that's amore: homemade whole wheat pizza crust + med ball moves

what.a.morning.

 i woke up at 2:30am randomly and just couldn't get comfy again nor could i go back to sleep! daylight savings time + a kickboxing 27 week fetus = one tired mama.  praying & hoping this doesn't become a normal occurrence.

getting to 5:30am class was something like pulling teeth but we made it!  smiling up there in the pic cause my workout was finally over after that :lol: .  i taught Total Conditioning for 1 hr as usual and then did these exercises with the med ball and bands afterwards (listed clockwise):

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1.  medicine ball squat throws against the wall: 4 x 25
2. med ball squats w/ explosive jack - band is optional but come ooooon! USE IT! 4 x 25
3. burpees with overhead dumbbell presses. modify where needed! walk back if you are preggo or nursing an injury if you do not wish to jump. it's your workout. 3 x 12
4. 90 degree wall sits with extended med ball (see top pic).  hold this guy for as long as you can. your arms will most likely give out before your legs, so let them drop but stay up until you can't take it anymore. HOLD until it burns ;)

i owe you a pizza crust recipe, don't i!

this was Chiso's cheese pie hot outta the oven.

the sauce is homemade too!!! i'll share that recipe in a future post.

and here's the pie i made Sonny and i for dinner that night looooaded with goodies!

extra lean ground chicken, red onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, grape tomatoes, fresh cilantro,  homemade pizza sauce, and plenty of shredded provolone.

i'm saving my very special crust recipe for my homemade pizza cooking class so you'll have to join me on March 25th to get that one!

homemade whole wheat pizza crust

the stuff:

• 1 cup white whole wheat bread flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tbsp coconut sugar (or agave nectar or honey or pure maple syrup)
• 1 cup warm water
• dash sea salt
• 1/4th tsp fresh minced garlic
• 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast (1 envelope)

do this: 

ok, i actually had steps listed out for the beginning part ( :shock: i know) but SEEING it done is the easiest way to actually get it. i don't want to scare you guys from making it and i haven't created my own video yet, so i'm going to use a popular youtube vid that is very similar to what i did. also, i added the dry seasonings and garlic in with the wet ingredients.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvIF81APkj8&w=560&h=315]

1. NOW you're ready! let the dough rise for at least 2 hours minimum. (whip up a ball right after breakfast)
2. preheat your oven to 500 degrees and put your pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven NOW.
3. on a flat, clean, floured surface, drop your round dough ball in to the center.
4. use your fingers to press the dough out as wide/thin as you'd like it. my Sur la table instructor advised against using a rolling-pin.
5. sprinkle your pizza paddle (or a pan/cookie sheet with no edges) generously with dry, yellow corn meal
6. pick up your dough and place it on top of the corn meal bed. is it slide-able? rock the pan back and forth and see.
7. top your pizza however you'd like. (sauce, cheese, veggies, meat, cheese...but remember less is more! that doesn't apply to cheese though)
8. do a slide check one more time, then open your oven and transfer (rock vigorously back and forth til you've successfully moved it over) the pizza paddle onto the already HOT HOT HOT pizza stone or baking pan.
9. needs to bake about 7-9 minutes at most. cooks super fast!

nutritional stats ONLY IF you use the entire dough ball and make a gigantic pizza cut into 8 slices:

i find that cutting the ball in half first makes the perfect size pie for 2 people. in that instance, stats for 1 slice when cut into 8:

you can refrigerate the other half for 2-3 days and even longer in the freezer.

yummmmmmmmmmmmmy!

make your own pizza at home, take a pic, and tag me @fitfoodiele on IG! also, if you send your pics to le@fitfoodiele.com, i will feature them on my Facebook Fan Page, blog, or IG. can't wait to see the deliciousness you create!

