Banana Nut Breakfast Cookies

What if I said that you could have cookies for breakfast? Delicious cookies. For breakfast. Can you contain your excitement? I can't. What if I told you that these cookies are also healthy? Hallelujah, it's like every childhood dream that followed us into adulthood has come true.

I saw this recipe in my May issue of Fitness Magazine. After seening the words "breakfast" and "cookies", somehow the the oven was magically turned on and set at 350. They're full of fiber, iron and yumminess. A perfect start to any day. Here's the recipe:

I slightly tweaked the recipe and used two banana vs. one (more bananas = more fun) and Stevia over honey--- sadly, honey wasn't home. These cookies are  >150 calories a piece according to the recipe but will be more or less depending on how big or small you want them.

Step 1.

Ground 1 cup of ground oats in a food processor.

Ground walnuts and flax seed.

Step 2.

Mix all of the ingredients together and mash the bananas (isn't this a line from a kid's song? mash bananas, mash mash bananas, go bananas, go go bananas--- any one?)

Step 3.

Place on a well butter sprayed cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Step 4.

Let cool and eat! You have permission to enjoy these outside of breakfast.

       

Happy Easter-- French Toast Casserole Recipe!

Happy Easter! This is the first time in 3 years that I've been home for the entire Easter break, and it has never felt so good to lounge in my yoga pants. The weather has been absolutely beautiful but given me a bad case of summer fever. I'm counting the days!

I enjoyed the day with my family in which we were blessed with love and grub. We usually cook a dinner feast but this year we chose to dabble in the traditional Easter brunch. Needless to say, I was game. We called up our good friend, Betty Crocker, and borrowed some of her award-winning recipes (what a lady). We tackled a french toast casserole and an garden egg bake (<-- click to check them out). The french toast was a holiday treat and the egg bake was healthy and delicious!

 French Toast Casserole

Garden Egg Bake

Though I'm 22, I am never too old for an Easter basket. Since I was little, every Easter morning my parents would hide my basket somewhere in the house: the bathtub, behind the couch and I think it was once in the oven. To keep the tradition alive, I ran around the house like a giddy child to find my surprise... I must say it took me a while to find it (touche, parents). As I've grown, the contents have changed. Chocolate bunnies have turned to Green & Black chocolate bars, malt balls to Stacy's pita chips, glittery head bands to K-cups and sticker books to a jar of pickles (yes, pickles). The Easter egg hunts are over and coloring eggs has become an activity of the past but I will always look forward to my Easter basket. I am lucky to have such wonderful parents and will pass on the same tradition until my children have children. Happy Easter everyone!

Super Simple Overnight Oatmeal Recipe

Just last week I made a delicious discovery. My boyfriend and I were wandering in downtown DC where we stumbled into The Corner Bakery. Apparently it's a chain and I had no idea! Shame on me because it was fantastic. To paint a picture of this restaurant to those who are not familar with it.. I'll say this: if Starbucks and Panera Bread had a love child, The Corner Bakery would be it. Does that clear things up?

Anyways, I ordered chilled oatmeal. CHILLED!? Who chills oatmeal? Wouldn't that insult the Quaker Man?... but you know what? These cold oats (mixed with yogurt, bananas, cranberries, apples and other yum yums) WAS AMAZING. I can easily say it was in the Top 5 of my favorite breakfasts. How could I've been so naive? I'm embaraased to say the least.

CEREAL FACT ALERT:

According to Quaker, the "Quaker Man" was the first registered trademark for a breakfast cereal... in 1877!

As homange to the Quaker Man, I've created my own cold oats recipe. You only need 3 main ingredients which makes it so easy that a caveman could do it!

Ander's Super Simple Overnight Oatmeal

  what you'll need:

1/2 c rolled oats

1/2 c greek or plain yogurt (I use flavored yogurt to give the oats some zip!)

1/2 c almond milk or any other milk

(if you want to make a larger batch, just make sure the measurements are about equal; ie. if 1 cup oats then 1 cup of milk and yogurt... just eye ball it )

Add-ins:

walnuts (check)

apples   (double check)

bananas

cranberries

    what to do:

mix all the ingredients together well, cover, then place in the refridgerator overnight! Follow the pictures for a step-by-step:

REFRIDGERATE for 12 hours AND....

BAM. Welcome to Heaven in your mouth. Enjoy!

