Meal Planning

Now this isn’t something that works for everyone but it has changed my life. I plan out the whole weeks meals (including lunches and any baking I will be doing) for the entire week. This way we only have to go grocery shopping once. Which is fantastic because I hate grocery shopping, mostly because of the oblivious people that leave their carts in the middle of the aisle while they grab something.

I use a little whiteboard planner to write down all of our dinners for the week, so when I get home from work I already know what to make and have all the ingredients on hand.

I also bake on the weekends for the entire week. I’ll whip a batch of muffins or scones or whatever, individual wrap them, and throw them in the freezer so we can just grab them for lunches or snacks.

I made my own meal planner by printing it off, laminating it and throwing some magnets on the back. But if you’re not feeling crafty I have seen premade ones for sale all over, and all different types, chalk board, whiteboard, cork boards, even binders.

Happy Planning! :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fall is my favorite season, hands down.
With September just around the corner, and fall clothes starting to appear in stores, I’m definitely getting excited. That feeling is what enticed me to break out the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. This recipe produces cake like cookies that have the most amazing Fall flavor combinations of pumpkin and cinnamon. Throw some chocolate chips in there and what more could you ask for? I prefer these cookies chilled, but to each their own!

• 1 cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup of sugar
• ½ cup of olive oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups of flour
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 2 tsp of cinnamon
• ½ tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of baking soda dissolved in 1 tsp of milk
• 1 tbsp of vanilla
• 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking sheet.

2. Mix together pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg. Add the baking soda/milk mixture along with the vanilla, stir well.

3. Incorporate flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Then mix in the chocolate chips by hand.

4. Spoon onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for approx. 10 minutes until lightly brown and firm

Makes approx. 2 dozen cookies.

I Come with Baggage

Sooo luggage is pretty much luggage, right? WRONG!

Don’t worry that's what I thought too until I discovered Dakine. Dakine makes fantastic luggage, they actually make a bunch of gear for snow, skate and surf as well but I am totally head over heels in love with the luggage.

The suitcases are super durable and come with a lifetime warranty. They are also extremely functional with loads of pockets and most models can expand/collapse to suit your needs. Dakine makes both mens and ladies models, and they change the fabric design twice a year to avoid a million people having the same bag come down the carrousel in the airport. Most are cute plaid designs which are great, subtle but easy to spot.

If you aren’t sold yet, they also make great carry-on bags. And if you buy one at the same time as your luggage you can probably get a matching one!

But just wait, there’s more! Toiletry bags! For both men and women. These bags are small, yet fit a ton of stuff. The best part is that when unzipped, they unfold and you can hang it on a hook in your hotel bathroom. Everything is easily accessible and in one place. What more could you ask for?

In all fairness, luggage across the board is improving and other brands are doing similar styles but I’m a Dakine girl. Now I just need to plan a trip…

Blueberry Pound Cake

Sometimes life lessons pop out of no where. Like today, when this blueberry pound cake taught me the importance of patience.
I made this cake, and it took a while to bake, I let it cool, but obviously not long enough because I was so excited to see how it turned out I flipped it over onto the plate and only half of it came out. UGH. I refused to let this cake get the best of me, so I attempted it again. This time I was older, wiser, and armed with my new found virtue.
Luckily round two was a success! I literally did a happy dance when it came out of the pan in one piece. Trying to look on the positive side I was able to to taste a bit of the unfortunate cake before I put it to rest. This is an awesome recipe, so delicious! And I finally my giant bag of blueberries is gone from the freezer and put to good use.

Remember....patience! ;)

• 1 cup of butter
• 2 3/4 cups of flour
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries, coated in flour

• 2 tbsp of butter
• 1/4 cup of sugar

1. Grease a bunt pan with 2 tbsp of butter, use the 1/4 cup of sugar to coat the pan, this will give the cake a sweet crispy shell. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla and sour cream. Gradually beat in the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Mix in  the blueberries, and scrape the batter into the pan. Bake for approx 60 mins or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Chocolate and peanut butter, two of my favorite things. I'll even admit that have been know to eat peanut butter with a spoon right out of the jar. It happens more often then I'd like to admit. So I couldn't pass this recipe up. I just hope there are still some left in the freezer for Andrew when he gets home.

