Supporting the Sisterhood Part 2

In my quest to provide healthy, quick, and easy recipes to new mamas, here is the second installment with a fabulous easy recipe for homemade pizza dough. I love this recipe because it is so easy to include a plethora of vegetables to spice up the flavor and add to the health benefits. Think broccoli, red peppers, spinach, etc. Prepare the dough in the morning (when babies like to sleep the most) and roll, add toppings, and bake for dinner (when babies tend to be the most fussy). Add a salad and you have a full, healthy meal! Enjoy!

Ashley Treadwell's Easiest Pizza Dough Ever:

4 cups of flour (I use 1 c whole wheat and 3 cup white)
2 1/4 tsp (or one packet) yeast
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 3/4 cup warm water

Add all dry ingredients to food processor and pulse to mix. Turn processor on and add olive oil. Add water slowly until dough forms a ball (you may not use all the water)
Let rest for 2 minutes.
Process for an additional 30 seconds.
Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until elastic and smooth (1-5 min). Put into oiled bowl and cover with saran wrap and leave to rise - 1-2 hours (or all day).

When you are ready to cook the pizza, divide the dough into 2 balls. Roll the dough, on a floured surface, into a circle. Add jarred sauce and pre-shredded cheese.

To cook: place pizza dough of a floured cookie sheet or pizza stone. Precook dough at 425 for 5-10 minutes. Then add the toppings and bane for an additional 10 minutes or so.

Supporting the Sisterhood

As a mom of a new baby, or a mom with any small-aged children, it can sometimes feel impossible to have any energy left to create a homemade meal. However, the best way to support your health, and your children's health, is with non-processed, homemade, healthy meals. So where can you find recipes for these meals? From the sisterhood! Here is your first recipe. I will be collecting recipes over the next few weeks and posting weekly on my blog, so that you will have a one-stop resource of quick, easy, healthy meals you can make to support your health and sanity. Enjoy!

If you have any to add to the collection, please feel free to post!

Baked Chicken and White Beans

From: Liz Ingle

2 large or 4 small chicken breasts (soaked in marinade for at least 1 hour)

1 can of Great Northern White Beans, rinsed and drained

½ small brown onion, diced

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon, plus ½ tsp. olive oil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon water

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

For marinade:

½ cup lite Italian dressing

½ teaspoon salt

¼ dry white wine

Directions:

For Chicken: Combine ingredients for marinade in a Ziploc bag, whisk together and add chicken to bag. Soak for at least an hour or up to overnight. Preheat oven to 365 degrees, add chicken to baking dish with a small portion of the marinade, cover with foil and bake for 30 min or until juice in chicken runs clear.

For Beans: In a medium saucepan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté until translucent. Add drained canned beans; stir to mix onions and beans. Add remaining olive oil and water. Heat ingredients together for a couple minutes, then reduce heat to low. Add the vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cover and let simmer on low until beans are soft and warm, approximately 5 – 10 min. Add additional water if needed (bean mixture should be moist so as not to burn in the pan).

Best chili recipe EVER

My friend, Bree, is an absolutely amazing cook. She is also the queen of easy dinners that can be made super fast with no fuss. This chili is outstanding and can be made around lunch time, so by dinner time your house has a wonderful aroma and all you have to do is set the table. Enjoy!

Bree's Awesome Chili

1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs ground beef (although I love to use bison meat....super low in fat and delectable!)
28oz canned diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp dried parsley
chili powder (to taste)
1/2 jar of favorite bar b q sauce
1/4 cup instant coffee
honey (taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Saute onions, garlic, and olive oil over medium high heat until onions are soft. Add the meat and cook until browned. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over low heat for 1-5 hours. Taste the chili 1/2 way through and adjust seasonings, bar b q sauce, coffee, and honey to taste.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream (or greek yogurt), and chips (or corn bread.)
Freeze and left overs for up to a month.

Crock pot recipe #1

Now that it is getting cooler out, and the 'Summer of Bar BQ' is over, I feel the need to cook hot dinners for the family. But, with two boys running around the house, and often needing a referee, who has the time to cook a big, healthy meal? Well, that's where the crock pot comes in....what an amazing invention. I think all new moms should receive one as a baby shower gift. So, to make life easier for all of the moms out there who are in the same predicament as I am, I have decided to include some tried-and-true crock pot recipes on The Sanity Spot. Your kids will thank you... your husband/partner will thank you...and everything can be done in the morning while the little ones are napping or at school:)

Enjoy!

The first recipe is from my friend, Pam

Beef Brisket and Couscous

3.5 - 4lb beef brisket (cut in half to fit in the crock pot)
1 can beer (she used a bottle of Pacifico)
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tsp prepared mustard
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 small green or red bell pepper chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Couscous (follow directions on box)

1. put brisket in slow cooker
2. combine remaining ingredients and pour over meat
3. cover and cook on low 8-10 hrs
4. remove meat and slice thin
5. serve on rolls or over couscous