Guess what's for dinner tonight?! Homemade Hawaiian Pizza! Here's how I'm making it:

Get a tube of pizza dough and follow the instructions on it for baking. I'm thinking I'll use some Italian seasoning on the dough and then use tomato paste on top of that. Then on top put the ham chunks, pineapple chunks, green pepper and banana pepper. Last add some cheese and bake! Yum I can't wait...

What other toppings do I recommend at home?
How about spinach and artichoke?
Or the usual pepperoni is always good.
Get creative, add whatever you enjoy! Make a taco pizza with spiced ground beef, peppers, onions and cheese. Don't forget to dip in sour cream or guacamole!

Or try broccoli! Tomorrow's entry will feature other ways to incorporate broccoli into your dinners.

Here's a fun Pizza Burger recipe that makes four yummy burgers.

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 cup pizza sauce or tomato sauce
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8 small dinner rolls (or 4 big ones)
Optional: pepperoni slices

Mix ground beef and seasonings in medium bowl until well blended. Shape into 8 small patties (or 4 regular size).

Grill burgers over medium heat or cook in non-stick skillet 4-6 minutes per side or until cooked through. (Times may change for regular size burgers. Only flip once!)

Top each burger evenly with sauce and cheese. Cook 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted. Serve on rolls with pepperoni slices, if desired.

Hi folks!

Two events coming up that I wanted to make sure you knew about. Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 29 from 5-10pm is 31 cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins. Get all the information here.

Thursday, April 30 is the annual Dining Out for Life event in southeastern Wisconsin. Dine out and make a difference. 25 percent of your bill for breakfast, lunch, and dinner goes directly to One Heartland, which helps children and families living with HIV and AIDS. Check out this link for a list of participating restaurants. It's one of the few times I recommend you go out to eat for all three meals of the day!!

Thank goodness it's coming up on farmer's market season again in Wisconsin! Here are a few tips on how to navigate your local market.

Today's recipe is pretty much the only meatballs that are made in this house. It's from Rachael Ray's Just In Time cookbook and is meant to be made for the Double Dumpling Chicken Stoup, which I also make often. But the meatballs can be used with spaghetti or sandwiches. Or, I've turn them into burgers in the past and they were delicious! Anyway, here's the meatball recipe...

1 lb ground chicken
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix together and bake, fry or boil - Enjoy!

The next week's worth of posts will be personal recipes I use on a semi-regular basis. All of these recipes I tend to adapt to what we have in the house at the time. Once you get the basic recipe down, you can add and subtract whatever you want.

In this case, hummus can be made in many different ways. The basic recipe came with the Magic Bullet but I've adapted it to fit what we have available at that moment I feel like making it.

14 oz can chickpeas
1/4 cup chicken stock
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp tahini
Salt and Pepper

I like to add roasted red peppers and different spices like paprika or maybe some thyme or dill. Experiment and I'm sure you'll come up with your family's favorite combination!

Today's Eat This, Not That heads to Applebee's, one of my favorites!

Eat This:

• Grilled Cajun Lime Tilapia with black bean and corn salsa. Just a few ounces of fish a week can cut heart attack risk by 38%, according to a Greek study. Get all the same lively Southwestern flavors as Fiesta Lime Chicken for a quarter of the calories.
• Crispy buttermilk shrimp with potatoes and toast.
• Teriyaki steak and shrimp skewers.

Not That!

• Fiesta Lime Chicken with sauce, cheese, tortilla strips, salsa and rice. Even though the chicken is grilled rather than fried, a coating of ranch and cheddar sauce and a handful of tortilla strips boosts the fat content.
• Grilled steak caesar salad with toast.
• Southwest philly roll-up with salsa.

Guilty Pleasure:

• Onion Soup Au Gratin. French onion soup is usually coated in oozing cheese and loaded in fat, but this updated version is paked with caramelized onions and subs a layer of reduced-fat cheese.