 Q: what do you do when you can't go back to sleep? read? watch TV? stare at your significant other in the dark? :shock:

sweet potato pie + Light of Hope Festival

i know Thanksgiving is headed our way, but not that kinda pie yet! we had guilt-free, sweet potato crust pizza for dinner last night from my ebook.

i usually make 3 mini pizzas, but i did a large one for the very first time.

our toppings included: fire roasted all natural pizza sauce, fresh spinach, sliced roma tomatoes, fat-free feta, shredded mozzarella almond cheese,  golden & orange bell peppers, and italian seasoned extra lean ground chicken.

Chiso actually ate a small piece after taking off all the toppings, so i made him a small pie with cheese only. the 'what will Chiso eat today?' saga continues. :shock:

calorie count for 1 piece of crust (1 large pizza cut into 8 slices): 67 cals, 0g fat, 14g carbs,  2g sugar,  2g fiber, 3g protein!

ready to make some pizza? click here to get your copy of Fit Foodie Lean along with almost 50 other healthy recipes.

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this past weekend i was invited to be apart of the Light of Hope Festival as a community partner! it was an extremely beneficial event that provided free health and educational information for the surrounding communities designed to increase family skills.  i was honored to participate.

thank you to Chrystal Rivers for allowing me to share health and fitness tips with the participants and mingle / network with the other community partners!

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the attendees even got down and did my rendition of The Wobble with me- the Fit Wobble! fun, fun ;)

le

mmmm....crusty

  i ate Papa Johns pizza 10 outta 10 months of my pregnancy.  it was my celebratory meal after doing my first fitness competition.  pizza is neck and neck with mac n cheese as my fav food.  i keep my eyes peeled for healthy, lower calorie/carb pizza crust recipes that i can make at home.  however.......i'm not willing to accept a tortilla, portobello mushroom :shock: english muffin, or any other item attempting to be passed off as pizza crust!  now THIS though...this is just my speed right here.  yet another recipe inspired by IG (Instagram) that i have made every day since i found it.  once i find something i love i make it until i force myself not to make it  anymore.

ok.

the crust is composed of... breakfast. oatmeal and egg whites.  together.  but you don't have to eat it for breakfast if you don't want to.  i don't.

Trader Joe's organic pizza sauce, ground chicken, goat cheese, fresh roma tomatoes, mushrooms, and cilantro went on my very first attempt at this recipe, pictured above.  your turn.

oatmeal pizza crust

the stuff:

• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 2 egg whites (or 1 whole egg)
• 1 tbsp fresh garlic (optional)
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup water (mix until desired consistency but not too thin!)

do this:

1. pre-heat your oven to 400 degress.
2. throw the ingredients above into your blender or food processor and blend away until smooth
3.  add more water if you need to.  i like my crust with texture, so i pulsed my blender a few times and left it semi chunky.  you can put it on high and blend until completely smooth though, it's your call.  the seasoning are also up to you.  if you don't like Italian seasoning,  by all means, use somethin ya do like.
4.  spray your medium heated skillet with no-stick cooking spray, and scrape the contents of your blender right into it.
5. it starts to cook immediately, so start spreading it as soon as it hits the pan.
6. once it's cooked on one side (3-4 minutes) flip it over and let the other side cook for 2-3 minutes more.
7.  finally, slide the crust onto your oven pan (spray that with no-stick cooking spray  too) and  add your toppings.  remember, less is more.  don't over crowd!  thumbs down to soggy pizza crust. blech.

1 serving = entire crust (egg whites, oatmeal, garlic & seasonings)

not too shabby, huh!  low-fat, and loaded with fiber and protein.  my skillet is not terribly big, so my first crust was thicker than i wanted it to be since i poured in all my batter at once.  the next few times, i poured half the batter in and made two thin crust pizzas.

 yall know i'm all about stretching my food!

i have been topping my crusts with whatever i have on hand.  ground chicken, ground turkey, grilled chicken, salmon, and even tuna.  same with the veggies/cheese- i have put some crazy stuff together and so will you!

le