Maggie's Bites

A 161 calorie, no-carb pizza? You’re welcome in advance.

Plus, it has bacon so it’s automatically a husband pleaser. Get ready for this one, you are going to be hooked. 

Ingredients

1 yellow onion
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
4 portobello mushroom caps
1 Tb olive oil
1 Tb balsamic vinegar
7 slices lean turkey bacon
2 oz goat cheese to top 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Wash mushroom caps, chop of stem and spoon out the gills. Drizzle olive oil over the tops of the caps and put in the over for about 6 minutes. Then drizzle the inside of the caps with olive oil and bake for 6 more minutes. (note: Time may vary. The caps will be done with they are no longer round and have flattened out. The edges will start to tear)

2. Thinly slice onions and heat with 1 Tb olive oil in a frying pan. Stir occasionally. When they start to turn brown, turn down the heat and add 1 Tb balsamic vinegar. Stir occasionally. Heat for about 10 more minutes until onion slices are limp and brown.

3. Heat griddle and cook bacon. Chop into bite size pieces.

4. To prepare your mushroom pizza, take an already baked mushroom and gently press diced tomatoes in it, topping with onions, bacon and goat cheese. Put them back in the oven for 2 more minutes to warm the cheese and serve.

Serves 2
Calories per serving: 323 for two (161.5 calories for one)

Technically, I think this is a Frittata? But more so just an inside-out omelet. It keeps the insides from getting too, what’s the word…eggy? Yes, eggy. Plus, this little omelet would be great on top of some whole wheat toast or English muffin! After all, it is just 114 calories.

Mushroom & Pepper Frittata

Ingredients

8 eggs (whites only, four eggs per frittata)
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 large tomato, chopped
2 TB goat cheese to top 

Directions

1. Separate egg yolks from whites and pour into a small frying pan on medium heat. (Remember, only four egg whites are need for one frittata).

2. Once a skin starts forming on the bottom of the pan and looks slightly cooked, use a rubber spatula and gently lift up the egg skin to let the rest of the liquid (or uncooked whites) seep to the bottom of the pan. This is how we stop the bottom from burning, while still having it all cook. Keep doing this until little bubbles start to appear on top and it looks all the way cooked through.

3. Chop yellow pepper, mushrooms and tomato. Garnish on top of each frittata. Sprinkle with goat cheese.

I love inside out omelets! 

Serves 2
Calories per serving: 114 

If you haven’t noticed from the past five recipes, I love goat cheese. Of course that makes this panini special. But even more so, it’s the honey. It’s magical. 

And don’t forget about dipping this guy in soup, like Roasted Red Pepper. Before you think that I blended this baby, I didn’t. I very skillfully poured it from it’s organic box into a saucepan to heat. Sheer Talent.

My sweet little Goat Cheese + Honey Panini

Ingredients (for one panini)

2 slices of Whole Wheat Bread 
2 TB spreadable goat cheese
.5 Tb honey, drizzled.

Directions

1. Spread goat cheese on a piece of the whole wheat bread (make sure it’s “whole”, don’t be tricked. And don’t even think about making this with white bread unless you want to hold onto those extra pounds. Read all about it here). 

2. Place on panini grill. (no buttering necessary, the honey adds flavor here)

3. When browned, take panini off the griddle and immediately drizzle with honey. Taste the magic.

Servings: 1 panini at 260 calories + 1 cup of soup at 90 calories.
For a lighter recipe, eat only half a panini to cut on carbs, and load on the soup (yay for vegetables!)

 

I’ve seen these tortilla pizza recipes around didn’t believe in them at first. But I’m telling you from the depths of my stomach…believe in them! It’s a great healthy alternative to a regular crust, so by all means, eat the whole thing! Or two!

Pesto Goat Cheese Spinach + Shaved Apple Pizza 

Ingredients

1 medium tortilla
1 TB pesto
1 TB goat cheese
1 cup spinach
1/4 grated gala apple
parmesan cheese to top (optional) 

Directions

1. Put pizza stone in oven until the oven reaches 450 degrees. Leave in for 10 more minutes.

2. Prepare your pizza. Place tortilla pizza on hot pizza stone. Bake for 4-8 minutes, watch closely, they can burn fast!

And if you’re me, you always eat with a fork. Yes, I’m that girl cutting up my pizza.

And then I got too hungry. So I man-handled it, crunchy quesadilla style.

And if you’re Michael, you load it with some chicken sausage.

 

Calories:

Serving size: 1 Spinach pizza, 287 calories.  1 Chicken Sausage Pizza (tortilla, 1 TB pesto, 1 TB goat cheese, chopped half chicken sausage), 350 calories.

Pasta turned Alfredo with this amazing combination of…

Roasted Red Pepper + Goat Cheese. Creamy and cheesy at just 314 calories! 

Ingredients

2 whole red bell peppers
1 small yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon melted butter 
Scant 1 cup almond milk
2 oz goat cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 lb spaghetti noodles

Directions

1. Cover a baking sheet with tinfoil. Place two red bell peppers on the baking sheet, and bake for 25 minutes at 500 degrees. Cover with foil and let cool for 10 minutes.

2. Boil noodles according to directions. Set aside.

3. Sauté chopped onion, and minced garlic for about 7 minutes. Add in 1 TB melted butter, scant 1 cup almond milk, and parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.

4. In the meantime, slice red bell peppers and peel off the skin. 

5. Pour the onion and cheese mixture into a blender, and add peppers. Blend unti it becomes a sauce-like texture. Return back to frying pan. Mix with noodles. If sauce is runny, let sit for a few minutes.

6. Serve pasta and divide goat cheese for each serving. You can leave it crumbled on top, or mix it into the warm pasta to have it melt.  

Serves 3 small portions, 314 calories each. Serve with a side spinach salad. For an even lighter recipe, omit parmesan cheese.
**recipe adapted from LaurensLatest.

Feeling Italian tonight!
Gnocchi is an Italian potato filled dumpling…and surprisingly not a giant potato bug from the looks of it. I promise it’s good! 
 

Since Gnocchi is both a pasta (carb) and potato (starchy carb) it’s a double whammy on the carbs which means it’s filling, but we need to eat it in moderation. So I only used half a cup serving size (surprisingly plenty) and paired it with lots of vegetables.

Ingredients 

1 box Whole Wheat Potato Gnocchi (only using half, about 1.5 cups)
3 Tb Pesto Sauce (I used Delallo)
3 Yellow Squash Zucchini
3 cups fresh Spinach
Crumbled Goat Cheese 

Directions

1. Add Gnocchi to a boiling pot of water (about 2.5 quarts). Boil for about 3-4 minutes.

2. Thinly slice Zucchini Squash and sauteé in a frying pan. 

3. Add pesto sauce to Gnocchi and combine.

4. Prepare a bed of spinach with Zucchini.

Top with Gnocchi/pesto mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

Serves 3   |   Serving Size:
1/2 cup Gnocchi, 1 Tb Pesto sauce, 1 cup Spinach, 1 Yellow Squash Zucchini, 2 Tb Goat Cheese

Calories: 283
Protein: 12 g
Total Fat: 17 g
Dietary Fiber: 7.7 g