Make ahead breakfast sandwiches

I am lucky enough to be a stay at home mom Mon-Fri, meanwhile my husband works hard all week long. He leaves for work early, and usually doesn't have much more than a cup of coffee until lunch time. I decided that I should try to be a good wife and make him some breakfast, so he isn't starving all day. The key to making sure he eats in the morning is ensuring that whatever the food is, it's mega tasty and easy to carry, since he'll probably be eating it on the way to work. Since my husband's favorite thing is bacon, I thought I'd make him some breakfast sandwiches. What's great about these is that they freeze well, so I can make them on Sunday evening and he's set for the week.

Here's what you'll need:

Muffin top pan, or regular muffin tin because only weirdos like me own a muffin top pan

6 English muffins

6 Eggs

6-8 strips of bacon

Cheese, if desired

Salt & Pepper to taste

Approx 1 Tbsp butter, softened

Parchment paper

Cooking twine

2 Freezer bags

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Take your softened butter and smear it inside your muffin top/muffin tin cavities, to ensure your eggs don't stick. Crack one egg at a time into a prep bowl, then pour it into one of the empty cavities. Repeat for all your eggs. Take a fork and break each yolk, then sprinkle each egg with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until yolk is completely cooked. When you pull them out, they'll look like this.

While your eggs are baking you can cook your bacon in a skillet, or you can prep it on a baking sheet, so you can bake it once your eggs come out of the oven. 

Once your bacon and eggs are ready, toast your English muffins. I pop 3 split muffins in my toaster oven at a time, so I can get this done quicker, but if you don't have a toaster oven, just toast them up in your toaster, if you want. Once you have a nice warm muffin ready, start to assemble. 

I love my muffin top pan because as you can see, the eggs aren't super fat, and are just a tad smaller than the English muffin. This ensures an eggy bite each time! 

After all your sandwiches are built, wrap them individually in a piece of parchment paper, then tie them with cooking twine. 

At this point I will put 3 sandwiches in each freezer bag. I'll put one bag in the freezer, and one in the fridge. In the morning, when my husband gets ready for work he'll grab one of the refrigerated sandwiches and pop it in the toaster oven for 3-4 minutes. This will warm it all up, and melt the cheese. If you don't have a toaster oven you can pop it in your microwave for 3-4 minutes, or until it's nice and warm. I try to pull a frozen sandwich out the night before, and keep it in the fridge, so when he goes to warm it, it's not entirely frozen.

Hope you enjoy these as much as we do!! 

"Healthy" cookies....because I care about you

The other day my husband and I were watching Food Network and Alton Brown was talking about Oatmeal, and how good it is for us. Since I care about my husband's health I decided to make him some oatmeal cookies. Since I care my taste buds, I threw a bunch of other yummy stuff in them, for my benefit. Are they still healthy? Suuuuuure! Why not? Are they mega tasty? ABSOLUTELY! Plus, this recipe doesn't make a ton of cookies, so they won't last long, thus you aren't eating cookies for an entire week.

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks

Ingredients
1 Extra large egg, room temperature
1/2 C Unsalted butter, softened
1/4 C Granulated Sugar
1/2 C Light brown sugar
1 Tbsp Madagascar vanilla extract
1 C Old-fashioned rolled oats
1 C All-purpose flour
1/2 Tsp Baking soda
1/2 Tsp Kosher salt
1/2 C Sweetened Shredded coconut
1 C Dark Chocolate chips

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, soda, salt, and coconut. Set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer, combine egg, butter, sugars, and vanilla. Beat with paddle attachment, at medium speed, for about 2 minutes, or until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of your bowl, then set speed to low and slowly add your bowl of dry ingredients. Mix for about 1 minute, until your no longer see white streaks from your flour. Remove bowl from mixer and add chocolate chips, and stir by hand, with a wooden spoon.



Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop, scoop out mounds of cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheet. When you have 12 piles of dough, roll each one into a rough ball, and slightly pat down (Mine looked like hockey pucks!) Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grab another baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. I baked 6 cookies per baking sheet. Bake for about 11 minutes, or until edges are just starting to brown. You don't want to over bake these, or else they will get crispy. These cookies are to die for if they are nice and soft.

Once they come out of the oven, cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way. Store in airtight container to retain softness. Good luck not eating all of them in one day!!

Birdy, it's cold outside

I often find myself trying to come up with some sort of fun project or craft that my kiddos can do that isn't TOO much work for me, but yet fun enough to keep them entertained for a few minutes. With kids ranging from 3-12, it's not always easy to find something they will all enjoy or be able to do.

For Valentine's Day I thought it might be fun to make some little bird feeders for our feathered friends. Back in the day we used to just smear peanut butter all over a pine cone, sprinkle it with birdseed, then call it a day.These days we are using unflavored gelatin (fancy schmancy!) It was definitely a cleaner alternative to the peanut butter mess. Here's what we did.


