Overnight Oats

I have seen recipes for Overnight Oats, but for one reason or another, I've not tried it... until earlier this week.  And it was really, really good!  The texture was great.  To make this, you basically stir all of the ingredients until combined, cover and let it sit overnight, or up to two days, according to my original recipe.  I didn't really care for it cold, so I microwaved it for 30 seconds.  Top with whatever you like and enjoy!

Overnight Oats
1/2 C. old-fashioned rolled oats (just regular oats, nothing fancy or expensive)
1/2 C. almond milk (or any kind of milk)
1 tsp. of honey, plus more for serving if desired
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

Optional Ideas:
maple syrup, raisins and walnuts
strawberries and almonds
bananas and peanut butter
granola
blueberries
spoonful of greek yogurt?
protein powder?
Could do lots of different things,
I bet.

Veggie Spaghetti Squash

My sister Kat was in town a couple of weeks ago for another Ironman event and she had sent me this recipe.  I bought the spaghetti squash with good intentions to use it that weekend, but alas, life happened and the spaghetti squash plans didn't.  I was cleaning out my pantry this morning and found the surviving spaghetti squash hiding in there, and decided to go all out and treat myself to a lunch that actually took a little bit of work.  I am glad that I did because it was delicious, I am still full, and I have had a ton of veggies!  Which is extra good because today is Halloween, and I am sure there will be some candy consumption tonight.  Total aside, but because I don't want to forget, my kids are being ANGELS right now- they cleaned out Christopher's closet (the room is a mess) but they brought every single pillow from the house in there and they are curled up together watching YouTube Minecraft videos.  LOL  Anyway, here's the recipe.

Veggie Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash, cooked and shredded
olive oil
garlic
onion
tomatoes, fresh preferred but sundried/jarred could work?
feta cheese
basil, fresh and chopped

Options- pick any or all, whatever you have and/or like:
spinach, fresh and chopped (if you have it)
broccoli, roasted or steamed
asparagus, roasted/steamed and chopped
olives, if you are so inclined... I am not

Saute the onion and garlic in some olive oil.  Add the tomatoes and give it a minute or two... then toss in the cooked (and warm) spaghetti squash.  Add whatever other veggies you want, then the feta and basil.  Toss to combine and serve!  Yum!

I only used about 1/4 of the cooked squash, and I eye balled the ingredients... but it worked really well and I am still very satisfied. :-) Enjoy!  And thank you, Kat!

Blackened Salmon

My friend Phuong from Pleasanton taught me how to cook salmon initially, and then she had posted some food picture that looked amazing (I'll see if I can find it for this post!) and so I begged her to share her secrets with me.  I tried it once and it was really good, but I think that like all things, practice makes perfect, so there is room for me to improve here.  Worth every minute though because salmon is so healthy and yummy and just full of things that are great for me and also the kids growing bodies.  Here we go!

Blackened Salmon
salmon filets (Costco's Kirkland frozen individually wrapped are a great start)
black pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
paprika
dill
olive oil spray

Mix up the spices so you have a rub, or you can just sprinkle it on as you go.

Thaw salmon and dry with paper towels.  Generously salt salmon and put in the fridge for an hour or more on top of paper towel.  When ready to cook, pat paper towels on salmon to dry more.  On each side, sprinkle spice mixture and spray with olive oil.

Heat pan (ridged grill pan is better) on high heat so the pan is super hot.  This allows the salmon to blacken.  Spray pan with olive oil.  Sear salmon on one side for about four minutes (until it's seared black) and then turn it over and sear for 3 minutes or so.  It should feel fairly firm and not have a lot of "squishy" give to it when it is ready.

Phuong says "the trick is to have the salmon dry by patting it dry, salting it so the water is drawn out, and giving it time in the fridge to dry it out- and of course, having the pan super hot."  Thank you, Phuong! :-)

Apple Orchard Panini

Here's another one my sister Kat turned me on to.  I don't usually have the ingredients for this on hand (at least not all of them) but it is a delicious, slightly sweet but still very satisfying lunch.  Fairly healthy, too- this is a perfect light, summer midday meal.

Ingredients: 
Italian bread or Ciabatta buns
Extra virgin olive oil
Apple butter
Roasted deli turkey
Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
Brie cheese, sliced

Directions: 

1. Preheat panini maker to medium-high. Brush one side of 2 slices of bread with extra virgin olive oil. Turn slices over then spread apple butter generously on both slices. Layer on turkey, apple slices, and brie cheese then place other side of bread on top. Place in panini maker (alternatively, cook the sandwich in a skillet on the stovetop) until golden brown and crispy. Allow to rest for 2 minutes then slice with a serrated knife.