Hidden Danger:

• Low-fat chicken quesadillas. This may seem like a healthy alternative to burgers and fried food, but the collective impact of calories and carbs will do its best to stretch you horizontally.

Little Trick:

• Sub healthy sides like steamed broccoli or mixed vegetables for the garlic toast that accompanies most sandwiches and salads. The buttery tost tacks on 7 grams of fat with zero nutritional value.

**Applebee's does not provide nutrition information, a.k.a. be wary of whatever you order.

Is it just me that seems to have a problem wrapping up anything in a tortilla? It always spills out or drips down my arm. Here's a little help from Hungry Girl.

Wrap it up right! A tortilla tutorial

Everything you need to know to succeed in the wonderful world of wraps...

Step 1: Slightly warm your tortilla by microwaving it for about 10 seconds. Doing so will make it easier to work with, and it'll also taste better.

Step 2: Place your stuff in the center of your tortilla. First fold the sides in (a few inches), and then fold the bottom to the center, creating an envelope around your filling. Use a fork to smoosh any attempted escapes into the pocket you've created.

Step 3: Slowly roll your tortilla upward until you reach the top. Voila!

**Got a better idea? Want me to share your favorite tip? Send it my way!!

Who doesn't love Denny's? Now you know what you should and shouldn't order...

Eat This:

• Two fried eggs with grits and grapefruit juice. Grapefruit juice is a great source of vitamin C and lycopene, but if you're fighting the sniffles, beware - compounds in the fruit render allergy-fighting medicines such as Allegra nearly powerless.
• Veggie-Cheese Omelette made with Egg Beaters.
• Grilled Tilapia Dinner with rice, vegetable blend and sliced tomatoes.
• Vegetable Beef Soup

Not That!

• Buttermilk pancake platter with whipped margarine and maple syrup. With 119 grams of carbs, the pancake platter creates an early morning spike in your insulin levels, which signals your body to start storing fat.
• Smoked sausage scramble.
• Fish sandwich with seasoned fries.
• Clam chowder.

Weapon of mass destruction:

• Mini burgers with onion rings. Don't be fooled by the diminutive name: With more than a day's worth of calories and saturated fat, these minis do massive damage to your gut. In fact, 4 of Denny's 6 burgers contain more than a day's worth of fat.

Guilty pleasure:

• Country fried steak and eggs. Drop the hash browns and this hearty breakfast packs major protein for 200 calories less than the Original Grand Slam.
  

Check out Dream Dinners, a company that creates meals for your family. They do all the work, give you directions on how to heat it up and enjoy at home. I'm sure it saves you a lot of time, and if you're not a good cook this is a great way to still give your family a healthy easy meal. But for me personally, it totally takes all the fun out of cooking!

An HG recipe: Kickin' Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 cups fat-free chicken broth
4 oz cooked lean skinless boneless chicken breast, shredded
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup canned sweet corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp chopped jalapeno peppers
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fajita seasoning mix
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
6 baked tortilla chips, crushed
Optional toppings: cilantro, fat-free sour cream, fat-free or low-fat shredded cheese

In a medium pot sprayed with nonstick spray, cook onions, garlic, seasoning, and spices over medium heat until onions soften, 3-5 minutes.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the corn and diced tomatoes, and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Add chicken, jalapeno, and lime juice. Stir for 2-3 minutes to thoroughly blend flavors.

Once ready to serve, top each serving with crushed chips and, if desired, cilantro, sour cream and/or cheese.

Makes 4 servings

Eat This!

• Two Grilled Steak Soft Tacos, Fresco Style. Order almost any menu item "fresco" style and the Bell boys will replace cheese and sauces with chunky tomato salsa, helping to cut calories dramatically and fat by at least 25 percent.
• Chicken Fiesta Taco Salad without shell.
• Two spicy chicken soft tacos.
• Cinnamon Twists.

Not That!

• Baja Beef Chalupa. The Chalupa shell alone has 13 grams of fat and 25 grams of carbs.
• Zesty chicken BORDER BOWL.
• Grilled Stuft Chicken Burrito.
• Caramel Apple Empanadas.

