Healthy Meals – Mexican Scrambled Egg Wrap

This was my favorite healthy recipe yet! Works great for breakfast or lunch (or breakfast for dinner, which is always awesome).

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 cup baby spinach
• whole wheat tortilla
• 1/4 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1/4 cup salsa (I had pineapple salsa on hand and it was very tasty!)

 

Directions:

Scramble eggs with the olive oil on stove. Add baby spinach and sauté until wilted (it won’t take long). Place egg-spinach mixture on the tortilla along with cheese and salsa. Roll up and enjoy! This will be my go-to breakfast on days when I have a few minutes to cook on the stove in the mornings. It was so tasty that I did not get a picture, I’ll have to take one next time!

Healthy Meals – Pumpkin Yogurt Parfait

Another great and easy breakfast item that can be prepared ahead of time! I have not tried this yet so I will edit the post later this week after I try it. I’m looking forward to it, and it probably has a lot less sugar than typical fruit or flavored yogurt from the store.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tsp. maple syrup
• 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt (I used Chobani plain Greek yogurt – this may give it less of a sweet taste since it’s Greek yogurt, not regular)
• 2 tablespoons granola
• 1 tablespoon raisins
• 2 tsp. chopped cashews (I used whole cashews and a crab mallet to crush them in a baggie)

Directions:

Stir the yogurt and pumpkin puree together, then add pumpkin pie spice and maple syrup. Put half the yogurt mixture in a glass and layer the granola, raisins, and cashews on top. Next, add rest of yogurt and top with crunchy granola mix. Enjoy! *If making ahead of time, do not add granola mixture until the morning you plan to eat it.*

 

Healthy Meals – Crab Salad Sandwich

If you like seafood but aren’t a fan of tuna fish salad sandwiches (like Kris), you may enjoy this crab salad sandwich instead! It was very easy to prepare ahead of time and even kept well in the refrigerator for a day. This recipe makes enough for about 1 to 1 1/2 servings, but it can be increased. Let me know if you try it!

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. crab meat, drained (I bought a 16 oz. can and just tripled the original recipe since 16 is close to 18)
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup shredded carrot
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 1 tablespoon chopped red onion

 

Combine all ingredients and top whole wheat bread or an open-top hot dog bun with the crab salad. The recipe that I used suggested a side dish of white beans. It was good, but I would wait to add the liquid ingredients until right before you’re ready to eat the beans. It did not keep well for multiple days because the beans got too soaked in the liquid. For the white bean recipe, combine 1/2 cup rinsed and drained canned white beans with 1 tablespoon chopped red onion, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.

Healthy Meals – Overnight Oatmeal

This is a great healthy breakfast recipe! The best part is that you make it the night before and it’s ready for you in the morning! Now I warmed mine for a minute in the microwave just because I didn’t want it to be cold, but it’s not required.

 

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup nonfat milk (I used 2% since I already had it; I also used slightly less than 1 cup)
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• toppings – sliced apples and walnuts are suggested, but you could top it with any fruit or topping of your choice!

Directions:

Pour milk over rolled oats, stir in cinnamon. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning add your toppings. The picture below shows the apples and walnut topping. It was very delicious!

Healthy Meals – Egg Salad Pita

I am on a health kick lately and want to share some delicious recipes online for all of my readers to try! Maybe I will fit in a few lessons about education, too… falling a little behind in that. Only 12 school days left!

 

Egg Salad Pita

This recipe makes an awesome lunch! Serves 1.

Ingredients:

• whole wheat pita (I used some Greek flatbread instead)
• 1 1/2 hard boiled eggs (make 3 and then you can have 2 meals/servings from it)
• 1/3 cup chopped tomato
• 1/2 cup baby spinach (I chopped mine but it’s your choice)
• 3 slices of cucumber, chopped
• 1/4 cup hummus (I used white bean flavored hummus, but any will work)
• paprika

 

Use a fork to slice and combine hard boiled egg with hummus. Sprinkle mixture with paprika. (This is a great recipe that omits mayonnaise if you don’t like mayo.) Scoop this into pita with the veggies! Enjoy!

*I guess it was so yummy I didn’t take pictures of the finished product, but here it is being packaged for my lunch box!

2016 Summer Recipe #7: Chicken Pot Pie in a Muffin Tin!

Tonight was one of those nights when I actually had all of the required ingredients on hand for a recipe! That’s why I love easy recipes from Pillsbury, or other big commercial brands like Kraft or Campbell’s. Tonight’s dinner came straight from the back of the biscuit can! You only need 4 ingredients and a muffin tin to bake them in. No specialty spices or hard to assemble steps. These mini chicken pot pies tasted so good tonight! They helped me finish the summer of recipes on a high note.
Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I used a bag of frozen steamable veggies – just let them thaw, don’t cook them)
• cooked chicken, shredded (I used about 1 1/2 chicken breasts and boiled  them beforehand)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can of flaky refrigerated biscuits, uncooked (8-count)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease the muffin tins.
2. Place one biscuit in each tin. Since they will expand and may overflow, I left an empty cup between each biscuit and I ended up using 2 muffin tins. Push the biscuit down and try to pull up the sides, creating a little “nest” for your filling.
3. Mixed cooked chicken, vegetables, and soup in a bowl. Gently scoop mixture into each biscuit (this part was messy). The directions said to pull up the sides of the biscuit and pinch them at the top, but I did not have enough room. 
4. Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from tin and enjoy! I was surprised that my pot pies did not stick to the inside of the tin, but I used a very well coated nonstick pan so that must have helped.

