Vegetable Egg Cups

As part of the free clean eating and exercise challenge group I am doing this week, I decided to include some new recipes from the FIXATE Cookbook in my meal plan for the week.  There are SO many quick and healthy recipes in the FIXATE Cookbook that I've been wanting to try, and my challenge group this week was JUST the excuse I needed to make it happen!  :)

Today marks day 1 of my clean eating and exercise challenge.  This morning for breakfast, I made Vegetable Egg Cups for the first time and found a new favorite breakfast to add to my meal rotation!!  This was such a quick and delicious breakfast recipe - seriously so easy to make!  And kid friendly!  My toddler ate as many I did (2 egg cups each) and even wanted more!  Of course, there weren't any more since I only made as many as I thought we would eat - I didn't want there to be any leftovers if we didn't like it.  Ha!  Can anyone else relate to that?!?

Now that I know we like Vegetable Egg Cups, I can make extra next time!!  These would make a great grab-and-go breakfast, and extra egg cups could be stored in the fridge (or freezer) and then reheated in the microwave.  They are also really versatile - I'm excited to experiment with different veggie combinations the next time I make this!!

Today, I made a total of four Vegetable Egg Cups, including (1) two plain egg cups for my toddler (he doesn't like anything other than seasonings added to his eggs!), seasoned with garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and (2) two veggie egg cups with onions and green peppers, seasoned with salt and pepper (pictured at right).  I used a frozen veggie blend in the veggie egg cups, and they took twice as long to cook compared to the plain egg cups (30 minutes vs. 15 minutes).  We had fresh fruit on the side (watermelon!!).  Great, healthy breakfast.  Original recipe for the Vegetable Egg Cups is included below!

Vegetable Egg Cups

Ingredients:

• Non-stick cooking spray or non-stick baking cups
• 12 large eggs
• Sea salt (or Himalayan salt) and ground black pepper, to taste (optional)
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped veggies
• 12 Tbsp salsa

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. 
2. Lightly coat a twelve-cup muffin tin with spray or place non-stick backing cups in muffin tin. 
3. Place eggs in a large bowl; whisk to blend. 
4. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
5. Add veggies; mix well. 
6. Evenly pour egg mixture into muffin cups. 
7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cups comes out clean. The tops of the egg cups should be firm to the touch.
8. Top each egg cup with 1 Tbsp salsa.

Tips and Other Notes:

• You can experiment with all sorts of veggie and seasoning combinations.  My toddler likes garlic powder added to his; you could also add minced garlic.  Good veggie combinations include: (1) Chopped mushrooms, chopped bell peppers, and chopped onions, (2) Chopped broccoli florets and shredded carrots (3) Chopped red, green, and yellow bell peppers (4) Chopped bell peppers with chopped onions, (5) Spinach and chopped mushrooms.

• You could saute your veggies before adding them in with the whisked eggs.  

• Shred the veggies you use to make the veggie egg cups more kid-friendly.

• To keep this recipe clean, make sure you use a clean salsa!  In our household, we love Mateo's salsa!  Clean and delicious.

• Store extra egg cups in an airtight container in the fridge for no longer than 4 days. You can also store these individually in the freezer! To thaw, remove from the freezer the night before and store in the refrigerator. Then just pop it in the microwave in the morning until warm.

Below is a video of Autumn Calabrese, author of the FIXATE cookbook, demonstrating how she likes to make her Mini Vegetable Egg Cups.

Have you made Vegetable Egg Cups before?  If so, what's your favorite veggie combination?!?

I would love to hear!

<3 Deise

Balsamic Chicken

I like to try a new dinner recipe out at least weekly if possible.  I have various go-to clean eating websites that I like to browse, and if all else fails, I do a Google search to see if anything appetizing comes up.  Google never lets me down!  ;)

The winning recipe for tonight's dinner was Balsamic Chicken.  This recipe was so easy to prepare and absolutely delicious - even my toddler loved it!  Of course, that might not be saying much since he likes most clean foods I make....but it was delicious all the same!  We like to eat this over brown rice with a side of veggies.  Enjoy!

Balsamic Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp 100% extra virgin olive oil
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• 1/2 tsp sea salt 
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 tsp minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 
• 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth 
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme 
• 1 bay leaf 

Directions:

1. Coat bottom of non-stick skillet with oil and heat to medium high. 
2. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and saute until brown on one side.
3. Flip chicken breasts over.  Add garlic.  
4. Continue cooking for about 3 minutes while stirring.  Then, add vinegar, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaf. 
5. Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
6. Remove chicken; set aside and keep warm. 
7. Continue simmering sauce, uncovered for about 7 minutes. 
8. Discard bay leaf.  Pour mixture over chicken and serve.

