another summer friday

Dip dinner happens when you've got a bunch of ripe avocados and several half bags of chips leftover from the holiday weekend.

Featuring:

guacamole

bean dip (refried beans from a can)

salsa

sour cream

jalapenos

fajita chicken

summer dinner, charcuterie edition

Friday nights all summer long we've had something like this for dinner:

Plop a bunch of (cold) things, leftovers, snackies, etc. on a tray and call it charcuterie. 

And it's been the best. No cooking or heating up the kitchen, and if I make it ahead of time, it's ready whenever we get hungry. No two are the same and it helps clean up the random odds and ends that are in the fridge at the end of the week. It's perfect for those times when you're working in the heat and your body is hungry but you're too hot for an appetite.

You might think dinner like this won't fill you up, but there's always a couple different protein options, and we often have trouble finishing it. 

smoothie kits

I'm on a smoothie kick and you know I like to streamline things. These smoothie kits live in the freezer and all you do is add milk and blend.

In each bag:

1/2 ripe banana, sliced into 4 or 5 pieces

2 strawberries quartered

5 blueberries (not pictured)

1 Tablespoon of Super Seeds

1 scoop of Naked Pea protein powder

1 big ass kale leaf, stem removed (or leave it on if you're confident in your blender)

1/2 tsp of grated turmeric (not pictured) and/or ginger

generous sprinkles of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger

I don't like a super sweet smoothie so if you do, add some honey or whatever.

The important thing is to freeze these FLAT so you can break them up into chunks so they blend easier. If you freeze them in a solid block, they will be impossible to blend.

I add 3/4 cup (6 oz) of soy milk and blend away. Makes a 12 ounce smoothie that looks ugly and green but I like it. Sometimes I pair it with an extra toasted english muffin with almond butter.

biscotti, revisited

A simplified version of a previously posted recipe for biscotti, inspired by the new Nespresso machine and the need for little snackies to enjoy alongside a double shot on the porch.

Biscotti:

1 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt
3 eggs
2 c. GF flour

1 c. almond flour

Preheat the oven to 350. 

Mix the eggs, salt, and vanilla in a bowl. Stir in the flours. 

You can use the dough as-is, or add some mix ins. I divided the dough and added the following:

1. slivered almonds and sprinkled with turbinado sugar
2. dried cranberries and chopped pecans

3. chocolate chips

4. ginger, cardamon, and cinnamon

Shape into oval patties. They do not spread or rise so take that into consideration when shaping. I made mini biscotti here. 

Bake for 20 minutes. 

Take them out and, using your sharpest knife, cut the patties into slices at an angle. 

Bake for another 20 minutes.

As they cool they will get a little crunchy. 

P.S. They freeze very well.

travel breakfast- yogurt

Been eating this for breakfast this week. 

Cocojune yogurt. No sweeteners or weird ingredients.

Purely Elizabeth granola

Almond butter

fruit

travel meal- burrito bowl

Greetings from Washington. (The state, not the district. That was last week.) A couple pretty shots from today:

Today was taco tuesday, which in low carb travel meals, means something like a taco salad or a burrito bowl. The ingredients:

Salad greens. I like this one because it has green onion. I always throw the little bags of fixings away.

Olive oil

juice from half a lime

avocado

Tofu. I tried a new kind and I LIKE it.

Carnitas. Already cooked. Pretty yummy.

Taco seasoning. Start off with a little and taste test because it can get too salty very quickly.

Travel meal- chicken & veggies

For those times when you're starving in the grocery store and want the quickest meal possible. And you're sick of tuna. 

Another non-glamourous but safe travel meal.

Perdue Short Cuts Roasted Chicken and a bag of frozen veggies. Transfer to a microwave-safe vessel, sprinkle with some seasoning, nuke for a few minutes, and dinner is served. 

travel meal: chicken meatballs & brussels sprouts

Found something new while browsing Whole Foods today.

Amylu Chicken Meatballs.

