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16
Apr
2013
 Quinoa and Egg Breakfast Bake



I found this recipe from Whole Foods and Fit Sugar while on Pinterest.

What a  great idea it is! They use quinoa as the bottom “crust” part and then the egg filling with some spinach, and topped with a small amount of cheese.

quinoa breakfast bake

I only modified the recipe slightly because I used frozen spinach (and more of it) and a few other tweaks.

Quinoa and Egg Breakfast Bake

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon butter or butter substitute to grease the pan
  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 6-7 eggs
  • 2-3 egg whites
  • 1 1/4 cup nonfat milk
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 3 tablespoon chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
  • 1 cup finely shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese (and I mixed in some leftover Gruyere we had)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease your baking dish (the recipe called for an 8×8 dish, but I used an 11.5 x 8.75 baking dish). Do not use 9 x 13–it will be a little too big.
  2. Rinse your quinoa in a colander.
  3. Whisk together your eggs, spices, and milk. Stir in the quinoa.
  4. Pour into the baking dish. Then, stir a little and shake pan a little to let the quinoa fall to the bottom of the pan. Don’t worry–you probably won’t be able to see this, but it will work.
  5. Gently stir in your onions and spinach into the egg/quinoa mixture in the pan.
  6. Bake covered for about 40-45 minutes until it has set. Uncover and sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for another 17-20 minutes until golden.

quinoa egg bake

You could even eat this for lunch or dinner (I am going to eat for lunch today with a side of raw sliced peppers). It is the perfect balanced meal because it contains complete proteins, fiber, vegetables, and a pinch of fat ;-)

Tip: Make it ahead of time, the night before, and then you can just reheat in the morning. Since it takes a while to bake and cook, I made mine at about 9:30 pm and finished cooking it close to bedtime!

13
Apr
2013
 Coconut Oats and Pollen Week



Did you know that bee pollen may actually be good for us? I know, it sounds ridiculous. But, I got to thinking about it after this pollen filled week. Here is Georgia, the pollen count reached 8000 and we are at peak pollen season. It’s fine if you don’t suffer from allergies, but for those who do, we kept up inside. Blurgh.

Total Pollen Count for 4/11/2013: 8024

Anyway, fyi, bee pollen is thought to be the next up and coming superfood due to its antioxidant content, and mysterious supposed healing qualities… We can not really say for sure what it may be good for, but a lot of scientists and doctors have been experimenting with it in areas such as in chemotherapy healing.

So, before the pollen hit, we got engagement pictures taken in the most beautiful spring weather!

engagement photo

And, in the meantime, I have been neglecting my blog. Poor blogosphere… Oh well, sometimes it is good to take a break.

…Just like I took a break from eating oatmeal. Sometimes I’ll eat oatmeal for weeks, then I take a month long break until I find a new way to cook it. Well, I have discovered a new oats creation!

coconut oatmeal

Coconut oats!

Cook some plain oats with your favorite milk (or water), add a pinch of cinnamon, 1 packet of stevia, and add 2 Tbsp. of unsweetened coconut. Make sure the coconut you buy is the unsweetened flakes in the bakery isle. Heat for a few minutes as needed, and enjoy! I usually stir in 1-2 Tbsp. of chopped walnuts to make it more filling.

The coconut is nice because it adds a little bit of fat to make it satisfying and a hearty breakfast. Have you tried adding coconut to your oats?

11
Mar
2013
 Protein Almond Butter



I was getting a little creative with my normal almond butter spread for breakfast. I mixed a brown rice protein powder with almond butter and almond milk. Spread it on top of Ezekiel bread, and you have a balanced breakfast!

almond butter with protein

  • 1 slice Ezekiel
  • 1.5 Tbsp. almond butter
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla brown rice protein powder
  • sprinkle of cinnamon
  • almond milk or any milk to moisten the mixture
  • drizzle of real honey on top (1 tsp.)

I eat this warm out of toaster oven. I’m sure you could eat it cold, but it always tastes better when the honey becomes warm.

Nutrition Facts:

nutrition facts for almond butter toast

I ate some blueberries to go with this to make it more of a complete meal :)

7
Mar
2013
 KIND Bars



In honor of National Nutrition Month, KIND sent me a box load of treats last week. So sweet of them!

kind bars shipment

They included a lot of their bars and a few bags of granola. As you know, I generally don’t buy granola because I figure I can make my own cheaper and healthier.