These are dangerously delicious.

• 1/2 cup of butter, melted
• 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup of icing sugar
• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp of smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Line a 9x9 pan with tin foil, set aside.

2. In a large bowl mix together the melted butter, cracker crumbs, and icing sugar. Add 3/4 cup of peanut and combine. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, microwave the chocolate chips until melted. Add the remaining peanut butter and pour over top of the peanut butter layer.

4. Chill until completely firm, then  cut into squares.

Makes approx 14 bars. Serve chilled.

Sage

Have you ever been to the Sage store? Well my sister and I went and I just had to share this with you!

Sage is a natural wellness store that sells are sorts of amazing smelling essential oils, home and bath & body products. It’s Canadian owned and operated and everything is 100% natural.

One of the coolest things in this store is their Essential Oil Nebulizers. These are basically cool air humidifiers that you can add anyone of their amazing smelling diffuser blends to and it will diffuse the scent throughout the room. They have a wide variety of scents all of which are good for different things. For example the “Liquid Sunshine” diffuser blend revives the mind and body like a sunny day. And the “Immune” diffuser blend fortifies the immune system. I broke down and got the Deluxe Diffuser Blend which has 10 different scents. I have the AromaOm for my living room and it keeps the house smelling great and keeps me calm and relaxed while I stress out watching Pretty Little Liars.

They also carry natural remedies for things like allergies, stress, headaches and chest colds. And the list goes on and on! You can take peek through all of their products here.

Just go to the store (and don’t forget your credit card) you won’t be sorry! :)

Cheesy Muffin Tops

This recipe was originally intended for muffins, however I modified them into “Muffin Tops” because despite greasing the muffin tin, the cheese baked on and half of the muffin was left in the pan. So instead, I drop spoonful’s onto a greased baking sheet. For this reason I would call them scones or biscuits, but despite their shape they still have muffin consistency. They are a biscuit-muffin hybrid. Whatever they are they are so simple and taste amazing!

• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tbsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of salt
• 3 cups of cheese (any kind)
• 1 cup of milk or buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup of melted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking sheet.

2. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the cheese (Yes 3 whole cups), mix to coat.

3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix just until combined.

4. Drop spoonfuls onto the baking sheet, bake for approx 15 mins or until the  tops are slightly golden.

Makes approx 12 muffin tops.

Extra Spicy

Okay, so if anyone didn't believe that I actually have a Type A, OCD personality, here's your proof.
I re-did my spice labels on my mason jars because I wasn't entirely happy with them.

I had to peel off the old labels and use goof-off  to get rid of the old label gunk and make way for my new, prettier labels!

 I ended up ordering labels online from here. These labels are smaller, waterproof, dishwasher safe and stain resistant. Which is great because while baking and cooking sometimes I can make a mess and accidentally leave cookie dough on the cinnamon jar.

If anyone has the name of a good therapist please leave it in the comments section below. ;)

No Yeast Cinnamon Buns

WITH NO RAISINS! I am bringing these into work and some of my coworkers have very strong feelings about raisins. Personally, I like raisins but I won’t be eating any of them as I am on the wedding diet for the next year.

Most cinnamon bun recipes will call for yeast, which I think would give you a fluffier dough. But it’s a lot more time consuming as the yeast has to rise. I wasn’t able to do a side by side comparison but these look darn good! I will get full reviews from my coworkers tomorrow and report back!

Cinnamon Filling

• 3/4 packed brown sugar
• 1/2 sugar
• 1 tbsp of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup of melted butter

Dough

• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1/4 sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 salt
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1/3 cup melted butter

Icing

• 1 package of light cream cheese
• 1 cup of icing sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine all ingredients for filling in a bowl, should make a thick paste.

2. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix melted butter and buttermilk in a separate bowl, combine with dry mixture. Stir together until it forms a ball, do not over mix.

3. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough and roll. Cut into 1 inch slices.

4. Place all of the slices swirl side up on a greased baking sheet or spring form pan. Leave space in between each roll so they can rise. brush all rolls with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

5. Combine the cream cheese and icing until smooth. Spread over cinnamon buns while still warm.

Pancake Pizza Poppers

A few years ago my sister bought me a stuffed pancake pan for Christmas. I unfortunately tucked it away in one of my deep cabinets and completely forgot about it, until recently. But I’m sure glad I came across it because these little things are adorable and delicious, not to mention fun to make.

I usually just fill them with frozen blueberries, or chocolate chips if Andrew has any say in it.
But I was feeling adventurous so today I tried a savory version. I turned pancakes into cheesy pizza bites and they are delish! You can dip them into marinara sauce or eat them plain. They would also make a great, original appetizer.
The covenant filled pancake pan can be purchased from William Sonoma

• 1 cup of pancake mix (follow directions on the package)
• 1 tsp of oregano
• 1 tsp of basil
• 1 tsp of garlic powder
• 2 tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese
• 14 small cubes of mozzarella cheese
• marinara sauce (optional)

1. Spray filled pancake pan with non stick cooking spray.

2. Prepare one cup of pancake mix according to the package, mix in oregano, garlic powder, basil, and Parmesan.

3. Pour batter into pan, filling each cavity about half way. Place a cube of mozzarella in each cavity, add more batter on top to cover the mozzarella cheese.

4. Turn over, and cook until crispy on all sides.
Serve with marinara sauce. Makes approx 12 poppers.

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

For generations, mankind has searched for the “perfect” chocolate chip cookie recipe. Well sound the alarms, alert CNN, this is it! Print it off, bookmark it, write it down and you will never have to search for another chocolate chip recipe again! This recipe produces, thick, soft, mouth-watering cookies.

From me to you, so don’t say I never gave you anything! ;)

• 2 ¼ cups of flour
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• ½ cup of butter
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 cup of packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup of sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.

2. Cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.

3. Beat in flour, baking soda and salt. Incorporate the chocolate chips.

4. Drop spoonful’s onto baking sheet. And bake for approx. 10 mins. The trick to these cookies is to slightly under bake them. There should just be a small hint of golden around the edges and tops of the cookies. They will firm up when cooled. This will ensure they are moist, soft and chewy.
Store in an airtight container.

Makes roughly 2 dozen cookies.

Garage Re-Organize

It’s hard to keep a garage organized. It’s an out of sight, overspill storage place for most people. For us, it’s our primary storage place. (Can’t wait until we get a house with a basement!)

We were lucky enough to have my Step Dad build us a shelving unit a while ago. If you, or if you know someone who is handy this is definitely the way to go. The supplies are inexpensive, it’s custom and it’s sturdy. The people that lived here before us, god bless them, made shelves over head on the walls. These are great for luggage, or seasonal items.

We used to have a bunch of smaller transparent bins which contained the mess but didn’t hide it. So I upgraded us to larger blue bins. Since you can’t see what’s inside the new bins, I used whiteboard labels to mark them. These are nice because if you end up using the bins for something else down the road, you can easily change the label without leaving a sticky goo behind from the previous label.

We used all sorts of hooks and hangers on the walls for bikes, brooms, mops, extension cords etc. I also incorporated shoe racks, and a huge bin for dog food. It's nice to have everything organized, up off the floor and into it's place.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

It's blueberry season! I have a hard time passing up a good deal so I am stuck with a ton of blueberries. Since one person can only have so many smoothies I decided to bake something.
Muffins seemed too predictable, so I tried something new. These recipe would also work nicely with cherries, or cranberries!

With Andrew being away, I will have to bring these into work so I don't "accidentally" eat the entire pan.

