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RECIPES

Brunch/ RECIPES

Muffin Tin Baked Eggs

muffin tin eggs

I have a friend named Thomas who is responsible for the above picture and for introducing me to the concept of Muffin Tin Baked Eggs.

  These are the best kind of recipes, ones passed and eaten among friends.  

This recipe is perfect for entertaining and eating among friends as they can choose what they want in their eggs from a buffet of fillings.  These would be great served with fruit salad, croissants, juice and coffee.  Maybe some skillet herbed potatoes?  MMmm.

I made these for brunch last Sunday and they were a hit with my kids and so simple!  Basically, you grease the muffin tin, put whatever fillings at the bottom of the tin, then crack an egg over the top.  You can use any ingredient to flavor, really anything you would put in an omelet could be used here.

Here are some suggestions

 

cheese, {swiss, cheddar, feta, etc}

onions or green onions

bell peppers

mushrooms

meat {ham, bacon, sausage, chicken, turkey}

asparagus

spinach

tomato

fresh herbs

feta cheese

peas

carrots

broccoli

avocados

salsa

 

Muffin Tin Baked Eggs No Recipe Recipe

Spray with cooking spray or oil thoroughly a muffin tin.  Put a spoonful of salsa, or some finely diced mushrooms & onions (or your choice of whatever above ingredient) in the bottom of each tin.  Crack the egg on top, being careful not to bust the yolk.  Sprinkle with some lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper, hot pepper sauce–whatever flavors you would like.  Bake for 10 to 14 minutes (or until firm, but yolk is still soft) at 400 degrees.  Easy!

To get the BEST experience of eating these eggs, eat them with this tune mixed by my friend Thomas aka Felonious Crunk.  Perfect egg eating song in my humble opinion!  Someday I will have to tell you how we met–it was through an angel.

 

 

 

 

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Meals/ RECIPES

Crockpot Chicken Fajita

I have been on a hunt for some easy, healthy crockpot recipes.  Here is the catch–the recipe has to contain lots of veggies.  I’ve been on a 90% plant based diet since healing from cancer, so I need our dinners to contain lots of plants for my sake.  I refuse to make 2 different meals, and my family is still eating meat about 2-3 times a week for dinner, so my hunt has been for meals that I could fix and forget, and that would feed all of us, meat and non-meat eaters.

This recipe was perfect.  I knew if I added beans to the veggies and skipped the cheese or used vegan cheese, that I would be able to enjoy dinner along with my family.  It worked out perfectly.  I got all the flavor of the chicken without the chicken, and my family got to enjoy some bird!

 

Such pretty peppers, huh?

 

I used a white onion, even though the recipe calls for yellow.  Use what you have.

 

This was super easy to throw together.  Slice your veggies, throw on the chicken, and let it cook away all day

 

The seasoning on this was just right.  It seems like a lot, but it was perfect.

 

You end up with super juicy chicken and veggies, which make for some messy fajitas, but messy is GOOD!  I really enjoyed the leftover veggies and beans over rice the next day for lunch.  Delish!!

 

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas
{inspired by this recipe at Stacy Makes Cents}

1 yellow onion, sliced
3 bell pepper, any color, sliced
11/2 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
1/2 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
1/2 tsp salt
11/2 tbls cumin
1tbls chili powder
1 lime or lemon, juiced

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed (optional)
Tortillas
Fajita Fixins

Combine peppers and onion slices and place in the bottom of a crockpot.  Lay chicken right on top.  Pour broth over.  Sprinkle with seasonings.  Squirt with lemon or lime juice.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Remove meat from crockpot and shred.  Add beans (if desired) to crockpot to heat through.  Serve veggies, beans and chicken in tortillas, with your choice of toppings!