But, I absolutely loved their granola. It turned out to be a breakfast treat. I enjoyed it because it wasn’t too high in sugar and the calories weren’t outrageous. Most contain about 5-6 g sugar per 1/3 cup serving.

I like some of their bars–mostly only the ones with 4 grams of sugar. These ones are all nuts compacted into a bar with some type of flavor like vanilla extract.

My favorite was the vanilla almond:

vanilla almond kind bar

Eating it in the car before I go to the gym! 7 g protein and 5 g fiber. Love that.

Overall, I have pretty good things to say about KIND products, except double check your ingredient label. Like I said, try to choose the flavors that have the least amount of added sugar (4-6 g is pretty good).

Thanks KIND!

25
Feb
2013
 Healthy Mug Muffins



For a long time now, I have seen other bloggers posting their cake mugs or mug muffin ideas online. I didn’t think much of it because I immediately thought of it as an unhealthy cake.

But, you can easily turn it into a healthy snack or breakfast!

healthy mug muffin

healthy cake mug

I found this recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie for the mug muffin pictured directly above. It came out great, so I used this as my starting point to make a healthier mug muffin.

Healthy Protein Mug Muffin

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 a banana (or 1 small) mashed–or you could use applesauce, sweet potato, or pumpkin
  • 2 Tbsp. brown rice protein powder
  • 2 Tbsp. oat flour
  • 2 packets stevia
  • 3-4 Tbsp. almond milk (or until the consistency of cake batter)
  • 1-2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 tsp. baking powder
  • splash of vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • dash of cinnamon
  • pinch of walnuts or almonds for the top

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients until you get a cake batter consistency. Top with walnuts.
  2. Microwave about 60-75 seconds.
  3. Cool 2 minutes before attempting to eat. It will be VERY hot.

Approx Nutrition Facts: 300 calories, 35 g carbohydrates, 7 g fiber, 9 g fat, 28 g protein, 38% of your DV for iron! Very low sugar–only from the banana.

Perfect nutrition for the morning. I ate some more cantaloupe, and the rest of the banana to go with it all!

12
Feb
2013
 Avoid Sugary Granola by Making Homemade Granola



I really love granola, but I know it can be quite sugary if you buy it packaged from the store. So, I just make it at home with the right ingredients and less sugar! I think it tastes better from home anyways.

Did you know 1/4 cup serving of granola can be over 200 calories?! A lot of that comes from the oils and sugars.

healthy granola

Simple and Healthy Granola

Makes about 9-10 servings. One serving= about 1/4-1/3 cup= 160 calories, 7 g fat, 23 g carbohydrates, 6-7 g sugar, 3 g protein.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2-3 cups oats
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
  • pinch of ground nutmeg and ground cloves
  • 4 packets stevia or stevia/xylitol blend
  • 3- 3.5 Tbsp. real honey
  • 1-2 tsp. molasses
  • 1/4 cup olive oil or canola oil (or coconut oil for those of you who prefer that)
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.
  2. Combine the dry ingredients, then stir in the wet ingredients. Stir for 1-2 minutes until the oats are well coated.
  3. Empty the contents onto a baking sheet. Spread out evenly. Bake for 18-20 minutes, and stir half-way through.
  4. Let cool, and then store in an air-tight container.

Simple as that!

lower sugar homemade granola

If you have ground flax seed, toss some in. It creates a nice nutty flavor. Or, you can always add some nuts, seeds, or dried fruit!

I prefer to make mine simple so that I can eat it in the morning with some almond milk and fresh fruit.

By the way, I discovered this new almond milk:

so delicious protein almond milk

Here are the ingredients: ALMOND MILK (WATER, ALMONDS), PEA PROTEIN, RICE PROTEIN, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, MAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE, CARRAGEENAN, NATURAL FLAVOR, LOCUST BEAN GUM, KOSHER SEA SALT, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D-2, L-SELENOMETHIONINE (SELENIUM), ZINC OXIDE, FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN B-12.

It’s only 40 calories per cup, but has 5 grams of protein total. This comes from pea and rice proteins. 5 grams is better than zero or one gram if you are looking to add more vegetable-based proteins to your diet.

The only negative is that the protein almond milk contains carrageenan which many say has negative effects on the body. For now, I am not going to worry about it. There are many other things I look to avoid, and this is not going to be one of my battles.

Overall, I enjoy the flavor of this unsweetened almond milk better than other unsweetened milks! I don’t usually buy almond milk.

3
Dec
2012
 Light Baked French Toast



I rarely make french toast since it takes a while if you are baking it in the oven. But, when I do make it, get ready for some deliciousness!

