Pizza Roll Ups

The weather this weekend was incredible! If I didn't now it was February I would have thought it was April. Yesterday I was lucky enough to have a Rebecca morning, I went to my 10am yoga class then treated myself to a latte and a manicure. After a little walk in the fresh air I finally made it home.

That was the calm before the storm! This morning was hectic, I had to fit in some chores before having some family over for lunch. My mom, sister, aunt and two cousins all came over for a vegetarian pot luck lunch, some laughs and a look through our Bubie's (mom's) old jewelry. She had some wonderful costume pieces and some very pretty precious pieces. Of course there were a few "what were you thinking pieces" and that's what brought on the laughter!

I knew I wanted to have some fruit available to everyone but didn't want just a plain old fruit tray. I'd done a little research and found an idea for fruit kabobs!

I also decided to take advantage of having an oven and made vegan pizza roll ups. These were super easy and really delicious! The best part is that you can throw in any ingredients you want. I've been wanting to try Daiya, a vegan cheese product, for a while and thought this would be a good opportunity. The cheese didn't have to be the centre of attention so I wasn't too worried about finding out I didn't like the cheese.

For the crust I used Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. I rolled them out on a baking sheet and slathered them in pizza sauce.

Hawaiian pizza was always my favourite when I was still eating meat, so I wanted to see if I could satisfy my cravings with a vegan version, using the Daiya, veggie dogs and chopped fresh pineapple. I also made a few with red peppers and mushrooms for those who don't like fruit on their pizza.

I simply rolled them up and baked them for about 10 minutes as directed on the crescent roll package. They came out warm, soft, cheesy and oh so delicious! They seemed to go over well with the girls and no one realized it wasn't real mozzarella cheese - score!

Vegan Hawaiian Pizza Roll Ups

Pillsbury Crescent Roll Dough
A Veggie Hot Dog, thinly sliced
Thinly Chopped Fresh Pineapple
Diaya Mozzarella Style Shreds
Pizza Sauce

Preheat your oven to 375. Roll out and separate the crescent rolls on an un-greased baking sheet.

Cover the triangles in pizza sauce and place the toppings on the thick end of the roll.

Roll up the crescent rolls to completely cover the toppings.

Place in the oven and bake for 10 - 13 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Next time I think I want to add more sauce or heat some on the side for dipping. I'd also be a little more liberal with the toppings, it will make it harder to roll but I do believe bigger is better!

Cinnamon Popcorn and Chair Yoga

TGIT, am I right! Sometimes I feel more relief on a Thursday than I do on a Friday. Once I've made it to Thursday I now my week is over, who really works hard on a Friday?!

To help me get through the day I had a quick 15 minute yoga practice! My work buddy, Sam, is completing her yoga teacher training and shared a few simple moves you can do at your desk to stretch things out. Today 5 of us opted to sit in the kitchen for 15 minutes to do these poses and boy did it work wonders! I immediately felt more alert and refreshed! So thank you Sam for the mid day practice.

I came home tonight after some retail therapy and decided to have a little treat. Popcorn! Not movie theatre, buttery popcorn, just plain old dry popcorn. OK, not quite. I did add a little seasoning, sugar and cinnamon! Who knew they would compliment the popcorn so well? I did put on a little bit of oil to help the sugar to stick to the popcorn (you could also use some melted butter, I was too lazy). Mmm, it reminds me of when I was a kid and would butter a piece of toast and slather it in cinnamon sugar!

So tomorrow's goal it to get up early (ha!) and get in a little exercise. Even 15 minutes. If today taught me anything it's that it only takes 15 minutes to feel good. Some push ups, jumping jacks, squats, lunges and a few crunches should do the trick and it will put me on track for my busy weekend.

Saturday I'm hoping to attend Sam's yoga class in the morning. After days of rough workouts I'm ready for a good stretch. Her 10am class is the perfect time! I love getting home before noon knowing I've done my body good. It puts me in a great mood and gets me out the door early.

After some much needed cleaning I have a goodbye dinner for my sister to attend. She's headed out to LA to finish her BFA in Musical Theatre. I may be biased but she's got an amazing voice, you should all expect to see her on Broadway someday! We're going to a Chinese restaurant that also serves Canadian cuisine, so I'm hoping a vegetarian semi-healthy dish is attainable.

I'll have some fun recipes to share with you Sunday as the girls are coming over for a little potluck. Think colour, crescent rolls and Daiya.

Lesson Learned

Today was a great day! I got up and out of the house at a reasonable time. I had a chocolate avocado smoothie on my way into work. I was full until lunch! Enjoyed a slice of leftover pizza from the weekend, had some salad for an afternoon sack and went to the gym and killed it at my BodyPump class.

I needed something small to eat for dinner tonight and after debating between oatmeal and soup, the minestrone soup won! Mainly because all I had to do was boil it. I threw in some quinoa for some extra protein since it was just one of those dry packaged soups.

As that boiled I also made a couple hard boiled eggs to add to my salad tomorrow. I won't be going to the gym tomorrow so I'm making a bit of a heartier lunch so I can make it home for dinner.

Admittedly I had some crackers with delicious Rhubarb & Ginger jam from a small bakery up North while I waited. I just couldn't resist!

Finally my soup was done and I began to feast! That's when Bryan came into the room wondering what that great smell was. It did smell rather smoky and I wondered what gave it that scent, so I checked the ingredients.

There is was, staring back at me. Beef Fat.

For those who don't know, I decided to go vegetarian in November and besides a special work dinner at a non-vegetarian friendly restaurant early on, and a carrot soup where I was later told was made with chicken stock I have held true to that decision. But, in both those cases it was out of my control. Today, I was simply lazy and didn't check the ingredients. I know that worse could have happened, and it's not like I ate a steak! But, it's still the principle of it. I'm either going to do it or I'm not. So I'm a little disappointed with myself. Even when you think something is OK for you to eat, it's better to read the ingredients and be safe rather than sorry.

Needless to say Bryan is happy because he's got some leftover soup for free! The jokes on him though 'cause he's doing the dishes.