. Pour egg mixture back into the sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth and uniform in color.
8. Add in about a pound of the cheeses and stir until melted, then add salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Taste sauce and add more seasoning if desired. Mix should taste salty, add more salt if needed.
9. Add the drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
10. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish (I used a 9×13), top with the remaining cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top. Serve and enjoy!

Caramel Apple Cake

{Source} 

Cake Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups canola oil 

1-1/2 cups sugar 

1/2 cup packed brown sugar 

3 eggs 

3 cups all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

3-1/2 cups diced peeled apples 

1 cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Caramel Icing:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup half and half cream

1/4 cup butter, cubed

Dash salt

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Chopped pecans, optional 

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the oil, sugars and eggs until well blended. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture until blended. Fold in the apples, walnuts and vanilla. 

Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 325° for 1-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

In a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, cook and stir the brown sugar, cream, butter and salt until sugar is dissolved. Transfer to a small bowl; cool to room temperature. Beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth; drizzle over cake. Sprinkle with walnuts if desired. Yield: 16 servings.

Enjoy!

Related Posts: Southern Staples and Super Bowl!

InstaTuesday!

Hey y'all, sorry I've been a little MIA since last week. Even though I've been feeling better, I've had this headache that just won't subside. It comes and goes all day long and makes me want to do nothing but lay down with a pillow over my eyes :( Anyway, today has been a little better which is a good thing because I have lots to do before we leave for Kentucky tomorrow!

Weekend update: Friday night, we didn't do too much, just stayed home and made a yummy din with shrimp cocktail and pork tenderloin on the grill. We vegged out at home for the night because we had planned on getting up on Saturday morning to head up to the lake for the day/night. It was a beaUTiful day so we rigged up the Ranger and took her out.

It was a REALLY windy day on Saturday so the lake was pretty choppy (it's a huge lake, btw). I had been out on the boat before when it was choppy like that, but this weekend was the first time I ever got sick from it! I had gone down in the cabin to get my phone out so I could take some pictures and when I came back out, I started to get a headache. Shortly after that, I started to get reallyyyy nauseous and it went downhill from there. I was trying so hard to not get sick and begged S to take us back to shore. Luckily since we were planning to stay the night and had rented a cabin, I went and laid down for about an hour and napped. That was the only thing that was going to make me feel better. It was such a bummer. The boys took the sailboat back out for an evening sail (3 dudes = so romantic) and even though the lake had calmed down a lot, I just didn't want to chance it. So I stayed behind and baked them cookies :)

Sunset on the lake..

I didn't sleep that well on Saturday night in the cabin for some reason so Sunday was kind of rough. I had wanted to go to Boone Hall Plantation to pick out pumpkins and do the corn maze, but I just lost all motivation and we ended up staying home all day and watching football.

Since we weren't planning on going anywhere, I decided to make a crock pot meal and try out a new recipe for Chicken & Dumplings. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures, but here is the recipe that I found on Pinterest.

{Bubble Crumb blog}

It.was.awesome. S has a collection of recipes from his mamaw, but hers uses an awful lot of Crisco so I decided to try this one out. He LOVED it. I wouldn't change anything about this recipe, it came out perfect. I got a little nervous before I put the dough in for the dumplings that it might come out to watery. No worries though, as soon as the dumplings cooked a bit, it thickened right up. I highly recommend it!

Yesterday was a typical Monday. S was supposed to have a softball game, but it got cancelled. I was supposed to work out, but got lazy again. I was also feeling a little overwhelmed thinking about all the things I needed to do before we leave tomorrow. So as if I'm not feeling overwhelmed enough, let's add another Pinterest recipe to the mix. Last night I decided to try out another one called Spicy New Orleans BBQ Shrimp. They are not lying when it says SPICY!! We love spicy, so it was okay, but our mouths were on fire (in a good way).

 Here is the picture from the recipe.

{Return to Sunday Supper blog} 

And here is my picture!

I was pretty impressed with myself, I'm not going to lie. I followed the recipe exactly and found that I probably could've used a little more sauce so I added a little more olive oil/chili sauce/worchestire/hot sauce/etc. until I felt that I had enough (not a whole lot more of each). I also didn't refrigerate 4-24 hours like the recipe suggested because let's be honest, who has time for that? I think it came out just fine. I also made New Orleans yellow rice to go with it and crusty french bread like the recipe calls for :)

S was pretty impressed and proud of me for trying some new recipes. I think we'll have to add these into the regular rotation as they are both fairly easy (especially the crock pot recipe) and I can't wait to try out some more!

Does anyone have any favorite recipes that they have made recently or found on Pinterest???

   

Turkey Sausage and Parmesan Frittata recipe

Hey Y'all!

So I decided to do a quick post about the turkey sausage frittata that I have been obsessing over lately. Not only is it healthy, but it is high in protein and is a great all-in-one for breakfast, lunch, OR dinner! S loves it and it always makes the girls at work's mouth water when I bring it in to work for breakfast or lunch. I actually just typed up the recipe for one of them so I decided to post it here as well.

Turkey Sausage and Parmesan Frittata

8 eggs (you can also do 5 whole eggs and 3 egg whites or 4:4, etc. if you want)

1/4 - 1/2 cup milk

1/4 - 1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1-2 tsp minced garlic

2 handfuls of baby spinach with stems cut off
1 package of Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles

3-4 Tbsp Bisquick

½ cup shredded parmesan cheese (and a little extra to sprinkle on top before you put it in the oven)
Cooking Spray

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat eggs, milk, and Bisquick together in a large mixing bowl. Sauté onions and garlic in a couple teaspoons of olive oil until softened and slightly transparent. Add onions and garlic to egg mixture. Spray pan with cooking spray and add turkey sausage crumbles, cook on medium heat until browned then add to egg mixture. Chop stems off spinach and add to egg mixture along with the parmesan cheese. Spray then pour egg mixture into a large casserole dish or baking dish. Bake at 350F for about 25-30 minutes or until slightly browned on top. I would check it around 20 minutes to determine how much longer you think it needs to cook since all ovens are different. I also put estimates for most ingredients so you can adjust them to what you like. Enjoy! J

Depending on what you like, you can substitute or add ingredients such as peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, etc. Pretty much anything you would put in an omelet, you can put in a frittata!