Tag Archives: recipe

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. 😉

Going Healthy, Life

The Most Effective Pill for Fat Loss Is….

03/09/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

….. a hard one to swallow. Figuratively, of course, because THERE IS NO PILL, just a healthier lifestyle! Sorry for being so rash, but the whole idea surrounding fat loss pills is ridiculous.

It makes me mad how businesses exploit the general population’s “need” to lose weight without working for it. Keeping active and eating a diet filled with fresh, whole foods will benefit you better than any pill ever will.

Fast food made up a huge part of my diet and exercise was never consistent all the way up to my first year in college. But then I learned what it meant to be healthy by *gasp* reading about healthy food and exercise and putting things to practice. As a result, I felt the positive changes both physically and mentally, and never want to go back to my old ways.

Gone are the days of eating something handed to me that I ordered through a speaker and even giving thought the laundry list of ingredients you’d never find in a typical kitchen to make the same food. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have something delicious and quick to make…..

No time for healthy is no excuse when you can make this protein cinnamon bread in the microwave!

There are many people not even trying or wanting to learn proper diet and exercise or keep consistent with anything. Nope, instead they come running with cash/credit in hand when a new pill or something else claiming itself as “easy” or “fast” comes along for fat loss/health.

Countless times I have tried to offer advice to those who say they want to change, and, countless times my advice has been waived off as meaningless. Or, they’ll say it’s just too hard because they could never give up “enter crappy food here” or consistently “enter form of exercise here.”

Now I just try to keep quite when these topics come up unless I am specifically asked for advice. Even then, it seems like if the advice is too hard or not what they want to hear, it gets ignored. Hence the popularity of fat loss pills (aka caffeine pills with added BS).

I understand people are busy, but the health of you and your family should not be taken lightly. Am I alone in this thought process? It’s easy to laugh things off as you hold your 5th donut in your hand and say “I shouldn’t eat this, but….” as you then proceed to eat it before going back to sit down for several hours.

This might seem like I’m a heartless guy, but I’m far from. I am truly passionate about having a higher quality of life from good food and exercise, and want to pass it on to all that I can. If not for adults, at least for all of the children growing up not knowing anything different.

Our kids, the tiny versions of us, depend on us to provide. Their growing bodies are taking whatever is put into their system and using it to build everything from the hair on their head to their entire organ system. Not to mention the all important immune system. The higher quality food the body receives, the better it can build itself. Think of the Three Little Pigs, do you want to have a body built of straw and always get knocked over (i.e. sick and weak), or would you rather be strong as a house built with bricks and resistant to many common ailments?

I’m no expert, but I feel I have experienced enough on my own journey to have something to offer. I’ll probably keep trying since it’s forever programmed in my head to care. Who knows, maybe I’ll help someone get and stay on track one day!

Actually, I’m helping two lovely ladies keep healthy and look great every day.

These two are the ones I care most about (okay, my mom/G-Ma too!!), and being able to make all of our meals gives me confidence we’re all a happy, healthy family with bodies built from brick! It’s never gourmet cooking, but it doesn’t lack flavor either.

Going Mom and I are happy we are starting Avery off knowing fresh, whole foods and cooking at home is the norm. So many families depend on take out or going to a restaurant for most of their meals, which typically means not having the best choices when it comes to wholesome food.

I get it’s hard to keep kids (especially picky eaters) happy and fed, but the drive-thru is never the answer; same goes for most quick pre-made food options out there. Please, if not for yourself, do it for the kids!

Skip the boxed crackers and make these goat cheese salsa crackers instead!

And of course these protein brownies are healthy in disguise. No box needed here!

Making snacks like the two above is not that hard, and they still taste great. Plus, it’s something you could make as a family and appreciate your creations more than if you just bought some packaged snack food with questionable ingredients.

I could go on and on, and I probably will again, but for now, I’m giving it a rest. If you think you could use a change from your current lifestyle, here’s “food” for thought, try getting in the kitchen and making more of your own meals. Better food and moving more each day are simple ways to get your fat loss (and long-term health and happiness) and save your money on those fancy caffeine pills. Plus, that’s what coffee is for!