Prepwork

Nothing like a huge winter storm to give me time to catch up on my chick-ficks and recipes. Colorado Springs is expecting 8-18 inches of snow tonight. Luckily today was my day off and the only time I had to leave the house thus far was to go to they gym bright and early...Well "bright" is the wrong word for it since the sun wasn't up yet. 

My friend and I joined the gym and committed to go together four days a week. The only flaw in this plan is that we both have jobs and schedules that only line up ridiculously early in the morning. The good news is my water bill has gone down do to the fact that I only shower at home three days a week. As you can imagine, in order to keep myself sane some prepwork has to go into my day to day. That means breakfast gets packed along with lunch, work clothes and various other materials vital to facing the day. 

I'll share with you one of my breakfast hacks with you and hopefully it will save you time in the morning as well. I stole this from Fit Foodie Finds

What you'll need:

Muffin tin

Eggs

English muffins

Bacon or sausage

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease a muffin tin and break an egg into each space.

Bake for 15 minutes or until eggs are done to your liking. Since your tin is greased your eggs should slide right out.

You can either make up your breakfast sandwiches and saran wrap them for later, or store your eggs for later. They have the same shelf life as hard-boiled eggs so don't leave them for too long. 5 stars for time saving and quality.

Note: the shape of the eggs once they're cooked make them perfect for English Muffins but they don't fit well on bagels. Save yourself the heartache and stick with either toast or English Muffins. 

Happy mornings!

Spicy Mornings

I promised you breakfast recipes and didn't deliver. Hopefully this week I can play catch up.

Original recipe credit to A Spicy Perspective blog. I made one pepper at a time but it's easy enough to make a bigger batch. Just roast as many peppers as you need and adjust the fillings accordingly.

What you'll need:
-Poblano Peppers
-3 Eggs
-3/4 cup Hash-brown Potatoes
-1/2 Red Bell Pepper
-1/2 cup Shredded Cheese

To roast the pepper:
Preheat your oven to 450 F. Slit your peppers down the center and place them in a high sided pan. I lined mine with foil to make clean up easier. You can scoop out the seeds or leave them in depending on how spicy you want your finished product to be. 

Bake the peppers for 15-20 minutes or until the skin browns and bubbles up. 

After you let the peppers cool for a bit you can pull the loose skin off with your fingers.

For stuffing:

While your peppers are in the oven heat butter in a pan. Once it melts add your hash-browns in and stir over Medium-Low heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until your potatoes brown.

Toss in the rest of the veggies you want to add to the pan with your potatoes and continue to stir everything until cooked the way you like it.

You can cook your eggs however you want as well but to save on time and dishes I just threw mine in with the veggies.

Stuff your egg mixture into the peppers and cover with cheese. 

This breakfast changed my life...well at least my weekend mornings. It's perfect for Sunday brunch or breakfast for dinner. Top with sour cream and enjoy with a side of toast. 5 stars easily. Happy Mornings

In the Spirit of the Season

You've noticed by now, no doubt, that I have a slight obsession with granola. Seeing that it is Autumn now officially Pumpkin Spice granola seemed appropriate.

Once again, original recipe credit to The Minimalist Baker blog http://minimalistbaker.com/pumpkin-maple-pecan-granola/#_a5y_p=2489259

What you'll need:
3 cups Old Fashioned Oats
1/3 cup Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 cup Craisins or Raisins
1/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1/3 cup Honey
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
(sub 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice for the spices if you have it)
1/3 cups nuts of your choosing, I recommend walnuts, almonds or pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large high-sided baking dish toss oats, spices, pumpkin seeds, craisins and nuts so that the spices are evenly spread throughout.

In a small sauce pan pour pumpkin, honey, maple syrup and oil. Heat over Medium-Low heat until consistent.

Pour your pumpkin mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until the oats are saturated.

Bake for 30 minutes pausing halfway through to stir the granola. When you stir it make sure you get the sides and corners especially well to be sure they don't burn.

Best enjoyed over yogurt with a cup of coffee while sitting on the porch taking in the colors of the season. 

5 stars wouldn't change a thing

Get ready for an onslaught of breakfast recipes this week. Hope they add some spice to your mornings.

