Tag Archives: healthy

Food, Going Healthy, NuttZo, Soft Star Shoes, WIAW

The Frittata Recipe I Never Made + WIAW #6

04/01/2015 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

Isn’t it funny how something with a unique sounding name has most people thinking it’s something hard to make or requires time they don’t have? The frittata being one of them, is really just a crustless quiche. Oops, another uncommon name!

Okay, instead of quiche, how about an open-faced omelette? I mean, c’mon, an omelette you don’t have to try and fold over? Score! The frittata is just that, and it can be as elaborate or simple as you want with 12 different mix-ins, or just a single ingredient.

That’s what I love about them, their versatility. Everything you like on a pizza can be used in a frittata. And, just like pizzas can be savory as you usually see, frittatas can also become a sweet treat for late-night snacking or tasty breakfast. Or hell, why not both?

I have yet to do it, but think taking a ripe banana, slicing it into quarter-inch circles and using them for a sweet frittata with nut butter would be nothing short of spectacular! Plus, I see kids easily asking to have more after devouring what you thought was your breakfast.

Here’s my (not) tried and true recipe for a banana bliss frittata..

Ingredients

1 medium ripe banana, sliced into quarter-inch circles
1 tsp coconut oil
2 eggs
1 tbsp nut butter of choice; my go-to fav is NuttZo
Cinnamon to taste; I like A LOT
Optional: liquid or powder stevia or 1 tbsp honey for extra sweetness

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
Whisk eggs with nut butter, cinnamon, and optional sweetener and set aside
Add coconut oil to skillet on med-high heat and tilt to coat
Saute banana slices for 2-3 minutes or until you see them caramelizing
Pour egg mixture over banana slices in skillet and let set, lifting the edges to allow egg on the top to run below.
After about 2 minutes, finish off by placing in the middle rack of your oven for 3 minutes.
Remove and let sit 10 minutes to cool and pull away from the sides.

Now, you either love me for the idea, or hate me for not actually creating this dish and taking pictures. Maybe both? I know, I’m sorry, and if you don’t do it soon, maybe I’ll have a real pic to share next week.

I do, however, have a savory frittata I recently made and can even share a pic or two. In the mix, I had a plethora of veggies including peas and carrots (ha ha, that’s for Jenn, the host of WIAW!), onions, green beans, swiss chard, corn, and canned diced tomatoes.

After sauteing everything and letting the excess liquid evaporate, I added 4 whisked eggs, let it sit, and then finished off in the oven. It was a hit for my mom, Avery’s G-Ma, and wife!

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If you’re wondering, the point of this post is simply to proclaim my love of frittatas. It has been waayyyyy too long since making them and hopefully the spell has been broken.

With that, let us move on to the main attraction, WIAW! Thanks to Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for creating this fun link-up for foodies everywhere!

The day started with my usual truckload of coffee. I picked up this cold brew at Trader Joe’s and it’s about the only thing I’m really liking from the place.

Then it was time for overnight oats with NuttZo and a smiling toddler!

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After working out, Avery and I tried my newest microwave omelette maker bread creations with NuttZo on top.

The verdict? They were all a hit with our little toddler as well as myself! Go me!

Lunch was spaghetti squash with grass-fed ground beef with lots of mushrooms and brussels sprouts. The picture sucks, the meal was wonderful!

Although I probably should have, I didn’t eat anything again until dinner. I was hungry, and that frittata hit the spot!

Do you love frittatas?

What other creations have an intimidating name that sound hard to make but are really simple?

Have you ever had a sweet frittata like the banana and nut butter one I mentioned?

Before I’m done, just want to mention I love NuttZo and you MUST try it at least ~~once~~ forever! Plus, if you go to their website and enter code liley15, you can save 15% off your order. 😉

Food, Going Healthy, NuttZo, Soft Star Shoes, WIAW

Sweet & Spicy NuttZo Carrot Dip Recipe + WIAW #5

03/25/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

NuttZo is mentioned on here quite often, huh? Besides that fact that I’m a proud NuttZo Ambassador, it’s just that good that I have to talk about and share it frequently. Is that such a bad thing? Didn’t think so.