Breakfast Quesadillas!

Why is it Lenten Fridays that I crave meat the most? It's like when you're 7 and your parents tell you not to do something and it only ignites your passion to be naughty. Well, thank god I love seafood and tofu or it would make these Fridays pretty rough; but recently, I have been dying for a tuna melt.... but I can't have cheese AHHHHH! What is a lactose-intolerant person to do? Well I have opened my mind and mouth to Veggie Slices. Everyone please hold your "ews" and "icks", these little soy-based cheese impersonators aren't too bad. Dare I say it even tastes like the real thing? You be the judge.

Lets talk breakfast. Now that I have a new cheesy friend, my food opened have broadened exponentially. I feel limitless, powerful even. What have I been denied that I can now tackle with Mr. Veggie Slices? 

Quesadillas!

I woke up early and in my mist of tired zombieness, I decided to whip up some breakfast quesadillas!en  Since steak and chicken would be a Lenten Friday no-no, I used egg whites. All I did was brown a whole wheat tortilla in a pan and threw in the egg whites that I cooked on the side. Finally I added my "cheese" and boom. Breakfast is served. Crunchy, cheesy goodness!

Healthy Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Merry Christmas! I'm so happy to be on break from school aka I have time to blog! I also have time to bake again which I always try so hard to do at school, but graduate school had increased my liking for frozen meals and anything microwaveable. So even more reason to indulge myself in yummy home cooked holiday meals. 

I have a small family, but we cook like we're the Duggars. My mom and aunt are constantly wanting to make and buy more food. We should change Merry Christmas to Merry Eating Olympics. I'm always hearing "ah but don't you think we should make another pie" (no, we already have 5) and "do you think we'll have enough food (there's only 7 of us, mom, and we have enough food to feed a small country)." We eat well to put it simply. I try to keep up with my exercise so my body doesn't go into a temporary food coma, but sometimes it is inevitable.

Anyways, this year I have taken it upon myself to help with the cooking. So, after careful consideration from Chef Aunt Ree Ree (her name is Laurie, but I could never say it as a child so she has been dubbed "Ree Ree") I have been graciously assigned.... dip (and also the breakfast basket which I'll elaborate in my next post!) I will make the greatest dip of all man kind. 

I have been dying to make this chocolate-chip cookie dough dip which is made from chickpeas. It's simple and healthy and I'm all excited to lick the spoon.

     What you'll need:

• A 15-ounce can of chickpeas

• 1/8 tsp. salt

• A pinch of baking soda

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup peanut butter (or nut butter)

• 1/4 cup milk (or soy milk)

• 2/3 cup brown sugar (or Stevia.... I actually didn't use either because the dip was sweet enough)

• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.... I used Minis, they are the perfect size for this recipe!

     What to do:

1. Combine all ingredients (except for the chocolate chips) in a food processor or blender. Process until the mixture is smooth and reaches a texture that is similar to cookie dough. 

2. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

3. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. This dip goes great with graham crackers or fruit!

Cider-Cinnamon Brussels Sprouts Recipe

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I was able to share it with my loving family and boyfriend. It was a beautiful day and, as always, we had enough leftovers to feed Occupy Wall Street. 

This year, I upgraded from sous-chef to executive chef in the kitchen. I made some mean mashed sweet potatoes and I stuffed my first turkey. It was magical. But, the one dish I'm most proud of is my cider-cinnamon brussels sprouts. These aren't the mushy brussels sprouts that haunt your childhood memories. No, these little guys are the A-team of sprouts and pack a flavorful punch. 

I've never had brussels sprouts until today. Raw, they taste like broccoli. Cider-Cinnamon-y, they taste like a choir of angels singing Hallelujah in my mouth.

I just got an iPhone, so I will be illustrating my post with step-by-step pictures instead of words. I'm too stuffed to type about food and the pictures are clear as crystal and bootyful. Below is a snapshot of the recipe. Enjoy!

Happy BLACK Friday!

Sunny Side-Up Pizza for a Rainy Day

Rain, rain, go away. Come again...neverrrr. Ugh. There's puddles outside my front door the size of kiddie pools, and I somehow always park my car right next to them. My optimistic side is thanking the Heavens that it's not snow, but I'm never a fan of grey skies and roads adorned with slimy worms that never made it to the other side. Lets have a moment of silence for the worms....... okay, that was nice.

