Lighter Aspirations

Where has the summer gone?

I don't know about you, but my summer has gone straight to my waist and thighs. Literally.

After many weeks of enjoying ice cold beers whiling away hot summer nights, hot dogs at baseball games and one too many Grande Mocha Frappucino's from Starbucks I've now realized there is too much of a good thing.

I've certainly enjoyed the journey, but not the excess baggage that has slowly accumulated along the ride.

After a recent shopping trip for new jeans and other key fall transitional items I discovered that the normal sizes I wear weren't quite as well-fitting as they used to be-- a little tighter. Okay, a lot tighter.

I'm afraid of the word "diet", so instead I am embarking on a portion control experiment. I want to see if I can still enjoy a lot of my favorite things - butter and bacon and cream, oh my! - but do so in a manner that employs some moderation and more awareness of the amount of ingredients I am using.

I'm hoping this little experiment will help reverse the damage of too many bacon wrapped hot dogs.

I'm not claiming to be a nutritionist or health food expert and I don't plan to post nutritional information with the recipes that I will be posting. I'm just hoping to share what I learn and deliver up some tasty, healthful dishes. Nutrition aside, I'm more interested to see how long I can keep this going... so stay tuned.

Spinach, Mushroom & Bacon Pizza
Serves 2

In the time it normally takes to order pizza from my neighborhood pizzeria for carry out I threw together this simple pizza. I piled it high with mushrooms and spinach, but didn't sacrifice one of my most favorite things-- bacon. I made this the first night of my experiment and I didn't miss my old pizza take-out. The only trick with this one is to only eat two slices as a serving, although with all the spinach and mushrooms it is really filling.

1 Mini Boboli Pizza Crust
1/2 cup marinara sauce
2 slices bacon, cooked crisp
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove to paper towels to drain. Chop into pieces.

Remove all of the bacon fat from the pan. Add in the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add in the mushrooms and cook for a couple minutes. Add in the spinach and continue cooking until the spinach starts to wilt. Add the chopped bacon in and stir all the ingredients together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for another 3-4 minutes and then remove from the pan and allow to cool.

Spread the marinara sauce on the pizza crust. Top with the mushroom and spinach mixture. Top with the cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the pizza is cooked through.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes before slicing.