Pizza Popcorn!!

The weekend is finally upon us, friends! I am so happy!!! Our schedule finally dictates we can take a date night this weekend! So, this is what my weekend will look like:

Friday: Early morning breakfast & errands, hike the Grouse Grind with a girlfriend (who is 10 years younger than me, my goal is to not make her stop so I can take a breather this time...we'll see how that works out! :P). Run more errands & find a new shirt for our date night. Get everything set up for father's day. Find a good movie to watch & make a fabulously healthy dinner.

Saturday: Get in the 100 burpee burnout, a good early morning walk. Get a few projects done that I want to surprise family with when we go back to FL here in a couple weeks to visit. Get in a late lunch/early family dinner before date night (I'm secretly hoping everyone will want Mongolian BBQ, but I'm not holding my breath). Then...date night! Can't wait to get out for some adult beverages & dancing, so glad everything is within walking distance!

Sunday: Mostly a relaxing day. Father's day celebration. Have a special dinner treat for the Mr. then another fun little treat after that! Wish I could say more, but he reads the blog & I want to keep it a surprise as he's a tough man to surprise!!! 

Anyway...I always try to make us a healthy family dinner on Friday as our schedules are kind of off during the week & we don't always get to eat together. Our snack for tonight though will be pizza popcorn it's actually quite easy! It's basically my base popcorn recipe with slightly different ingredients! 

Pizza Popcorn

1/3 cup popcorn kernels

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper (we use nature's seasoning or any other all purpose seasoning)

Pepperoni (cut into strips)

Bacon (diced or from a bag)

Mozzarella Cheese (grated)

Put the kernels in a paper bag & fold it down & pop as you would regular popcorn. Transfer to a bowl & drizzle with olive oil, mix it up to spread oil throughout. Season with all purpose seasoning or salt & pepper, mix to spread seasoning throughout. Then add grated mozzarella, pepperoni, & bacon. Other topping ideas include diced ham, diced veggies, or all the meats & all the veggies for a "supreme", add some Parmesan, provolone, etc. Just play around with your favorite toppings. I don't recommend adding pineapple, as it is kind of "wet" & makes the popcorn soggy. 

What are your favorite pizza toppings??? Mine are mozzarella, Parmesan, and provolone. Yes, cheese, cheese, and more cheese, please! :)

Recipes Galore!

So, Thursday's I never quite know just what to post so I figured I have quite a few recipes I wanted to share so what better day than today?! Hopefully you'll see something that you want to try!!

Sweet Green Smoothie

Makes one generous single serving

8 oz unsweetened almond milk

1 Fuji apple (cored & chopped)

1/2 a banana (preferably frozen)

one large handful of spinach (I take fresh spinach & freeze it as soon as I bring it home from the store & it's been washed & dried)

1 Tablespoon Flaxmeal

Combine all in blender & blend on high until combined. If you want it thicker feel free to add some ice although it may water it down. I blended mine for roughly 3 minutes, I have just a regular old, less than $100 blender...nothing fancy ;)

Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal Smoothie

Makes one generous single serving

1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt

1/3 Cup Raw Regular Oats

1 Cup of Strawberries preferably with tops*

1 Tablespoon Flaxmeal

I packet Stevia

1 teaspoon Vanilla

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

*My strawberries I washed and froze with tops on as soon as I got home from the grocery store. I've recently learned the tops are very high in fiber so I use them as much as possible.

Now, combine all ingredients in blender. Blend for 3-5 minutes. Enjoy this super thick delicious shake!

Decadent Fruit Dip

Makes one snack size portion

1 Tablespoon Nutella

1 Tablespoon Almond butter

Various fruits

Chop fruits you want to use and arrange on plate. In a small bowl combine nutella and almond butter. Enjoy!

Variation: Combine with mini marshmallows for a "s'mores" dip.

Variation: To make a larger size of this dip for a party just combine nutella and almond butter in a 1:1 ration. Other nut butters could be subbed, but I haven't tried them.

Protein Packed Fruit Dip

Yields two single serving dips

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (divided)

4 Tablespoons almond butter (divided)

1 Granny Smith Apple

2 teaspoons maple syrup (divided)

*Note I don't really know how much protein this has in it but it has high protein Greek yogurt & high protein almond butter so I'd assume it's a decent amount.

First, chop apple into small slivers so a little goes a long way. Divide among two small containers. Next place  1/4 cup of yogurt into two small dipping containers similar to those pictured above. Then, place two tablespoons of almond butter over quarter cup of yogurt & top each with a teaspoon of maple syrup. You can go ahead & mix them together or do it when you go to eat it. I do it when I eat it so I can lick the spoon. :P

Popcorn

Feeds two adults

1/3 cup of plain bulk popcorn kernels

Olive oil or melted coconut oil

Nature's Seasons (or your favorite seasoning)

Fresh Grated Mozzarella Cheese

Paper bag & scotch tape

Ok, take the paper bag, open it & dump in 1/3 cup of the popcorn kernels (or if you want a single serving 2 tablespoons). Then, fold the bag over twice & tape down with the scotch tape. Pop as you would regular convenience popcorn in a bag carefully listening for when its done so you don't burn it. When done pour into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil or coconut oil. Top with your favorite seasoning & some shredded mozzarella. Then, stir it up & drizzle with a big more olive or coconut oil and sprinkle with some more seasoning and cheese. Stir it up again and eat!

Variations: There are countless variations here & I can't wait to try different combos. Try adding some chopped pepperoni/bacon or both for a "pizza" effect, some cinnamon sugar for a kettle corn flavor, some chocolate chips or m&ms & peanuts for a trail mix idea.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my recipes! I hope you decide to give them a try!!!

(Especially the smoothies & popcorn...amazing!)