When my husband travels I really don’t like making a huge dinner.  But, I still have to feed myself and two voracious boys.  The problem lies in the dishes.  I despise making a great dinner with every pan in the kitchen and then having to clean it up too.  The husband and I have a symbiotic kitchen relationship.  I cook, he cleans.  It’s a match made in heaven.  Every now and then I will get a dirty look when he sees the mess I made, but one bite into dinner I am usually forgiven (I seem to get away with a lot when it comes to food).

Back to the topic at hand, an easy clean up, healthy dinner.  The boys and I had just come home from their tennis lessons and it was getting late.  As you may have seen I made a ton of shredded chicken the other night.  I still had a small amount.  Then I saw the portobellas.  An idea conjured in my tired head, and boom, portobella bbq chicken pizzas were thrown together in a matter of 5 minutes.

The clean up entailed a chefs knife, cutting board and throwing away the foil that covered the baking sheet.  Oh, and if you are wondering if my 4 and 6 year old ate them, the answer is no.  I like them to eat carbs at dinner.  I popped a frozen, organic, multigrain, 3 cheese pizza into the oven, and roasted some broccolini for them and myself.

They devoured their entire pizza and tiny trees, while I inhaled mine.  Showers were taken, books read, kisses given and lights out.  For them at least.  A mommy’s day doesn’t end till she gets to watch her Real Housewives of _________.  Wait, I don’t watch that nonsense.  I meant, not until I finish reading the latest epic novel pertaining to global warming.  Yeah.  That’s it.

Makes 1, but can be doubled easily

1 large portobello mushroom, cleaned and stem removed

1 tablespoon of bbq sauce

1/4 cup shredded chicken

a few thinly sliced red onions

1 heaping tablespoon reduced fat mozzarella cheese

1/2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

dash of red pepper flakes (optional as garnish)

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Spray the bottom of the mushroom cap (the round part) with olive oil (preferably with a misto*, not the chemical laden non-stick sprays).  Turn over the mushroom cap so that the bottom side is up.  Sprinkle a little sea salt over the mushroom.  Spread the bbq sauce on the inside of the cap.  Then add the chicken, then the onions, then the cheese.  Bake the mushroom till the cheese is melted and starting to brown.  Take out of the oven and sprinkle with cilantro.  Serve immediately.