My Breakfast Bake

This is the one thing that I can count on to help me lose weight.  It is the only way that I consume something green before noon and it's fast.  I make it on Sunday's and I have a piece every morning during the week.  Over the last month I've done some experimentation on the pan size that is ideal and I have to say that the Prex 11 cup rectangle is the best.  It's great because it's really deep but still fits within a toaster oven/convection oven.  

What you need:

1 bag of frozen broccoli (I use the steam in bags)

1/2 cup of cheese

12-18 eggs (depending on how many people/days you're making for)

Pam cooking spray

3Tbs bread crumbs

What you do:

Spray the pan and coat the bottom with your bread crumbs.

Cook the broccoli in the microwave for 3 minutes

Pour the broccoli in the pan with the breadcrumbs

Sprinkle Cheese on Top

Beat eggs (I use 18 eggs - 12 whole and 6 just whites and it makes 8 servings)

Pour eggs on top of broccoli and cheese

Bake at 425F for 30 minutes in a toaster oven on "Bake" not convection - if you're using a real oven turn the temp down to 375 and bake for 40-45 minutes.

The toaster oven heats up faster and because you're filling the oven with the dish you get a much fluffier and faster cooking Breakfast Bake.  If I have leftover spinach, tomato, onion or ham I'll throw that in too.  It's a good way to kill any leftovers from Friday or Saturday's dinner.

See how the egg cooks into the broccoli making it like a FOSSIL. Okay, I'm watching too much Bones.

Veggie Flatbread Sandwich w/ Hummus

This sandwich has quickly become one of my healthy diet staples. It has tons of protein, vegetables, and whole grains. It is filling and delicious. And if you make them ahead of time, can be a fancy schmancy lunch item for having company. I use my homemade hummus on this sandwich but I've also used tzatziki and mayo.

I recommend using Peppridge Farms new Whole Grain Sandwich Thins which are only 100 calories and have 5 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein. And so so so good. Once you toast them, they stay crispy, so you can make these sandwiches ahead of time since they require some prep, put them in the fridge, and they are still crunchy a couple hours later. So when you finally get your baby down for a nap, make your beloved sandwich, and go to take a bite as the baby lets our a howl, you always come back to it later. Not that I know from experience or anything.

What you need:
-Flatbread.
-Hummus
-Cucumber, sliced thin
-Tomato, sliced round
-Avocado sliced long
-Alfalfa sprouts
-Gouda, thinly sliced (Also works well with Provolone or any other light, smooth cheese)



What you do:
-Use the hummus as a "glue." I put a thin layer of hummus between every layer in order to hold the sandwich together.
-Spread the hummus on both sides of the bread.
-Pile on the sliced avocado, cucumber and sprouts on one side.



-Place the tomato on the hummus on the other side with the sliced cheese on top


Put together, and enjoy!!

Homemade Creamy Hummus

This is way better than any store-bought hummus I've ever had. My recipe is a slight variation from this recipe on youtube at DeDe's Mediterranean Kitchen. She uses mint instead of parsley and water instead of olive oil. In the words of Alton Brownm my husband's hero, "water doesn't bring any flavor to the party." Plus, I love the taste of olive oil.

This recipe great and EASY. Once you know what you're doing, you can eyeball everything and make it in literally 5 minutes. It's creamy and garlicky without being overpowering. The parsley gives it a light flavor while the olive oil adds a subtle taste.

What you Need:
1 large can (or 2 reg sized cans) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp salt (you can start with 1 tsp and add another if you want depending on your taste)
1/2 c. sour cream
2 tbsp tahini
1/4 c. chopped parsely
olive oil (to consistency - about 1/8 c.)

What you do:
-Make a mash paste of the garlic and salt. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, use a fork in a bowl
-Blend chickpeas, sour cream, tahini, and garlic paste in food processor or blender.
-Add olive oil until desired consistency is reached.
-Add in chopped parsely and let blend well for 2-3 minutes.
-Chill for at least 2 hours.