For the crumb -

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Zest of one lemon

For the filling -

• 4 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• Juice from one lemon
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Using your hands, incorporate the butter until it's a course meal. Use a fork or pastry cutter to mix in the egg. Press half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berries.

4. Bake for 40 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
Serve chilled.

Organizing Tidbit

One of the best organizational tips I can offer is to group like things together. If you put items together in bins or boxes, it makes them easier to find and gives an over all tidier appearance.
I've done this in my linen closet for things like light bulbs and gift wrap but where I really notice a difference is in the kitchen. I added a few bins to the pantry and to the freezer.

Little projects like this don't need to cost a lot either. The bins I used are from the dollar store. And I added some chalkboard labels that picked up from Walmart. I used a silver sharpie to write on them rather thank actual chalk for a cleaner appearance. Happy Organizing! :)

The Secret to Long Lashes

Years ago I found out about eyelash extensions. I went nuts! I had to have them!
So I shelled out $400, and patiently laid on a table for 3 hours for my initial set. If you aren’t familiar with lash extensions, a technician will surgically glue one “fake” eyelash to every single one of your real lashes (hence the 3 hours) After that, you would go back every 2 – 4 weeks for a fill to replace any lashes they fell out. I was hooked! Even without makeup they make you look glamorous! I kept going back for longer and longer lashes each time. This lasted about 3 months before I got sick of going back every few weeks and ran out of money.

After I got them removed I think I cried for about a week straight. The extensions somewhat damaged my natural lashes and made them short and stubby. I went from one extreme to another. Lash extensions would be great as one time application for a special event like a holiday or a wedding. But trying to maintain them for an extended period of time was not a good decision, at least for me. They have come down a lot in price over the years, but just make sure if do decide to get a set that the technician is certified. After all, someone is using surgical glue around your eyes…

But don’t worry, all hope is not lost. Years after that I discovered “Ageless Lashes”. This a clear serum you put directly on your eyelashes twice a day and it will make your natural lashes grow! It honest to god it works! I noticed a huge difference in my lashes after using it for a few weeks. And the best part is if you stop using it, it doesn’t make your lashes shorter or fall out like other products on the market. Everyone I know who uses it, loves this product. And it’s even great for thinning eyebrows too!

Sponge Toffee

I think the "Crunchie" is one of the most underrated chocolate bars out there. I always forgot how good they were until Halloween came along, and they were always the first to go.

This was my first attempt at ever making sponge toffee. Three ingredients, seemed simple enough.
Boy was I wrong! I made it twice because my first batch didn't expand into an airy crunchy candy, rather it was a hard, dense, flat as a rock failure. My motivation must have been high today because hardened sugar on pots is a b*$%# to clean up, and I was willing to do it twice. Thank goodness the second batch was better! However, I did learn some vary valuable lessons.
Lesson #1 - Always read all reviews below a recipe you find online attempting. Lesson #2 - ALWAYS read all reviews below a recipe you find online before attempting.

After revising the recipe and having success, I got brave and even melted some milk chocolate to dip some of the pieces in. Look out Marta Stewart! ;)

Below is my modified recipe, please learn from my mistakes.

• 2 1/2 cups of white sugar
• 2/3  cup of white corn syrup
• 1/3 cup of water
• 4 tsp of baking soda
• milk or dark chocolate chips (optional)

1. In a large sauce pan, mix together the sugar, corn syrup and water. prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish by lining with tin foil. Measure out the baking soda and set aside.

2. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Do not stir, just use run a spoon along the edges of the pan. Continue until a candy thermometer reaches the hard crack stage (300 degrees F) The syrup MUST be at the hard crack stage for this to work. Otherwise the toffee might not expand, or could be gummy on the inside.

3. Quickly incorporate the baking soda with a whisk. Do not over mix. Immediately pour into prepared baking dish. The toffee should expand in the dish.

4. Let the toffee cool, and then break into pieces. Dip in melted chocolate if desired.
Store in an airtight container.

Wendy’s Frosty Copycat Recipe

When we were little we called them Wendy’s Malts and I loved dipping my fries in them.

I’ve seen this recipe a few places so I thought I would give it a try. This is the healthy version, as I have seen some copycat recipes that call for cool whip, chocolate milk, and condensed milk which sound delicious but for that many calories I might as well just drive to Wendy’s and get a real one.

I'm always craving chocolate and It just so happens that I'm out of fudgciles as of last night so this is the perfect time to test it out!

• 1 cup Chocolate Almond Milk
• 15+ Ice cubes
• 1 Banana (ripe and ideally frozen)
• 2 tsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 scoop Protein Powder (optional)

1. Mix everything together in a blender, Ta-Da! :)

I just used my magic bullet blender so the consistency wasn't the same as a frosty. I think a vitimix or an actual blender would do a much better job.

Much like the cauliflower pizza crust, it will never replace the original version in my books but this definitely kicked my chocolate craving! :)

The Animal vs Animals

This year for my birthday Andrew bought me the Dyson “Animal”. Some girls may not get excited at sight of a vacuum with a bow on it, but I sure did! This has been one of the most useful gifts I have ever received. We use it at least twice a week because of our furry creatures. Our couch is microsuade and would otherwise look like a very used lint roller if we didn’t have this little guy.

It is also great to use when cleaning your car, no long cords or huge units to luge from door to door, just a handful of dirt-busting power!

It came with an assortment of attachments and is very easy to clean. It has a clear cylinder where all the dirt and dust goes. I love this because I can actually see all dirt and fur that was picked up, it gives me a strange sense of accomplishment.

Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches

Now this is genius! I saw this idea on Pinterest and have been doing it ever since.

At Andrew’s old job, he had a 10am break every day at which point he would essentially eat breakfast. So I started making these little breakfast sandwiches on the weekends and freezing them for him for the week. Grabbing one of these bad boys from the freezer the night before was so much easier than racking my brain as to what to make him everyday.

• 6 English Muffins
• 6 Eggs
• 12 slices of Cheese
• 6 servings of Ham, Bacon, Turkey Bacon, Back Bacon or Sausage

1. Lightly toast 6 English Muffins, poach 6 eggs, and cook your choice of meat (bacon and turkey bacon are great in the oven on a baking sheet)
It’s important to remember that these will be reheated in a microwave before being consumed so to avoid overcooking or drying out the eggs or meat, cook them to 90% completion.

2. After everything is cooked, you are ready to assemble! I don’t think the order matters all that much but when I make them I put cheese on one side of the muffin, the meat on the other, and the egg in the middle.

3. Once assembled, wrap in a piece of parchment paper and then again in saran wrap. The saran wrap will keep them fresh in the freezer but should be removed before microwaving.

4. Freeze until ready to consume. For bets results put in the fridge overnight to thaw. Microwave for approx. 45 seconds

To make them slightly healthier I always use whole wheat muffins, mozzarella cheese and ham or turkey bacon (although Andrew would prefer real bacon)

If you want to make them vegetarian, you can just omit the meat option.

If you want to jazz up you eggs a little you can make mini omelets in muffin tins/silicon baking cups instead of poaching them, containing whatever veggies you like (onion, peppers, mushrooms etc)

Apple Butter

The way I usually find recipes is to Google image search whatever it is I want to make. From there I find the best, most appetizing photo and choose that as my recipe. This seems like a superficial thing to do, and is ironic because all the photos I have on this blog are taken with my iPhone (Andrew if you’re reading this I need a good camera for Christmas!)

Anyway that is how I found this recipe for Apple Butter. I have never made this before, I actually have never even tried it before. But it sounds yummy, looks easy, and I get to put it in mason jars…which means….I get to make labels again!

I think the trick with apple butter is to think of it as jam and not butter. I put some on a some vanilla frozen yogurt and it was amazing! You could also use it on toast, crackers, or even muffins.

