Category Archives: recipe

breakfast, recipe

Epic Breakfast Sandwich in 5 minutes

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I eat this amazing breakfast sandwich at least 5 days a week. It’s unbelievably satisfying for a open faced sammy! Once you get the hang of making it, you’ll be able to enjoy it with only 5 minutes of prep time.

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Ingredients:
2-3 egg whites (or 1/4-1/3 cup liquid egg whites)
2 oz (1 slice) deli turkey
1 slice pepper jack cheese
1 slice whole wheat bread
Sriracha sauce
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Start by placing bread in a toaster oven and heating a nonstick frying pan over medium high heat with a light mist of cooking spray.

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2. As the pan gets hot, add the egg whites to it.

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3. Immediately place a slice of cheese on the bread in the toaster oven.

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4. Fold the egg whites into an omelet shape using a spatula and add turkey to the pan.

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5. Flip the eggs and turn off the heat. Cut the egg omelet in half with the spatula to fit it on your sandwich. Remove bread and cheese from the toaster oven.

6. Layer Sriracha, eggs, and turkey on your sandwich and enjoy with a side of fresh fruit!

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This sandwich is perfectly spicy, melty, eggy, cheesy, and toasty. I’d eat it breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I could!

protein shakes, recipe

Post Workout Protein Coffee

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After a failed attempt, I worked out the kinks in this simple recipe for post-workout protein coffee! It’s perfect for mornings when you wake up really early for a tough workout and come home exhausted, cold, and lacking appetite. Colby and I are finally starting to go to the gym together! I’ve been waiting for him to be my workout partner since he started law school. Unfortunately, the only Crossfit class we can make it to together is at 6am…. Ugh. By the time it’s over, I’m ready to crawl back into bed and have no desire to eat a recovery meal. And it’s cold out so I don’t want a cold protein shake. This coffee really hits the spot when you need a jolt of caffeine and some liquid protein for recovery on a cold day!

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Start by whisking 1 scoop of chocolate or vanilla whey protein isolate with 1/4 cup of milk. I like Dymatize Elite because it dissolves quickly. Be sure to do this first! If you add protein to hot coffee, you’ll end up with a chunky cup of brew.

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Add hot coffee to the milk mixture slowly. If you’re hand pouring, stir the liquid in the cup as you add the coffee.

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Add sweetener of choice, if desired, and serve! Now you’re ready to take on the day like a champ!

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breakfast, protein, recipe, treats

Barley Protein Pudding

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Do you love rice pudding? If you do, you’ll enjoy this healthy twist on the classic dessert! Barley is chewy and packed with protein and fiber. Coupled with the creaminess of milk and nutmeg, this pudding is a winner!

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ingredients:
1 cup dry barley
2.5 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups lowfat milk (or soy milk)
1 scoop vanilla whey isolate
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp brown sugar
Stevia to taste

1. Bring water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the barley and reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for about 30 minutes. (You can do this step in a rice cooker)

2. Add milk and all remaining ingredients to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Stir frequently for about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

3. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve! Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition per serving:

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Enjoy this pudding as a hearty breakfast cereal or comforting dessert.

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recipe

5 Ways to Boost Energy

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I’ve been SO tired all the time lately! I don’t know if it’s this new work schedule (10:30am-7pm) or hitting snooze on my alarm every 15 minutes for an hour every morning, but something needs to change! If you need more energy too, join me in trying these 5 tricks to feel more energized:

1. Instead of hitting snooze on the alarm, use an app that analyzes your sleep cycles to wake you up at the perfect moment. Sleep Cycle is an awesome free app for this. You plug your phone in, pick a 30 minute window for wake up time the next day, and place the phone under your pillow.

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2. Wake up to natural daylight. Colby might not be a big fan of this one, but letting light in when you wake up helps your body get energized for the day. If it’s still dark when you are getting up, use CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs in your house. Not only are they more energy efficient, they also mimic daylight.

3. Do some light to moderate exercise in the morning. Early morning physical activity will get your blood flowing! Try something easy, like a 10 minute walk, to get some fresh air. A workout that’s too intense could fatigue you for the whole day!

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4. Get caffeinated, but not too much. Coffee has many health benefits, and it will perk you up, but the more you drink, the more you’ll need to feel awake. Listen to this awesome podcast about the health benefits and risks of coffee drinking. (I recently joined my friends on BetaSandwich.com to bring you fun and informative science news, check it out!)

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5. Get on a regular sleep schedule! Go to bed and wake up at the same time each night, even on weekends. A full sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes, so aim to wake up at the end of a 90 minute period. For example, it may be better to sleep 7.5 or 9 hours instead of 8. Remember to power down your electronics at least 30 minutes before bedtime and eat your last meal/ snack at least and hour before bed.

I’m sure I could go on and on about ideas to feel more rested during the day, but these 5 should be a good start. Can you commit to them? What’s your trick for feeling energized during the day?

recipe

Balanced meals for the super busy

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If you’re going to eat the same thing every day, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Pick foods you love!

2. Stick with meals that are easy to prepare.

3. Make a bulk batch of food at the beginning of the week to avoid cooking every night.

4. Shop in bulk. For these meals I bought the following at Costco:
-green apples
-Coach’s oats
-ground flax seed
-whole grain bread
-sliced turkey
-pepper jack cheese
-ground turkey
-greek yogurt
-marinara sauce
-ground turkey
-frozen blueberries
-egg whites

Eating the same thing for the past 3 weeks hasn’t been too bad. I’m not sick of the routine yet:

Breakfast has consisted of egg whites, pepper jack cheese, turkey, and sriracha on whole wheat toast. I could probably eat this every day for the rest of my life.