If you like a free sugar fix, check out these upcoming deals!

April 21 at Ben & Jerry's - Get one free cone
April 29 at Baskin Robbins - Get a scoop for 31 cents
July 11 at 7-Eleven - Get a free 7-ounce Slurpee
September 24 at Cold Stone Creamery - Get a free ice cream treat

Taken from the March 2009 issue of Real Simple magazine.

(party survival tips continued)

5. Don't get caught empty-handed. Always have a drink in one hand (stick to no-cal beverages for most of the night!) and maybe a little clutch purse in the other. This way you'll be less likely to graze, because your hands will be full.

6. Don't deprive yourself. It's okay to enjoy some treats, just remember to do so in moderation.

7. Make a deal with yourself. Only after eating 5 pieces of something "good" (like veggies from the veggie tray), allow yourself to indulge in one piece of something "bad" (like cookies or candy). You'll likely fill up before you even hit round 2 of the bad stuff!

8. Watch what you drink. Eggnog, spiced cider, and hot cocoa can all be diet-busting disasters and a complete waste of calories. You are better off reaching for water or other no-calorie drinks.

Happy Easter everyone!

Easter coming, so are graduation parties and barbecues and summer parties. So I thought I'd share with you some of Hungry Girl's TOP ATE Party Survival Tips. It's a guide to food-happy festivities.

1. Never show up super-hungry. Eat something light before you head to the party.
2. Wear fitted party clothes. Doing so will help keep you from shamelessly stuffing too much food down your gullet!
3. Drink 1 to 2 glasses of water right before or right after you arrive at the party. This will help you feel fuller and curb cravings.
4. Don't eat anything during your first 20 to 30 minutes at the party. Mingle, socialize, and don't stand on top of the food.

More to come tomorrow, stay tuned!

Here's a really quick Hungry Girl dessert recipe! All you do is take chocolate brownie mix, a can of pumpkin, mix them together. It's going to be thick, but that's okay because it's going to turn out more fudgey than cakey.

Spray a square pan and pour it in evenly. Swirl some peanut butter on top. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Cover with foil and refrigerate until it's hard enough to cut. It's so good - you honestly cannot taste the pumpkin at all, yummy!

**Do you have a recipe, tip, link, or other fun food information you'd like me to share? Send it my way!**

Eat This, Not That, Cold Stone Creamery style...

Eat This:

• Cake Batter Light Ice Cream with Chocolate Shavings Mix-in, Like It size. 330 calories, 11 g fat, 39 g sugars. Save 40 calories and 2 grams of fat by opting for the chocolate shavings rather than the chips.
• Sinless Sans Fat Sweet Cream Ice Cream with yellow cake, strawberries and blueberries, Like It size. 250 calories, 2.5 g fat, 23 g sugars.
• Chocolate Light Ice Cream with Fudge mix-in in a waffle cone. 480 calories, 13 g fat, 54 g sugars.
• Raspberry Sorbet with raspberries and wafers, Like It size. 270 calories, 2.5 g fat, 44 g sugars.
  

Little Trick: Mix in pecans, walnuts or almonds instead of candy - all nut mix-ins have less than 2 grams of sugar per ounce. According to the USDA study, of the 10 most popular nuts, pecans contain the most antioxidants.

Not That!:

• Cake Batter Ice Cream with cookie dough mix-in, Like It size. 560 calories, 28 g fat, 58 g sugars. Cookie dough adds 8 grams of fat to your dessert per hunk. Mix in wafers instead, for less than half the calories.
• Strawberry Blonde, Like It size. 595 calories, 26.5 g fat, 57 g sugars.
• Dark Chocolate Ice Cream in a dipped waffle cone. 650 calories, 35 g fat, 60 g sugars.
• Raspberry Ice Cream with graham cracker pie crust, Like It size. 520 calories, 28 g fat, 38 g sugars.
  

