Spontaneous Combustion!

My whole family just walked out the door...it was a little case of spontaneous combustion!!

I walked around Calhoun with my friend Kali today. We were going to walk/run but we had both exercised yesterday and were very sore!

I took a Bodyworks Plus Abs class from Betty last night. Let me just say that she is the devil!  She pushes me further than I thought I could be pushed. She has me do moves and circuits I didn't think possible...but they are! I leave the class a big mess of sweat, feeling like I can conquer the world, after I take a 3 hour nap!

Back to my walk...

The walk was nice..it is so fun to people watch when we are walking. You see such a random variety of people...kids, adults, senior citizens, men with shirts off, women with no clothes, women with sweaters and jeans and hats...it's insane!! But the weather was perfect...we could have used a little wind because the bugs were out for a kill!!

We were swatting at them the first 20 minutes of the walk...we both probably swallowed/inhaled at least 5 bugs each...gross!

I invited Kali over for dinner along with my brother, Drew, who is home from touring with his band.  Kali ended up not coming over but of course Drew was ready for some of my homemade cooking!

When he got there, my dad called. Of couse he invited himself over...and we had to call mom. SO it ended being a Spontaneous Combusion of Preiners at the Raiches!

Too bad Chad had to do homework at another location :( No way would he have gotten any work done with these hooligans around!!

 I told them dinner was almost ready but they had to dig in to the rotisserie chicken my mom brought over...

you would think they hadn't eaten in months the way they attacked that chicken...

I was planning on making 2 recipes from my new cookbook...do you have this cookbook??

Get this...a picture for every recipe...ahhhhhhhhhh!! And she also gives the brand to buy for the healthiest options. Every recipe also has a list of the Super Foods included in the recipe...

I decided to make the Southwest Chicken Pizza...Super foods: Beans, tomatoes, onion

Ingredients:
* Olive oil Cooking spray, Mazola Pure
* 1 package pizza crust mix, Betty Crocker
* 1/4 c. organic blackbeans, rinsed, drained and smashed, Eden (I used Trader Joes black beans)
* 1/2 c. hot water
* 1/2 c. tequilla-and-lime flavored salsa, Newmans Own ( I used a Black bean and corn salsa)
* 1/3 c. Mexicorn, drained, Green Giant
* 1/4 c. shredded fat-free Monterey Jack Cheese with peppers, Lifetime (I couldn't find this so I just used the next ingredient)
* 2 Tb. shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend, Sargento
* 1 c. premium chunk chicken breast, rinsed and drained, Tyson (I used shredded Rotisserie Chicken)
* 2 Tb. finely chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 Tb. finely chopped red onion

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. ( I used a pizza stone and I heard you didn't have to use cooking spray with these so I didn't...USE IT....the pizza stuck).
2. In a medium bowl, combine pizza crust with beans. Stir in hot water until mixture is well moistened. Beat 20 minutes to form dough. Cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
3. Using floured fingers, press dough into a 12-inch circle on prepared baking sheet. Spread salsa evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with Mexicorn, Monterey Jack cheese, Mexican cheese blend, chicken, cilantro, and onion.

4. Bake pizza in preheated oven in 15-17 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Per serving: 273 calories, 3 g total fat.

The pizza didn't look so good in the oven. The crust looked really thin and dry.

 But it was....FABULOUS!!! Such good taste, spice and texture! It was DELICIOUS...there you go Drew!

I made sure to save some for the hubby...I knew he would LOVe this recipe!!

I also made a salad from this cookbook... pretty basic, common recipe.

Chicken and Baby Spinach with Raspberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette

* 1 1/2 c. fresh raspberries (I used 1.5 half packages of raspberries)

* 1/2 c. balsamic vinaigrette, Newman's Own

* 3/4 t. sugar

* 8 c. packaged baby spinach, Ready Pac

* 1 c. sliced cucumber.

* 1/3 c. thinly sliced red onion

* 1 1/3 c. purchased cooked chicken breast cut into strips, Tyson ( I did not put chicken in the salad since I had it on the pizza)

* 1/4 c. crumbled feta cheese, Athenos

* 1/4 c. chopped pecans, Blue Diamond

* Ground black pepper, McCormick

I DID not use their dressing...I gave my family the option of choosing their dressing from my selection...

1. For dressing, place 1/2 c. raspberries, salad dressing and sugar in a blender. Cover and blend until smooth.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the remaining 1 c. raspberries, spinach, cucumber, onion, and half of the dressing.

3. Divide mixture among 4 chilled plates. Toss chicken strips with 2 Tb. of the dressing. Divide among the plates. TOp with feta cheese and pecans. Season with pepper. 

This was a great, easy, quick meal for a family of 4.  Now let's see what the husband thinks...

Good night!