Tag Archives: microwave

WIAW #10: What I Ate Before Fatherhood

Not like the meals I had before fatherhood were gourmet dishes or anything, but I certainly didn’t have to practice the whole “don’t eat with your eyes” thing as much.

I’m not complaining, I love my meals of randomness all mixed together in a Tupperware dish, but it’s fun to look back at the meals I had in the past, where you could even make out what they were! I’ve mentioned before how I had a healthy foodie blog, Just Add Cayenne, as you will find with its own page above, and figured I’d pull an old WIAW post from the archives.

Sticking to a post around this time, I found one I published on April 24th, 2012, titled When Life Hands Me Wednesdays, I Make WIAW Post #9. It only seemed fitting since this is my 10th WIAW post on Going Dad, so it’s kinda like just picking up where I left off, just now I have a daughter and I’m a stay-at-home dad. A damn proud SAHD at that!

Before we travel back in time 3 years, I’ll quickly share what one of my day’s worth of eats looked like recently.

Morning – I cut a banana into slices and cover each one with NuttZo to feed the non-stop Avery as she does circles around the kitchen island.

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I was expecting to have a few left over for me to finish, but….

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….that was the last one. I did get to lick my fingers clean though! Luckily I had several cups of coffee to keep me “going”.

Then lunch was a combo of steamed veggies and a microwave salsa omelette.

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Dinner was my usual mix of randomness with kimchi, homemade fermented cucumbers, eggs, tuna, and steamed brussels sprouts.

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I know, hold the jealousy train, one at a time now!

Now, how about a little back to the future WIAW to see meals pre-dad? I’m bringing everything I shared from the old WIAW post to this one, even my commentary, just to give you a glimpse of life back then.

Thanks as always to the wonderful Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for creating this fun link-up for foodies everywhere! It was great then and continues to be an awesome linky now!

what I ate wednesday, WIAW

 

Breakfast – Cold quinoa and bean salad with steamed veggies, and a little salsa mixed in; baby carrots; overnight peanut butter oatmeal crisps; French Press coffee with nutmeg and vanilla extract

Snack – Handful of roasted pumpkin seeds and black chai tea

LunchSpicy Black Bean Cakes on a bed of arugula and roasted veggies; small cup of frozen strawberries and papaya; Ak-mak crackers; baby carrots; green tea with stevia
Snack – More green tea mixed with an herbal peppermint tea; great for after eating!
Dinner – Bring on my biggest meal; always ready to eat after a good strength/cardio workout! Mixed salad greens with lentil-veggie puree as a dressing and topped with Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and tomatoes; Pumpkin Protein Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich (I made the pancakes using my crepe recipe with less liquid); pumpkin and frozen fruit protein puree topped with oatmeal crisps; no-bake peanut butter cookies on the side; I also had a slice of low-fat peanut butter protein bread I made this weekend…..recipe to come.

After a wonderful day with Kelley on Saturday, I spent way too long in the kitchen on Sunday. Even after saying I’ll just make simple meals for the week, I went overboard. I promised next weekend I will actually make simple, steamed bean and veggie meals to get out of the kitchen quicker. I must stick to it!

Although, I keep seeing/thinking of awesome recipes that I want to try, so it’s hard not to try them out! Maybe just one fun recipe and be done with it….uh oh, this is how it starts! I want to start posting more of the various vegetable and fruit blends I make on a daily basis; anyone interested?

Q: Do you like going to the movies or staying at home?

A: I typically prefer to stay at home to watch something where my own food is readily available and there’s no noise from other people to bother you.

Brilliant blog posts on HonestMum.com

WIAW #9: Don’t Eat With Your Eyes!

You know the saying, “You eat with your eyes first”? I’m lucky my wife and daughter either don’t practice this quote, or simply don’t look at what I make sometimes because some things just look straight up gross.

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See?

But it usually tastes great and is always healthy! I mean, I try to make some dishes look good for Going Mom. Like the presentation on this chicken tortilla soup looks delicious and she agreed it was.

healthy recipe, nuttzo, stew

Unfortunately, since most of my meals are one-pot collaborations of loads of veggies, some healthy fats, and protein, they usually don’t do much to please the eyes. Even when they are miniaturized for the little belly in the house.

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Hey, it’s not easy cooking several meals for three every day. Then again, as a stay-at-home dad, I don’t need to complain, it should just be part of what I do. No fast food or going out to eat means more for me to make, but I’m happy with that since it means a healthier family. And most of the time my ugly meals still taste good. Love that slow-cooker!

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So, as I share with you my day of eats, I only ask that you DO NOT eat with your eyes first at all! Please?

Now, how about a little WIAW action! Thanks as always to the wonderful Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for creating this fun link-up for foodies everywhere!

what I ate wednesday, WIAW

 

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Breakfast – I followed my typical fasting protocol and just had some Homemade Cold Brew Coffee as I fed this smiling girl some microwave chocolate bread with NuttZo.

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Lunch – Steamed beets, kale, carrots, and broccoli topped with eggs and nutritional yeast. Also had a couple of Beanitos chips for a tasty crunch.

 

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Before Dinner – Green protein smoothie with whole apples, kale, carrots, and spirulina.

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Dinner – Dad’s specialty, another crock-pot perfection! Wild antelope steaks (thanks to my brother, Uncle Preston) in a stew of organic mixed veggies, corn, and beans. See, not the best thing to look at, but trust me, it was a delight to eat!

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Snack – I’ve been making a lot of variations of my microwave breads and had way more than necessary of this chocolate version. #noguilt

Do you eat with your eyes first or can you overlook the ugly dish if taste prevails?

Seriously, what can’t you make in the slow-cooker?

Ever try any kind of wild game like antelope?

Brilliant blog posts on HonestMum.com

I Love My Microwave Omelet Maker + WIAW #4

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..

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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.

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

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….oats….

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!!

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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…

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

One for me, none for you, dad.
One for me, none for you, dad.

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.

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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!

what I ate wednesday, WIAW

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.

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

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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.

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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!

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

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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. 🙂

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

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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. 😉

Brilliant blog posts on HonestMum.com