What you'll need:

2 Packets Knox Gelatin, unflavored
2/3 C water
2 C Bird Seed
Several pieces of cooking twine or yarn
Cookie cutters

In a medium saucepan, combine water and gelatin. Stir the gelatin until it is dissolved. Increase temperature to medium and stir constantly, bringing water to a simmer. Remove from heat, then stir in bird seed. If you can still see liquid at the bottom of your saucepan, add more seed. You don't want this mixture to be too runny. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes while you prep your cookie cutters.

Place a piece of parchment on your work area (I used some old cookie sheets.) Center a cookie cutter or two on the parchment, then use a spoon to fill the cutters about halfway with the bird seed mixture. Place a piece of cooking twine, or yarn on the bird seed, then fill the cutter the rest of the way with the seed mixture. Allow to dry lying on the parchment for 4-5 hours. Once you are able to lift it from the parchment, tip cutters on their side so they can dry on both sides. Let dry overnight.

The next day, pop your feeders out of the cutters. Hang them on a few tree branches, and wait for the birds to come a running...err....flying!

Chocolate and Almonds and Cherries....oh my!

Around Thanksgiving time I bought a bag of Nestle DelightFulls. They are dark chocolate morsels with cherry flavored filling. Uhh....YUM! For some reason I struggled to find a good use for them, but last night I decided to just throw them into my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. The dough is for a super soft cookie, so I figured they'd be ok. When I opened the bag to pour them in I tasted one and just about died. They were soooooo good! If I hadn't already made the cookie dough, I probably would have just eaten them all from the bag. Chocolate covered cherry anything rocks my world, so these cookies quickly became my favorite. Now all I have to do is remember where I bought those chips!

Needless to say, I'm officially on a chocolate covered cherry kick, so why not throw together a smoothie that helps sooth my craving? I've had a bag of unsweetened dark cherries in my freezer for a couple months, so I pulled them out and threw this together. I added a couple tsp if Agave nectar to add some sweetness, but if you use almond milk, or vanilla soy milk, you probably won't need to do that. Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie

1 C Soy milk
2 Tbsp Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 C Frozen unsweetened dark cherries
2 Tbsp Raw almonds

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend for about 30 seconds.

Chocolate Chia Smoothie

Sometimes I just NEED chocolate. Today was one of those days. I was getting hungry, but all I wanted was a huge candy bar. Since I didn't really feel good about eating my weight in chocolate, I thought I'd throw some stuff into the Vitamix in hopes of satisfying my craving. (Psssst! It worked!)

What's wonderful about this smoothie is that not only did it take away my chocolate withdrawal, it kept me full for several hours due to the chia seeds filling my tummy! This one is great on it's own, but I think it will be adaptable to incorporate Nutella or peanut butter, too! I'll keep you posted.

Chocolate Smoothie

1 C Skim milk

1 Banana

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (Guittard is my go-to Cocoa powder!)

1 C Fresh Spinach leaves

1 Tbsp Organic Coconut Palm Sugar

2-3 Tbsp Chia seeds

1 C Ice

Combine all ingredients in order listed. Blend for 30 seconds. Pour and enjoy!!

Detox Smoothie....take one

Detox smoothies. Hmm....I've not tried a smoothie that specifically claimed to be Detox because it usually didn't sound super tasty. I received an email from a website called Simple Green Smoothies and it contained a recipe for a detox smoothie. Since I had most of the ingredients I went ahead and threw one together.

Umm...it was definitely different. It was kinda sweet, but mostly not. It was pretty spicy, which was different from my normal sweet smoothies. Will I make it again? I don't know. Am I willing to try more detox smoothies? Absolutely. I didn't want to mess with the recipe TOO much because I didn't want to take away it's Detox factor. Original recipe called for Kale, instead of Spinach. Also, original only wanted 1/2 a banana and a whole orange versus 2 cuties (I'm a mom....I have cuties, not big oranges!) 

Here's what I came up with.

Orange Lime Detox Smoothie

adapted from Simple Green Smoothies

1 C Filtered water

2 Tsp Fresh lime juice

1 2 Cutie oranges 

2" Peeled ginger root

1 Frozen banana

2 Tbsp Fresh parsley

1 1/2 C Fresh spinach

2 Tbsp Chia seeds

**Agave nectar, to sweeten it up a bit

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend for about 30 seconds, or until smooth.

Tropical getaway

It's cold here. Cold and snowy. I try my best not to leave the house when it's cold and snowy because I much prefer my warm and toasty house. As an attempt to forget the frozen tundra that is my yard, I decided to throw something tropical together for breakfast.

