Pita Pizza Recipe

What?!  Another food post?  Well in case you didn't know, I LOVE food.  Actually, I was into the food scene on the internet (via Yelp) even before I started being involved with the beauty community.

That being said, we can't always spend the time and money to go out to eat, so I have learned over the years how to make a lot of my favorite foods.  After joining the Office Drone Society, I would come home too tired to bust out all of my cook ware and make some fancy 3 part meal.  So, like much of America, I started looking into fast but yummy recipes that would keep me from packing on the pounds.  I decided to share one food that is a staple in many diets.  PIZZA!

I know you are tempted to just pick up your phone and dial your nearest pizza delivery, but I promise that this recipe is fool proof! It is also very economical.  I will give you tips on freezing pizzas so you can make a bunch at once and have them later (and not waste any ingredients by not using them up).

Heck yeah KidPix!  It was definitely my first training for these AMAZING images you have been seeing on my blog lately.  Who needs awesome photography skills for blogging?  "Not I!" Says the guinea pig.  As usual, like my last image, I'll gladly give someone credit for their image or take it down if whoever owns it throws a hissy fit.

Super Sparkles Pita Pizza!

Ingredients-
-1 package of pita bread (whole wheat if you are feeling uber healthy)
-Olive Oil
-Pizza Sauce (or some form of tomato sauce--no, ketchup doesn't count)
-Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (lite cheese if you are like "Hell yeah it tastes the same!")
-Toppings (I'm sure you know what toppings are healthy or not, but I like to stick to veggies and chicken breast personally.  But you can do what you want.  Just make sure to slice ingredients small and thin.  I just recently did fresh tomato and pineapple. Mmmmm.)

Steps-
1. Set oven to 400 degrees.

2. Lay pitas on a baking sheet.

3. Pour some olive oil in your hand and coat each pita in olive oil  
Mini-Tip: Thin layer, like you were putting on moisturizer...like that beauty reference?)

4. Put about 2-3 tablespoons of pizza sauce on the pita and spread around. 
Mini-Tip: Leave around 1/2"-1/4" un-sauced, depending on how much you like crust.

5. Sprinkle a layer of cheese on the pizza. Don't over-do the cheese.  Be able to see some sauce through the cheese.
Mini-Tip: I know it is tempting to create a mountain of it because cheese is awesome, but the pizza will not cook right or crisp up if it is drowning in cheese.  Also, cheese melts, so the spaces will fill in nicely, don't worry.

6. Add your toppings.
Mini-Tip: Once again, don't over do it.  It is important to let the crust breathe.  Think about the spacing of toppings on a delivered pizza.  Go for that.

5. Bake the whole thing on the top rack for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese is just melted.  If you are serving right away, cook a little longer--I like to wait until the cheese is just starting to turn brown.
Mini-Tip: If you are freezing the pizzas, take them out when the cheese is melted, but still completely white.

6. EAT!
Mini-Tip: Or freeze them.

To freeze Super Sparkles Pita Pizzas: Transfer the only just melted cheese pizzas onto a freezer safe plate or tray.  Put them in the freezer uncovered for about 15 minutes.  This will allow the excess moisture to evaporate and not get frozen to the pizzas and make them soggy.  After the 15 minutes take them out and wrap each pizza in tinfoil.  Store all the pizzas together in a freezer bag.

To reheat frozen Super Sparkles Pita Pizza:  

• Microwave: Unwrap a pizza from the tin foil and place on a microwave safe plate.  Microwave on high for about 3 minutes (until the cheese is bubbly not only on the edges but the middle too.  The pizza sit for about 1-2 minutes, then cut and EAT!  
• Toaster/Regular Oven: This is the most awesome way to reheat Super Sparkles Pita Pizza.  Set the oven to 450 degrees and bake (on the rack) for about 15-20 minutes (when the cheese is sufficiently bubbly.  EAT!

This is a slightly more complex recipe than my Island Oatmeal and Greek Yogurt recipes.  Let me know if this was a good level of complexity.  Too hard? Too easy?  Let me know.

Also, since this is a chat post, I want to mention that I kind of love how my blog images are glorified versions of clip art and skills honed through KidPix. Man I loved KidPix....does it annoy you?  Too bad.  I'm never going to be an amazing photographer.  So you are stuck with my kick butt KidPix skills.  Could I use my iPhone and at least take some original pictures? I have at times.  I do when I think it would be helpful.  But I mean really, isn't image making more fun?

Shine & Sparkle!

Beauty For Any Budget Quick Tip

Hey There Shine and Sparkle Report Readers!

Whether you are trying to stay on a budget, naturally frugal, or diving into your vault full of gold coins (I didn't know how Scrooge McDuck did it without cracking open his cartoon head, but we will pretend it is possible for the sake of my metaphor), everyone enjoys saving a bit of money.  Maybe you are just jumping into the beauty world and are looking for a good place to start without investing too much money.  In this post I give you some of my tips to get great deals on quality beauty products you can read from your 3rd mansion in Beverly Hills or your cardboard box camped outside of a Starbucks with free wi-fi (do Starbucks actually have free wi-fi anymore?)

As usual, like my last image, I'll gladly give someone credit for their image or take it down if whoever owns it throws a hissy fit. 

