Nicole Yon, RD on her family’s cattle farm.
If I had to pick just a few words to describe my eating style it would be “nutritious convenience.” As a registered dietitian I am well versed in what it takes to build a satisfying and healthy plate, but given our hectic schedules on the farm - I also don’t have much time to spare for elaborate and nutritious meals. Since I’m not willing to sacrifice nutrition in the interest of time, I depend a lot on simple meals and healthy conveniences such as Nature’s Greens pre-washed Greens.
Growing up Saturday night always meant pizza night in our house. As a child my favorite flavor was Hawaiian Pizza (ham and pineapple only!) and I enjoyed helping my dad make the dough from scratch, spread the sauce, shred the cheese and dress my own pizza before peering through the oven glass watch it cook.
These days pizza nights looks a little different in our house, but my husband and I carry on the tradition by eating pizza almost every weekend. While I still enjoy a Hawaiian pizza every now and then, we use a few more convenience items like pre-made crusts and triple washed Nature’s Greens Kale. By making pizza at home (as opposed to grabbing take out or a frozen pizza) we can control a few more of the ingredients and a healthy version of one of our favorite foods!
Easy Everyday Pizza
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
• 1 Personal Size Pizza Crust (Udi’s Gluten free shown)
• 3-4 tablespoons Pesto
• 1 roma tomato, thinly sliced
• 1/8 of a red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 to 4 ounces cooked protein of choice (shredded chicken, chicken sausage, tofu)
• 3 cups Nature’s Greens Kale Greens
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or pecan oil
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Prep veggies by slicing roma tomato, chopping red onion and massaging kale greens with oil.
3. Spread pesto sauce on pizza crust. Follow with a layer of roma tomatos, red onion, shredded mozzarella cheese, and protein of choice.
4. Top with kale greens - (if it looks like these are taking over your pizza, don’t worry, they will cook down in the oven!)
5. Bake pizza in preheated oven on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes.
If you’re anything like me, you might love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter and you probably hate to buy an ingredient that can be only used in one dish. After making kale pizza, I like to use my leftover kale greens in smoothies through out the week! Having pre-washed Nature’s Green’s kale makes it even easier to throw together a quick and nutritious smoothie in the mornings and my favorite ones also happens to taste like chocolate and peanut butter!
I can often feel intimidated by recipes I see on Instagram or Pinterest that require uncommon ingredients or special powders. The truth is, you can make a nutritious smoothie with a few basic ingredients and I love making “good for you” and filling smoothies by this simple formula: 3 cups green, 2 cups of liquids, 1 cup of fruit and a few tablespoons of “extras.” Extras could include peanut butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, or honey! I find this smoothie to be a great option for busy mornings and might pair it with a few hard boiled eggs for a quick, on-the-go, protein packed breakfast!
Back to Basics Smoothie
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
• 1 cup frozen banana slices
• 1 tablespoons peanut butter
• 3 cups kale greens
• 1 cup milk of choice
• 1 cups non-fat plain greek yogurt
• 1-2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions
1. Combine banana, peanut butter, yogurt, milk and cocoa powder in blender until smooth.
2. Add kale greens and blend until smooth.
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This blog post was sponsored by WP Rawl and written by Nicole Yon. All thoughts and opinions are hers.