Asian Breakfast Scramble

I will add some pictures of this recipe when I make it again! This is a great breakfast scramble for when you're hung over, or just craving something savoury when you wake up. I usually like something sweet, but once in a while I feel like having something spicy or salty.

Its such a simple recipe, is super healthy and has a lot of probiotics and gut healthy nutrients! I feel like the sauerkraut adds a nice coolness to the heat. It makes a great brunch too. Well, here you go!!

You will need:
-1 or 2 cups of shredded cabbage (or a small bag of cabbage mix)
-2 eggs , whisked
-3 mushrooms of your choice
-1 grated carrot
-3 tbsp sauerkraut
-2 tbsp of bottled Szechuan sauce, or sweet chili sauce
-fresh cracked pepper


Step by step:
First, add olive oil or coconut oil to pan, then turn on medium heat.
You will then want to whisk your eggs, once the pan is hot , pour them in.

Scramble them until they are halfway done, then add all veggies, the cabbage, mushrooms and carrot.

Once everything has cooked down, you can then add the Szechuan sauce or sweet chili sauce.

Mix well, pour that into a bowl, top with sauerkraut and freshly cracked pepper.

Now enjoy this tasty breakfast! Sometimes I like to toast a piece of sourdough and have that on the side too.

What else would you like to put in this? Let me know your unusual breakfast ideas in the comments below!

Rice Krispies Granola Bars

It's been a while since I've posted, mostly because I kind of gave up on posting recipes.. and I always forget to post the pictures!! I will have to remake some of the food just so that I can post pics for everyone to see, and that my food can actually look pretty good ;).

So today is a lazy day, and I have several of those a week, by the way. After work I didn't feel like doing much at all, so I sat down and read for a bit. Oh and I am re-reading a book (it's that good!) called 'The Storyteller' by Jodi Picoult. It captivated me as soon as I started the first chapter. In case you haven't read it , it's about a Jewish baker who befriends an elderly man who turns out to be a former Nazi. Who is also connected to her grandmother's past. It is a really good read , and has a lot of *true* details about what happened during the war. I highly recommend it!

Just reading the book got me in the mood for baking, so I decided to bake some healthy 'granola' bars! Oat free, flour free and dairy free. I hope you enjoy these on this lovely Monday evening .. mine are still cooling on the rack.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rice krispies cereal
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped dried mangos
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup shredded dried sweetened coconut
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup honey
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. In a separate smaller bowl, combine peanut butter, honey, veg. oil, and vanilla then melt in the microwave for 1- 1/2 minutes.
3. Add egg to the peanut butter mixture and whisk.
4. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and fold in the brown sugar.
5. Pack the granola bar mixture tightly into a baking dish, I used a 9x12 since the mixture makes so much.
6. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until mixture is golden brown and crispy on top.
7. Let cool for 1-2 hours then cut into squares!

Strawberry Pistachio Chicken Salad

When I crave salads, I crave BIG salads. With all sorts of vegetables and fruits and nuts and dirt and worms. Haha. Anyways here is a great recipe I like to use if I am short of ideas and I need something quick to make and pack away for work. It is tasty and satisfying, with all of the complex carbs and proteins to keep us fuller longer.

Long live YOU!!


Ingredients:

1-2 cups fresh spinach or kale
4-5 sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
1/4 cup sunflower seeds & pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sliced cucumber
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1 cooked chicken breast


Vinigerette dressing to drizzle on top, or any dressing you please.

Combine all ingredients and toss well. Place in plastic containers or ziploc bags for later to keep fresh.

Veggie Mac n' Cheese

Today I went for a small hike in the rain with both Mom and Dad. It was sure nice to get outside and have some fresh air, even if the weather isn't at its best. But hey... This is Vancouver and the rain never bugged me that much!

A few hours after the hike I felt a pang of hunger and my stomach said " you could really use some kraft dinner." Then I said no.. that's not very healthy... But then I thought, hey what if I could put a healthy twist on it, so that I can get in some servings of veggies too?! Within minutes I began to improvise what I was going to do with plain old KD.

I looked in my fridge, and saw some rotting vegetables I had good intentions for a few days ago. Then I remembered that I had just recently bought some kale, an onion and carrots.

This is what I used:

1 carrot grated
1/3 sweet onion grated
2 cups baby kale
1 tbsp pesto or basil in a tube
1 pkg Kraft Dinner
Sriracha sauce to top.




While I was boiling the water, I sauteed the vegetables in a pan, then added to the Kraft Dinner mixture with the pesto when it was finished cooking. It was freaking delicious, I must say. So if you find yourself on a budget or craving macaroni like I did, this is a healthier twist that will surely ease your cravings.


