Clinton Farmer’s Market, Clinton, NY


Clinton’s Farmer’s Market is held on Thursdays from 10-4. There is something to be said about farmer’s markets. They make you feel rooted I guess. If that is the word I am looking for. I feel like I go back in time when I go to a farmer’s market. It’s a shopping experience that is out of the ordinary. You have to try it to get the vibe.

BBQ Chicken and Bacon Cauliflower Crust Pizza


Okay so when I get home from work I usually just wing it for whatever I am going to make for dinner. Tonight I had a hankering for grilled chicken bbq pizza. I have Celiacs Disease so I always opt for the cauliflower crust when I have pizza. Honestly, I like it better then regular crust. It’s whatever your preference. My kids would say, “yeah no.”

I never realized how much I love to cook. Especially when it’s not under pressure etc. I have been having fun with it so I am going to try and post more.

Here is the recipe. I take bits and pieces of other recipes and make it into my own. If you make it, let me know how it comes out.

BBQ Chicken and Bacon Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1 premade cauliflower crust (about 12 inches) Use the brand you like best
  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (choose a low-sugar option for a healthier version) I use Sweet Baby Rays Sweet and Spicey
  • 1 cup cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced (diced mine and cooked it in a fry pan with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup cooked crispy bacon, crumbled
  • 1 cup shredded thick cutt mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced (I sauted the onion first)
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to the temperature specified on the cauliflower crust package.
  2. Prepare the Crust: Place the premade cauliflower crust on a baking sheet or pizza stone. Cook to a golden brown
  3. Add BBQ Sauce: I like to spread the BBQ sauce evenly over the crust first.
  4. Add Toppings: Put shredded chicken and crumbled bacon over the BBQ sauce.
  5. Add Cheese and Onions: Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the chicken and bacon, then add the thinly sliced red onion.
  6. Bake: Bake the pizza according to the instructions on the cauliflower crust package, usually around 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
  7. Finish: Remove the pizza from the oven and add seasoning of your choice. I used salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder
  8. Serve: Slice and serve hot. Serve ranch on the side for dipping.

Estimated Nutritional Content (Per Slice, 8 slices per pizza):

For the entire pizza:

  • Calories: 1280 kcal
  • Total Fat: 68g
  • Saturated Fat: 27g
  • Cholesterol: 320mg
  • Sodium: 3800mg
  • Total Carbohydrates: 60g
  • Dietary Fiber: 8g
  • Sugars: 24g
  • Protein: 104g

Per slice (1/8th of the pizza):

  • Calories: 160 kcal
  • Total Fat: 8.5g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.4g
  • Cholesterol: 40mg
  • Sodium: 475mg
  • Total Carbohydrates: 7.5g
  • Dietary Fiber: 1g
  • Sugars: 3g
  • Protein: 13g

Notes:

  • The nutritional content can vary based on the specific brands and types of ingredients used (especially the BBQ sauce and the cauliflower crust).
  • To reduce the sodium content, look for lower-sodium bacon and BBQ sauce.
  • The calorie and fat content can be adjusted by using less cheese or opting for a reduced-fat cheese.

Enjoy!!

What a great read for the summer!! Trust me and get it!!


Love it!!!

Is it a sin to…


…have no motivation whatsoever? This isn’t about me committing sins either lol.

I’m feeling guilty because I have got next to nothing done today. In all fairness, I had a little incident at work the beginning of the week that put me out of commission for a few days. But, don’t we all once in a while? Is it the end of the world? No.

That’s neither here nor there because I can still function to a degree and I thank my lucky stars that it wasn’t worse.

I was off for 3 1/2 days. It set off total flashbacks for me. Covid quarantine flashbacks. Like most of you, I never ever want to experience that again.

That is the type of jolt we all need once in a while to make us appreciate life. It certainly gave me a wakeup call. That wakeup call is not letting events or people control my happiness.

Everyone gets into a funk periodically because of outside factors. I let this, whatever you call it umm stupid state of mind put me in a funk. I usually practice what I preach but for some reason this one was hard for me to shake off.

The time off gave me a chance to think about things though. Downtime to think is sooo important, but I will save that for another post.

There was a great article I read about not letting your emotions control you. It is like a built-in instinctual habit when a person lets their emotions control their cognitive thought process. It can ruin everything or it can make everything perfect. It all depends on you and your brain.

You’re bummed because you didn’t get the job, you didn’t pass the test, or someone hasn’t called or texted you back etc.

There are so many influences that affect our emotional state. The question is, how do we turn on and off those emotions? How can you reflect or intersect whatever is making your emotions go haywire?

It boils down to your brain. Conditioning your thoughts to recognize that emotions are feelings and feelings can be altered literally in a split second. The key is to learn how to change your reaction to the actions that are affecting your emotions.

It sounds a lot more than it really is. I’m not saying that it is easy to turn off your emotions but controlling them with your thoughts, can be done.

Over the years I have learned how to not let certain events or people control my emotional state. I am not perfect at it but I’ve come a long way.

Emotions, the bad ones, can wreak havoc on your health. Depression, anger, and sadness, especially for a long period of time can really do damage to your overall well-being. It is worth it? The sadness or anger you went through and probably eventually got over, was it worth your time slighting yourself of happiness? Not only your happiness but the happiness of those around you as well.

There isn’t anything in this world worth not having peace of mind. Life is always going to happen no matter what you say or do. It is inevitable.

The one thing you do have control over is your mind. Keep it strong. Practice deflection. Those small idiotic things that you encounter that get your pissed or make you sad, shrug it off and ask yourself, is it worth bringing me into a bad emotional state? When you realize that there are no major catastrophes in life, only then will you start to feel peace.

Your time on this earth is so precious. Don’t waste it. Be at peace with yourself and those around you.

Okay, enough gibberish. Have a great weekend everyone. Enjoy life!