Crustless Broccoli and Cheese Quiche- Make Ahead and Healthy Breakfast!

So, this was the second make-ahead breakfast I tried last week! The first was Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal, which was totally delicious, and a big hit with everyone!! This one was just as tasty, but on the savory side of things rather than the sweet.....

Another great thing about this quiche is that it is low in calories, and since it has the protein from the eggs and egg whites, it is super filling!

Crustless Broccoli and Cheese Quiche

From: Cooking Light

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup vertically sliced onion (I just used 1 whole onion, I hate leftover onion in my fridge)
• 5 cups broccoli florets (I used 1 bag of frozen florets, thawed)
• 1 garlic clove, minced (I used 3 since I omitted the parsley, for extra flavor)
• 1 1/4 cup 1% milk
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese (I used sandwich slices of Swiss cheese, 4 of them, and just chopped them instead of shredding)
• 2 Tb chopped fresh parsley (I omitted this, I don't really like parsley too much)
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (I used cayenne instead)
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 4 large egg whites, beaten
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 Tb shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350, grease a small baking dish or an 8-9" pie plate.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and cook the onion and garlic for 1 1/2 minutes. Then add the broccoli and cook an additional minute. 

Spread broccoli mixture into prepared pan:

Next, you're going to mix together the rest of the ingredients except for the Parmesan cheese.

(This is the reduced-fat Swiss cheese I used, from Trader Joe's) (That place rocks)

Whisk everything together really well, then pour over the broccoli mixture:

Then sprinkle the Parmesan over the top:

Bake at 350 until top is golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Mine took 50 minutes, I like my eggs cooked well. Let is sit for 10 minutes or so before serving.

I REALLY liked this served with salsa and a tortilla. Or, plain. Or..... on a bagel. 

....ok, ok, I just LIKE this. 

I have always found that eating well, as in healthfully, is extremely difficult unless I prepare ahead of time. Making up several healthy items to eat when I need something quickly is essential to me. This recipe will definitely be one to keep on hand!

Enjoy!

Whole Foods Inspired Layered Salad with Orange Ginger Dressing

Ok, I have a confession to make...

I got really, really excited about this salad.

But I live in a house full of boys.

Boys that like to eat, but who do NOT get excited about new recipes. Boo.

So after making these salads, I drove to my friend Mel's house so that I could show someone else this salad! So dorky! But for me, part of the joy of doing something fun is sharing that with people I love! So, poor Mel was accosted by me and my salad....

I stand by my excitement though. This salad is fabulous, healthy, filling, and convenient!

See? The dressing is in the bag inside the jar! You just pour the dressing onto the salad when you're ready to eat it, shake, and eat the salad right out of the jar! Super cool!

Whole Foods Inspired Layered Salad with Orange Ginger Dressing

From Oh She Glows

• 1 cup uncooked wheatberries (makes 2 & 1/4 cup cooked)
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (makes 2.5 cups cooked)
• 1 cup edamame
• 1 cup diced carrots (about 2)
• 1.5 cups diced red pepper (1 large)
• 1.5 cups diced green pepper (1 large) (I used yellow because I think raw yellow is better than raw green)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (I used cilantro, I'm not a huge parsley fan)
• Herbamare or kosher salt, to taste (I used sea salt)

Rinse and cook the wheatberries and the quinoa according to package directions.

I bought shelled edamamae, then cooked those as well.

Then chop all the veggies, and set up your assembly line!

for the dressing (makes four 1/4 cup servings):

• 2/3 cup 100% pure orange juice (I used freshly squeezed)
• 1/3 cup 100% pure apple juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil (the original recipe didn't call for this, but I felt like it was needed to balance out the citrus)
• kosher salt, to taste (I used 1/4 tsp)

Your kitchen smells awesome when you're making this!!

I bagged the dressing in sandwich Ziplocs.

Layer the jars (I used wide mouthed quart jars so that there was room for the dressing, and to shake the salad) like this: 1/2 cup wheatberries, 1/4 cup yellow peppers, 1/4 cup red peppers, 1/2 cup quinoa, 1/4 cup carrots, 2 Tb Parsley (or cilantro), 1/4 cup edamame. I added the bag of dressing right on top!

Deliciously amazing!! I added a bit of chopped avocado to the top! It was SO yummy!!!

Happy eating!

Clementine Creamsicle Smoothie- AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!

Something really fun and exciting happened this weekend- some friends and I organized and ran a 50k race! Several of my running buddies are training to run the American River 50 mile race, and as part of the training, needed to run a 50k. We all finished, cheered each other on, and just had a great time!!

The day after an endurance event, I am monumentally hungry. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night after a long race or training session with my stomach growling. I usually give myself free license to eat junk, but I just didn't want to do that this time. So I knew I would have to eat several meals throughout the day. This smoothie is full of great ingredients, delicious, and seriously satisfying!! It was a perfect recovery smoothie!