Ma's Peppermint Cocoa Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

These cookies are an original concoction put together by my mother and I this holiday season. I was never a big fan of peppermint and chocolate together until Cass brought over these brownies (a variation of Swistle's Brownies) and I died. Dead from yummy goodness. I kind of forgot about my love of this combination until Starbucks started with their Peppermint Mocha Twists. I died again. So I began my hunt for anything in this combination and craved it like I was pregnant again. Ice cream, candy, anything.

So while we were doing our yearly tradition of cookie baking, we came up with this recipe and Oh. My. Dog. It's kind of like a chewy thin mint.

So if you have these ingredients or are planning a trip to the store, pick up the stuff and make them for Christmas. Bring them to a friends' house. You WILL NOT be sorry.

What you need:



2 sticks of butter
3/4 c. white sugar
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tsp. peppermint extract
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa poweder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 c. flour
1 pkg (12 oz) white chocolate chips.

What you do:

-Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Set aside.
-In a mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy
-Add in extracts and eggs.
-Gradually add in dry mixture.
-Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until done.

Some things of note:
-Personally, I always take out my cookies a minute or two before they are "done" and let them sit on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes before putting them on a cooling rack. This lets them finish cooking out of the oven so you get that gooey middle.
-Make sure you don't use more than the 1 tsp of peppermint. It is STRONG and any more than that and it overpowers the flavor. If you want more mint, try using crushed candy cane pieces sprinkled on top.
-You can most definitely substitute the white chips for regular chocolate chips or even the swirled ones. You can use none at all. Get creative!

Enjoy!

AndreAnna's Almond Cream Cheese Cakesters

This was my very first recipe that I came up with solely on my own. I didn't copy or improvise. I decided what I wanted and made it. And it worked, so yay! They are cakier than cookies but cookier than cake. Hope that made sense. These are a great light holiday desert, perfect with coffee/tea.

What you need:
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 tube (7 0z) of almond paste
1 c. white sugar
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c. sliced almonds

What you do:
-Preheat oven to 350.
-In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
-In a separate bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid for this) beat butter, almond paste, and sugar until well-blended.
-Add in 2 eggs and beat.
-Add in cream cheese and beat together until light and fluffy
-Add in bowl of dry ingredients and beat until blended.
-Put batter in fridge for at least an hour to firm up. Otherwise, rolling into balls s very difficult.
-Once chilled, roll batter into small balls and smush one end into a plate of almond slivers. Please almond-side up on cookie sheet.




-Bake for 15-18 minutes or until starting to brown on the egdes.
-Enjoy!

Dinner + Lunches

I've been cooking up a storm while wearing Lexi in a Moby so photography has had to go....but the cooking is still happening. My plan is make an easy dinner and use it to make a different lunch sometime in the future.

Dinner in the Crockpot: Roast
1 Cheap Cut of Beef Roast
1 Beer
1 Packet French Onion Dip Mix

Put all that stuff in the Crockpot on Low. Ignore for 6-8 hours. Two hours before serving I added:
2 chopped Sweet Potatoes
20 Baby Carrots (I didn't count you silly gooses)
1 Large Onion chopped
1 Package of Baby Bella pre-sliced Mushrooms

Serve. Yummy. Freeze the leftover meat and broth in a big Pyrex.

Lunch two weeks later: Beef n Barley Soup
Thaw the Meat and Broth
6 Cups Low Sodium Beef or Chicken Stock (I used half and half because that's what I had)
1/2 Cup Barley

Simmer for 40 minutes.
Add in Sliced Carrots, Celery, Onion and your thawed Meat and Broth.

Serve. Yummy. With Grilled Cheese. Delish!

Adventure in the Crock

The Crock Pot that is. So today I did this:

1 Jar of Red Sauce
15 Chicken Tenders Raw
2 Cans of White Beans
1 Package Frozen Spinach
1 Onion
1 Can of Diced Tomatos

I put it on low. I put it on top of Brown Rice but I dream of putting it on top of some cheese filled pasta that magically doesn't add calories to my diet and thus make my pants not fit. I don't live in Disney where calories do no exist so I put it on Brown Rice. It's DELICIOUS. Now what do I call it?