I took a bite of my piece already!

You can use any type of bread as long as it is crusty. I put in a slice of Ezekiel bread for myself. But, this was mostly white Italian style bread. You could do the entire dish with Ezekiel bread if you wanted! And the great part is that you can put the bread in the casserole still partially frozen.

Half Ezekiel, half white bread here.

Light Baked French Toast

Serves 3–You can easily double this and make in a 9×13 pan instead.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups skim milk (or any milk you prefer)
  • 4 egg (could use some egg whites if you want even lighter)
  • 1 Tbsp. good vanilla
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, and then some for dusting on top
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. butter or Earth Balance to grease the bottom and sides of pan, PLUS 2 tsp. butter for the top of the casserole
  • Half a loaf of crusty bread (whatever you prefer)–preferably, a natural bread
  • pinch of salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. In a small square baking dish, grease the bottom and sides with your butter or Earth Balance.
  3. Slice your bread in 1-1.5 inch slices. If the bread slices are already sliced, then layer in double slices. Add the bread to the baking dish and make sure it is compactly arranged. You can cut up a few cube slices and stick in the empty spots of the casserole to keep everything in place.
  4. Whisk your eggs, vanilla, milk, and cinnamon. Pour over top of your bread in the baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and a tiny pinch of salt.
  5. With 1 tsp. sugar, dust over top of the french toast. Cut tiny slices of butter/Earth Balance and place on top of the french toast.
  6. Bake 45-60 minutes until all the liquid is cooked or absorbed and the top has become lightly golden.

Serve with real maple syrup, fruit, fruit compote, agave, or honey! You can easily make variations on this with bananas, or other fruits, or pecans, etc.

Yum yum yum. The reason this recipe is lighter is because I cut out the heavy cream, reduced the butter significantly, and reduced the sugar to only 5 grams of sugar for the entire recipe.

2
Nov
2012
 Pumpkin Apple Protein Bake… Attempt 1



I tried to create a no sugar added, high protein bar. It turned out more like a bread pudding…

At least it looks pretty. Tastes similar to a french toast almost.

I used quinoa flakes, brown rice flour, milk, 1 egg, egg whites, stevia, chopped apples, applesauce, pumpkin, spices, and walnuts. It really wasn’t too bad, it just turned out too moist.

Back to the kitchen!! When I figure it out perfectly I will post the recipe.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

22
Oct
2012
 Sunday Eats: Tasty Coffee Cake & Dinner on the Grill



Spent Sunday with my family per usual. When I went over to their house, I discovered that Psycho Holiday Baker made some of the best apple coffee cake on the planet:

You can find the recipe here. However, she created a layer of apples in the middle, and she used a 9×13 pan to bake it in.

  • So, follow the recipe, but slice about 1.5-2 cups of apples thin and toss them with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  • Then, add one layer of cake mix, add a layer of apples, then another layer of cake mix.
  • Bake about 40-45 minutes. DO NOT overbake. Check at about the 35 minutes mark to be safe. She made a light sugar icing for the top as well.

Of course, this is not health food. But, I am going to use this recipe as a base to turn into a healthier one like I did with my own apple coffee cake that was a hit last year. I will try using a little more Greek yogurt, and use more egg, and perhaps a little bit of canned pumpkin or apple sauce.

Take the unhealthy and turn it into tasty healthy food!

We had visitors in town: Smart Art and Tommy. So, my Dad made them a steak dinner and I ate a chickpea/spinach patty.

My Dad also made some tasty asparagus on the grill that were marinated in some kind of dressing (seemed like an Italian style dressing marinade).

Yum. The chickpea and spinach patty was just so-so. I wouldn’t buy it for myself because it only had 5 grams of protein and wasn’t amazing.

After dinner, I went for a short little run. The weather is perfect right now. Then, had dessert and watched the Walking Dead with the family!

Time to plan meal ideas for this week…

4
Oct
2012
 Pumpkin Protein Pancakes



I created a variation on my quinoa protein pancakes that I often make and freeze ahead for the next week. Pumpkin recipes are every where. Why not in my breakfast!

The pumpkin replaces the fat in the recipe, but also adds loads of vitamin A and some iron and manganese too!

For the recipe, click here. And, instead of the applesauce, use canned pumpkin! That’s it!

And here is what they look like when cooking. Don’t worry that they are a little more thick than normal pancakes. They come out smooth and very moist.

Happy Fall! Now, time to get outside and enjoy the weather!

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