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Drinks/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES

Ziplock Freezer Smoothie Packs

I found the idea of these freezer smoothie packs on Pinterest from Budget Bytes.  I make a smoothie for myself almost everyday, and I love the idea of not having to lug 10 bags out of the freezer every time I go to make one!  Plus, now my kids can grab a bag from the freezer and make their own smoothies.

This is what my smoothie ended up looking like.  The color will all depend on what fruit you decide to put in it.

I had 5 bananas and a bunch of frozen fruit.

Raspberries, pineapple, blueberries and a cherry berry blend.

Peel the banana, you need one banana per Ziploc bag smoothie.  If you are not a banana lover, frozen peaches or mangoes are a great substitute, as they are hearty and will help make up the bulk of the smoothie.  A banana is so sweet and creamy, that it tends to be my favorite.

Add 1 cup of whatever type of frozen fruit you would like.

I did a combo of berries and pineapple here.

Just choose your favorites.  You can’t go wrong!

To make the smoothie, put 2 handfuls of spinach (about 2 cups) in a blender.

Add 1 cup of your choice of milk. (Dairy, soy, almond or coconut.) I use almond.  Blend until spinach is chopped up teeny tiny.

Add your pouch of fruit containing 1 banana and 1 cup of assorted berries/fruit.

Blend.  See how the green disappears into a nice purple?  The kids will never know what is REALLY in there.  The spinach taste goes away thanks to the berries.

I  like to add Chia seeds for extra fiber and protein.  This is optional.  Some also like to add cinnamon. Some add protein powder or honey if the fruit is not sweet enough.  Make sure you taste.  The one I made today was so sweet, it DID NOT need any more sweetness.

This recipe made enough for a very full 12 oz mason jar…about 15 oz all together.

Enjoy!  So refreshing, and a great way to get in some of your servings of fruits and veggies each day!

Ziploc Smoothie

1 Ziploc

1 banana

1 cup assorted berries/fruit

2 cup baby spinach

1 cup milk (almond, dairy, coconut or soy)

—

Optional ingredients:

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 scoop protein powder

Honey, Stevia or Agave to sweeten if needed

Make your Ziploc smoothie packs, each containing one banana and one cup of fruit.  Freeze until you are ready to use them, you can use one right away, the banana does not need to be frozen.

Place spinach in blender.  Add milk.  Blend until smooth.

Add Ziplock smoothie pack. Blend until smooth.

Add optional ingredients if desired. Blend until smooth.

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A Little Bit About Blenders

Professional Grade High Speed Blender

{Some of the best money I have ever spent!}

 

Vitamix Professional Series 750

This is the model I have.  I drooled over it for a couple of years!

It was a splurge, but worth EVERY penny.  I use it 2-3 times a day.

It makes crushed ice in seconds.  It takes almonds to almond butter in seconds.  It makes the best raspberry fruit purees for pancakes and ice cream–obliterates all those little seeds into smooth puree heaven! We are eating 3 times the amount of fruits and veggies since purchasing this amazing blender, which I know is keeping us out of the doctors’ office and away from those expensive co-pays, so in my mind it has paid itself off.

I’ve never used one, but have heard good things about them.  They are not professional grade like the Vitamix, but the price is much easier to swallow and they are powerful.
{my old Oster on the left, my New Vitamix on the right}
I had one of these for years and it does the job.  You can’t beat the price, and for smoothies, it works, although you have to blend much longer. You will still have chia and raspberry seeds in your smoothies, but if you don’t mind the extra texture, this one will do.  If you have had a high speed blender, you will not be happy with this one.  If you are looking for something to get by until you can get a high speed blender, and to just get those smoothies in you, this will do just fine.
A passion for organics
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56
Brunch/ RECIPES

Chocolate Chip Granola Breakfast Triangles

Chocolate for breakfast?  Oh yes.  These little treats are hearty enough and healthy enough to be considered breakfast in my opinion.  I love how great they go with a good cup of coffee.  They are also a  nice little afternoon snack.