Tips #1: Shop The Cheapest Drug Store Brands for Make-Up-
While most people know that the drug store is cheaper than Sephora or department stores, there are brands that are even more affordable than those that are readily recognizable to the average shopper.  My favorites of these very low priced brands include: Wet n' Wild*, E.L.F, and NYX.  I find that more often than not, these brands have better than average products on the most frequent basis.  That being said, each of these brands really shines in specific areas.  I have provided a guide to help you save money by increasing your chances that you do not waste your money based on my experiences:

Where Discount Brands Excel:
Wet n' Wild: Eye Shadow, Mascara, Nail Polish
E.L.F: Eye liner, Primers, Face Products (powder, blush, bronzer, highlighter etc), and brushes.
NYX: Lip Products (Gloss, Lipstick, Lip liner)
Physician's Formula**: Foundation
**While Physician's Formula isn't a super discounted brand, I feel that it is worth it to spend a bit extra on the base products that are going to soak into your skin the most.  I have also never gotten a good foundation from any of the very cheap brands.  Physician's formula has great quality products to choose from and is mid-range drug store pricing.

People also may see Jordana and NYC as equivalent brands in price.  However, I find them to be very hit or miss.  I think if you stick to the discount brand guidelines above, you stand the best chance of actually loving what you get.

Also shop with coupons or online to see/get the best deals.  There are many blogs about couponing or finding the best deals online, so I will let you look that up somewhere else.

Tips #2: Prioritize Make-Up Spending-
This is surprisingly hard for some people.  Much like wardrobe shopping, when you have limited resources, you want to get the essentials and then pieces that can be combined and reworked in different ways to achieve many different looks.  This way it appears to the world that you have way more than you do.  So using the low priced brands above, I have created a list of essential products you need.  I have also included mini-tips to created multiple looks with less products (seriously, they are very mini, get your reading glasses).

List of Essential Make-Up Products:
1. Face primer (1)
Mini-Tip: Use your face primer as an eye primer. It works.

2. Foundation/Tinted Moisturizer (1) and Matching Powder (1)
Mini-Tip: You can mix a bit of your powder into your foundation and use as concealer if you are really trying to scale back on makeup.

3. Blush (2) and Bronzer (1)
Mini-Tip: You want one light blush for day time, and one darker blush for night.  I suggest one be shimmer and one be matte.  Which is shimmer depends on your preference.  I suggest that your bronzer be matte to fit any occasion.  Also, skip the highlighter when you are on a budget.  That peachy/pearly eyeshadow color?  Same thing.

4. Eyeshadow Pallets (2-3).
Mini-Tip: You need a mix of neutral shades and bright shades.  You should have some matte and some shimmer shades to play with.  You can definitely meet these criteria with just two pallets, but you can splurge on a third (especially if you are using a light color as a highlight!) Different eyeshadow looks is the easiest way to make you look dramatically different while your base products stay the same.

5. Eyeliner (1) and Lip Liner (1)
Mini-Tip: If you stick with a soft black eyeliner and a lipliner similar to your lip color, you will be set no matter what.  You can just put some dark black eyeshadow over the liner to make it more bold and the softness will make it ok for day time.  The lipliner will serve it's purpose as a base without changing the color of your lip products.

6. Mascara (2)
Mini-Tip: One water-proof, one not water proof.  I would also suggest the water proof one to be more day time level of lash intensity (for being active during the day) and have the non-water proof one be more dramatic since it is unlikely you are going to need to be protected from water at night (unless you are more of an active person at night or cry a lot at night because you are a drama queen heehee).

7. Lipsticks (3) and Glosses (3)
Mini-Tip: You should aim for one nude, one "my lip color but better" (usually berry or pink), and one red of each.  By mixing and matching these lipsticks and glosses, your possibilities are endless.  You can wear the lipsticks and glosses in combination together, or each by themselves.

Tip #3: Shop Generic Beauty-
Shop generic for your moistuizers, cleaners, shampoos and conditioners.  Sally's Beauty Supply has generics of even high end beauty products! How cool is that!  Again, coupons, bargain/sales shelves, and buying online can help a lot with buying other beauty products, not just make-up.

Tip #4: DON'T BECOME A BEAUTY BLOGGER!
....but use them as a resource.  People who blog, YouTube, review online, or generally provide details on good or bad products are great resources for you.  I know that I find the world of beauty to be a really fun hobby.  While others might allot resources else where this is one of the things I prioritize.  Thus, we are both winners!  I can help you focus your money where you want it though my trial and error.  My product reviews are very helpful for that. 

Tip #5: Embrace Your Natural Beauty-
While make-up can be a great confidence booster and a fun way to express yourself, I find that sometimes the best thing to wear is a smile.  Some days I don't wear make-up or I just wear some eyeliner. Nobody acts differently towards me as long as I am projecting my usual demeanor.  Just give it a try!  For example, you are doing hot yoga.  You could bust out the water proof mascara, or you could accept that everyone is concentrating on not passing out in the 105 degree heat.  In full on boat pose, I know I'm not noticing if you have Kim Kardashian lashes right now.  People will probably be more impressed with the fact you kick ass at tree pose.


Thanks for reading my tips for beauty on any budget!  Also, did you notice that I got approved to have ads on my blog?  No? Good.  I find ads pretty annoying but hopefully these aren't too annoying.  You might even have a hard time finding it.  I did try and customize them so you might actually be interested in them though! If you feel like clicking on them so I might someday be able to buy a new lipstick with the money, I'd be down.

Shine & Sparkle!

* I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions.