Once a Month Cooking

Have you heard of it?

Do you do it?

I just found this nifty little idea and I think I am going to give it a try. I printed off a grocery list and some recipes and am currently going through my cabinets to see what else I need to purchase.... I would love to hear about your experiences with once a month cooking.

Love it? Hate it?

Margherita Pizza...what's that?

No not Margarita... that is what everyone things of when I tell them about my latest dinner.

I had no idea what a Margherita pizza was so I did a little go*gle searching and this is what I learned.... Evidently the Neapolitans take their pizza very seriously. Purists consider there to be only two true pizzas – the “Marinara” and the “Margherita.” The Margherita is named after Queen Margherita of Savoy. The Queen's favorite pizza was a pizza evoking the colors of the Italian flag – green (basil leaves), white (mozzarella), and red (tomatoes). This combination was named Pizza Margherita in her honor.

Now that we have had a mini history lesson lets get on to the pizza...





I cheated and bought a dough packet to make my life simple. All I had to do was add hot water, mix & let rest.




These are ingredients for the 'kids' pizza... I didn't really expect them to like the Margherita...


These are the ingredients for the famous Margherita!


I totally did not expect to like this because of the tomatoes. When Papa John's was selling their 'spinach tomatoe, chilken alfredo' pizza I HATED the tomatoes; however, I was determined to give it a try.

After slicing the tomatoes I chunked up the mozzarella cheese and threw it on the pizza along with the basil leaves. Then I drizzled olive oil all over and sprinkled the parmesan cheese around the crust. Simple and as easy as could be!



Kayli & Kat's pizza ready for the oven!



The finished Margherita... doesn't it look good. I can't put into words how wonderful it was. Go make one and you'll understand. I LOVED this pizza!


And so did our guests!


Both of them!



My Mom used to tell me a chef's best compliment was an empty serving dish. I sure hope she was right!

Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches w/ a Twist

I am by no means a health nut but I am trying to learn to plan more nutritionally healthy meals. I like the concept of natural and organic but must admit that I am way out of my league in this area. I know practically nothing about cooking naturally although I'm fairly certain that hotdogs and mac-n-cheese should stop showing up so frequently at lunch time.

I am currently trying to shy away from foods with preservatives. I am buying organic as much as I can. {It is hard to do this financially but I'm pretty sure it will be cheaper to pay more for food now and avoid doctor bills later down the road from poor eating habits so we're making an effort.} I am trying to offer more foods in their natural state with minimal processing. Most of all I am soaking up a plethora of knowledge from those who know more than I do about these areas! I thought it would be fun to post some of our healthier meal options and let you know how it goes. I would love you to give me some feedback and your own tips at eating more naturally. I know reading about what we eat for dinner isn't exactly exciting; however, I write for me..... Not to mention the accountability that comes from sharing our food choices. It would be embarrassing to admit to eating a bunch of unhealthy junk.



Last night's main course was grilled ham & cheese sandwiches. Quick and easy because of church. I layered cheddar cheese, thin slice of pear, ham, another slice of pear, & white american cheese between two slices of whole grain white bread. I actually cooked these on the stove top instead of the grill because it was easier. I was unsure about the pear but determined to give it a try. It turned out de.lic.ious! My four year old ate every bit of it; however, my just-turned-three-year old picked off the pear. She said yummy when she took a bite of the pear, but she didn't finish it by any means.





I served pickles and raw carrots. Me and my four year old pigged out on the carrots but everyone else {Daddy, 3 yr old, & 19 yr old} only ate the obligatory one. The three year old literally gagged over every single bite of the carrot but she did eventually get it down. I have no clue why she thinks they are so yucky! She loved the pickles though, but my four year old thought they were yucky.





These potato chips were our splurge item at dinner. They were baked though!

So what about you? What did you have for dinner? Got any tips for me?