Lazy Eggplant

So here is an example of something I threw together one night for dinner. It made fabulous leftovers I might add. Also.. don't tell my boyfriend but I think I found a WAY to get out of making homemade pasta sauce. Has anyone ever heard of White Linen Collection by Victoria All Natural Marinara sauce? The ingredients are made with 100% all natural Italian plum tomatoes, olive oil, basil, and fresh onions. Not one "odd" ingredient to be labeled. It is low in sodium and sugar, unlike most pre-packed pasta sauces. It tastes absolutely fresh, just like homemade sauce. We picked up our 32oz jar from Costco for $5 and between my mom and I, the jar is almost empty. 

I had this sad eggplant in the fridge that really needed to be cooked up soon. When I bought it I had actually planned to make eggplant parmesan. Well that plan failed and I wanted something quick for dinner. We had this yummy sauce, tons of spinach and eggplant. I pulled out a casserole dish and started layering. Started with slices of eggplant seasoned with salt and pepper, sauce on top, and a bunch of spinach seasoned with an Italian blend. Then I repeated till all the eggplant was used up. Now you are probably thinking where is the cheese? Well I wanted to use goat cheese and my mom refused to eat it with goat cheese. So being lazy, I left the cheese off and topped my lazy eggplant with goat cheese on my dinner plate instead. My mom used ricotta instead. 

As bland as it might seem it was DELICIOUS and packed with flavor! This sauce, I'm telling you is amazing and made the dish. On the side we had roasted broccoli and asparagus. I needed some carbs and had an Alexia Whole Grain Roll warm out of the oven as well!

I'll be back soon with something sweeet,
Fallon

Green smoothie

Hey everyone! I'm still here don't worry. I haven't had much time to really plan any cool meals or desserts to share. Working weird hours makes me keep my cooking to a minimum that is really easy to put together and also is something I can use for my work lunches. Don't worry it has all been healthy meals with fruits, veggies, and protein! Just nothing "too" appealing to share. ;) On Monday I was able to FINALLY get to the gym. I didn't go for 3 days in a row. Let me just say that is the weirdest feeling ever when you can't make it to the gym. I didn't know how to feel. I'm glad I've been back at the gym 2 days in a row now and I feel MUCH better.  

Anyways back to Monday. I recently picked up a new protein powder by Rainbow Light called Protein Energizer. I loved the high amount of fiber and protein I get from this powder. It is low carb rice protein with no soy, dairy or sugar! It is sweetened with Stevia. It also has plant source digestion enzymes and spirulina. I also noticed it contains Guar Gum which is a natural thickener. I don't like watery smoothies. I think that is why I fell in love with this protein powder! I bought it in chocolate and vanilla. Chocolate is always my favorite and vanilla still has to grow on me. No matter how much frozen banana I would use it was just hard to stomach. Then my friend, who is actually my boyfriend's brother's wife gave me this awesome recommendation. Pineapple and coconut! So if you guessed it, on Monday after my workout I made a smoothie with my vanilla protein powder, pineapple and coconut. It was DELICIOUS!  

Green Pineapple-Coconut Smoothie  
Ingredients
4 oz milk (I used almond milk)
4 oz water
1 serving of protein powder
1/2 frozen banana
70g or 1/2 cup fresh pineapple (frozen would work too)
1 tbsp of shredded coconut (mine was sweetened but unsweetened be just as good)  
Optional:
1 tbsp PB2
Handful of spinach

I have a special process when it comes to making my smoothies. First I start with the liquid. Next I'll add the protein powder. Last I'll the PB2, spinach, fruit and shredded coconut. Give it a nice shake, and then blend for a minute or two. I like to make sure all my fruit has pureed, so I'll stop the blending to give it a small shake, and then blend again for a few more seconds. Now if I had a Vitamix I don't think I'd have to worry about this at all. ;)  
 
The sweet and tart of the pineapple definitely help mask the vanilla taste I was experimenting with. As for the coconut, it was a nice treat getting it up the straw, and it left a light taste to the smoothie! I forgot I have coconut milk in the pantry and this would make the smoothie even BETTER! As for the spinach, you can't even taste it, and you are getting an added boost of nutrition to any smoothie if you had some spinach! It definitely doesn't hurt to try. ;)

Until next time...
Fallon

Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas

I don't know about you but Wholefoods is one of my favorite places to shop. I will go in this store with a list of what I need, and still end up walking out with items not on my list and a little less cash in my pocket! They don't call this place Wholepaycheck for nothing ;)! The picture you see above is one of their newest fliers. They give you tips, recipes and coupons!! The recipes usually aren't something I would make ,but this month I came across one of them that sounded really good! What I love even more is I had all ingredients on hand. Don't you just love when that happens?


This loaf makes good leftovers as in taking a slice and making it into a sandwich! Even better is adding it to a salad. This dish lasted me all week and I had fun turning it into different meals. It was very filling from the 6g fiber and 8g protein per serving. I also never needed to eat a full serving of this loaf, usually 3/4 serving was more then enough (I use a food scale to weigh my portions and the site tells you the weight in grams/ounces). It is very dense! No joke, I would be full for 5+ hours! It is a vegan recipe and I'm not fully vegan. I think there are some delicious vegan recipes like this one, but I still like my meat and poultry on occasion. The only thing un-vegan about my loaf is I used chicken broth to cook my quinoa for flavor! I could of easily used water or vegetable broth. Which I didn't have vegetable broth on hand and water is just too bland for my tastes! Other then that everything was followed exactly as the recipe was stated and it turned out to be a delicious. It took some prep work but once it was all mixed and in the oven baking, it was easy!

