Tag: clean

Mini Eggplant Pizzas

I was starving by the time I got home from the library last night. Every finals week I always am tempted to just run out and grab something quick for dinner, but I have been trying to refrain. Instead I used up the rest of the ingredients in my refrigerator by making mini pizzas with baked eggplant as the crust.

12341586_10208004844307806_5646022693951113692_n

They were delicious and could be made so many different ways. I chose to top mine with sautéed spinach, marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese. I was trying to include chopped artichoke hearts on them, but I could not get the jar open to save my life (Lol). I bet that these would be great topped with sausage and ricotta as well.

Untitled.jpg

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Cut the eggplant into 1/4 inch disks
  3. Place on a cookie sheet (I put parchment paper down to make clean up a bit easier) and lightly coat with olive oil
  4. Bake for 10 minutes or until you can pierce the eggplant easily with a fork
  5. Remove from oven and flip over pieces, coat the other side evenly with parmesan cheese. I also added garlic, black pepper, and oregano.
  6. Return to oven for 5 minutes (or until parmesan cheese melts).
  7. Remove from oven and place a dollop of marinara sauce and any other toppings that you would like on each piece of eggplant. Sprinkle the tops with mozzarella cheese.
  8. Place back in the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
  9. Remove and enjoy 🙂

 

xo,

Jaclyn

 

 

Irrational Happiness

This morning I woke up and was irrationally happy because I knew that I would finally be able to watch last weeks episode of The Bachelor online. Something as silly as a TV show shouldn’t have the power to dictate my mood, but sometimes it does. It got me wondering what other things that make me irrationally happy and I could come up with quite a few!

A few things that I love more than I probably should… 

1. No morning plans and a big cup of coffee

2. A fresh manicure

3. A brand new book

4. A clean/vacuumed bedroom

5. A burning candle

6. A mid afternoon nap

7. A cancelled meeting

There’s nothing wrong with finding happiness in the random, everyday aspects of life. Another thing that I love is the idea of a snow day! However, I hate the after effects…

Snow

This is the amount of snow right out of my apartment! It’s insane. Luckily there are only 20 more days until I leave for Australia. I can’t wait to spend my days in the 75 – 80 degree weather. 🙂

xo,

Jaclyn

Southwest Chicken Wraps

A few nights ago Conor and I decided to whip up a healthy and delicious meal of southwest chicken wraps that I found on Pinterest via Mel’s Kitchen Cafe . We had no food in the house, so I made him a list and sent him off to the grocery store while I fit in a quick 25 minute workout with my mom. By the time he came back with all of the ingredients, we had worked up a good sweat and were ready to eat. This recipe was super simple, and truly delicious. Even my brother said that he felt like he was at Mexicali Grill after trying one! The best part is that with just a few simple swaps, we were able to make this a healthy dish. We also whipped up a copycat recipe of the Outback Steakhouse buttermilk ranch dressing to serve with the wraps. Outback has always been one of my favorites.

We prepared the ranch dressing first, as it had to chill for 30 minutes before being served.

Ingredients for Copycat Outback Ranch

– 1/2 cup Buttermilk

– 1 Cup Mayonaise

– 1 Teaspoon Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

– 1/8 teaspoon paprika

– 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

– 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions

1. Thoroughly mix together all ingredients in a medium bowl.

2. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

 

Ingredients for Southwest Chicken Wraps (Makes 7 Wraps)

– 2 cups of cooked brown rice

-1/2 red or orange pepper (Chopped)

-1/2 large onion (Chopped)

-1 package of wheat wraps

– Rotisserie Chicken (Shredded)

– 1 Bag of Skim Mexican Blend Cheese

– 1/4 Cup of Fresh Cilantro (Chopped)

-1/2 Tablespoon Chili Powder

– 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

– 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

– 1 Can refried Beans

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients in with the rice besides the cheese and refried beans. I eyeballed the amount of ground cumin, chili powder, and garlic salt that I used and it came out just fine.

2. On a tortilla, spread a scoop of refried beans and sprinkle as much cheese as you would like in the middle ensuring that you leave a 1/2 inch border from the edge.

3. Dab a spoonful of the buttermilk ranch dressing on to give it a rich and creamy taste when finished.

4. Place a large scoop of the rice mixture down the center of the wrap and fold over the edges of the tortilla so it is completely wrapped up.

5. Spray the top side of the tortilla (with edges visible) with canola oil cooking spray and place face down in a non-stick skillet on medium heat.

6. Before flipping over, spray the other side lightly with canola oil.

7. Wait until the wraps are a golden brown color before removing from the skillet and enjoying with a side of ranch.

 

I hope you love these wraps as much as we did!

xo,

Jaclyn