Quinoa Fried Rice

Made this with my sister Kat and I think it is another one you could bulk up on, make a double batch and eat for the week.  Super easy and fast, and you can cook your quinoa in advance and then throw it all together.

Quinoa Fried Rice
1-2 T. oil whatever you prefer
cooked quinoa (maybe 2 C or more?)
frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, green beans, lima beans, whatever)
one packet of fried rice seasoning
2 T. soy sauce (to taste)
1-2 eggs
grilled chicken, optional

I cooked the quinoa in the rice cooker (cook the same way as rice) and added the cold quinoa to the wok with just a touch of oil. Stir it around, add the (microwaved and drained) veggies and seasoning.  Push to the side, scramble the eggs and then mix all together.

I thought it was excellent as is but some chicken would have made it even better.  Yummy and so healthy.

Quick Turkey Quinoa Taco Stew

My sister Kat made this last weekend for me.  It took about 30 minutes start to finish and was so good that after having two servings for dinner, I had it for breakfast the next day too.  Clocks in at about 270 calories per cup (before the cheese avalanche that I add) and SO satisfying.  My plan is to make this on Sunday's and dish it out for my Monday-Thursday lunches.  Here is the original link.

Quick Turkey Quinoa Taco Stew
small onion, diced
ground turkey (recipe says 8 oz but I think we used 16)
1 medium zucchini (might be able to do 2)
1 sweet bell pepper (red, yellow or orange, might be able to do 2)
1 package of taco seasoning*
1 can (15 oz) tomatoes with chiles (Rotel)
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained** (might be able to do 2 cans)
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth (or beef or veggie)
1 C. quinoa, rinsed
1 Tbsp. lime juice
shredded cheddar, optional (as if)

Cook the turkey with onion over medium heat.  Add zucchini, peppers and taco seasoning.  Stir to coat all the veggies with spices.  Add beans, diced tomatoes, broth and quinoa.  Turn up to high heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa soaks up most of the liquid.  Stir in lime juice and serve!

* Make your own taco seasoning with this link
** You can use any beans you like or have, black, pinto, garbanzo, etc.

Green Monster Smoothie

  


My sister Kat turned me on to the idea of sneaking spinach into my kids smoothies.  I used to always do it in blueberry-banana smoothies because the purple would mask the green.  Then she sent me a recipe for a drink called the "Green Monster" where the spinach is front and center.  The creative marketing name appealed to my son, and since he was game, of course his little sister was in.  Now Christopher is always trying to get Jason to try this, saying "you can't even taste the spinach!" ;-) Which is just about true.  These are yummy and healthy and a good way to get a lot of veggies in with minimal effort, and the kids fight over who gets to help make them.  I love seeing them so excited to eat spinach!

Green Monster Smoothie
1 frozen banana
1/2 C. vanilla greek yogurt
1 C. milk, roughly
1-2 Tbsp. peanut butter
2-4 C. fresh spinach
ice

Put bananas, yogurt, milk and peanut butter in the blender and mix it up until smooth.  Fill the rest of the blender with spinach (no joke, it is probably 2-4 cups really) and then blend it again.  You might have to help poke the spinach down but it will pulverize it pretty quickly.  I usually add some crushed ice at this point for texture, blend again until desired consistency, and serve!  This one drink I split three ways and it is a fair amount for each of us.  You can also freeze it to have the next day (takes about an hour to thaw) but it isn't as good as on Day 1.

I definitely recommend freezing the bananas ahead of time, preferably in bite size chunks.  Vanilla yogurt is FAR superior to plain, found that out the hard way.  A little honey will help if all you have is plain.  Regular (non-Greek) yogurt works too but I figure the extra protein helps.  The original recipe calls for Almond Milk and I've made it with that before, and its delicious, but we don't always have it so I just use regular milk now.  The peanut butter is really what gets you on the calories, but it is really good so I just go for it.

Crustless Spinach Quiches

I like these because you can prep them in advance and then eat them all week long.  You can add whatever veggies or meats you like to customize.