Falling and Eggplant

As a Pennsylvania native, I've always been partial to fall. It's the most understated of months. Autumn is so very unlike the other three seasons that boast in their uniqueness: Winter is cold and hosts the years biggest holiday, Spring thaws and reveals nature's new colors, Summer scorches and allows time for camaraderie unavailable during the rest of the year. 

What is Autumn? She's a harbinger. Signaling the end of the heat and tomfoolery of Summer while heralding the coming chill of Winter, Fall dons her flaming foliage in her season to signify the beginning of the end. The heat and play of Summer cease while we are steered into Winter's time of difficult conditions in which we must navigate our lives while inching closer to the end of yet another calendar year.

A signpost, that is what this season is. A metaphor illustrating for many of us, myself included, the season of life we find ourselves in. Facing an ending but not a finale. Stepping into a new season that is wrought with cold uncertainty but not without its beauties. 

Make sure you bundle up for the journey my friends.

Original recipe credit to The Iron You blog http://www.theironyou.com/2014/05/the-best-eggplant-patties.html

What you'll need (Sorry no pictures)
Food processor or blender
1 eggplant, skinned and diced
1/2 small onion or 2 green onions, diced
1 garlic clove, pealed and minced
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice, I used mild cheddar
1 cup breadcrumbs of your choice  (if you get flavored ones you might want to skip adding seasonings)
1 Tbs Mixed Up Salt or seasoning mixture of your choosing
Olive oil

Optional: 3/4 cup additional vegetable, I had some carrots laying around so I sauteed those and threw them in the food processor as well. You can add zucchini, cauliflower or any other vegetable that needs to be used before its expiration date. 

In a pan, preferably one with high sides, heat some olive oil to cook your onion and garlic in first. Over med-high heat, cook your pungent ingredients until your union is translucent. Transfer the onion and garlic to a food processor or blender. In the same pan with a bit more oil cook your eggplant until brown and soft. This will take a few minutes but be careful to avoid turning up the heat in a moment of impatiences, you'll burn your pieces.

Mash all your cooked ingredients in your processor (if you're adding more vegetables place them in the processor as well at this point, you can cook them first in some oil as well). You may need to puree your plants in shifts. What I mean is I could run the blades for about two minutes then I had to turn off the processor to mix the conglomeration so the bigger pieces near the top got pushed to the bottom and mashed as well. It's not going to be pretty once it's all blended together FYI.

Remove your mixture from the processor when you feel it's blended enough. Add your remaining ingredients and stir until consistent.

Form your completed mixture into patties and saute in a pan (the same one that you started with if it's not soaking in the sink). Once your patties are nicely browned on each side remove them from heat.

Enjoy in a wrap, as a burger substitute or on flat bread with tahini sauce.

I really wanted to like these patties. The eggplant absorbed much of the olive oil making the end result rather oily. I placed two paper towels in the bottom of the tupperwear container that I stored the leftovers in and found that these were a bit better than than the ones hot off the press since the towels had absorbed some of the excess of the oil.Maybe next time I'll just grease the pan with nonstick spray and dry cook the eggplant pieces. 

No doubt take two of this recipe will be better. All said and done 4 stars

A Few Coins and the Perfect Autumn Meal

A fair few of these posts have dealt with contentment and humility. This one will follow suite I'm afraid (are you sensing a pattern?).

One of the characters of scripture that I find hard to live up to isn't a character at all. He's more of a lesson than anything else. I am filled with conflicting emotions every time I read the Parable of the Talents in Mathew 25:14-29. Here three servants are given stewardship of certain amounts of money by their master. Later their master judges them according to how they made use of his money and their time while he's away.

Whenever a sermon is preached or a lesson is written on this passage it is always the first and third servants who take center stage. Servant #1 was entrusted with the largest number of talents (money) by his master and, using what he was given to the best of his ability, he was able to double his master's money. Servant #3 was given only one talent to make use of but chooses instead to hide what he was given. This servant is chastised for his faithlessness and his poor stewardship by his master. Servant #3 is cast out of the household while his one talent is given over to Servant #1. Here is where the application point of any speaker or author will come in: compare the two servants and see which you identify with. If Servant #1 continue in your stewardship of what God has entrusted to you. If Servant #3 wake up and get to work, God did not entrust a talent to you for nothing. Valid lessons.

