pepperoni — Blog — Fit Foodie Le

Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Poppers

the stuff:

2 raw zucchini, coined 1/2 in thick

1/3 cup homemade marinara

1/4 cup turkey pepperoni rounds, chopped

no stick cooking spray

Italian seasoning

1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice (vegan, dairy-free, cheddar, monterey jack, pepperjack, mozzarella, etc.)

do this:

wrap a large flat baking plan with foil and coat with no-stick cooking spray and set your oven broiler to high

heat a large griddle to med-high heat (i made pancakes for breakfast and the griddle was already out but you can use a very large skillet too) and coat it with no-stick cooking spray

place as many zucchini coins flat on the griddle as possible and cook for 1 minute (you may have to work in batches)

flip the coins over and cook for an additional minute

transfer the cooked coins to the baking sheet lined with foil

dab some marinara sauce on the top of each coin and using the back of a small spoon, spread mixture out

sprinkle a few shreds of cheese on top of the sauce

sprinkle some chopped turkey pepperoni on top of the cheese

place entire pan in your oven as close to the broiler flames as you can get and cook for approx. 5 minutes or until the cheese is melty and bubbly

sprinkle with Italian seasoning. done.

s/n: if you have more zucchini to use up, see if you can stretch your ingredients even further as you might have sauce/cheese, etc. left over.

i upgraded my fry cutter! this is the Deluxe Fry Cutter from Bed Bath & Beyond and i got it for 13 bucks after using the 5 bucks off coupon that comes in the snail mail flyer. great, affordable investment. the only thing i did have to do first is peel the potato, then slice it in half. the device only opens so wide, so you might have to cut the ends off to make it fit. other than that, no microwaving needed before cutting! sign up for their ads directly on their website to get their coupons.

what a big helper! not just in the kitchen with me but with his little brother as well which is a huge answered prayer. many have asked how the transition with the boys has been and i can honestly say smooth. putting Dego's dirty diapers in the diaper genie for me is exciting to him. yeah, i'm milking that for as long as he lets me.

WHY didn't i think of this sooner... Quest Bars help out big time with my sweet toof. i really i only get them when i go to my gym, so now that i'm going almost regularly the bars are making appearances again. THIS time though, i'm going to GNC and buying an entire box. can't keep buying them for 3 bucks at a time, pretty stupid and not cost-effective. 20g protein, 17g fiber, 170-180 cals. coconut cashew is one of my fave flavors! .

didn't get to have my early gym rendezvous this morning so i went power walking this evening.

i strapped down the girls with two sports bras and hit the bricks. let me tell you how much i appreciate working my back 2 or more times a week when i was preggo! the weight of these boobs right now..... whew.

had a bowl of organic rolled oats cooked in unsweetened vanilla almond milk, water, cinnamon, and vanilla before heading to my (now weekly) OB appointment this morning. fresh blueberries, more cinnamon, more almond milk, and pure maple syrup went right on top. i had egg whites w/ salsa on the side too. fueling up for some kickboxing a little later today.

was running late and threw on whatever (but i was comfy though!) and we made it just in time for my group b strep test and routine check up. if only pap smears were that quick & easy-peasy! all is well @ 35 weeks and i thank Him for another great progress report. and yes, i smacked Chiso right after he smacked me.

on to our new hospital to registerrrrrr!

so the hospital where Chiso was born doesn't do L&D anymore. i enjoyed the experience there and was saddened after hearing that! however, the new hospital is literally 3 minutes away, so no biggie. AND my favorite OB in the entire universe will be there to deliver Odego this time, Lord willing. (she was out having her twins at the time Chiso was born :'( ) . i went ahead and registered juuuuust in case we have to pop up there sooner than expected, but i am coming back with Sonny to take a tour so we can be cheesy and take pics and stuff. a date i am so looking forward too, again. i hardly EVER buy overpriced convenience store food/snacks, but i was unprepared and Chiso got restless while i filled out paper work. so i got him this Sabra pretzel and hummus dip along with a banana.

enjoy this updated recipe of last night's dinner:

updated Zucchini Pizza Cruise Ships

the stuff:

4 large, raw zucchini, halved & seeded
2 cups cooked and seasoned extra lean ground turkey
1 cup homemade marinara (add more if you'd like and the recipe is below)
8 turkey pepperoni, cut into thin strips
1 cup shredded almond or rice cheese
6 cherry tomatoes, sliced into coins
2 tsp dried italian seasoning or parsley or fresh basil
sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste

do this:

set your oven to 350 degrees and coat a large baking pan with foil and no-stick cooking spray.
after halving the zucchini, scoop some of the insides out using a small spoon. they should look like empty ~~canoes~~ cruise ships once you're done; arrange them flat and seed-side up on your baking sheet.
mix the cooked ground turkey and the marinara sauce together, then spoon the mixture evenly into/onto the zucchini.
sprinkle the turkey pepperoni, tomato, and italian seasoning on top of the cruise ships, and bake them for about 20 minutes.
remove them from the oven and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. ( i used 2% colby jack cause that's all i had. to keep this recipe dairy free, use almond or rice cheese.)
let them bake once more for 7-10 minutes or just until the cheese melts to your liking.
top with fresh basil or parsley!

i thought i posted my marinara recipe in the Fit N' Crispy Chicken Parm post but maybe it didn't save like i thought?? can't explain that one. but here it is:

homemade marinara:

the stuff:

1 6oz can tomato paste
6 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tsp Italian seasoning blend (optional)
sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste

do this:

heat a large sauce pan to medium-low heat; once hot, pour in your olive oil.
add onions & garlic and sauté until translucent...about 2-3 minutes.
add in the rest of the ingredients except sea salt and cracked black pepper, stir, cover, and let simmer for 12-15 minutes.
shut off heat; add mixture to your blender or food processor and blend on high until super smooth.

you can make this ahead of time and store in the fridge to be used for pizza sauce, wing dip, breadstick dip, whatever!