This recipe is inspired by one I found in
Everyday Happy Herbivore: Over 175 Quick-and-Easy Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan RecipesShe calls them Granola Bars, but when I think of a granola bar, I want oowy, goo-ey and chewy!  These are not.  These are more like a hearty breakfast cookie.  They are not to sweet, which one of my girls complained about.  The other two loved them and so did I.  It was just a nice change to have a treat that is not overly sweet.

These triangles contain ingredients I always have on hand, so I will be making them often.  They are super easy, just throw all the ingredients into a bowl and stir!

Chocolate Chip Granola Breakfast Triangles
2 c of oats (her recipe called for instant, I used whole.  I’m not sure it matters..)
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp unsweetened applesauce (or sweetened, whatever you have)
6 tbsp honey (original recipe called for agave nectar, again whatever you have)
4 tbsp chocolate chips (vegan or regular)
2-4 tbsp sugar (optional) (taste the dough. Not sweet enough for you?  Add a bit of sugar)

Stir all ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  They will appear too dry at first, but they’re not–keep mixing!

Once combined, let the batter rest while the oven preheats to 325 degrees.

Grease a bread pan and pack the mixture down firmly and tightly.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden, firm and light brown around the edges.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before cutting.  Cut into triangles.

Variation
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Breakfast Triangles
Substitute 1 tbsp of peanut butter for 1 tbsp of applesauce.  Combine peanut butter with applesauce and heat in the microwave for 10 seconds so peanut butter softens.  Whisk together and use as directed.

5
GF, Vegan & Raw/ RECIPES/ Sides

My Go-To Easy Black Bean Soup

Do recipes ever make you giddy?  They do me.  Especially when they are cheap, easy and full of goodness.  This recipe for Easy Black Bean Soup makes me giddy.  I’ve made it every week for the last 3 weeks.  It is gooood!

With all the amazing recipes on the Internet, and especially with Pinterest, I rarely buy recipe books.  I recently made an exception.  I am a huge fan of Happy Herbivore.  She has a great blog and is in the middle of writing her 3rd cookbook.  I bought her second cookbook, called Everyday Happy Herbivore: Over 175 Quick-and-Easy Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes
It is AWESOME.

I have been working hard at eating a more plant based diet.  We have been replacing meat dishes with vegetable dishes a few times a week, which really helps boost our vegetable intake around here.  It has been a bit of a switch, and finding recipes that are easy and not intimidating was key.  That is exactly what I found in this cookbook.  I will be featuring many of her recipes on the blog, since I blog what I do and I’m using her book all the time!

Soups are huge in our home, especially at lunchtime for me and the hubs.  He eats homemade soup everyday, and I am trying to do the same, which keeps me from spending too much at my local health food co-op deli!  Todd watched me make this soup in minutes, and commented that even HE could make it, which made me smile because he DOES NOT cook. Yes, it is that easy.

This particular soup is great to have on hand.  I have used it thick in wraps.  I have used it as a tortilla chip dip.  I have added carrots, squash and corn to it.  It is very forgiving and versatile, and really, it is perfection made just as the recipe states.

Easy Black Bean Soup
{happy herbivore}

15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed (or not:))
1 cup salsa
11/2 cups vegetable broth (more or less, depending on desired thickness)
1/2 tsp cumin
dash of hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

tortilla chips (optional)

Place 1 cup beans, salsa, broth and cumin in a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add remaining ingredients except chips. Stir to combine and heat thoroughly over low. Once warmed, serve and garnish with broken chips.

Can add cooked carrots, as I did in the above picture.

Nutritional information
Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1
Servings Per Batch 2
Amount Per Serving Calories 308 Fat 3g Carbohydrate 57.70g Dietary Fiber 14.70g Sugars 7.30g Protein 17g

_________

To make it even more easy, use a hand blender! I own the above Cuisinart blender, and I love it.  If you don’t have one of these, you just might want to get one.  I use mine ALL THE TIME!  It is so much easier to stick this right into the pan instead of pouring hot liquid into a blender.  Much safer, too!