However it is neither of these two extremes that I identify with; rather my attention is always drawn back to the second servant. Servant #2 is given two talents to do with what he will for the glory of his master. For those of you mathematically challenged 2 is less than 5 but more than 1. What is Servant #2 supposed to infer from this amount of money placed in is care? Does the master not trust his as much as Servant #1? Why did they not all start out with the same amount, an equal playing field if you will? Even after he is able to turn a profit with his talents, after all his efforts he has only 4 talents total to offer back.

Final count
Servant #1 : 11 Talents
Servant #2 : 4 Talents
Servant #3 : 0 Talents

Why do I get stuck on this obscure point of an obvious lesson? Perhaps it is because the obvious lesson is obvious. What I am searching for is the lesson between the lines.

At times it is so hard to look at my two talents and say "I can manage this for the Master." Two talents is a lot to manage! I'm sure it's not nearly as stressful as having to take care of five but it's certainly a handful. How might I skillfully take these coins into the world so that they might increase? Will the Master be satisfied with how I go about this business? If I can't even manager two how do I ever expect to be put in charge of five?

On the other hand it is equally difficult to hold out my four talents and say "It's not eleven but it is enough". Certainly it is an increase in revenue but when placed on the table next to the other pile of talents it looks pitiful. I hope He is not too disappointed that I only brought back this amount. Perhaps if I had done x, y and z differently I would have more to offer.

Unlike me, Servant #2 holds neither of these points of anxiety. After being handed his portion he immediately set out to put what he has been given to work and, when his master returns, he steps forward with the same boldness as Servant #1. "And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’" Interestingly enough he is given the same praise and reward as Servant #1. "His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’"

The master knew each of his servants well enough to know how much they could manage in order to turn a profit. "To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability." I find great comfort in how well the Master knows me (more about that in the next post). He has decreed that this is the amount of talents I can manage well and never gave me leave to compare my coins with anyone else's.

Mathew 25:14-29
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

I don't know about you but I'm off to the market place.


Original Recipe credit to My Crossfit Paleo Journey blog
https://mycrossfitpaleojourney.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/crockpot-honey-apple-pork-loin/

Tips to help you use your crock pot 
http://www.crockpoteurope.com/CustomerService.aspx?id=faq&fgid=541

What You'll Need:
Crock pot
1 Pork Loin 2 1/2 - 3 Lbs 
3 Gala Apples
Honey
Cinnamon
Water
Apple Cider Vinegar

Slice your apples thinly and evenly. I found that an apple slicer made the pieces I needed for in the pork too thick so you might want to save time and do it all by hand. Pour an even 1:1 mixture of water and vinegar in the bottom of your crock pot. Use enough to cover the bottom. With the slices from one apple make a bed for the pork in the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle cinnamon over what's in the pot so far.

With a sharp knife make horizontal cuts half way through your pork. Careful to leave enough room for your apple slices but don't cut the whole way through. Next pour some honey over the pork so it finds its way into the crevices you just made then fill in each cut with an apple slice. Place the pork on top of the apples in the pot. Top with any left over apple pieces and add as much cinnamon and extra honey as you'd like. 

Cook on low for about 6 hours. Mine was done faster but the original recipe called for 7 hours. I would recommend checking it around 5 hours and don't worry about overcooking it. With all the liquid at the bottom your meat is guaranteed to not dry out (though it may fall apart). 

This pork goes well with mashed potatoes, stuffing or nearly any other Autumn comfort food you can think of. It's wonderful fresh but I found that it's just as good leftover and/or cold later on. I'm absolutely in love with this recipe and can't wait for an excuse to make it again. 5 stars

Personal Songs and Turkey Burgers

Maybe it's vanity or just that it strikes a cord to hear your own name in a song but today I'm going to share with you a song a friend passed along to me: Dear Anna by Brynn Elliot.

Dear Anna, there is hope for you

In a world beyond the blue 

And Anna, there is a man out there

Who will love you because he's truth 

So throw away your notions of love

Because I've found there's someone to trust 

Its perfect love, it casts out all fear

You won't be afraid, You won't be afraid, Anna dear

1 John 4:16-19
"So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us."

Adapted from fritter recipe found on Natasha's Kitchen http://natashaskitchen.com/2013/09/20/chicken-zucchini-fritters-recipe/

What you'll need:

1 lb Ground Turkey

2 Zucchinis (the color of your choosing)

2 tsp Salt

1 Egg

1/4 cup Green Onion, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced

a dash of Black Pepper

8 oz Ricotta cheese

Start off by getting your daily arm workout by grating your zucchinis (you can peal your zucchinis first if you wish). Place your gratings in a colander in your sink. Your zucchini pieces are going to need to sit for a while to lose some of their water. Sprinkle salt over the zucchini and let it sit for 10 minutes.

