Mediterranean Diet Inspiration

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well"-Virginia Woolf

I'm going to be honest with you all, today was a lazy day. I had leftovers for lunch and some of my produce is verging on over-ripening so I was intent on not wasting it. Basically I had to use avocado, peppers, onions, and tomatoes in everything I made. Luckily, all of those veggies are in line with my Mediterranean inspiration. 

Breakfast:

• Veggie Egg White Scramble
• What you need:
• egg whites
• spinach
• tomatoes
• onions
• avocado 
• bell peppers
• mozzarella cheese 
• How to make:
• Scramble everything together over medium heat 

• Greek Yogurt Parfait 
• 4 oz. Greek yogurt with 4 cup strawberries, 1 tbs pomegranate seeds, and 1 tsp. honey

Lunch:

• Leftovers from Mediterranean Spinach Shrimp Pasta

Dinner:

• Mediterranean Inspired Nachos
• What you need:
• tortilla chips
• cheese
• onions
• avocado
• tomato 
• bell peppers
• How to make:
• Melt cheese over chips with all the toppings

Cheers X

Banana Nut Muffins

"I eat breakfast pretty much 'round the clock - muffins in the morning, scones for lunch, cereal at night - which may be odd but it is also satisfying, if only because the choice is my own"- Caroline Knapp

Today my roommate and I realized we both weren't eating our bananas quickly enough. Being newly employed, I am not trying to waste anything so ergo a need to make something with mashed bananas. Normally I make banana nut bread, but I don't have a bread pan yet so I decided to try my hand at muffins.

And they were awesome.

Bannana Nut Muffins
What you need:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 overripe bananas
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cups unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips

How to make:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Combine flour and baking soda in a large bowl

• In another bowl mash 2 bananas with a fork

• Whip the other 2 bananas with the brown sugar

• Melt the butter and combine with the eggs and vanilla. Add to the brown sugar/banana mix.

• Mix in the dry ingredients and the mashed bananas
• Fold in the chocolate chips, nuts, and spices

• Bake for 20 minutes

nom nom nom

Cheers xx

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread

“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” -Robert Browning

Happy Easter Everyone! I am unfortunately unable to go home for Easter this year, but I am there in spirit with my insanely wonderful family! 

This morning I realized that my bananas were starting to get overripe. That's one of the great things about bananas; they are versatile. Overripe banana's are the key ingredient to one of my favorite recipes- chocolate chip banana nut bread! Anytime someone is having a brunch I recommend banana nut bread since it's delicious and easy to make and keeps well overnight. 

Don't throw out your brown bananas!

 What You Need: 

• 1/2 cup oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 2-3 bananas (ripe)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 tbsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup nuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 2 spoonfuls of brown sugar
• 1 spoonful cinnamon

Ingredients!

How to Make: 

• Beat oil and sugar together
• Add eggs and mashed bananas to the mixture; mix well

I mash bananas in a separate bowl with a fork

• Mix in all dry ingredients (except the cinnamon and brown sugar) 
• Add in milk, vanilla, and honey; mix well 

• Add in nuts and chocolate chips

• Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan
• Top mixture with the brown sugar and cinnamon 

• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour

Enjoy! 

Cheers X

Veggie Omelet

"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast."- John Gunther

After a week of classes and working, I take my weekends seriously (which luckily start on Friday). I am skilled beyond your wildest imagination at lazying around for hours. However, when I do finally drag myself from my delightful cloud of a bed, I love to make a big hearty breakfast. 

One of my favorite breakfasts is an omelet stuffed with vegetables and cheese served with a fruit and yogurt parfait and seasoned breakfast potatoes. I honestly love to cook- whether it is just for myself or for others, and I think breakfast is a great meal to share with a bunch of people, but this recipe is just as easy when made for one than when made for five.

Veggie Omelet, Potatoes, Yogurt Parfait, Blueberry Muffin

Omelet:

• egg whites
• milk
• cheddar cheese
• onion
• bell peppers
• avocado
• vegetable oil

Vegetables I used

Dice your veggies

Use a small amount of vegetable oil to crisp your veggies, cook over medium heat for two minutes.

Egg Whites forming the omelet

Put veggies and cheese inside the egg and cook another minute

Potatoes:

• Russet Potato 
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• tabasco
• salt 
• pepper
• vegetable oil  

Cut potato into quarters
Fill a glass pan 1/2 way with water and put potato quarters inside
Microwave for 4 minutes

Cut potato into bite size pieces  

Place in a pan with oil and butter
Season potato to taste

Cook until brown and crispy 

Yogurt Parfait:

• plain vanilla greek yogurt
• berries (raspberries & blueberries are my favorite) 
• granola
• honey 

Layer yogurt, granola, and berries. Drizzle with honey. 

Enjoy!  

Happy Easter All! X

Blueberry Muffins

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."- George Bernard Shaw

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been feeling sick. Since cooking makes me feel better, I decided to make some comfort food.  I ended up baking a dozen blueberry muffins. 

Finished Product

What You Need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp honey 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 egg white
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tsp cinnamon 

How to Make

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. 
• Line muffin cups with paper liners.
• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and the salt in a large bowl with a whisk. 

• Add vegetable oil, egg, vanilla, milk, and honey to a measuring jug that holds at least 1 cup,  whisk until combined.

• Add milk mixture to the bowl with flour and sugar then use a fork to combine. 

• Add blueberries and fold the blueberries into the muffin batter.

• Bake 15 minutes

Enjoy!

Cheers X