Enjoy :)

Sort of Jambalaya

Last night I made a "sort of" Jambalaya. I looked up a recipe on the food network, except I was missing some ingredients. It turned out really well, a mixture between Jambalaya and Spanish rice.


I didn't have onions, celery or prawns on hand. I didn't have much money either.. So I had to make do!

Well, here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 bulb garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
1 bell pepper any color, chopped
1 tbsp cajun seasoning mix
1 chorizo or any kind of hot sausage, chopped
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked separately , chopped and placed aside
3 cups chicken or beef stock
1 can diced tomatoes
1 jalapeno, minced
2 cups wild rice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp worcester sauce
1 tsp hot sauce

Optional: The flavours would probably be a lot better if you added 1 chopped sweet onion, 2 stalks celery, and prawns. But if you don't have them like I did, this still is a great recipe!


Directions:

In a medium to large sized bowl, toss the cooked chicken and chopped chorizo with the cajun seasoning, set aside.

In a large pot or saucepan, heat olive oil, then add in garlic, bell pepper and carrots. Add hot sauce and worcestershire sauce. Cook until soft, then add jalapeno, diced tomatoes, wild rice and chicken stock. bring the mixture to a bowl, then reduce heat to simmer and place a lid on top. Let simmer for 45 minutes, so that the rice can cook.

Once the 45 minutes is up, remove lid, add in the chicken and chorizo, and cook for 10-15 minutes more.

Now it is ready to eat!

Protein Muffins- No flour!

Do you ever get a harsh craving for muffins or pancakes in the morning? I do!!! Unfortunately it's not always best for our waistlines to eat like that every morning.. This is a much healthier alternative to regular, sugary carby muffins. This is something you can feel good about!! So I adapted this recipe from "kneadtocook", she has her very own blog and I enjoy reviewing her original recipes!
 So here are the ingredients that I used to make these delicious protein muffins (you can make them into pancakes as well!)

Mine turned out really well and rose in the oven just like a normal muffin would, and the texture is great, they are nice and moist !

Also I don't have a camera so you will just have to trust me on this one . :P




You will need:

2 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 scoop vanilla or plain protein powder (whey is best, as it is the most easily absorbed into your body. But if you cannot have whey protein, hemp, rice or soy will do as well.)
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (artificial is fine.)
1 mashed banana
2 tbsp maple syrup or raw honey




Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine eggs, mashed banana, peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla in a bowl.

Pour in the protein powder and salt, and mix well.

Spray or grease a muffin tin, pour in the mixture into each section until halfway- three quarters full. It probably will not make a dozen muffins unless you make them mini sized. My batter only made 7 muffins, so it might be better to make them in a mini muffin tin.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, remove from oven when golden brown.


Once cooled, place in an airtight container and store them in the fridge or freezer.



Now you can enjoy a lower calorie, low carbohydrate breakfast or snack on the go!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Two days ago I made these muffins as a request from my boyfriend. They were supposed to last the whole week for him to take to work.. and guess what? They are ALL gone! Over the course of 48 hours he devoured these muffins..( Okay I MAY have helped him a bit..)Which isn't so bad since they are pretty healthy!

You will need:

1/3 cup honey
2/3 cup apple sauce
2 tbsp plain cream cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chunks/chips
1/2 cup chopped walnut or pecans



Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease muffin pan or line with muffin cups.

In a bowl, combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, then add in honey, apple sauce, cream cheese, pumpkin puree and vanilla. Blend well.


Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, a little bit at a time. Once it is combined, then add in the chocolate chunks and the chopped nuts.


Spoon the mixture into each muffin tin until 3/4 full.


Place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.


Once finished, place on a cooling rack, then store in an air tight container.

Jalapeno Steak

I love spicy food, and jalapeno peppers are my number one favourite flavour for spice. Must be the bit of mexican in me ;) .

Here is another simple recipe for a lazy Sunday.


You will need:

2 large tenderloin steaks
1 sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
pinch of salt
1 large jalapeno, minced
1/2 bottle of Clubhouse Montreal Steak Spice Marinade



First off! You will need to let your steak marinade in the steak spice for at least 30 minutes. As with all meats, the longer the better. So if you are going to work,  I suggest placing the steaks in a zip lock bag with the marinade in the fridge before you head off !


Step 1:

Prepare all vegetables, then  pour some olive oil into a sauce pan over medium heat. Place vegetables in the pan.


Step 2:

Slice the marinated steaks thinly as if you are going to make a stir fry. Add to pan with the vegetables.



Once the steaks are cooked the tenderness that you like, remove from heat.  Serve with rice and steamed vegetables, or any side dish you please. This spicy steak really hit the spot for me, I hope it does for you too!