Here are some important tips courtesy of StartMakingChoices.com, which offers myriad ways to help you lose weight, keep it off and eat healthy! Check out the site for many more tips as well.

SmartShop Tips

• Bread—Back from the Dead
  Wrap day-old bread in foil and put it in a warm oven for 10 minutes. The crust will crisp and the insides will return to being light and fluffy. Use right away or it will revert back to its old, stale self.
• Use Overripe Bananas
  Freeze overripe bananas for recipes such as banana bread later. Even better, peel and cut bananas and freeze them in bags. Now you’ve got banana cubes for smoothies.
• Go for the canned or frozen veggies to save money. They pack as much, if not more, nutritional value than fresh and can be stored for anytime use!
• Substitute a meatless dish for your usual meat entrée. Build a lower-cost meal around grains and beans for complete protein. Add variety with vegetables, rich in vitamins and minerals.
• Shop with a list. Know what's in your pantry and check food advertisements to learn what's on sale. Then purchase only what's on the list.
• Use nonstick cooking sprays, such as PAM®, to replace cooking oils to save calories and fat. Plus, at only $.02 per use, you'll be saving money, too.
• Break out your slow cooker. Slow cooking allows you to use less expensive cuts of meat while retaining great flavor and texture. Adding inexpensive vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions will also help round out the meal. Try the Slow-Cooked Pot Roast.
• Choose recipes that use entire packages to avoid wasting leftover ingredients. Use extras as a take-with lunch or freeze for later.
• Snack wisely. Snacks can quickly add up on the shopping bill and your scale. Try nutritious, whole-grain, lower-calorie snacks like Orville Redenbacher's® SmartPop!® 94% Fat Free Butter Microwave Popcorn.
• Save money, calories, and sodium by making your own tortilla chips. Cut whole-grain tortillas into triangles, sprinkle with your favorite dried spice, such as chili and garlic powder, and bake until crisp.

Wednesday: Tuna, Red Onion, and Olive Pasta
1 3-oz can tuna, drained
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
2 tbsp chopped red onion
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar

Thursday: Asian Pasta Salad
1 carrot, sliced
1/4 English cucumber, diced
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar

Friday: Chicken and Pesto Pasta
1/2 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup prepared pesto

Or try this, I just made it - add as much of each ingredient as you like. Use red onion, red pepper, corn, black beans, chili powder and cumin. YUM!

Tired of turkey sandwiches in your lunch? Here are some fun ideas from the March issue of Real Simple magazine.

Cook up a pound of pasta of Sunday night and you'll have enough to make a different salad every day of the workweek. Almost any short variety - penne, fusilli, farfalle - will do. Just rinse with cold water after cooking, toss with a touch of olive oil, and refrigerate for later. When ready to use, mix up 1 1/2 cups of cooked pasta with one of the following variations and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Monday: Mediterranean Pasta
1/2 cup chickpeas
1/2 cup arugula
1/4 cup crumbled Feta
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Tuesday: Artichoke, Almond, and Parmesan Pasta
6 jarred artichoke hearts, chopped
2 tbsp chopped roasted almonds
2 tbsp gratec Parmesan
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

The rest will come tomorrow!!

Hungry Girl's TOP ATE Health Benefits of Chocolate
(because we all need a good reason to eat chocolate right?)
"Ate" great reasons to indulge...

1. Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants, which can help lower blood pressure.
2. Heart-healthy flavonols promote blood flow.
3. Cocoa contains the same type of healthy monounsaturated fat found in olive oil (but tastes much better!).
4. Chocolate releases endorphins in the brain, which act as pain-relievers and stress-reducers.
5. Consuming chocolate releases serotonin in your body, which can boost your mood.
6. All those antioxidants help rid the body of free radicals, a fundamental cause of diseases like cancer and heart disease.
7. Studies show chocolate raises levels of the good cholesterol while reducing levels of the bad kind.
8. Essential oils found in cocoa can delay signs of aging - they strengthen your bones, hair, nails, and skin.