clean

Diet Pizza

9:00:00 AM


"Excuse me, I'll have a diet pizza." 

A what? A diet pizza?

When you think of clean eating, or whatever diet resolution you have made this year, you may have thought, "Shoot I have to give up my favorite foods." While many of your favorite foods might have to be cut back, there are still some simple ways to keep enjoying them. Today it's all about the good things in life. Like pizza and quesadillas. 

Cheese Pizza

Now you're probably wondering what kind of pizza would be a diet pizza? 
Because clean eating means eating things that are not processed, therefore pizza is 100% in that list. But I found a loophole. It starts with a quesadilla shell. Whole wheat, low fat, 80 calorie quesadilla shell. This is what mine looked like. 
Pizza
Here's the best part. You can make whatever pizza you want out of it, just watch those portion sizes and you'll be all good to go. I chose to put mini roma tomatoes, feta cheese, avocado,bacon bits, spinach, and a tiny splash of shredded cheddar cheese. While my mom and I had similar pizzas, my step-dad amped his up with ham slices, more cheese, spinach and bacon. While this is a pretty simple recipe to enjoy possibly one of your favorites; Here's what you'll need:
 -whatever toppings you'd like (cheeses, green leaves, veggies, meats).
-a pan and parchment paper, and tortilla shells

Here's what you'll need to do:
-Preheat the oven to 330*F
-Place parchment paper on shells and spread about 1/2-1 tablespoon olive oil on tortilla shells.
-Put pizzas in oven about 3 minutes 
-Decorate your pizza
-Put pizzas in oven until cheeses melt
(I continually watched our pizzas.) 

You can always raise the oven temp if you'd like it to go a bit faster. While dieting can be a bit boring, I know you can have some fun with this simple recipe! How have your new years resolutions been going so far? What's your favorite pizza? What food do you miss the most, when is your cheat day? I'm planning mine on day 90 so then I know I went 3 whole months clean eating! 
Hope you're all having a great day! Make sure to comment below! 
xx Kenzie

Anniversary

2 years of Blogging.

11:00:00 AM


I really don't know what I can say. My little corner of the internet is 2 years old today. Usually my blog posts come Wednesday and Saturday, I'm going off track and putting this one up on a Sunday.
Thank you all for reading, some of you comment and some of you don't, but each and every one of you is great and whether or not you've stumbled upon this corner by accident or through another blog, thank you for being here! I'm so glad I get to share these stories and recipes and bits of life with all of you!

Hyperbole and a half
Source
If you're new to the blog, then I've come up with 5 reasons why I blog. 

 1. To Connect. I think the coolest part of the internet is being able to talk to people from all over the world. Even people who might live nearby. I love learning about different people and discovering new blogs through other blogs. I feel like each word I type gets sent out to someone I want to be friends with.

 2. To Write. While school is all about attending classes and taking exams, it's easy to get caught up in it and lose your creativeness. (I don't have time to read a book unless I'm on a break). Writing is something that's relaxing, and I can come off a 7 hour day and just sit down and write it out.
Meryl Streep

 3. To Share Memories. This is probably along the lines of connecting, but while this blog also acts as a place to keep memories and look back upon all of the fun times, it's also a place to share them.

 4. It's an Outlet. Sometimes when I blog, it's a really good way to get rid of stress. In a way, blogging distracts me from feeling anxious, and it was extremely helpful when I lost my dog. It was really helpful when I felt all worked up about my roommate situation. Blogging is really great, there's just something peaceful about it.

 5. To Learn. There is only so much you can learn at school. People have so many stories shared on their blogs about life lessons and things they've had to overcome, as well as going on trips and top places to visit, and posts about getting clear skin or eating right. There is so much to learn when you read a post someone writes. I love it.

While I love to blog, here are the all-time top 3 posts!
#1. We Danced All Night  #2. Deviled Eggs #3. Rainbows Can Run

Thank you all again for reading Kenzieblogslife in 2016, I hope this next year is a great one for us. I do have a couple goals and wishes for this blog and I can't wait to be working on them and seeing them come true! 
Do we have any of the same "Why I blog" reasons? What's your favorite thing about reading someone else's blog? Do you have a favorite blogger? 
xx Kenzie 

Baking

No pasta-Spaghetti and meatballs

9:00:00 AM


If you've been a reader for awhile, then you already know that I love to bake. I also enjoy eating healthy and I've started my clean eating challenge just a few weeks ago. While my entire family seems to be a bit "Christmas-cookied-out", I've luckily still gotten the chance to bake quite a few times while being home! 

With clean eating I've discovered quite a few new foods as well as new recipes, mostly dinners as of right now. I've been trying really hard to eat things that are beneficial for my body. Whether it be having water instead of soda,having fruit instead of chips for an afternoon snack. Like many of you, I enjoy eating spaghetti, and I was really excited to learn how to make a new kind of spaghetti and meatballs that would help my body be the best it can be this new year!