Strawberry Coconut Smoothie

1 C Coconut milk
1/2 C Vanilla Greek yogurt
1/2 C Frozen Mango pieces
1 C Frozen Strawberries
1/4 C Organic Coconut Palm sugar
Juice from half a lime
1/4 C Toasted coconut, plus extra for garnish if desired

Handful of ice (if using fresh fruit. If using frozen fruit like I did, it's not necessary)

Toast your coconut by spreading evenly on a baking sheet. I used the toast setting on my Smart Oven and toasted it for 3 minutes, mixing it up about halfway through toast time. Combine all ingredients in order listed. Blend for 30-40 seconds, or until smooth. Pour and garnish....enjoy!

Green Hulk Smoothie

Until last year, I'd spent most of my life living in Indiana. Now I'm in Illinois, about an hour West of Chicago. Indiana winters always bring snow, but forecasters usually OVER estimate the amount of snow that is going to fall. They freak everyone out by telling them that there will be 12" of snow by the AM, but when one wakes up the next day there MIGHT be 2" on the ground. Needless to say, I'm used to the forecast being significantly wrong about snow.

Apparently, in Chicago things tend to be pretty accurate when it comes to the forecast. The prediction was for lots of snow to start Saturday night and continue into Sunday morning. As predicted, the snow began Saturday night, while I was at my PT job. By the time I left at 10pm the snow was starting to accumulate. When I woke up to go to work in the morning there were maaaany inches of snow on the ground, but I hopped into my truck and hit the road. I worked for 4 hours and within that time about 2.5" accumulated on my truck roof. (yuck!) After I brushed it off I head home to enjoy my day. Throughout the day the forecasters kept upping the snowfall, and actually intensified the Winter Storm warning to a Blizzard warning. This was very different from the Indiana warnings I'm accustomed to because I'm so used to predictions not coming true. Well, here they were true, and surpassed what the weather guys anticipated. Here is a pic of my deck this morning. Last night we stuck a tape measure in the snow, and it measured 15". This morning you can't even see the mark where we measured the accumulation. Needless to say, I am NOT leaving the house unless absolutely necessary.

Saturday, before the snow began we hit Costco, thank goodness! I stocked up on my smoothie fruits and veggies, so I'm golden for a while. Here is what I came up for today. I gave some to my 3 year old, who called it his Hulk drink. I say, he can call it whatever he wants, as long as he enjoys the healthy benefits!



Hulk Smash Smoothie

2 C Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1 Ripe banana
2 C Frozen pineapple
2 C Fresh spinach
1 Tbsp Lime juice
1 Tbsp Organic Coconut Palm Sugar

Combine all ingredients in blender, in order listed, and blend for 30 seconds, or until smooth. Fill your glasses and enjoy!!

Still hungry?

I'm really digging our new Easy Lunch Boxes! Not only have I been able to put together lunches for the little guy, my husband has gotten lunches, also! Check out a few lunches from the past few days.

Garlic roasted potatoes, parmesan crusted chicken w/ bacon, and 2 peanut butter-nutella cookies

Air-popped popcorn (dusted with Himalayan salt) pretzel twists, broccoli florets, & an orange cutie

Goldfish crackers, pretzel twists, cheese cubes, turkey rolls, & Back to Nature organic animal crackers

Strawberry Kale Forever

Here is another experiment with Kale. I see so many recipes online for Kale smoothies, but for some reason I always reach for the spinach! Force of habit, I guess. I'll try to do better. 

Strawberry Kale Smoothie

1 1/2 C Soy Milk

1 Banana

1 Apple, cored and quartered

1 C Frozen strawberries

A handful of Kale

1/2 C Ice cubes

**Optional: A couple squirts of Agave nectar for additional sweetness

Layer all ingredients in blender, in order listed. Blend for 30-40 seconds, or until smooth. 

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Pineapple Coconut Smoothie

I have officially fallen in love with coconut milk. I've always been a fan of coconut, in general, but I rarely get to enjoy it. Why??? Because my husband isn't a fan. If I knew he would help me eat baked goodies containing coconut, I'd always have them on hand, but since I'd be the only one eating them, I usually talk myself out of them.

I decided to pick up a carton of coconut milk for kicks, and it is wonderful. Why haven't I had this before?!? It's now going to be a staple in my fridge! I've made a few smoothies with it, and it makes everything taste so tropical! Below is a smoothie I made this morning.

Pineapple Coconut Smoothie

1 C Coconut milk
1 Banana
1 Orange, peeled
1 C Frozen pineapple
1 C Spinach

Combine all ingredients in blender, in order listed. Blend for 30 seconds, or until smooth. Enjoy!

Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie

Oatmeal....in a smoothie? If I didn't have a Vitamix, I'd immediately dismiss it because I am afraid that there would be pieces. Luckily, I DO have a Vitamix, so I can blend EVERYTHING with no problem-o. (Don't be jealous, just go get one!)

I was nosing around Pinterest and came across a recipe I thought looked good, so I gave it a whirl. After following the recipe (sort of) I didn't care for it. I changed it up, which improved the end result, but still didn't make me fall in love. Below is the original vs. my variation.

Strawberries & Cream Smoothie

From The Kitchen Paper

1 C Frozen strawberries

1/2 C Vanilla yogurt

3/4 C Milk

1/2 C Uncooked oatmeal

1 tsp Vanilla

Strawberries & Cream Smoothie
My version

1 C Thawed strawberries
1/2 C Vanilla Greek yogurt
3/4 C Soymilk
1/2 C Old Fashioned Oats, uncooked
....then I added:
1 Frozen banana
2 Tsp  Agave nectar

Combine all ingredients in blender and process for 20-30 seconds, until smooth. Pour and serve! Smoothie is thiiiiiick, so if you have a thicker straw, use it!

Time for Lunch!

For the past few years I have done my best to come up with fun and creative lunch box ideas for my kiddos. The 2 school age kids have very different thoughts when it comes to what they want to eat. My 12 year old daughter is happy with a turkey and cheese sandwich, chips, and a handful of cookies. My 8 year old son is NOT a fan of sandwiches, ESPECIALLY ones with meat. He would much prefer a salad, or a pile of fruits and veggies. Needless to say, this has made lunch prep fun :) I really do love the challenge, and I always considered it a successful morning when I looked at my kitchen after having put the kids on the bus and saw that it looked as though a bomb went off. Not only had 2 different lunches been prepped, I had also prepared a real breakfast (I'm not a believer that cereal and pop tarts are a real breakfast....sorry!)

Surprisingly, even though lunchboxes have been a major part of our lives, I struggled to find containers to use. I don't like using disposables, because it would be wasteful. Primarily I have used the Klip-It containers, by Sistema, which were fantastic, but bulky. They are totally leak-proof, easy to open, and sturdy, but I don't love sending the kids with 16 different containers to school. I finally went and ordered some EasyBoxLunches, to try out. I love that it's just one container, but I know they aren't leak-proof. I'm looking forward to using them, though.

Anyway, this morning I assembled some toddler friendly lunches, for my 3 year old. As I type this, he is working on his first box (which I forgot to take a picture of...whoops!) I see him enjoying the finger-food aspect of the lunch I thew together. I also see him experimenting with flavors.....making gold fish and blueberry sandwiches (eeeesh!) I hope this inspires some of you!

Homemade blueberry muffin, Honey Nut Cheerio's, hard boiled egg, strawberry Jell-O, and pear slices

Strawberry Jello-O, pretzels, apple slices, turkey pinwheels, and cheese cubes

Carrot sticks, broccoli florets, a peanut butter Dino sandwich, blueberries, and strawberry Jell=O

Good Morning, Sunshine!

Nothing quite compares to a nice, cold glass of orange juice in the morning...except this! Here is a green take on one of our favorite breakfast beverages.

Good Morning Sunshine

1 1/2 C water

2 Oranges, peeled

1 C Frozen pineapple

2 Tbsp Chia Seeds

1-2 C Fresh Spinach

1 Tsp Agave Nectar (for sweetness!)

Layer ingredient in order listed. Blend for 30-40 seconds, or until desired consistency is reached. 

The Green Grapefruit

When I was young I spent a lot of time with my Abuelos (grandparents.) Both my parents worked during the day, so until I was old enough for school, I spent most of my days at my Abuelo's farm. For breakfast, if we wanted juice we usually only had 2 options: Grapefruit juice or Orange Juice (from concentrate.) Grapefruit juice was always ready to go in the refrigerator, but the OJ required work, so my usual choice was the grapefruit. Many people (young and old) don't care for the tartness of grapefruit juice, but I like it. Now a days, when I have some I flashback to the kitchen table at my Abuelo's house, sitting there having some breakfast, while my Abuela busies herself in the kitchen doing the things she did.

This smoothie reminded me of breakfasts back in the day because it tasted like grapefruit juice. The pineapple helped soften the tartness, but didn't dissolve the grapefruit flavor. If you enjoy an occasional grapefruit, give this one a try. I will definitely make this one again.

The Green Grapefruit

1 1/2 C Water
1 Grapefruit, peeled
2 C Frozen Pineapple
2 C Fresh Spinach

Layer ingredients in blender, in order listed, and blend for 30-40 seconds. Using frozen pineapple helps keep this smoothie cold. If you are using fresh pineapple, you might cut down the water amount, and use some ice instead. Enjoy!!