Hey there! I hope you’re having a great Wednesday! I wanted to chat with you all first and foremost about something that I recently read about on Healthy Living Blogs. On their announcements yesterday, they posted a couple of recaps from last year’s Healthy Living Summit which I thought were really interesting.

I had heard about the summit before, and briefly considered attending since there would be so many great opportunities for networking and improving my blog, but because of timing and my (very low) bank account, I knew it just wouldn’t work out this year. However, after reading the reviews posted on HLB I started thinking a lot more about the summit.

The reviews (especially the second one) basically explain that sometimes the conference was cliquey and everyone was expected to act the same way. This makes complete sense and now I’m wondering how the HLB community plans to combat this issue. How will the newbie bloggers (like me) interact with all the veteran bloggers who have been blogging for years? What will the dynamic be?

I can’t imagine that there would be any hostility and yet…I can sort of see how all of the established bloggers might stick together and make it kind of hard for someone new to break into the scene. Anyway, this is just something I was thinking about so I wanted to share it with you all. What do you think??

Bootcamp Update

So it’s Day 2 of Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp and I have to say so far it has been great! After my spam issues yesterday, I was really happy to finally complete the rest of my workout after I got home yesterday. And you know what? I bit the bullet and joined the gym. While I love running outside, using my home equipment, and following my workout DVDs, this boot camp is just easier to do in a gym. Period. But it’s not too much money and I think I’ll really enjoy having the option to work out at home, instead of having no other choice. So yay!!

The workouts themselves have been pretty great. Yesterday’s main superset consisted of some upper-body workouts and my arms are definitely feeling it today. However, I thought today’s leg workout was a little too easy so I’m going to increase my weights/intensity for next time. Now I know!

Recipe

After messing around and making impromptu English muffin pizzas this weekend (an English muffin topped with tomatoes, basil, Italian spices, and mozz. cheese) I suddenly found myself craving delicious pizza last night. Instead of giving into temptation and ordering Ledo’s (hello, amazing) I looked through my trusty recipe list that I keep on my phone for inspiration. I happened to stumble upon “cauliflower crust pizza,” which I saw on Pinterest ages ago. I didn’t have the actual recipe anymore, but a quick Google search turned up this recipe from Spark Recipes.

The pizza itself, while it certainly didn’t taste exactly like regular pizza, was really delicious. The spices that go into the “crust” make it taste very authentic and because I used three types of cheese in this pizza, I didn’t miss the doughy, bready crust one bit. It was great and I even had leftovers for lunch Win! Here’s how it came together…

First I preheated the oven to 450 degrees. Then I briefly steamed 1/2 head of cauliflower. Whole. In the microwave. In a plastic bag with a little water.

I know, I know, this causes cancer and is really bad for me. But I was lazy and it worked, so I’m not complaining. I just have to warn you that this is not the best option. Ok? ok.

Anyway, steam your cauliflower.

Once it was steamed a little, I used my Slap Chop to cut it into tiny pieces.

A food processor would have probably worked better, especially since after I was done “slapping,” my downstairs neighbors decided to “slap” right back by banging on their ceiling/my floor. I guess I was being really annoying and making too much noise. Ugh. They hate me. Can I make it up to them with a cauliflower pizza? No? Darn.

Next, I got over the fact that my neighbors hate me and added the cauliflower to a large bowl. Then I added 1 egg, cheddar cheese, fennel, and Italian seasoning.

Then I sprayed a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and transferred the cauliflower mixture onto the sheet. Using my hands, I pressed the cauliflower into a circle.

Holy cheese fest.

Then I placed the cauliflower in the oven and allowed to cook for 10-12 minutes or until the top started to turn light brown.

Meanwhile, I started working on the topping. For my pizza, I decided to mix some spinach and cheese together and then top the whole thing with sliced tomatoes. For the cheese mixture I first added a bit of low-fat mozzarella to a bowl, and then added in a wedge of garlic & herb Laughing Cow cheese.

Then I added in a handful of spinach…

And then I used my hands to mix the cheese with the spinach until it was all well-incorporated. This took a few minutes and was a little messy, but was so worth it for the decadent and gooey cheese taste that I got for my finished pizza. Laughing Cow + Mozzarella + Spinach = SO GOOD.

Then I pulled the cauliflower crust out of the oven…

And then I topped it with the mozzarella cheese mixture and a few sliced tomatoes. Then it was back into  the oven for about 5 more minutes until the cheese was bubbling.

It was so good! Mine made four slices, two of which I ate for dinner along side of some Brussels sprouts…

…and the other two were gobbled up for lunch today. SO GOOD!

So, what are your favorite lightened up recipes? I love that cauliflower is so versatile and you can transform it in so many ways. This pizza is pretty darn tasty!