All Day Apple Butter - Adapted from allrecipes.ca

• 5 1/2 pounds of apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 2 1/2 cups of white sugar
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Place the apples in a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until apples are even coated.

2. Cover and cook on high for 1 hours

3. Reduce heat to low and cook 9 - 11 hours, stirring occasionally.

4. Once the mixture is thickened and dark brown, blend in blender until smooth.

5. Spoon the mixture unto sterile containers and refrigerate or freeze.

Home Made Croutons

Because why not?
Croutons are usually on our grocery list as we like a little crunch in our salads. It’s one of those things that is super easy to make, but had never occurred to me to make my own.

So as of today, let’s put an end to store bought croutons!

Like most home made things you can switch up the recipe by just adding a few different ingredients. With this recipe you can use all different types of breads and seasonings and each time you will get a very different result.

As soon as I came across a recipe I liked and saw that it called for olive oil my mind imminently thought of Blue Door Oil and Vinegar. If you haven’t heard of Blue door before you should definitely check it out. They sell like a bunch of different olive oils and balsamic vinegars all infused with different things, such as Butter infused Oil Olive, or Black Mission Fig Balsamic Vinegar (one of my favs) And the great thing is their store is set up so you can taste as many as you like.

Anyway back to the croutons, I must say, homemade croutons taste so much better, and are a lot better for you as there are no preservatives in them. This is definitely the way to go, plus it’s a great way to use up and stale bread! Enjoy!

•  1 Loaf of Bread, Cubed
• Olive Oil (I used Blue Door Organic Tuscan Herb)
•  1 tsp of Garlic Salt
• 1 tsp of Oregano
• 1 tsp of Basil
• 1 tsp of Rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cube a loaf of bread, and lay the pieces on a large baking sheet.
2. Drizzle olive oil over bread pieces, and sprinkle the seasonings. Toss to coat evenly.
3. Bake until lightly toasted, mixing through out (approx 16 mins) Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

The Spice of Life

I should have done this a long time ago, but what matters is that I’m doing it now!

My spices are a mess, some are on a rack I got from Crate and Barrel while others are in bags, or all different shaped containers. I think there should be a law that enforces all companies to use the same spice container so everything matches! But since the world isn’t perfect and life is messy I will just have to create a law for my kitchen.

I looked high and low for cute spice containers, the trouble is most are quite small. Nothing is worse than having to keep a whole bunch of half empty refill bags lying around. (I buy the bags or spices in bulk because it’s just so much cheaper) So my cute and cost effective solution was mason jars! And of course adorable labels.

This is just one step in my kitchen clean up plan, but it feels gooood!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Friday night equals pizza night in our house. I have wanted to try out cauliflower crust pizza for a while so with Andrew being gone I thought it would be the prefect opportunity.

There are plenty of recipes online so I took a peek at a few and took bits and pieces of different recipes for my own take on it.

All in all this was pretty good! My crust wasn't firm enough to pick up but it held it's shape. I think regular pizza dough will still be my #1 but this is a nice, low carb alternative.

• 1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4  cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional) 
•  1/2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• Tomato or alfredo sauce
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Other toppings (optional)

To rice your cauliflower, grate with cheese grater, so the cauliflower pieces are about the size of rice, place in with bowl with a small amount of water and cook until tender (about 6 mins)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a pizza pan or cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the riced cauliflower, mozzarella cheese and egg together and stir until well incorporated. Add the oregano, garlic, and garlic salt. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and shape into a 9-inch circle. Brush the crust with olive oil if desired (this will help brown the crust)

3. Baked at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, until the crust is browned and cooked through the middle.

4. Remove from oven, add your sauce and toppings. Place under a broiler at high heat until the cheese is melted and bubbly. (About 3-4 minutes). Allow the pizza to cool slightly, before slicing.

Note - A lot of recipes say that you could add half the amount of cheese and it would still taste good and hold it’s shape but….why would you do a silly thing like that?