Today I have an easy and delicious NuttZo recipe to share. No baking, rolling anything into balls, or waiting for hours, just a few simple ingredients and a quick blend is all you need. It’s a super versatile sweet and spicy NuttZo carrot dip!

We’re already having temps in the mid-80’s here in Texas, so avoiding the oven makes sense. The only heat you need is the microwave or stove-top for steaming purposes, but then no more cooking! This recipe can be easily customized into only sweet or only spicy, so have fun and get your NuttZo on!

Sweet and/or Spicy NuttZo Carrot Dip

Ingredients

1 15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup steamed carrots; Use pumpkin puree if you don’t have or don’t want to use carrots
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1/4 cup smooth NuttZo Original or Power Fuel (You can use crunchy if you don’t mind a little crunch in your dip. Actually sounds pretty good!)
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon; plus more to sprinkle on top (I love the spice from cinnamon!)
Pinch of pure stevia or 2 packets of stevia (I use Pyure Sweet); can also use 2-4 Tbsp honey, but I haven’t tried to verify

Easiest instructions EVER

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth; scrape down the sides once or twice to get everything.

If you have more of a sweet tooth, nix the cayenne and either add another pinch or packet of stevia or leave as is. Conversely, omit the stevia and add a tiny bit more cayenne to turn up the heat! This would make a perfect game day dip to serve with veggies.

Feel like having something chocolaty? Sub in Dark Chocolate NuttZo for the original, add a 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, and leave out the cayenne and viola!

No matter how you make it, this NuttZo dip is sure to please, and it’s okay to just eat from the spoon, I do all the time. Oh, and so does Avery. Speaking of, this “dip” can easily become healthy baby/toddler/anyone food.

The evidence is on her chin!

Go ahead, leave your computer/tablet/phone and go make this NOW! Then come back to see WIAW. Thanks to Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for creating this fun link-up for foodies everywhere!

This week the party is being hosted at Sprint 2 the Table, so click on over and join in on the fun!

The morning started with, surprise surprise, homemade chocolate banana NuttZo bread with more NuttZo on top and the extra free “refill” coffee I got at Starbucks. Yep, still loving that Gold Card!

As usual, I didn’t have much to eat until I completed my workout for the day. Today was leg day with heavy dead lifts and squats in my Soft Star Shoes followed by a core routine and walking with Avery to the playground.

Oops, sorry, that’s not food!

Before lunch, I finished the rest of my kombucha from the day before and added a little apple cider vinegar.

Lunch was spaghetti squash with grilled salmon and egg, steamed brussels sprouts and broccoli, and black beans. That hit the spot!

I snacked on a few pieces of homemade beer bread with butter and black garlic spread on top to hold me over for dinner. The sweetness of black garlic paired with bread and butter is AMAZING!

Dinner was something I haven’t made in a looonnggg time and need to be sure I make it again soon. Slow-cooker pot roast with grass-fed sirlion, red potatoes covered in the red lentil sauce from the crock-pot, and steamed broccoli. My favorite ladies both agreed this needs to happen again very soon.

Naturally, I followed up with a cup full of sweet NuttZo carrot dip and a spoon. Nothing else needed!

Hope you give the carrot dip a try and have a great rest of the week! Happy Hump Day!Linking to the HOST

Are you a fan of dips or like using your fingers for snacking?

What do you think of using steamed carrots for dip?

Have you ever “baked” bread in the microwave?

Before I’m done, just want to mention I love NuttZo and you MUST try it at least ~~once~~ forever! Plus, if you go to their website and enter code liley15, you can save 15% off your order. 😉

Food, WIAW

I Love My Microwave Omelet Maker + WIAW #4

03/18/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

How often do you use the microwave? I use it daily and it almost always involves my Microwave Omelet Maker. Not for omelets, but to make bread. Say what?!

I know, it sounds weird to me just reading it out loud, but it works so well! It’s similar to the fairly popular “Microwave Mug Cakes” that started popping up a few years ago, just cooked in an omelet maker. Here’s mine..

This handy little kitchen tool is in the top 5 things I use every day. Right up there with the knife and my titanium spork! The breads I make vary depending on what’s left of my overnight oats mixture from the day before.

