Mass meals

With my new job...did I tell you I got a new job?!?

I'm now working in the NICU at our local hospital and so far loving it!

Anyway, with this new job comes 12 hour shifts, which will soon be night shifts.  Therefore when I have a stretch of working days it is imperative that I plan ahead and make breakfasts, lunches and even dinners ahead of time.  

These muffins were a part of that prep.  Delicious, filling, healthy and quick to grab and go.  They worked perfectly!  Even if I didn't have one for breakfast I would bring one to work for a quick mid morning snack.  I adapted this recipe, subbing frozen mixed berries for blueberries (I always keep frozen fruit on hand for instances like this) and agave nectar for the sugar.  I also used white flour, which was naughty, but I didn't have any whole wheat.  They were pretty darn tasty! Next time I will try the whole wheat flour though. 

Try making these this weekend and you will have bfasts and snacks all week!  Or at least for a few days :)
MIXED BERRY MUFFINS
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 cups self rising cake flour (with baking soda and salt mixed in)
1/2 cup agave nectar/sugar or sugar substitute
1 cup frozen mixed berries (or more if you like)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1.5 tsp vanilla
2 T melted butter

Preheat oven to 325°. 

In a medium bowl, mix egg, melted butter, agave, vanilla and applesauce. Add flour and stir until just blended.  Gently fold in berries.

Pour batter into 12 lined or greased muffin tins and bake at 325° for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes. 

ENJOY!

It's SUMMER and I'm BACK!

Ok, ok so its not quite summer yet, but the weather has certainly been cooperating here in Montana.  Last night we grilled turkey burgers and this morning I made a classic summer dessert for breakfast, so you see, its SUMMER!  nanana boo boo to those of you in MN where it is still in the 40's/50's...

So here I am, again professing my love for you all and apologizing for my LOOOOOOOOONG absence.   Shall we just pretend as though you've all forgiven me and move on?  YES? OK GREAT!

Most of the recipes that I will be cooking this week (ok all of them) are going to be healthy ones, weight watchers to be exact...but don't you dare check out now, don't judge them until you try them.  I will let you know if they are worth trying (aka don't taste like cardboard like most diet food)!
If Logan eats them I can assure you that most of the population would find them delightful!
Case in point: breakfast this morning!

Strawberry rhubarb baked oatmeal...yes you heard right, dessert for breakfast, how can you go wrong?
Well the answer is you can't! It was delicious and the only thing I didn't like about it was that I had to eat only the recommended serving size :(
You have to try this!  Perfect for a weekend breakfast and then heat up leftovers during the week.
TASTY TASTY TASTY!
The recipe can be found here
ENJOY!

xoxo
Paige

Caramelized Onion Frittata

During the week breakfast is usually a piece of toast and a cup of coffee and every once in a while I have time to cook up an egg and throw it on top of the toast.  Last week, I decided that had to change, so I thought of breakfasts that would be just as good heated up and made them when I had time.  This was one of them and boy oh boy was it good.  I forgot how much I LOVE frittatas and how easy they are, I fell in love with them all over again with this recipe. Of course I added my twist here and there, but this recipe was overall very good, you will love this both the morning you make it and heated up as leftovers throughout the week!

ENJOY!

You can find the recipe here as well.

Caramelized Onion Frittata

1 white onion, thinly sliced rings

1 medium red pepper, diced

1 1/2 cups zucchini, diced into matchsticks

4 large eggs

4 large egg whites

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 tsp olive oil

salt and fresh pepper                                                                                                                                                                                         I did all egg whites because I actually had no eggs in the house and I also added about 1 tsp sriracha to cater to my spice loving husband.  Even being all egg whites this was actually really delicious and Logan loved it too!  Will be making a variation of this again soon!

Preheat your oven to 400.

Chop the vegetables as directed.

Over medium-low heat oil in a skillet.  Stir in onion and cook until slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. 

Add peppers and cook 5 more minutes, then add zucchini. Season with salt and pepper and cook 3 more minutes stirring occasionally.

In a medium bowl whisk eggs, egg whites, parmesan, salt and pepper.

Add eggs to the skillet making sure eggs cover all the vegetables. When the edges begin to set (about 2 minutes) move skillet to oven. 

Cook about 10-15 minutes, or until frittata is completely cooked. Serve warm, cut into 4 pieces.

Logan Rating: ****

PumpKING cinnamon rolls

Are you all stuffed to the brim???

I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving and that you all gorged yourself until you were forced to unbutton your pants or change into your stretchy pants...or maybe you were like me and just wore your stretchy pant to dinner...tacky, or smart? You decide.

I wanted to share with you all first what I made for the morning of Thanksgiving, 

PumpKING Cinnamon Rolls.

That was a typo, but now I like the ring it has, King Pumpkin Cinnamon rolls...Pumpking, get it? 

So let me share with you the back story.

My  husband informed me of a family tradition that existed in his family growing up.  Every Thanksgiving his mom would make cinnamon rolls in the morning and they would eat them while watching the parade and really all morning as his mom made Thanksgiving dinner. 

Immediately I started to look for low fat (because I'm on a "diet", shocker) yet delicious cinnamon roll recipes online.  Pumpkin is a common addition to baking recipes to make it lower fat as it makes things moist and delicious while allowing you to add less butter and other fatty things. So I found this recipe and showed it to Logan, so excited to continue on the family tradition.

Which he replies "But, I kinda just like the ones from the tube".

My eyes bugged out of my head, steam came out of my ears, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

I'm offering to make homemade cinnamon rolls and he wants Pillsbury tube rolls...mind blown!

Luckily I calmed down and decided to take this as a challenge, I can make him LOVE my cinnamon rolls even more than the tube ones, YES I CAN!