Tips and Other Notes:

Be sure to make extra chicken so you can use some for lunch the next day - either as is for leftovers or on a salad.  This is one of those foods that tastes better the next day, especially after it has been soaking in those juices all night!

Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal

I LOVE breakfast!  That being said, I wasn't always a breakfast person.  In fact, for most of my life, I skipped that most important meal of the day for one reason or another.  Over the past few years I've gotten better about eating breakfast (slowly but surely!) and now I can't go without it!  Of course, it helps to have a child who needs breakfast, too.  ;)

One of my very favorite breakfast foods is oatmeal.  Before I got into clean eating, I used to buy the Quaker Instant Oatmeal Flavor Variety packs - Maple & Brown Sugar and Peaches & Cream were my favorite flavors!  And let's just say that homemade oatmeal was something I stayed far away from.  Ha!  Not anymore!!  Now the very thought of eating those processed oatmeal packages makes me cringe!

My current favorite oatmeal is a clean version I adapted from a recipe posted by 100 Days of Real Food.  My adapted version of this recipe (see below) makes the perfect amount for my toddler and me, and it's delicious!  This was breakfast for us this morning.

Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• Big dash of cinnamon
• Small splash 100% pure vanilla extract
• Drizzle of 100% pure organic maple syrup
• 1/3 to 1/2 smashed banana (best if it's a little ripe)

Directions:

1. Melt a smidgen of butter in a small pot so that the oatmeal doesn't stick to the pot as much.  Coat the bottom and lower sides of the pot with the melted butter.  You can use oil instead of butter if you prefer.
2. Add milk to the small pot; warm over medium heat until the milk starts to bubble.
3. As soon as the milk starts to bubble, add the oats, stir once, and turn the heat down to medium-low (as low as it can go but still bubble while it cooks).
4. Add the cinnamon and vanilla and then let the oats simmer for 2-3 minutes.  You can stir it a couple of times if you like.
5. Once the oats have soaked up most of the milk, add the maple syrup and smashed banana.  Mix everything together and let the oats simmer for a little longer, giving the flavors more time to meld together.
6. Take off the heat once the oatmeal is the desired consistency and serve or store for later in a thermos.  
7. Top with sliced bananas and sprinkled cinnamon, if desired.

Tips and Other Notes:

If you like your oatmeal a little "soupy," try to catch it before all the milk has been absorbed by the oats.  Alternatively, you can add a little cold milk to your oatmeal prior to serving; this will help cool it down.  If you add too much milk, cook it a little longer until it gets back to the desired consistency.  If you don't want to eat the other half of the banana you used, you can freeze it for later.

Note that some vanilla extracts have added sugar.  Be sure to use a brand without the added sugar to keep it clean!  Always be sure to check the ingredients list before you buy.

I hope you and your family enjoy this oatmeal recipe as much as my toddler and I do!  You can experiment with oatmeal creations of your own, too.  My sister-in-law has tired both apples and peaches instead of banana.  With the apples, she cooks them a bit before adding them into the oatmeal to soften them up.  The peach recipe she makes tastes more like a dessert!

If you come up with any oatmeal combinations you love, please share them in the comments!!  I'd love to give them a try!

Be Classy

I read an article today about a "Be Classy" program that has been implemented at Star Valley Middle School (the middle school I attended growing up!).

The 6 Pillars of the "Be Classy" program are to count your blessings, look for the good, perform acts of kindness, serve others, motivate yourself/set goals, and know you are valued. The program started out as an anti-bullying program that ended up having lots of rewards for self-esteem and greater happiness.

The school has students write in a gratitude journal every day and answer these questions:

1. What did you see the day before that was good?

2. What are you grateful for?

3. What is something you did that was good?

Then, students reflect on the things they've written throughout the day. Doing so serves as a constant reminder that students can do their best and can view the world around them in a positive way. The idea is that if they feel good on the inside, they'll want to do good on the outside.

This goes along so well with my personal development reading today! I'm currently reading "The One Minute Manager" by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson. My favorite quote from my reading today was, "People who feel good about themselves produce good results." I know I work best and get more done when I feel good about myself (although I am pretty efficient at cleaning house when I'm furious! Ha!). And I'm sure it's the same for everyone else. The truth is, we all just want to feel needed and appreciated.  We all want to feel important.

My husband and I tried to start a gratitude journal once before but it didn't last long. :/ I think my goal for this month is going to be to implement the "Be Classy" program in my own life. These really are great habits for anyone to get into! And what better habit to develop in November - the month of Thanksgiving - than to get in a habit of being grateful and counting your blessings?

What do you think? Could you benefit from implementing the "Be Classy" program in your life? Do you already do something like this?

I'd love to hear about what helps you keep a positive outlook in life!

<3 Deise