You see, I can inhale a container of plain Greek yogurt in 2 days, no problem. Once it’s almost empty, I use it to make different variations of overnight oats using oats (duh), peanut flour, plant protein powder, shredded coconut, chia seeds, greens powder, and stevia.

Instead of breakfast, I have these concoctions as treats/2nd dinner at night and maybe some after lunch, which is typically my first meal of the day. When the mixture is low, I then use it as my base to make a bread.

Confused? Let me run you through a typical cycle, starting with my almost empty container of Greek yogurt.

From there, I fill it back up with all kinds of goodness. This one got mashed ripe banana….

….oats….

…..peanut flour, stevia, and chia seeds….

…..along with a mix of water and almond milk to bring it all together.

Basically, peanut butter banana overnight oats, and they’re awesome! What’s not awesome is when everything goes back down and I’m almost out of the peanut buttery goodness. But, no worries, this is when I make bread!

Since chocolate pairs perfectly with peanut butter and banana, I add unsweetened raw cocao powder to the dwindling oat mixture.

I also add more peanut flour, sometimes coconut flour, and sometimes oat flour along with baking powder, more stevia, and egg whites to bring it all together.

I find a butter knife to work best for my stirring needs and use it every time. It’s even handy for scraping every last bit of the delicious batter into my greased omelet cooker.

I never have an exact microwave time, but have been doing anywhere from 6:30 to 7:15 depending on how full each side is. And then viola!!

I have two half-moons of peanut butter banana chocolate bread. And it’s healthy at that! Plus, Avery, my our 16 month old, loves everything I make. I just cut it up into bites for her…

….and she snatches them out of my hand as if I might take it back if she’s not quick enough.

And that’s that. I’ll have another full container of yogurt that will go down fast and I’ll repeat the process. Maybe with pumpkin puree, applesauce, or just extra oats and chia seeds.

If you haven’t used one, I say give it a try. It’s also great at making omelets if you’re wondering. Like this sweet potato and spinach NuttZo omelet.

With that, lets move on to WIAW. Thanks to Jenn, for hosting this fun link-up for foodies everywhere!

*Update*: this week’s WIAW is actually being hosted by Meg over on her cool blog, Clean Eats, Fast Feets. Head on over and see what all the other foodies have on their plates for the week!

Mornings are pretty minimal with food intake for me, but Avery is always ready to go right when she wakes up. I try to wake up before her to at least have a batch of my microwave bread made and ready for her, but sometimes she has to wait. I’ll have a quick shot of matcha green tea powder followed by a giant cup of coffee while Avery downs some of mommy’s milk.

I finally have the bread ready for Avery. Today it’s a protein pumpkin bread that she happily gobbles up.

I just ordered these organic chestnuts from Amazon (a freaking case of 24 packs!) on a whim and have been snacking on them during the day. Avery even enjoys them, although it takes her a while to chew one.

This is my first time to have chestnuts, and luckily I enjoy them. They’re great roasted (yes, on an open fire), as is, or mixed into salads. I like them with tuna or chicken salad for a cool new texture.

Lunch is a big bowl of steamed veggies with black beans and green onions on top. Oh yeah, and always plenty of cayenne; I like to sweat!

Since I was still hungry, I snacked on a few different pieces of microwave bread, some brazil nuts, and raw celery and carrots.

Yes, I’m using the lid of a bowl to double as a plate. Hey, it works, right?

Dinner, my biggest meal(s) of the day, started with salmon salad with steamed beets and broccoli, black garlic, celery, and 2 versions of my homemade sauerkraut. One was in a beet juice mixture and the other was infused with dill. I’ll let you guess which was which. 🙂

Round 2 involved a kale banana smoothie with the leftover slices of pumpkin bread Avery didn’t eat.

I want my daughter to eat and all, but is it bad when I secretly hope she won’t finish everything just so I can have some too? Hope I’m not alone here!

Hope you have a great rest of the week! Happy Hump Day!

Do you have a special way of using your almost empty containers like yogurt?

Are you a fan of overnight oats?

Have you ever “baked” bread in the microwave?

Aaaannnnnddd, before I go, I have to let you know that if you’re a peanut butter lover, you NEED to try NuttZo if you haven’t already! Plus, if you go to their website and enter code liley15, you can save 15% off your order. 😉