Lazy Sunday - Who Wants Pizza?

Something that we always tend to crave on a lazy Sunday is pizza. Whether it is lunchtime and your family is sitting around or dinner time rolls in and you are looking for a quick and easy meal, pizza seems to be the cure all. Now that I am back to my happy weight, pizza is definitely not welcome around my house. Although I am all for enjoying things in moderation, I have no self control around pizza and the intent of one or two pieces turns three or four. This may even mean pizza for breakfast the next day because I just can't help myself.

I found this great recipe from Dana Angelo White who is all about fast and healthy. She has created a very doable pizza recipe that will meet all the requirements of a good pizza. It is good, it is quick and easy, and the best part, it is healthy...at least healthier than your normal delivery pizza which can pack over 200 calories and 11 grams of fat in just one slice of plain cheese. I hope I didn't ruin it for you all.

This recipe is a heathy alternative for that staple Sunday pizza. I was thinking how much fun it would be to let your kids or guests make their own pizzas too - you could just supply the toppings! Or what about having a pizza potluck?!

Serves: 8

Version 1: Vegetable

Ingredients

• 2 whole wheat English muffins, sliced
• 1/4 cup marinara sauce
• 1/4 cup diced bell pepper
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 4-5 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Place English muffins on a baking sheet lines with aluminum foil. Top with marinara sauce, bell pepper, olives and basil. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 12-15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Nutrition information per pizza:

Calories: 130; Total fat: 4.5g Saturated fat: 2g; Carbohydrate: 16g; Protein: 7g; Sodium: 390mg

Version 2: BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 whole wheat English muffins, sliced
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 medium scallion, finely chopped
• 3 oz grilled chicken breast, diced
• 1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Place English muffins on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Top with barbecue sauce, scallion and chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 12-15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Nutrition information per pizza

Calories: 160; Total fat: 16g; Saturated fat: 2g; Carbohydrate: 16g; Protein: 13.5g; Sodium: 428mg

Haute Mom's Club ~ Latest Member: Free Sample Momma

The lastest Haute Mom's Club member is the author of one of my favorite mommy blogs.  Free Sample Momma keeps all haute moms updates with the latest places to get free samples.  I mean she is the free sample QUEEN!  I have received free samples of anything from detergent to post-its.  If a company is giving away a sample, she knows about it.  You MUST follow her blog, us moms need all the FREE stuff we can get so that our money can go to haute things like...jeans...shoes...purses...

Click here to read more...

Mamabargains $20 Giveaway

Last week for Thrifty Thursday I featured this AWESOME site called Mamabargains.com. Based on the number of "likes" (over 65,000) they have on Facebook, most of you probably are already hooked but if you weren't, and you read my post last week, I bet you are now! I promised a little giveaway sponsored by Mamabargains so in honor of today's Thrifty Thursday, we are kicking it off...just because Mamabargains.com is fantastic enough to be featured two weeks in a row!

Mamabargains.com is the first and only one deal at a time website. What does this mean? It means they feature a premium product, one at a time, that is always 50-80% discounted. When that product sells out, up goes another. You never know how many deals they will have in one day or just how long a product will last...that's the hook. This great idea was dreamt up by fellow haute mom Jessica Singer who literally had a dream about a business such as this one called "Momazon". Jessica and her husband turned that dream into a reality and in 2008, Mamabargains.com was launched! On top of that, I have had only positive experiences with their service.

I just went over to their site right now to check out what they were featuring so I could write about it and I ended up buying something! They are selling Hippie Clippies as I type and they are DARLING...and 55% off! Oh my gosh - I have a problem and sadly, you will too if you don't already!

I am giving away a $20 gift certificate to Mamabargains.com and who knows what goodies they are going to have in the future. Don't miss your chance to get some fun spending money on the best site around for haute moms and their babes.

To enter this giveaway you must follow Haute Mom publicly and tell me what Mamabargains.com is selling RIGHT NOW! Leave one comment telling me this and please include your email. You must do this before you complete any of the extra entries!

Extra entries – leave a comment telling me you have done each of these

Like Haute Mom on Facebook

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Tweet about this giveaway (leave the link to your tweet up to once a day)

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Good luck to all you haute moms! The winner will be chosen by Random.org at the end of this giveaway which is Thursday, March 3rd at 9 p.m. PST.

Haute Mom Dilemma #32 ~ What to Eat

Stella turned nine months on Sunday and I cannot believe the time has flown by. There have been so many stages of her life that have caused these dilemmas and there are probably a zillion more to come! Stella just had her nine month well baby visit and she is turning out to be what may resemble a long, skinny, bean pole (much like I was as a kid). Although the doctor says she is perfectly healthy, I, the nervous mom, am concerned so I am determined to fatten her up. I mean, what does the doctor know? Just recently, I looked at a guideline of what a nine month old should be eating and I was astounded at how much food they should have. I guess this explains Stella's slow weight gain over the last few months (she's not even gaining a pound a month).