The salt will draw out some of the water but you'll have to give your zucchini pieces a good squeeze to release most of their juices. There's actually quite a bit of veggie juice in there so make sure you get out as much as you can (within reason, don't feel like you need to completely dehydrate your zucchini).

Transfer your zucchini to a mixing bowl and mix in all your other ingredients.

Grease your skillet so it's ready for your patties. Now it's time to get your hands dirty. Grab a handful of your burger mixture and form it into patties. Place your patties in your greased pan and cook them on medium heat for 3 minutes on each side, just as you would regular burgers.

 

Enjoy your burger on a bun with all the fixings or use it to top a salad.

I did like this recipe but I found my patties a little bland. I think I'll hit them with some Mixed Up Salt next time. Overall a good dinner 4 stars

Black Beans and Peanuts

So...I haven't posted in over a month. Not that I haven't been cooking because it's me. So many things have been new and unexpected I can sum up my past month with a little help from the Peanuts.

However this time is not without it's encouragement and lessons. It wouldn't be honest to say I've made it through but I'm learning how to deal with the dark. "Too many of us panic in the dark. We don't understand that it's a holy dark and that the idea is to surrender to it and journey through to real light" Sue Monk Kidd

Original recipe credit  to The Garden Grazer blog http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2012/03/black-bean-spinach-enchiladas.html

What you'll need
1 15oz can black beans or 2 cups cooked beans
1 1/2 cup corn
1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 cup onion, diced
3/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 cup tomato, chopped
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 pack whole wheat Tortillas
3 cups shredded cheese
1 jar Green salsa, Enchilada sauce or salsa of your choice

 

A note about black beans: under cooked black beans will kill you...or at least make you miserable for about a day. Having only used beans in soup before I was ignorant of the need to both soak and boil dry beans. Unfortunately this caused major problems for me and my friend the next day. Dry beans will have to soak overnight then they'll need to be boiled for about an hour. Avoid my mistake and take the time to prepare the beans properly or just buy canned beans. For a full explanation of the dangers of under cooked beans here: http://www.exsloth.com/beans-undercooked-toxins/

Preheat your oven at 375 F. First you'll want to wilt the spinach. Heat a few Table spoons of olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Toss the spinach in the oil for 2 minutes. 

Once wilted remove from heat and mix all the vegetables, beans, spices and cheese in a bowl.

Fill your tortillas with your bean/veggie mixture evenly. Roll up the tortillas and tuck the ends. Place the tortillas seam down in a greased baking dish. The size of your dish will depend on how many enchiladas you're planning on making. Once you've filled all the tortillas pour some salsa or enchilada sauce over the shells and top with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. 

If you're into Meatless Mondays or just want to change up your Mexican night I highly recommend this great vegetarian dish. Just make sure you do the beans right. 5 stars

We're back to weekly posts so I will see you all next week!

Short and Sweets

Here are three quick, healthy and sweet snacks to get you through any part of your day.

If you wake up with a sweet tooth try a blueberry breakfast quesadilla.

Breakfast quesadilla recipe as well as many other grilled tortilla ideas from Buzzfeed (I recommend the broccoli cheese quesadilla)

What you'll need:
1 wholewheat tortilla
Cream cheese (I used Philadelphia Whipped because it spreads easier and doesn't tear the tortilla)
a handful of fresh Blueberries
Butter

Cover one side of the tortilla with cream cheese. Pour in enough blueberries to fill the tortilla but make sure you can folded it in half. Melt about 1 Tbs of butter in a pan over medium heat; once melted place folded tortilla in the pan. After about 2 minutes flip it. 

Both sides should be brown and crispy while the filling should be melted and warm.

This tortilla gives you all the satisfaction of a savory pastry without all the sugar and calories. Enjoy with a cup of coffee to get your day off to a great start!

