Wakey, Bakey, Rise and Shine!

Hey friends!

This morning my normal 5am workout was cancelled and I decided to take advantage of the extra time and sleep in (oh yea, baby!) and make a clean and yummy breakfast treat for my coworkers.  You know most people bring in donuts, muffins, bagels, and other tasty treats, but you say to yourself, "Self, DON'T eat that. It will taste good for a second, but you'll regret it."

Inevitably, you cave.

I mean, really, how many times can you walk by the doughnut box, tray of sugary topped muffin goodness, or over-glazed cinnamon rolls? WE'RE ONLY HUMAN, RIGHT?!

Well, I decided that bringing delicious, clean, feel good treats for my pals at the office is even more fun because a) I get to feel good about sharing, 2) no one slips poison in my tea for throwing them off their diet, and iii) I become every one's hero for taking all the time and trouble to bake in the morning.

Want to know a secret? It's wicked easy!!!!

Here's what I made for the crew this morning:  Personal Sized Egg Bakes

Next time, I promise to take "building" pics! :)

What you need:

• Eggs - my muffin tin has 12 spots. I used 12 eggs
• Veggies - whatever you like, spinach, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes & green chilies plus mushrooms), if you like it, chop it up and put it in there!
• Shredded Cheese - shred your own or buy the bagged stuff, but stay away from fakey fake stuff like "processed cheese food product" or "fat free but full of chemicals so you can't taste the difference". Get REAL cheese.
• Meat - I used thin slicked turkey from the deli, but you could use Canadian bacon, ham, chicken... whatever. Opt for lean meat, stay away from processed junk!

Prep:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and spray your muffin pan or brush with olive oil (you could also use muffin cups, but that seemed like too much work - plus all my cups were birthday themed).

Build:

• Place your sliced meat in the muffin pan, like a baking cup. (If you don't have sliced meat but shredded or chunked instead, just mix that in with your eggs and veggies)
• Layer your veggies - I did tomatoes and mushrooms and filled the cups about half full with chopped up goodness!
• Add your cheese - just a pinch of cheese for each cup. 
• Add the egg - I made 6 with tomato and mushroom, and 6 w/out the 'shrooms. I could tell them apart because the 6 with everything I left the yolks whole. As in, "you get the WHOLE batch of veggies, ya'll!"  You can crack the egg right into the muffin cup, or whisk it in a bowl and pour it on top. One egg on top should fill the muffin cup.
• Salt, pepper, paprika to your heart's desire

Bake: 

• Pop the pan in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the egg yolk is done to your liking. 

VIOLA! Delicious, easy to share breakfast treat with veggies, protein, some good fats, and you're set for the morning with no guilt.   I'm already dreaming up yummy combinations... like how can I get some avocado in there?! Man, that'd be dreamy.

I'll let you know how they reheat as I just had a couple left from sharing today. These are modestly sized and 2 is about right for a serving.

You've all heard the saying, "Eat breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince, and Dinner like a Pauper."  This is a great way to enjoy breakfast like a KING! :)

Until next time,

<3 Jen

Home, Sweet Home, and IT Band 'Fun'

Hello Friends

So, we've made the decision to stay put, for now... the stress of having our home on the market is over. Do you know what we did that first day? Put chicken in the crock pot for dinner!  We'd always heard that having food cooking all day in the crock pot could have an aroma that your potential buyers didn't like. Cooking chili sounds amazing to me, but if the potentials don't like spicy food, they could be turned off. So, we abstained, often times we ended up eating away home. A full summer of too much eating out makes me excited for home cooked and clean meals. This unusually cool weather has me in the cooking and baking mood, too.

So, it's time to make our house our home again. Time to replace the pictures. Time to get out my recipe books, extra baking pans and covers and enjoy all the yummy and clean recipes that I can get my hands on! I know that I'll be utilizing the crock pot a lot this fall. Why? 

Well, it's time to finish what I started about 18 years ago. Jen's going back to school.  

My classes are on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, all night (6-10pm), so I'll need to be sure that there is food for the family, and something that I can have leftover for lunch and/or dinner the next day. Since I won't be coming home between work and school, having something simmering all day will make the evening less hectic for the hubster. That is, if I can convince him to try some new things.   Do you have a favorite crock pot recipe?  

Now, if I can just work out this IT Band/hip issue I'm having with my running... I've taken a week off of running, have been to see my chiropractor, and have been rolling out and stretching ... but it's not right yet. I don't want to get off track, but I also know the risk of permanent damage if I push running despite pain. It's frustrating, but I have to be patient.

I'm working in lots of extra stretching time - remembering that I need to be warmed up before I start. I've also started to ice my hip to help with inflammation. I have a specific goal in mind, but I have to remember that staying healthy is more important. It's a tough balance to find, and I have to remind myself every day.