We are now feeding her some type of solid with five of her six feedings. She has breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as snacks. I am doing my best to make sure that her meals are balanced with fruits, vegetables, grains and a little bit of dairy (cheese or yogurt) because well, I am uptight and anal. Everything was going fine until the doctor said I could introduce meats (enter screeching tire sound here).

Ugh. Meat. The thought of feeding Stella meat out of a jar just grosses me out. I, being the haute mom that I am, rarely cook. To be honest, I would but once you enter the prep time, and clean up, I often am too tired to make a meal or simply, it is too late by the time I get home. So if I do cook, it is only once or twice a week, mostly in the crock pot. This kind of limits me with cooking meat and blending it up for Stella. Her doctor said I could make stew or soup with meat for her and I just smiled. So what to do?

My plan of attack is to start her out with beans and tofu. Both are easy to cook, safe, soft, and will supply her with enough protein to do the trick. We went out for sushi last night and I gave her some soy beans. She couldn't get enough. I checked with the dietician that I work with and got a thumbs up on my plan so hopefully, the baby food meat can be skipped all together. Especially since my rule is to try everything that I feed her...I may be saving both of us from some serious gag reflex.



Stella loves meal time-ready to eat at one of our favorite spots.



Valentine's Day ~ A Celebration of Love

I woke up this morning and saw my Facebook page littered with comments of love and appreciation for spouses as well as those bitter comments filled with resentment coming from all my single friends.  It got me thinking about this commercialized holiday where the price of roses skyrockets and poor hubbies are praying that a store will still have a box of chocolate he can pick up on his way home. What is Valentine's Day supposed to be all about?

According to the history, the origin of the day cannot be pinpointed yet there are many legends as to where the day came from.  My favorite is the legend of St. Valentine.  According to one legend, an ancient emperor in Rome banned  marriage and disallowed men from having any emotional connection with their spouse.  He thought this would make them better soldiers.  St. Valentine didn't agree with this so he would marry men and women in secret.  When the emperor caught wind of this, he ordered the death of St. Valentine, which happened to be on...you guessed it, February 14th.  Since then the day has been a celebration of love, affection, and sharing gifts with those you care about.

In my book, this doesn't necessarily equate with being a couple.  It can take on a whole lot of different meanings, mostly remembering to celebrate our freedom to love.  I will be sharing this day with my husband, of course, but also with all those in my life that I love, my precious daughter, and family and friends.  Spread the love everyone, and leave the $100 roses to someone else.

                                                                Happy Valentine's Day!

Lazy Sunday

This lazy Sunday post is coming from Mammoth Lakes, CA. We took our first family ski trip to one of our favorite ski resorts. I have been a passholder at this mountain for years and sat out last season since I was pregnant. It was good to be back. Hubby and I struggled with the logistics of skiing and watching a nine month old. Many of the couples we know simply take turns watching the baby and skiing but what fun is that? I know beggars can't be choosers but it was important to us to ski together since that is one of the hobbies that we enjoy doing together. At the end of the day, we decided to bring the nanny with us. Although our price of travel increased, it was well worth it. We got to have a great weekend skiing together without worrying about the other person watching the baby. Stella was in good hands while we were on the mountain. This is definitely not something we could afford to do all the time but I guess in the spirit of the weekend, we splurged. Happy Valentine's Day weekend to all you haute moms. I hope you find some quality time with your significant others...or at least a fabulous box of chocolates.

Guest Hostess for Friday Blog Hop

Haute Mom has been selected to be a guest hostess for a Friday blog hop! Come on and join in!

Thank you for joining the Friday Blog Hop hosted by myself (Nicole) at Mama to 4 Blessings and Melissa at Home Grown Families! We invite you to join us every Friday to make more blog friends!

It's very easy to join in on the fun!

Add your main blog (PLEASE DO NOT LINK UP GIVEAWAYS) link (we ask that you please follow the hostesses in the first 2 spots (Mama to 4 Blessings & Home Grown Families.) Then leave us a quick comment letting us know you are following so we follow you back!

Then start blog hopping!

This is a great opportunity for you to visit other blogs on the link up and comment on their blogs! When people comment on your blog please let them know that you are part of Friday Blog Hop then return the favor and follow them back! Please feel free to grab our Friday Blog Hop button and add it to your blog and spread the word!

Please only enter your MAIN blog link and please G rated links ONLY - NO CURSING please. Home Grown Families and Mama to 4 Blessings are family friendly blogs.

 This week's featured guest hostess is Haute Mom

Please also follow this week's Featured Blogger: Haute Mom! Each week a new featured blogger who will be chosen at random, but you must be participate in the weekly link up - that's how we will choose a new featured blogger every week! So please come back every week & link up because you could be our next featured guest blogger!