Pizza Chicken

I ran across this idea the other day on Pinterest and thought to myself how clever it was! I am always down for recipes that my kids and husband will enjoy but will fit into my calorie budget. I am being particularly conscientious of that because my next shoot is 9 weeks from today, so I need to be consistent. So expect lots of lower calorie and higher protein meals in the upcoming weeks ;)

My standard poodle Olive Marie and I have been increasing our mileage this week. We worked our way up in time until I hit my max (60 minutes) and now are slowly increasing our pace which increases mileage. We are down to consistent 11 min/miles with a few 10 min/miles, for running on the sand barefoot, I am very pleased. This week on a run, the herons were out in mass. I think we ran across 4 different birds, which is unusual. I stopped and captured this heron taking flight.The ocean and light was just stunning! I think I need these on canvas for my house, love how they look.

I am still gaining strength in the gym too even while in a deficit. This week I achieved a new personal best for deadlift! 205 pounds for 1 rep max woohoo! My back should have stayed more neutral but hey, I will work on it ;) Working hard in the gym day in and day out pays off! I am on the 12th week of Hourglass Extreme, and it is paying off in PR's.

I have been making lots of chopped salads with homemade vinaigrette dressings lately. They are super filling when you are watching your calories and they pack a lot of nutritional punch. The best part is that they last for a few days so you can prep a big bowl and eat off of it! This is one I made to pair with the pizza chicken. I just use whatever veggies I have on hand, this happens to be a chopped cucumber, handful of grape tomatoes, half a red bell pepper, half of a yellow bell pepper, handful of chopped carrots (gave them a whirl in the Ninja), a little onion, and some thinly sliced Brussels sprouts. For the dressing, I did a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon on balsamic vinegar, teaspoon of yellow mustard, teaspoon of honey, a half teaspoon of tarragon, and salt/pepper. Taste and adjust then shake the dressing in a jar then toss the chopped salad with it.

So let's get to this chicken...

Pizza Chicken

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 lb(s), Chicken Breast (approx 6 - pound them thin or butterfly them)

14.50 oz, 100% Natural Diced Tomatoes, 1 Can 

1 small can (10 tbsp ea.), Tomato Paste (could sub storebought pizza sauce for the 2 cans of tomato)

2 tbsp Italian seasoning (I used a greens blend my friend makes)

1.50 cup, shredded, Cheese, mozzarella, whole milk

1 bag Turkey Pepperoni Slices

Directions
Preheat oven to 400*F. Spray a large casserole dish (I used a 9x13) with nonstick spray and lay out your chicken breasts. Mix up the 2 cans of tomatoes and Italian seasoning and spread on top your chicken. Top with mozzarella cheese, then the bag of pepperoni. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes covered, Then, take off the foil 15 more minutes of cooking time.  Enjoy! This reheats very well, by the way.

Nutritional information

per serving

Nutrition Facts
Servings 6.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 437
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 15 g	23 %
Saturated Fat 6 g	32 %
Monounsaturated Fat 4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 185 mg	62 %
Sodium 1013 mg	42 %
Potassium 479 mg	14 %
Total Carbohydrate 10 g	3 %
Dietary Fiber 3 g	12 %
Sugars 5 g
Protein 62 g	125 %
Vitamin A	15 %
Vitamin C	18 %
Calcium	17 %
Iron	17 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.