I’ve been packing the same thing for lunch every day, too:
-Oatmeal with a scoop of protein powder, ground flax, and bit of brown sugar
-Green apple
-Plain Greek yogurt with frozen blueberries and stevia
I keep the oatmeal, protein powder, flax, and brown sugar in my office for days when I didn’t pack leftovers for lunch.

Dinner every night has been turkey meatballs with bell pepper, spinach, and La Victoria marinara sauce. This is the only thing I’ve actually been “cooking” each week. A 1 lb package of ground turkey makes enough meatballs to last a whole week.

I was excited to see that the macronutrient breakdown of these meals has been almost exactly 1-1-1 protein-carbs-fat. It’s nice to know that my diet can be balanced even when I don’t feel like cooking!

I think it’s time for a change, though!

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recipe, treats

Simple Apple Galette

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My sister is stopping by for dinner after work today! Instead of cooking dinner, though, I baked a tasty apple galette. You should make this too! It’s a very simple and delicious dessert- flaky, buttery, lightly sweet, and tart!

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ingredients:
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
1 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 packet of stevia
6 tbs softened unsalted butter + 1 more tbs
3 tbs cold water
2 tbs raw sugar

1. In a stand mixer, combine 2 tbs butter with flour, stevia, and salt. Blend until crumbly. Add remaining butter and continue to blend until the dough looks like this:

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2. Add the water in gradually. Mix the dough with a spoon or spatula to pick up the dry bits of flour in the bowl. Once all the water is mixed in, the dough should look like this:

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3. Use your hands to form a ball out of the dough. Flatten it into a thick disc and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

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4. While the dough is chilling, chop the apples in half and cut them into thin slices.
5. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8″ thick and 14″ diameter.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased baking sheet. Place apple slices in the middle, leaving 2″ all around the edge. Fold the edges of the dough in over the apples, pinching the dough every inch or so.
7. Brush the dough and apples with 1 tbs melted butter using a pastry brush. Sprinkle the buttered surface with 2 tbs sugar.
8. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes. The galette is done when the edges are golden and crisp. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

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snacks

7 Crunchy Gluten-free Snacks

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Sorry for being MIA over the past few weeks! Colby and I recently bought a brand new house, so we’ve been busy learning about the home-buying process over the past few weeks. I also started a new schedule at work. I’m still adjusting to starting later and coming home after dinnertime, but I think it’ll be awesome for blogging in the morning.

When I come home late in the evening and curl up with my phone or laptop to browse houzz, I like to snack on something crunchy. Here are my latest faves for munching:

Jalepeño ranch popcorn chips… Wow! Spicy, crunchy, whole grain, amazing.

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The white cheddar flavor is great if you’re craving Cheetos.

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Parmesan herb popcorn bursts with flavor, too.

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If you’re craving a sweet snack, try cinnamon sugar kettle corn.

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If you prefer crackers, try these sea salt and almond rice rounds:

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Sweet potato tortilla chips boast a lovely combo of lightly sweet and salty flavors.

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Finally, my top pick for salsa dipping are these blue corn tortilla chips. They’re chock-full of quinoa and flax seeds as an added bonus!

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Happy snacking! I should really get back to cooking real food, right?

protein, recipe, starch

Green Lentil Quinoa Pilaf

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On this overcast day, I decided to make a satisfying vegetarian lunch bowl. The following recipe can be served solo or as a tasty and protein packed vegetarian side dish! The chewy quinoa and lentils have a wonderful texture, while the tomato, garlic, and cumin bring the dish to life with a big burst of flavor.

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Ingredients:
1/2 c dry green lentils
1/2 c dry quinoa
2 c vegetable broth
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs minced onion
1 c tomato sauce

1. Being quinoa, lentils, and vegetable broth to a boil.

2. Add olive oil and seasonings (everything except tomato sauce). Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.

3. Stir in tomato sauce and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve warm or chilled.

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Drinks, recipe

Flavored Coffee is so Gross

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Do you know how flavored coffee is made? Do you suppose flavors like caramel macchiato, peppermint mocha, bananas foster, or Irish cream milkshake are natural? I’m here to tell you that flavored coffee actually comes from stale, bitter, unwanted coffee beans that are chemically bound to laboratory derived flavoring agents. Read the full scoop on how flavored coffee is made here.

I hope you’re thoroughly grossed out and want to flavor your coffee yourself.

Here’s how to make tasty almond coffee!

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ingredients:
1 cup strong unflavored brewed coffee, hot or cold
several drops of pure almond oil
Sweetener and milk of choice

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I used Starbucks French roast coffee, chilled it in the freezer after brewing, and then added my ingredients. I used stevia as the sweetener. If you’re going to use sugar, add it while the coffee is still hot so it will dissolve better. Good milk choices include half & half, cow’s milk, soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and rice milk. Pick whichever you prefer! I used organic 1% milk in mine.

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Other flavoring agents to try:
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Ground cloves
Pumpkin purée
Brown sugar
Vanilla extract
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Peppermint oil

Experiment with your own flavorings and nix the propylene glycol used to bind artificial flavors to coffee beans!