Happy Friday!! My visit with my parents is almost over, I will be heading back to California tomorrow. Then, it will be crunch time to find a place to live in San Francisco. The goal is to move in the first week of September – eek! I am so excited though. I can’t wait to explore, begin my internship, and work out again! I have a sports medicine doc appointment on Monday, I am hoping that I get the okay to start lifting soon. It hasn’t felt short at all, but six weeks has finally passed. Fingers crossed!

I made this pizza recipe for lunch and it was very easy and made a huge portion. Those pizzas were both the size of my hand and made 1 serving!

Portobello Pizzas

Recipe: Serves 1 – low carb, high protein, gluten free

• 5 oz lean ground turkey
• 1 egg
• salt
• paprika
• TJ’s African smoked pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup sweet onion, diced
• 2 portobello mushroom caps
• 1 cup organic tomato sauce
• basil
• oregano
• thyme
• salt
• rosemary
• garlic
• toppings: cheese, vegan cheese sauce, caramelized onions, veggies, bacon, etc

Directions – Mix the ground turkey with the salt, paprika, pepper, garlic, and onion. . Stir fry on the stove until just cooked through. With a hand held or conventional blender, blend the cooked turkey with an egg for just a second or two. Scrape the frilly filling out of the portabello mushroom caps. Fill the caps with the turkey mixture. 

In a deep pan on the stove, combine the tomato sauce, basil, oregano, thyme, salt, rosemary, and garlic. Bring to a simmer and let cook until reduced to a thick pizza sauce texture. Pour the sauce over the turkey and cook in the oven at 375 for 7-10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the oven and top with cheese or toppings of choice, broil for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned.

Benefits:

Portobello * a great source of niacin, potassium, and selenium!

Onion * Contains quercitin, an antioxidant that halts the growth of tumors! Also, studies have linked regular onion consumption with lower cholesterol and reduced risk of colon cancer. A prime source of chromium.

Basil * Has anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants called flavonoids. Flavonoids protect your cells from damage (and thus, in the long run, cancer).

Tomatoes * also contain a LOT of vitamin A and C. Vitamin A is a potent antioxidant that has been shown in studies to reduce the effects of smoking. This does not mean it is okay to smoke, but if you do, it is a VERY good idea to make sure are getting lots of vitamin A daily. Tomatoes are also rich in lycopene, which has been proven to halt the growth of cancer cells!