{if you use the links in this post, I will receive a small percentage of your purchase.  Thank you!}

6
RECIPES/ Sides

Black Bean, Corn, Avocado & Hominy Salad

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocados from Mexico for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I LOVE avocados!  I seriously do!  I have been buying at least 2 each week, but lately I have found myself grabbing a bag of them because I have found so many great uses for them.  I use them to create a super creamy and healthy smoothie, and I also love to use them simply sliced on toast, then topped with sliced tomatoes and a couple leaves of basil.
At our most recent family get-together, my sister-in-law brought a great recipe of Black Beans, Hominy, & Corn.  I loved it so much and could have stood there and eaten the whole bowl.  I thought about the recipe and the only way it could possibly be made better was to add some avocado to it.  That is what I did, and it turned out SO GOOD.

Black Bean, Corn, Avocado & Hominy Salad
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans corn, drained and rinsed
1 can hominy, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or to taste)
1 red pepper, chopped
1/4 of a large red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4-1/2 cup red wine vinegar, to taste
Juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste
Mix all together.  Tastes best if you let the flavors mingle in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.  Serve as a salad or with tortilla chips.

I recently added a recipe to the “Guac-Off” Contest that is happening at the “I love avocados on Facebook” page.  I am waiting to hear the results, but I sure wish I had the above recipe at the time of the contest.  I think it just might have won it.  Yes, it is THAT good.
 I have had fun exploring the Avocados From Mexico facebook page, it has free avocado screensavers, wallpaper, virtual gifts for friends and even ringtones.  I downloaded the instrumental ringtone and my girls think is is so funny to see me break out in my Mexican Avocado dance when it goes off!
You can connect with Avocados from Mexico on Twitter, at Twitter@guacgrl.  Avocado lovers are using the hashtag #iloveavocados, and you can too, if you decide to tweet your love of avocados!

 What is your favorite way to use an avocado?
Visit Sponsor's Site

3
Frugal/ HOME/ Meals/ RECIPES

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix & Taco Pizza

You will never have to buy over-priced, way-too-much-salt, sometimes ‘msg added’ taco seasoning packets again!  This taco seasoning mix is so easy to make and tastes really great!  I feel it gives a much richer, “homemade” flavor to every recipe I use it in.  I have used to season ground beef for tacos, nachos, & taco pizza.  I have used it to season refried beans, and to season lentils for vegetarian tacos. You can even use it to season chicken.

Taco Seasoning Mix

Recipe source-Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

_________________________________

Here is the recipe quadrupled, to make a large batch.  Store in a mason jar. 🙂

  • 1/4 cup chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon black pepper

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Hints:



~Use 3 teaspoons (more if want stronger flavor) per pound of meat.  Add 2/3 cup water and simmer down until water is absorbed.

~If you prefer, you could sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of flour to help thicken sauce.  I find this is not necessary.

~Adjust salt and red pepper flakes to your taste.  I usually use a bit less of both.

~You could make a large batch and give away in small mason jars as a thoughtful gift.

~Buying seasonings in bulk is the way to go!  Amazon has some great deals, like McCormick Gourmet Collection Chili Powder.

Use the above link and I will receive a small percentage of what you spend.  Thanks!!

 

Taco Pizza No Recipe, Recipe

Premade pizza crust (we use premade dough from Trader Joes)
Pizza Sauce (we also get from Trader Joes)
Cheese
Ground Beef Seasoned with Taco Seasoning Mix (or beans or lentils)
Lettuce (we use spinach)
Tomato
Corn
Taco Sauce or Salsa
Corn Chips, crumbled

Top pizza crust with sauce, add cheese and meat (or beans).  Bake according to pizza crust directions.  Cool slightly.  Add toppings you prefer and serve with taco sauce or salsa!

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