Need a small sweet to get you through the afternoon lull? Have another picnic coming up and don't want to go through the trouble of making yet another casserole? Make a batch of Banana Split Bites.

Original recipe credit to Frugal Coupon Living

What you'll need: 

Strawberries

1-2 Bananas

1 20 oz can chunked Pineapple, drained

Chocolate chips of your choice

Toothpicks

Chop up your strawberries and banana to the size of your choosing. Keep in mind how big your skewers are. Since I used toothpicks I cut mine a little smaller; if you are using Popsicle sticks you can leave them a little bigger.

To melt your chocolate in the microwave heat it for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until completely melted. Careful not to burn it.

Place strawberry, banana and pineapple pieces on toothpicks. Once you've used up all your fruit, use a spoon to dollop chocolate onto each bite. You can dip your bites if you prefer but I couldn't get my chocolate to stick that way. Add any nuts or coconut you want. Line your container with wax or parchment paper to keep the bites from sticking. You can also freeze your finished product to give it a little more of a traditional banana split feel.

These are perfect to add to lunches or for a quick afternoon snack. With just one can of pineapple you can make a considerable number of bites which are great for summer picnics or parties in need of fresh finger foods.

Fighting a late night chocolate craving and don't want to reach for the ice cream? Try avocado pudding. I know what you're thinking "That sounds disgusting", but once mixed with the cocoa and sweetener you cannot taste the avocados at all.

Original pudding recipe from Picky Eater Blog

What you'll need:
2 ripe Avocados
1 Banana
1/4 cup Cocoa powder
1 cup almond milk
2 Tbs Honey or Agave Nectar

Peal and chunk your avocados. Place all your ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until evenly mixed. Taste final product and add any additional honey, cocoa or banana that you want.

You can eat this right away but I prefer to let it chill for a while in the fridge. 

All of these recipes have done the trick for helping me avoid sugary snacks when cravings come knocking. Quick, easy and affordable every one gets 5 stars from me.

Wow, three recipes in one post!

Belated Lentils

Sorry this is so late. I'm in the midst of a lot of upheaval and haven't had a lot of time to cook, let alone share my culinary experiences with you all. To make up for it, I am going to dazzle you all with a super healthy dinner and hope that you don't care that my posts are terribly inconsistent.

Original recipe credit to One Ingredient Chef

(PS props to all these other sites for their awesome food pictures, I can never get mine to look that good)

What you'll need:
4 1/2 cups Lentils (measure your lentils after they are cooked)
3-4 Sweet Potatoes
1/2 cup Green Onion, diced
1/2 cup Carrots, chopped
1/2 cup Spinach, roughly chopped
1 28oz can Diced Tomatoes, undrained 
2 Tbs Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Almond Milk (or milk of your choice)

First you'll need to prepare your potatoes and lentils. Peal and chop your sweet potatoes. You're going to boil them just like you would regular potatoes to make mashed potatoes. Boil your potatoes on high heat for 15-20 minutes depending on how big you cut your chunks. When they are soft the whole way though take them off the heat and drain them. While waiting for your potatoes to cook, place your lentils in a pot of water to boil them as well. Make sure you get a pot that seems too big. Once your lentils cook they will expand and you don't want to be caught with an overflowing pot while you're trying to get all your other ingredients ready. Follow the instructions on your lentil package for cooking, mine cooked on a medium boil for over a half hour. You can test your lentils just as you would pasta: eat one and if it's still crunchy keep boiling. When your lentils are finally done drain them and set them aside.

Place your cooked potatoes in a bowl along with your milk and mash until smooth. Put these aside when thoroughly mashed as well.

In a small pot boil your carrots and onions in just enough water to cover them. Cook on a medium boil until your carrots are cooked the whole way through. Once your carrots are tender drain the water from the pot and pour in your tomatoes, spinach, soy sauce and finished lentils. Place your pot on medium-low heat and stir occasionally until the whole mixture is a uniform temperature.

In a deep casserole dish pour your lentil-veggie mixture. Top everything with a layer of sweet potatoes. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until the top of the potatoes browns.

Enjoy! 

I love shepherd's pie and this recipe offers a guilt-free version. It was a bit bland and I did have to add quite a bit of Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt to it but it was a crowd pleaser. 4 stars

This week I'll deviate from main dishes for a bit to share some of my favorite breakfast and snack recipes with you.