Well, on a positive note... I'm feeling creative and I'm starving. I am a subscriber to Whole Living magazine and it's pretty fantastic. It's filled with dozen of scrumptious recipes and health living tips, hence right up my ally.

In the last issue, it featured a ton of pizza recipe ideas. I adore pizza, but being lactose intolerant has stripped the best part: cheese. Sigh. So I never really bother making it unless I can get my family to indulge in my "special" cheese (I give them credit, they're good sports). But anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that I'm in pizza denial...until I was inspired by the picture below.

Do not adjust your monitors.. what looks like cheese is really a few fried eggs. I have been on an egg kick for the past couple weeks, so this has been God-sent. People put eggs on toast, steak, and even hamburgers so why not pizza. This is breakfast pizza with an edge, and since I'm making it for lunch we'll call it lunch pizza. Sunny side up lunch pizza for a cold and rainy day. I like it.

I'm making a few modifications since this foodie epiphany just daunted upon me, and I'm too hungry to make a run to the grocery store.

What you'll need:

A large whole wheat tortilla

2 eggs

Spinach

Tomato sauce

Olive oil

Oregano/spices

I preheated the oven at 400 degrees. I drizzled my tortilla with olive oil so it crisps in the oven, and don't forget to cook it on aluminum foil to avoid sticking. Spray the aluminum with non-stick spray, too!

Crack the 2 eggs on top of the spinach. Try to avoid breaking the yolks and letting them slide off the pizza; they're slippery little guys. Throw the pizza in the oven and watch carefully. It should be ready in about 20 minutes or less.

Drum roll please.....

This brightened my day...well at least my stomach since it just started snowing outside. The pizza was so delicious! I definately recommend trying this recipe and experienmenting with different toppings. The eggs add a nice touch with huge flavor!

Enjoy! and go away snow!

The Great Pumpkin Gnocchi Recipe

Random Thought: 

What if ...we ate through our bellybuttons. I have been pondering this all day.

In other news, it's my parents' 24th anniversary. Yay!, I am so honored to be a a product of their love. Congrats Mom and Dad! In celebration and as a "thank-you" for life, I am making them dinner: pumpkin gnocchi. Gnocchi is a funny word, it sounds like it's spelled Y-o-n-k-y. Thank god, it was never given to me during a spelling bee.


Pumpkin is so underrated and the poor thing is only really utilized during Halloween and Thanksgiving, when in reality it's deserved year-round recognition. Team Pumpkin! It's my first-time attempting to make this veggie pasta, but the recipe looks easy enough so lets go!

What you'll need:

• 1 (15 oz.) Can Pumpkin 
• Nutmeg & All-spice (to taste)
• Cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon or to taste)
• 2 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Whole Wheat Flour
• Minced Garlic
• Salt and Pepper 
• Sauce of choice

Directions:

1.) Mix flour, canned pumpkin and seasonings together to form a pumpkin-y dough.  You may need to keep adding flour until it becomes a doughy consistency.

                                         

2.) You may need to add additional flour if the dough is sticky or falls apart; keep adding small amounts until it's no longer a sticky mess. FYI... taking pictures + rolling dough = a phone covered in flour

3.) Create a lightly floured surface, and divide dough into 6 parts. Pretend you work as an Auntie Annies' pretzel maker and roll each piece into a rope about 1 inch in diameter. This recipe made me realized that Annie would have fired me.

4.) Begin boiling a pot of water...add salt to the water, too!

5.) Take the first rope and cut into 1 inch pieces, roll each in the floured surface so it has a light, floured layer. When cutting, I found that small pieces worked best but do you. Place each rolled "gnocchi" on a floured baking sheet. 

6.) Repeat until all of the ropes have been cut and rolled into lovely gnocchi shapes.

7.) Once the water is boiled, add salt and drop in the gnocchi a handful at a time. Gnocchi are finished when they float to the top (like little buoys). Retrieve each veggie noodle with a slotted spoon as they come afloat.

8.) Gently rinse the gnocchi off with warm water, then plate and top off with hot, tomato sauce!

I was pleasantly surprised that the pumpkin gnocchi had the same consistency as regular, pasta gnocchi; so good! Another success were the green beans (above) which were mixed and marinated in pesto sauce.

 Bon Appetite!