Crustless Spinach Quiches

1 1/2-ish C frozen spinach, drained* (heated, squeeze drained)

1 C. cheddar, shredded

6 eggs or Egg Beaters could work really well here

1 1/2 C. milk

salt and pepper to taste

Optional - serve with salsa or pico (this was EXCELLENT when I had some leftover Chipotle pico)

Spray a muffin tin (you might have to do two tins) with cooking spray (or use muffin cups, might be smart if you know you'll be reheating these later) and preheat oven to 375.  Whisk the eggs and milk in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and then ideally, transfer to a liquid measuring cup with a spout.  (This will make pouring it easier.)  In each muffin cup, add some spinach and sprinkle with cheddar cheese over the top.  The muffin cups should be almost full of veggies and cheese.  

Pour in eggs, being careful to not go more than 3/4-ish full.  Put them in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and a knife comes out clean.  Give them a few minutes to finish after you pull them out of the oven and then serve or store until later in the week.

These are super versatile- you can add any meats (crumbled bacon or sausage, even veggie sausage?) or veggies (I'm thinking sauteed onions and garlic, red or green peppers, asparagus, broccoli) or cheeses (feta? parmesan? swiss?) you like!  

I did read online that some people freeze their quiches.  Not sure if this would work for me or not since I have egg texture issues but it is an idea.  

When Kat and I made this, it made 18 quiche muffins, but mine had a lot of veggies (spinach and broccoli) so it added up to one egg in every three muffins.  Maybe an ounce of cheese over the three, so by my math it is about 180ish calories for three of them.  Would be less if we used egg beaters or less cheese. 

* I think it is important to get ALL of the moisture out of the frozen spinach, so I recommend heating it up in the microwave, then dumping the spinach into a cloth kitchen towel and squeezing it as hard as you can over the sink, a few different times, almost like you're wringing it out.  It will get even smaller and more compact than before!  That's OK!  It wont let off any moisture when it cooks this way.  Soggy eggs (or anything, really) is bad news for me, so I prefer it as moisture free as possible.  

Panini's

So the kids and I visited Grandma and Aunt Kat in early June, and Grandma had a panini press that I fell in  love with.  Christopher and I must've eaten ten panini's in the seven days we were there.  I always used to make fun of people who had panini presses- it seems like such a waste of counter space, and the appliances that only do one thing seem so frivolous.  Now, I see how useful they are.  Here's why: They heat up super quick- you can go from hungry and wondering what to make to full in under fifteen minutes.  They are easy to clean up- wipe down and call it good.  They make the nice grill marks- you eat with your eyes first, right?  Here's what I do.

Fresh and crusty bread- the good stuff.  Sourdough or the Pugliese (supposed to be a cross between sourdough and french) work nice
Olive Oil (or any) cooking spray (you can use olive oil if you like, but I save the calories and go for the spray)
Turkey, or that Buffalo Chicken, sliced
Salami if you have it (adds a nice flavor)
Cheddar Cheese, or Provolone, or Swiss, or all

Preheat the panini press and then hit it with the cooking spray.  Build your sandwich while it is preheating.  Cook your sandwich while you are putting away all of your toppings and cleaning off your counter, or whatever ADD thing you have to do in the kitchen while you wait. (Maybe that's just me?)  Check your sandwich after 3-6 minutes, until it is as brown as you like.  Slice in half and enjoy!

PS I am looking for more ideas of things to make- but my dear friend Mandi said she made a Peanut Butter Banana Panini.  I am impressed!  I know you can also make a mean grilled cheese this way.

PS Again - Look how happy this panini was for my boy in LA!  Any food that lends itself to faces is a sure hit in my book.

Pita Bread Pizzas

So my friend Nicole gave me the idea for this one, and she claims that she "doesn't cook," so they are super easy and yet surprisingly satisfying.  They take about fifteen minutes from inspiration to dining, and Christopher ate a whole pizza himself one time- so they are definitely kid-friendly.  I usually follow the recipe below for my own, and then for Christopher I use pizza sauce and mozzarella.  I have never actually decorated mine as cute as the picture above, but I couldn't resist- that is so adorable!  I do usually cut up some salami for his pizzas, as sort of a convenient pepperoni.

2 rounds of pita bread, I usually go for whole wheat but any of it works
1 medium tomato, cubed and seeded (try to get most of the juice off of it)
drizzle of olive oil
oregano or dried basil
salt and pepper, to taste
mozzarella
optional - fresh basil (yum!) or any toppings you like

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut up tomato, add olive oil, basil and S&P.  Sprinkle tomato topping over the pita's and then place in oven (with no cheese) for about 8 minutes.  Pull them out at 8 minutes, add the cheese, and then throw it back in the oven for another 2-5 minutes.  Slice and enjoy!

PS You can also make easy pizza's out of english muffins, bagels, even toast if you are in a pinch!

PS Again - here is a picture of what they might usually look like.