Aimee's Favorite Pizza Crust

I got this from the Food Nanny--- It's my favorite recipe to use!

for 1 16 in pizza
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 cups flour

"Wake up" the yeast in warm water. After about 5 minutes add the rest of the ingredients. Knead until dough is smooth and not sticky adding the last cup of flour slowly. You can use it right away or let it rest and hour. It' snot necessary to rest but it is much easier to roll out after it has sat out.

Cook at 425-450 (depending on your oven and altitude) for 10-15 minutes. If you don't have a pizza stone cook the crust for 5 minutes before adding sauce and toppings so the crust won't be soggy.

20 Healthy Dinners Under $3

I found this link yesterday and really want to try almost all the recipes!  I looked at each one and I think they calculate the price based on the portion of each ingredient used in the recipe (makes sense).  So, if you have to go buy a whole container of rosemary or a bag of cherries, the cost will be higher.  But I suppose you could find other ways to use the rest of the ingredients later (for non-perishable items) or in meals later that week.  Or, you could double each one and use the leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day.  Please post a comment if you try one of the recipes... I always like to read reviews and make improvements!!

Remember, eating healthy does not have to be expensive! :)

p.s.  I don't know how to label posts... let me know how and I will.

Chicken Florentine Casserole

This is amazing! We just had it for dinner tonight. I had to go to a rehearsal so Marc made it all by himself. Its relatively easy but takes a little bit of prep time, and its totally worth it. It's definitely not a low-fat meal, but it's delicious!

Prep Time: 25 min; Cooking time: 25 min

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 (13.5 ounce) cans spinach, drained (We used frozen spinach, for some reason the canned stuff grossed us both out)
  
• 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (Marc doesn't like mushrooms so we left these out)
  
• 2/3 cup bacon bits
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the chicken breast halves on a baking sheet; bake 20 to 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, half-and-half, and Parmesan cheese.
4. Arrange the spinach over the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking dish. Cover the spinach with the mushrooms. Pour half the mixture from the saucepan over the mushrooms. Arrange chicken breasts in the dish, and cover with the remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with bacon bits, and top with mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in the 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.

This recipe serves four people. We thought that next time we tried it we would put in more chicken, so it evened out the quantity of cheese/sauciness.