I'll let you know how things go. In the mean time, I'm going to enjoy the great weather, good clean food, and take things slow.

Until next time (pancake recipes!),
<3 Jen

Black Bean Burgers - A Grilling Success!

Hello Friends!

I've been waiting to try this recipe for months (thanks Ben, for finally getting it to me!) and WOW am I glad I did!  Sometimes you want something a little lighter, meat free, but you want all the flavor of a good burger. This was just what I wanted.

Now, I'm not a vegetarian - I'm a full on meat eater. But I do enjoy all sorts of flavors, and any way I can get good, clean food and more servings of my veggies, I'm all about it. Sneak 'em in any way you can, I say.

So, I made Angus beef burgers for the rest of the family and proceeded to mix up these delicious meat free black bean burgers for myself. Here's the recipe and how I modified it.

Ingredients:

• 1 16oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 2 carrots, finely diced (I used broccoli slaw, about 1/4 cup and diced it really tiny!)
• 1 onion, finely chopped (I used 1/2 of a large red onion. I bet Vidalia onions would be good, too!)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I have a jar of minced garlic in my fridge. I used a little more than 1 Tbsp.)
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp cinnamon (YES - CINNAMON)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (slightly more olive oil helps keep the mixture stick, so they don't fall apart on the grill.)
• 1 Cup bread crumbs (I used Panko instead)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the grill - brush grate with olive oil or give it a good once over with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mash black beans.
3. Add in the carrot (or broccoli slaw), onion, garlic, spices and olive oil.
4. Mix in the bread crumbs (I used my hands!) and form into 4 patties.
5. Place on the grill and cook for 7 minutes on each side.

These stayed together pretty nicely on the grill, though I'll use a touch more olive oil next time. They cook up just like a burger and I even go super yummy looking grill marks!
I served my burgers on whole wheat thin buns with spinach leaves, mustard, sliced tomato, red onion, and a little shredded cheddar cheese.  All that yumminess served with a big salad, and I was FULL and in FLAVOR HEAVEN.  

My first bite, I'll admit, I was nervous. I'm not one of those garden burger eating, tree huggin' hippies. What if it tasted like the bottom of my shoe? I was pleasantly surprised! The first thing I noticed was the blend of the savory and sweet. I could taste the cinnamon and the chili powder in the same bite. The texture wasn't bad, either. It's obviously not meat, but it had a good solid  feel.  I'm excited to see how they reheat for lunch this week.  

I'd love to hear what you think of this recipe! C'mon, keep an open mind and give it a try!

Next up, 2 different kinds of pancakes - sweet potato and vanilla chai pancakes. I'm salivating a little just thinking about them. :)

Share with me your thoughts and other favorite recipes. I'm loving all the new ways to enjoy clean eating with tons of flavor. 

Until next time,

<3 Jen

Clean Cookies! Isn't that an Oxymoron? NO!!!!

Hello Friends!

I've been hearing (and seeing on Pinterest) about these 2 ingredient cookies and I just have to try them. I have an abundance of ripe bananas and am just not in the mood for banana bread (I have posted a clean banana bread recipe if you're interested)... so, I've decided to give these a whirl.

Though this "recipe" only calls for bananas and oats, I've decided that I want a little something more.  I've made two batches:

First Batch Ingredients: 

2 large ripe bananas

2 cups oats (steel cut or regular oats, not quick oats)

Options:

1/4 cup craisins (you can use raisins, dates, or whatever dried fruit you like!)

1 T vanilla extract (or almond)

1 t cinnamon

Depending on the size of your bananas you may need to add dry ingredients (more oats, for example). Smash, blend, and stir.  I like my cookies a little bigger, so I used a large soup spoon to make my cookies. I only got 10 out of this batch, but when they are a bit bigger they don't fall apart so much.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for around 15-20 minutes, and cool on a wire rack or brown sack.

Still a little warm, couldn't wait,
eating and blogging!

Second Batch Options: 

I added dark chocolate mini chips and slivered almonds.  I can't wait until they are cool enough to eat!!!

Eating clean doesn't mean depriving yourself of delicious food, and heck everyone needs a little chocolate in their lives! The key, I've found, is finding that 80/80 place. When I stick to a clean plan, I just FEEL better. 

It's 12 weeks until my race, and I have a feeling that I'll be snacking on these "cookies" pretty regularly for a clean treat.  If you make them and try new variations, share with me!!!! I'm thinking natural peanut butter is next on the list to add... oh man, I'm going to have to remember PORTION CONTROL and maybe a little moderation! :)

I'm always down for a new recipe!  Speaking of new recipes, I'm hoping to make some delicious burgers Wednesday night - I'll share how they turn out with you, right here!

Until next time - eat clean, treat yourself right! How can the Five Pillars help you live a WHOLE life?

<3 Jen