Spinach Mushroom Crustless Quiche

I’ve been working on rotating my breakfasts weekly, to foods that are quick, convenient, but full of nutrients. This past Sunday I made a crustless quiche, cut it into pie slices, and have breakfast ready to grab each morning! The options are endless with this idea.

Spinach Mushroom Crustless Quiche

  • 12 eggs
  • About 3-4 cups spinach
  • 1/2 package crimini mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves finely diced
  • Salt/pepper
  • Garlic salt

Mix everything together and pour into a buttered pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees until firm in the middle. Slice and enjoy each morning for breakfast!IMG_7707[1] IMG_7711[1] IMG_7712[1]

Mushroom Tomato Brussels Hash

If there’s one thing I love, for breakfast, lunch (great leftovers), or dinner, it’s a quick vegetable hash. The opportunities are endless, and they’re easy. It’s a great way to get a filling, healthy meal all-in-one.

Mushroom Tomato Brussels Hash

  • 1 bag shredded Brussels sprouts
  • 6 slices of bacon, chopped
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 package white mushrooms
  • Kosher salt/pepp
  • Garlic powder
  • Chili flakes

I began by cooking the chopped bacon in the pan, and then added the onion. I seasoned with kosher salt/pepp, garlic powder and chili flakes, and let the onion cook until it started to become transparent. I added the entire bag of shredded Brussels sprouts, and continued tossing until they started to cook down. I added the mushrooms, and let them cook until they were no longer firm. Last, I added the halved cherry tomatoes, and continued gently tossing until the tomatoes were warm. Nom!photo 1 (2) photo 2 (2)

I enjoyed it with a fresh avocado and some fresh berries 🙂photo

Pancakes, a recipe review!

Seth and I have this long-standing tradition of getting up early on the weekends, and going out for breakfast-we beat the crowds/lines, and have “talky time” where we catch up, talk and plan our weekend. This past Saturday however, I decided to make breakfast at home instead, so I could make a new recipe I’d been wanting to try-pancakes (plus, I wanted to use my new stove-top griddle I got for Christmas-thanks Mom)!

I found the recipe here: http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/breakfast/perfect-paleo-pancakes/. For those of you not familiar with Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations, I suggest you check out his website: http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/. Not only are his recipes fabulous, his story is inspiring. Being an Active Duty Navy Spouse myself, I’m thankful for his commitment to our country, and empowered by his approach to health and wellness.

The pancakes were nothing short of amazing-and completely satisfied my craving for pancakes (which was always one of my favorite carby foods pre-Paleo). A few notes:

  • I followed the recipe exactly, as I always try to do the first time
  • They actually didn’t taste very banana-y, even though this was the base for the batter
  • I used my kitchenaid mixer, so I still had some banana pieces in my batter-which was fine with me
  • I see what he means about keeping them small, for ease of flipping
  • I kept ours dairy-free, but drizzled just a bit of organic maple syrup on them
  • You would think 3 bananas wouldn’t create enough batter for 2 people-it totally did! We both had a decent portion of pancakes, and then we paired it with protein
  • Very easy recipe! The best kind!!
  • Tip: how to know when to flip your pancakes? When they get little holes in the top-see pic

Looking forward to trying more recipes from Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations 🙂DSC_0039DSC_0043DSC_0047DSC_0045DSC_0050

 

Breakfast? Yes Please.

Did you know that September is National Breakfast Month? I didn’t.

I never used to eat breakfast, but now, I can’t live without it. It really is the most important meal of the day for me, it gets my metabolism and brain working, and more important, helps me stay on track throughout the day.

I think it also happens to be the easiest meal of the day because of the endless options, and a lot of them are quick if I’m in a time crunch:

  • Eggs
  • Uncured meats
  • Avocado
  • Fruit
  • Nuts
  • Lara Bars

While it doesn’t appear to be a long list, breakfast is especially easy living the Paleo lifestyle. I eat a banana every morning, and try to pair it with some sort of fat, as it digests better and my body can absorb more nutrients. Lara Bars are quick and easy if you’re running out the door (heck, so is fruit, and eggs, and meat!). What a lot of people don’t realize is that these things are fast foods, quicker than taking an extra 15 minutes to go through a drive through. It doesn’t have to be a gourmet meal, the right something is better than nothing to fuel your body. I set a banana out each night on the island, to take with me in the morning, and typically a Lara Bar. Depending on the exercise I’ve done, I might grab some uncured organic meat that I can eat when I arrive at work, or an avocado I can slice. Easy!

Breakfast takes me maybe 5-8 minutes each morning (or the night before), and then I can function, the rest of my day-so I don’t want to hear, “I don’t have time to make breakfast,” anymore, make a commitment to yourself, and your body. Throw away the pre-packaged oatmeal, granola bars and pop-tarts, and eat real food.

Breakfast Facts:

  • Researchers at Cornell University found that people who skip breakfast tend to crave more carbohydrates later in the day compared with test subjects who ate breakfast.
  • A study from the Dairy Research Institute found that people who skip breakfast weigh more and have more unhealthy habits than those who eat breakfast. Those who skip breakfast consume 40 percent more sweets, 55 percent more soft drinks, 45 percent fewer vegetables and 30 percent less fruit than people who eat breakfast.
  • A study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health found that people who eat breakfast everyday are 34% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who do not eat breakfast. They are also 43% less likely to become obese and 40% less likely to develop fat around the belly.
  • A study of 6,000 students from the Toronto Foundation for Student Success found that students who ate breakfast had better grades and were more likely to graduate.
  • A new study from the Sussex Innovation Centre, Brighton, UK found that eating breakfast improves people’s mental performance. 61% of test subjects showed improvements in English and mathematics tests after eating breakfast. Hand-eye coordination was also improved. Breakfast eaters also showed a reduction in anxiety levels when faced with stressful situations.

http://www.mrbreakfast.com/glossary_term.asp?glossaryID=152