Paired with brussels sprouts and a little bit of seasoning, heated up for a few minutes, it's not the worst thing I've eaten on the road.

frozen scrambled egg kits

We are not morning people. But we really like breakfast. Which means that most work mornings are rushed.

I created these to help streamline breakfast prep. Really all they are is ingredients that we like to put in scrambled eggs, divided into baggies and frozen.

These include:

onions

mushroom

peppers

sausage/ham

spinach/kale

I use the food processor to chop everything quickly, unless I'm in a meditative mood and then I chop by hand.

When we're ready for a hearty breakfast, we toss the contents of a frozen bag into a hot pan, let everything cook for a few minutes, then add eggs and scramble.

Ooh, I should add potato to the next batch.

Note: if you want to add cheese, wait until the very end.

travel meal: chicken on the mini griddle

My belly has been cranky lately. 

I didn't have an appetite today and needed something simple and easy to digest.

On the menu:

Chicken, brussels sprouts, rice, avocado.

Leftovers went onto salad greens for lunch tomorrow.

Ingredients:

thin chicken breasts (crucial for cooking on the mini griddle)

brussels sprouts

rice

avocado

olive oil

a punny chicken seasoning because even though the belly is cranky, I still need flavor and the puns got me.

I cooked the chicken on the griddle with a little bit of water to keep it moist, and took it off when it started to get smoky enough for me to worry that it would set off the hotel smoke detectors. 

The sprouts and rice went into the microwave with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

I've eaten way worse on the road.

travel dinner: Mediterranean snacks

Felt a little snacky for dinner.

Hummus, veggies, crackers, & dolmas... yum. I need to learn how to make those.

Basically grabbed anything from the deli section that looked good.

travel meal: burrito bowl

Today's travel meal:

Frozen Healthy Choice Unwrapped Burrito Bowl, salad greens, cooked chicken, avocado, & chips. Made enough for 2 meals.

It would have been better if it had salsa.

Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour

Usually I use my own flour blend, but I was in a pinch and acquired a bag of Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour.

I made a few of my normal recipes with it, and each one of them turned out gummy. 

Looking at the ingredients list, the only thing I can think of is that it's too high of a starch ratio? Also, I read reviews online and there are lots of people who love it, so I'm not sure what's happening here.

All I know is that I'm not going to buy another bag because it did not work for me.

Waffles, updated

Capturing the waffle recipe evolution...

We eat waffles a little differently than we used to.

First of all, we traded the big waffle maker for the dash mini waffle maker. It makes smaller, more crispy waffles. Sure, they're one-at-a-time, but Sunday mornings are for leisurely making waffles, and if you prefer to make a batch ahead of time they freeze beautifully.

These are dairy free and egg-free. Because eggs got expensive and I adapted the recipe and I like them better this way.

Waffles

1 T. flaxseed meal

3 T. hot water

1 T. olive oil

1 t. apple cider vinegar

1/4 t. salt

1 t. honey

1 c. almond mik

1 c. gf flour mix

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder

Plug in the waffle maker to let it heat up.

Mix the flaxseed meal and water in a 2 c. measuring cup. Add in the olive oil, vinegar, salt, honey, and almond milk. Measure out 1 c. of gf flour mix, and top with baking soda and baking powder. Add to the wet ingredients and mix well. 

Pour appx 2 T. of batter onto the waffle maker. Spread it to the edges and close the lid. Cook for 4 minutes. Repeat. Makes 6 waffles.

We like them with crunchy peanut butter, syrup, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

splitting gf bread

Ok this is a weird one but if you eat gluten free bread, you've been there.

Even the best gluten free bread is a little dense. Therefore if you make a sandwich with 2 of those thick  slices, it's a lot of bread to chew.

Which is why I like to split mine in half. For a better experience overall.

Except splitting a floppy piece of bread is no easy task. 

The secret is toasting it first.

Then it's easy peasy to take the knife around the perimeter and slice it into 2 pieces.