And, fast forward....I DID!  

Recipe here

So much easier than I thought it would be, and it was a really fun project!

ENJOY!

Rising dough.

Roll out dough.

Filling

Rolled...I had to use a little water to get the edges sealed. FYI

Sliced...I think these are just gorgeous!

P.S. Logan was amazed at how these were made, he assumed you  made each roll individually, haha!

Boy am I glad that isn't true!

Sifting powdered sugar for the icing.

FRESH OUT OF THE OVEN...YUMMMMMM

LOGAN RATING: *****

(SUCCESS!)

Pesto Pasta

There is just something about a simple pesto pasta.  

Flavorful, yet light, easy to make, yet complex flavor.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Pesto!

This is mostly the same as any pesto recipe, except it uses walnuts instead of pine nuts.

I couldn't really tell much of a difference, but it was good all the same. 

The nice addition of lemon juice added a bright taste also.

Whole wheat pasta made for a healthier version of this classic, of course you could always just use while pasta if you are feeling indulgent. 

ENJOY!

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Lighter Pesto

S&P

8oz whole wheat spaghetti

Lighter pesto (recipe below)

fresh basil leaves, torn for garnish (optional)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti until al dente.  Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain pasta and return to pot.

Toss pasta with pesto, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to create a thin sauce that coats spaghetti (you may not need all the water). Season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately, garnished with basil if desired.

Lighter Pesto

3 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves (2oz)

3 T walnut pieces

3 T grated parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 T fresh lemon juice

3 T water

S&P

3 T olive oil

In a food processor, combine basil, walnuts, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, and the water; season with S&P.  Puree until a paste forms.

  

With motor running, add oil in a thin stream.  Process until very smooth, about 1 minute.  

Pesto can be refrigerated in an airtight container, with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to prevent discoloration, up to 3 days.  Or freeze in an airtight container up to 6 months.

Logan Rating: ****

Skinny Pumpkin Muffins

Have I mentioned to you all that it is FALL!?!

And that I LOVE FALL!?!

I have? twenty times? OH, good, cause I DO!

I saw this recipe here and I knew immediately I had to make it.

Pumpkin is a great way to make things moist and delicious without adding tons of fat and oil.

These muffins definitely lived up to my expectations.  They were so incredibly moist and flavorful, they really didn't even need butter, which makes them even better for you!

You will be totally missing the mark if you don't make these, everyone with love them.  

A perfect taste of fall!

ENJOY!

*Click the link above for the recipe!*

Makes 12 muffins.

Logan Rating: *****

Grain Salad with goat cheese

This could be a light lunch, or a side dish or maybe even an afternoon snack.  

With flavors that are similar to a Caprese salad, I cannot get enough of this tasty treat, which also happens to be pretty darn healthy as well.  Whole grains, veggies, and a little goat cheese and vinegar to top off the flavor explosion that goes on in your mouth.  

Bold statement, I know, but it is true.  

I was unsure if I would like this and I definitely didn't think Logan would like it at all.

But I do, and he did, and you will!

ENJOY!

Mediterranean Grain Salad

1 1/3 cups medium-grind bulgur

S&P

2 2/3 cups boiling water

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped 

(Or Basil if you are a parsley hater like myself)

2 small shallots, minced

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 T plus 2 tsp olive oil

4 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled

In a heatproof bowl, combine bulgur, 1 tsp salt and boiling water.  Cover and let stand until tender but slightly chewy, about 30 min. 

Drain bulgur in a fine sieve, pressing to remove liquid; return to bowl. Add tomatoes, Parsley (or basil),

shallots, vinegar, and oil.

Season with salt and pepper, and toss.  Serve topped with cheese.

Serves 4. 

Logan Rating: ***

Eggplant Rollatini

Are you looking for low carb ideas? 

If so this is a great recipe for you.

If not, well just add homemade garlic bread like I did, DUH.

This eggplant dish is a totally perfect fall meal.  Gotta love warm, cheesy comfort food!

This is pretty much lasagna with eggplant instead of noodles and it is pretty good.

I won't lie, if you don't like eggplant (probably because of the texture) you won't miraculously like this recipe, because while there is a lot of cheesy goodness, it is also mostly eggplant.

Logan has been gone all week and this is one recipe I knew he would not go for, therefore this was a really good time to make it.

This is really quick and easy to put together, but it does take about an hour to cook in the oven. 

Also be careful not to cut the eggplant too thin, it softens really well in the first cooking process and many of my pieces were difficult to roll because they were too thin.  Other than that, this was a pretty easy meal that I'm sure all of you will try and report back, right?!?

ENJOY!

Eggplant Rollatini 

1 or 2 large Italian eggplants, cut lengthwise into eight total 1/2 in thick slices

S&P

1 cup homemade or store bought marinara sauce

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1 large egg

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (4 oz)

Crusty bread, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.  Season eggplant with S&P; arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Cover baking sheet securely with parchment, then foil (I just used foil and it worked perfectly) and bake until eggplant is tender and pliable but NOT fully cooked, 10-12 min. 

Spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce on the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish.  

In a small bowl, mix together ricotta, Parm, egg, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.

Pat eggplant dry with paper towels.  Dividing evenly, spoon ricotta mixture onto short end of eggplant slices, leaving a 1 in border on the end and a 1/4 in border on either side.  Starting at the short end, roll up slices; arrange in prepared dish, seam side down.  Top with remaining 3/4 cup marinara sauce. 

Cover dish with foil; and bake until eggplant is very tender, 50-60 minutes.  Uncover and sprinkle with mozzarella, bake until cheese is melted, 3-5 min.  Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving with bread, if desired, and topped with additional Parm. 

Serves 4.