   
 

2016 Summer Recipe #6 Corn & Sausage Chowder

The summer is winding down and we are getting dangerously close to school starting again! For recipe #6 this summer, I decided to blog about a recipe I made a few months ago that I never got around to sharing! I remember having some corn and potatoes in my fridge and freezer, and wondering what I could do with them. A soup, or in this case chowder, was perfect, so I consulted Pinterest and found this recipe from the blogger Recipe Boy. 
Ingredients:

• 1 lb. smoked sausage, halved and sliced (I just get Hillshire Farms or similar brand)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cups water
• 3 cups diced potato (I may have used Yukon gold but at this point I honestly have forgotten!)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (I always opt for dried, check the amount as it will require less)
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil (ditto above, or omit)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• One can whole kernel corn
• One can creamed corn
• One can 2% evaporated milk

Directions:

1. Brown the sausage and onion in a large soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add water, potatoes, spices, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 min approximately.
3. Add corn and milk, and heat for another 5 min or so. Enjoy!

  

 
 

2016 Summer Recipe #5 Strawberry Shortcake

The “short” in shortcake really rings true in this recipe! Wow, I had no idea shortcake was so quick and easy to make! This is going to be my go-to recipe for summer parties from now on. Quick, easy, and only a few ingredients. Read on to make your own shortcake, and enjoy the photos at the bottom! Thanks to Amanda C. for the recipe, which originally came from Food Network.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. strawberries, stemmed and quartered
• 3 tablespoons sugar (original recipe said 5 Tb. but then only used 3 for the first step; it seemed confusing to me so I went with 3)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• Whipped cream *Food Network included a recipe for homemade, but I just used Ready whip this time.*

Directions

1. Mix strawberries with 3 tablespoons sugar and refrigerate while juices develop, 30 min or more. 
2. Preheat oven to 400 F. 
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a medium sized bowl. *I wish I had something to use to sift with!! Oh well.*
4. Add heavy cream and mix until just combined. At this point, my mixture was really bumpy and barely stayed together. If yours is the same, it’s okay! Mine turned out fine after baking. Place mixture in ungreased (very important!) 8×8 non-stick pan and bake for 18-20 minutes.
5. Remove after baking and place shortcake on a cooling rack. It was extremely easy to cut into slices after it cools for a bit. Serve with strawberries and whipped cream.

   
   

2016 Summer Recipe #4: Banana Cake

Do you have an overly ripe banana in your kitchen right now? I bet the answer is yes! Here is an amazing recipe in which you can use those older bananas. They are the best kind for making banana bread and similar recipes. This recipe is a banana cake, a twist on banana bread, with cream cheese icing. It is so moist and delicious, you will make it again and again. I got so many compliments on it when I baked it a few weeks ago! This recipe came from Craving Comfort’s blog.

  

 Ingredients:

For cake:

• 1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe (I used one whole banana)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups butter milk

For frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

This frosting recipe made a lot of extra frosting for me, so I may pare it down a bit next time.

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 F. (Seemed like a low temperature to me, but this totally works!)
2. Grease and flour a pan for your cake. I chose a bundt cake and it turned out beautifully.
3. In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with lemon juice.
4. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla.
6. Next, add the flour mixture (from step 4) to the large bowl and beat ingredients, but be sure to alternate it with the buttermilk.
7. Add banana mixture (from step 3) to the large bowl, stirring it (not beating).
8. Pour batter into your prepared pan and bake at 275 F until a toothpick comes out clean. This could take around an hour; for the bundt cake I made I set it for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. *Trust me, this really works! Makes the cake super moist.*
10. While the cake is in the freezer – by the way, try to use a freezer with as little food in it as possible, as putting something warm into a freezer can affect the other foods in it – make the frosting. Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
11. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth.
12. Spread on cooled cake and enjoy!

  
I love using the iPad holder for reading recipes as I am cooking!

2016 Summer Recipe #3: Mini Egg Omelets

I adapted this recipe from a post I saw on Facebook. I will include the original recipe if you’d like to follow it. I decided not to use egg whites because I was using the entire egg. Egg whites would make it healthier though, so please adapt it to your liking! If you end up making these, please post a pic in the comments. These mini egg omelets are great for reheating in the microwave on a busy morning, for a quick hot breakfast when you’re rushing around. I plan to make a batch a couple times a month on the weekends to keep in the fridge for our busy mornings once school starts!

 

Ingredients:

• 9 eggs
• Sriracha hot sauce (amount is up to you, or omit it completely)
• shredded cheese (your choice)
• variety of mix-ins: choices could be baby spinach, chopped onion, red pepper, chopped jalapeño, chopped ham or bacon, chopped mushrooms, etc. For this batch, I decided to use what I had on hand – frozen sausage, an onion, and a red pepper.

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Choose your ingredients and chop/prepare. For me, this meant having the sausage thawed from the freezer, and then I cooked it in a pan and chopped it once it was cool. I also diced the onion and the red pepper had been chopped the day before.
3. Spray a muffin tin and then add chopped ingredients to each cup in the tin.
4. Gently beat 9 eggs and hot sauce in a bowl, then pour into each cup.
5. Bake for 30 minutes.
6. Immediately remove each mini egg omelet (I use a tiny spatula which is awesome) and let it cool on a cooling rack. Once they are cool, you can store them in the fridge sealed in a ziploc bag. To reheat later, just microwave for 1 minute.

What I found online from a friend.

“Before” pic.

“After” pic.