And enjoy a sandwich with a normal bread to filling ratio.

travel meals- charcuterie edition

Once again, I was faced with traveling under circumstances where my hotel room did not have a microwave. Fortunately, it did have a fridge and a coffeemaker.

I enjoyed my daily latte with the aid of this handy travel immersion heater. It says it's just for water, but I stirred it the whole time it was heating and I had no issues. It worked great and is very portable.

Since I lacked the ability to heat things up, I enjoyed a couple days of charcuterie-type meals.

Breakfast: boiled egg, fruit, and veggies. (+ aforementioned coffee)

Lunches and dinners: Tuna salad + greens, 

or a combo of veggies, avocado, hummus, chicken, crackers, wine

Not sustainable for a long period of time, but it will get you through a few days.

pretty salad

Tonight for dinner I didn't want leftover chicken.

Some days you need a salad. A pretty salad. With bright flavors.

This one has:

chopped kale

chopped cabbage

shredded carrot

chopped fresh cranberries

salt & pepper

olive oil

juice from 1 lime

Toss together and enjoy.

Pumpkin Scones

Whoa these scones are an absolute delight. Not too dry, not too sweet. 

Pumpkin Scones

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Mix the wet ingredients in a small bowl:

1 egg, beaten

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

1 T. molasses

2 t. vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl:

1 1/2 c. gf flour mix

1/4 c. dark brown sugar

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1 T. pumpkin pie spice*

Add a stick of butter to the flour mixture (I used Country Crock Olive Oil) and cut it in using a pastry blender, until it looks like little pebbles. Stir in the wet ingredients.

Plop the dough onto the parchment paper. It will be soft. Form the dough into a circle with your hands. Using a knife or offset spatula dipped in gf flour or sprayed with cooking spray, separate into 6 wedges. The dough will be sticky but the wedges should hold their shape. 

Sprinkle with cinnamon and turbinado sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. A toothpick will come out clean, and the edges will be a little crispy.

Perfect with a hot cup of coffee.

*[Pumpkin pie spice:]
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 t.ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves

banana muffins

When faced with the choice between making "bread" vs "muffins," I almost always choose muffins because they cook so much faster. (or donuts bc why not)

Which is why this recipe is for banana muffins and not banana bread.

Mix in a bowl:

1 really ripe banana, mushed with a fork

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c. oil

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. vinegar

1/4 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. gf flour

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

Pour into a greased muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes at 350. Top with nuts, seeds, chocolate, or nothing. I couldn't make up my mind so I did a couple of each. 

Makes 6 muffins.

peanut butter cups

It's hard to find a good peanut butter cup- at least, one that doesn't contain dairy.

(Justin's and Trader Joe's are at the top of the list)

However, it can get costly buying fancy peanut butter cups and they are actually really easy to make.

I happen to have a shallow mini muffin pan that works perfectly for this, but you could also use a regular mini muffin pan, just fill them about halfway for the right ratio of chocolate to peanut butter.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. dairy free chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life or Pascha)

your favorite peanut butter

Instructions:

Spray the muffin pan with cooking spray and use a paper towel to rub it around evenly.

Grab a small saucepan and fill it with a couple inches of water.

Put it on the stove over high heat and bring it to a boil, then turn the heat off.

Place a bowl on top of the saucepan (make sure it's big enough that it doesn't fall in), and add the chocolate to the bowl. Stir it as it starts to melt.

When the chocolate is melted, use a spoon to put a dollup into each muffin well. Spread it around, using the back of the spoon to spread chocolate up the sides, like so.

Place a dollup of peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) into the middle of each well. Bang the pan on the counter top a few times to level it out. Top with more chocolate and spread it around to cover the peanut butter.

Freeze it for a few hours until everything is set. Use a small spatula or spoon to loosen the chocolate from the pan.

Store in the fridge or the freezer.

Makes 6 peanut butter cups.