Eat Simple
Here's what you'll need!
  • 1-3 pound spaghetti squash
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley, divided 
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1.25 teaspoons italian seasoning, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • dash of crushed red pepper
Here's what you'll have to do!
Turkey Meatballs
  • Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds (you can save the seeds if you want to roast some for a snack later). Place facedown in a microwave-safe dish, add 2 tablespoons water and microwave uncovered about 10-15 minutes (I did 14 minutes)
  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
    Scrape squash flesh with fork into skillet and cook, stir occasionally until moisture is evaporated and squash has begun to brown. 
  • Stir in 1/4 cup parsley, remove from heat, cover and let stand
  • Combine 1/4 cup parsley, 1/4 cup parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning, onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper into medium bowl. Mix together. 
  • Create meatballs by using about 2 tablespoons meat and roll in mixture, setting in skillet. I put in 3 before turning down the heat until I had added the rest, then brought the heat back up again.
    Once meatballs are browned: push to side of pan add garlic and cook about 1 minute, add tomatos, crushed red pepper and 3/4 teaspoon italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir to coat over the meatballs. 
  • Serve over squash, sprinkling with parmesan or whatever cheese or topping you'd like! 


I made this dish for my mom and I one night, and we both really enjoyed it! I had never made anything with spaghetti squash before, and it turned out delicious! You can always play around with what you put into your seasoning if you'd like! I hope you get a chance to try this dish, and if you do make sure to comment below! I would love to hear from you! 
xx Kenzie

Being Home

Being Home (as told in pictures.)

10:00:00 AM

 I've been back in my hometown for nearly a month now on my winter break from school. That's the nicest thing about life after highschool. The homework and tests may be harder, but they give your tired brain a good chunk of time to turn all of the words that have been packed inside, a rest. 
A really nice, five week rest. 

While I haven't been on the schedule for work very often (hardly at all). I'm still enjoying my time being at home. Like many of you, I love lists, and I also love animated gifs that go with them. So let's take a look shall we? 


1. "I'm finally home and away from my roommate!"
  This is how I felt leaving the dorm room:

Johnny Depp Gif
source
 This is how I felt when I walked into my house:

Sleep gif
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2. A few things happen when I'm home alone..

music gif
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Sleep gif
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Disney Gif
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(I didn't actually bake a pie but I baked other things that smelled delicious!) 
Dancing Gif
source

While I do love being home, I also love detoxing from the internet and having days where I just relax and do a little baking or take a bath....or maybe binge-watch 4 episodes of the Kardashians. I've also enjoyed going for walks before or after dinner, and being able to relax. 
Are you all home for break yet? Have you gone back to school? It's the last few months before summer guys! We got this! 
I hope the weather hasn't been too terrible for you! It's really cold here in Wisconsin, and I haven't wanted to leave my house, or my fireplace for the last few days! 
Thanks for reading! I love reading your comments, so make sure to leave one! :) 
xx Kenzie 





clean

Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops

9:30:00 AM


It took some research, and an open mind to search the web and find the perfect recipe for my second clean eating dinner, my first baking experience that wasn't a dessert.
I put this Spinach filled dish as one of the first in this new lifestyle, and it was quick, easy, and delicious!
Healthy Pork

What You'll Need:

2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/3 teaspoon pepper, divided
5 sun-dried tomatoes diced (packed without oil)
1 cup spinach
1/4 cup feta crumbled reduced-fat cheese
3 tablespoons fat-free cream cheese
dash of lemon juice
3 boneless center-cut pork chops, trimmed
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon oregano


What to Do:

Filling:
Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray
Add 2 garlic cloves, saute 1 minute. 
Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach until moisture evaporates. Remove from heat and stir in feta and cream cheese and dash of lemon juice. (below)
Stuffed Pork Chops

Pork Chops:

Cut horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop to form a pocket
Stuff about 1/4 cup mixture into each pocket
Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper over pork
Arrange pork on rack of broiler pan/roasting pan( I just used the pan that was for the mixture.)
In small bowl:
Combine remaining 2 garlic cloves, juice, mustard and oregano, stir well. 
Brush half of mustard mixture over pork. Broil 6-7 minutes; turn pork and brush remaining mixture over pork then broil 2-3 minutes or until done (when it's not pink in the middle) 

Sweet Potato

I paired this dish with a loaded sweet potato and each bite was delicious. I had never made a dinner dish before, and this went really well and both my mom and myself agreed that this recipe would be a keeper for the clean-eating books! 
Have you ever tried this kind of recipe before? If you do try this one, make sure to link the post in my comments or tag me on instagram. I hope you enjoyed reading the first installment of the clean eating series! The sweet potato side dish will be up soon! 
Thank you so much for reading! Make sure to comment down below! I love hearing from you! 
xx Kenzie





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