Recipe from OhSheGlows

Here's what you need:

• 1 banana, peeled, sliced, and frozen
• 1/2 avocado, peeled, cut into chunks and frozen
• 3 clementine tangerines, (the recipe called for them to be frozen, but I didn't freeze them and it turned out fine, so it's up to you)
• 1 can of unsweetened coconut milk (not lite), chilled. From this, you'll need 2 Tb of the "cream" off the top, and 1/2 cup of the "water" from the bottom. It separates when you chill the can.
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tb unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1 date, chopped, optional
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

I always have bananas frozen, so I just placed half an avocado in a baggie and froze it the same way. Now I have a few bags of each in the freezer in case I'd like to make another of these smoothies!

See? The coconut milk separates and makes a yummy cream layer, and then a coconut water layer beneath!

This was one of the best and most satisfying smoothies I've ever had! I highly recommend it!

No- Bake Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites

Yeah, except don't make these. Because even though they are raw, and vegan, you will still think they are super good and eat a bunch. 

A whole bunch.

...I did.

I have been trying to make yummy snacks that are healthier than, you know, Coke and Red Vines. (Someone should really make a healthy, raw, vegan version of Coke and Red Vines. I would buy so much of that stuff.)

Christopher, Nicholas and I loved these! I'm not sure if Wade liked them, because we didn't save any for him. 

Here's what you need:

The recipe is in this link- I doubled the recipe

Put the ingredients into the food processor and blend away!!

Yum!

I rolled these into small dough balls and smooshed them once with the tines of a fork. I used wax paper so they didn't stick. The actual finished cookie dough bite was between a nickle and quarter in size.

These are SUPER great for the late afternoon when you want some junk food before dinner!! One or two really helps curb the sweet tooth cravings!!

I stored these (For all of a day and a half) in a Ziploc container with wax paper in between the layers.

So- if you have a favorite go-to healthy snack, what is it??

Quinoa and Black Beans (GREAT Make-Ahead Lunch Idea!)

Another use for Quinoa!!

I packaged mine up for lunches, but this would be an awesome side dish with Mexican food- it is tasty, healthy, and quick to make!

Here's what you need:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (there are two cans in the photo, I decided to only use one in the recipe)

Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan, and cook the onion and garlic until soft and lightly browned. Then add the (THOROUGHLY RINSED- or it will be bitter) quinoa and stir it up with the onion and garlic. Then add the chicken broth (if you'd like to make this vegetarian, you could use water or vegetable broth), cumin, cayenne, and salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 15 or 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.

Then add the corn and black beans and cook until the corn is heated through...

Then turn off the heat and add the cilantro. That's it!!

This is SO good!! I think it would be GREAT in a tortilla with some shredded chicken and cheese, or scooped up with tortilla chips..... or just by itself!!

Packaged up for lunches...

I got this recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/

DINNER TONIGHT:

~Quick and Spicy Tomato Soup (heated in the crockpot- made ahead on the last freezer day) (Here's a link to the post with the recipe: Tomato Soup)

~Watermelon and honeydew melon

~Amish White bread from baking day (Here's a link to the post with the recipe Amish White Bread)

Pumpkin Seed, Cashew, and Almond Butter Energy Bars

These energy bars are an adaptation from this recipe: Homemade Energy Bars. So you follow the directions from that post, using these dry ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups rice krispies
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup raw, whole cashews
• 1/2 cup roasted and salted green pumpkin seeds (also called Pepitas)
• 1/4 cup wheat germ

And these wet ingredients:

• 2/3 cup honey
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup almond butter (I used the one pictured below- it is my FAVORITE!)

I like to wrap them individually, so they are easy to grab for breakfast, lunch boxes, or a bike ride. So much cheaper than Clif Bars, and WAY tastier!!

Enjoy!!

Whole Wheat Sunflower Seed Quick Bread

This bread is crunchy, not-too-sweet, and really easy to make!! It goes well with almond butter and honey, peanut butter and honey, or (of course) Nutella! I think it would be great for sandwiches too!

Here's what you need!

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup honey

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I used regular milk with a Tb of vinegar)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds

First, spray two 8x4" loaf pans with Pam. OR, if you live in MY house, notice that someone (not me) used the last of the Pam and DID. NOT. WRITE. IT. ON. THE. LIST!

Who does that kind of thing???!!!! (At this point, if you're me, you yell at all possible suspects, then grease the pans with butter, just to make yourself feel better)

Whisk all the dry ingredients (Except the sunflower seeds, set those aside for a minute) in one bowl

And all the wet ingredients in another bowl:

Then combine. Mix just until combined. Don't over mix (It makes the bread tough) (Not the good kind of tough, like where people can do hard things without complaining. Which I love by the way. Not into whiners. Anyhow, over mixing batter makes bread the bad kind of tough. Break-your-teeth tough.)

Now fold  3/4 cup of the sunflower seeds into the batter

Then take the remaining seeds and sprinkle them onto the tops of the two loaves, pressing them in slightly. Then bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. Don't over bake, because then the bread will be dry. Which isn't quite as bad as tough, but still not great. Cool for a few minutes in the pans, then finish cooling on a wire rack.

I got this recipe from http://www.joythebaker.com/

So, how are you enjoying summer? I love the break from homeschooling, and I LOVE the longer days- it's so nice to have daylight after dinner!!  I have noticed that it is more difficult for me to be consistent about blogging, I don't have the strictly structured routine that I follow during the school year so I don't have a set time for writing! But I just try and get posts in when I can.

Have a great evening!!