Curious on how to cook quinoa? Well Wholefoods has a great page on how to cook quinoa. Basically it just like cooking rice! Learn to Cook: Quinoa. The recipe I found in the flier is online as well at Wholefoods. Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas. Enjoy!

The oats, garbanzo beans, and water.

Smooth paste to bind ingredients. I tried this, tasted like oatmeal hummus ;)

Everything mixed up! Love the colors.

I don't own an 8-inch loaf pan (I should though),
so I used these 3 small ones. Worked just fine!

Finished product! Make sure to grease your loaf pan.
They will pop out beautifully like this!

I was so hungry after an hour of it baking, I couldn't wait for
it to cool off. Let rest and it will slice much better!

If you like vegetable burgers, you will love the quinoa loaf.
Click HERE for the Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas.

Have a wonderful and healthy weekend!
Fallon

My favorite meal is Breakfast!

I love waking up in the morning and heading straight to the kitchen to whip up some breakfast! My stomach is already grumbling by the time I jump out of bed. I've learned to enjoy breakfast because almost 4 years ago my personal trainer told me I need to start eating breakfast. I use to NEVER eat breakfast. My excuses were it made me nausea and I wasn't hungry. I started slow with doing toast and eggs or toast and peanut butter. Then I gradually started to make my breakfast more fun, and now has become my favorite meal. Some mornings I get fancy and some mornings I make sure it's a nutritious breakfast and quick to put together.

As the weather is starting to warm in Las Vegas I need to find new ways to eat oatmeal. A warm bowl of oats is great during the colder months, but when it's already 80 degrees in the morning at 7am, warm oatmeal is too HOT! You may have seen this technique for oats on other blogs called overnight oats. It is very similar to muesli cereal that is soaked overnight in yogurt and is enjoyed with dried fruits and nuts the next day. I took that technique and kicked it up a notch. It is satisfying, nutritious, and has absolutely zero prep time in the kitchen. Toppings take a few seconds to put together, and in minutes you are enjoying a wonderful jar of oatmeal ready to fuel your day. These past few months with blogging has not only inspired me to be better in the kitchen, but has also helped me make new friends.

When I first started blogging I contacted Shelby from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. I asked for advice and what is ethical when it comes to blogging. Little did I know but we ended up getting closer through commenting on each other blogs and exchanging emails! What I love about her blog is she strives to stay healthy, but also to make sure who she cooks for is happy and healthy as well. I think we all know who that person may be ;). She makes a ton of meals using Cooking Light recipes and shows they are actually really good tasting and are good for you in a lighter way! I should know because I tried a few and loved every single one. She has recently started up an E-Recipe Club and has already completed her first baking contest involving chocolate. She is already planning on doing her next cooking contest, and I'm actually going to be helping her out with it! I'm truly excited that she thought about me and asked if I would be interested! I didn't think twice about it, and look forward to being part of this contest. You should check it out and join her E-Recipe Club! The next contest is going to be a lot of fun, and the more recipes we have submitted the better the competition will be! The contest is a surprise so stay tuned! Make sure to subscribe by Sunday the 21st to receive the newsletter with the contest information. To join Shelby's E-Recipe Club simply head on over to The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch and join to the right of her blog.  

Fallon's Overnight Oats  
Ingredients
2 oz plain Greek yogurt (any flavor yogurt will work)
3-4 oz of liquid (I use unsweetened almond milk and a little water)
1 teaspoon chia seeds (click here for their amazing benefits and nutrition)
1/2 banana, sliced (save the other half to top oats in the morning)
1/3 cup or 40g old fashion oats
 Optional: dash of stevia (any sweetener of choice works)  
Toppings: almond butter, other 1/2 of banana.  
Other toppings I've used: dried cherries or cranberries, fresh berries, cinnamon apples, pumpkin butter, ground flax, or raw nuts. Are there oatmeal toppings I didn't list that you use? Leave me a comment telling me what they are! 
 The night before you will want to make this. I find they turn out the best this way because they are moist, creamy and the flavor of everything has married together. In a jar (I like to reuse jars for my overnight oats, makes for easy traveling.) measure out the first 3 ingredients and mix well to combine. Add in slices of banana and mix well. This is used as a natural sweetener and the bananas help make it extra creamy. (That is why the sweetener is optional. If you are using plain yogurt, a little stevia won't hurt. When I use a flavored yogurt, you really don't need sweetener.) Once all the wet is combined, add in the dry oats and mix well. Cover with lid and set in the fridge overnight.

Once the lid was twisted off, you could smell the aroma of the banana.
The chia seeds help with the creaminess and thickness.

In the morning slice the other half of the banana and add a blob of almond butter. Enjoy!

Perfect

Messy

Have a great morning! Fallon

Chicken, Artichoke, and Cannellini Bean Spezzatino

Spezzatino in english means stew, I believe! Correct me if I'm wrong.
 

I've been in the mood for a hearty, comfort meal, that is warm and light. Being the foodie I am, I DVD-R Food Network new Saturday morning shows pretty often ;). I always make sure to tape Giada's show because her recipes never go wrong for me. They are simple and light. I saw this recipe and knew this was exactly what I wanted! Vegas has been a bit chilly these last few days, I mean the other day as I was leaving the gym it was snowing?!?! WEIRD! So a thick, hearty and healthy stew was my calling. I don't usually cook with bacon or in this case pancetta. If anything I rather enjoy it out, but once in a while I don't think there is anything wrong with using it in your own kitchen! It makes for good flavor and that's exactly what it did in this recipe.

Hello crispy pancetta!

The recipe guided me but I added in more vegetables then it called for, an extra tablespoon of tomato paste, and just chicken breast without the bone worked just fine. I can't wait to make this again. The artichoke hearts were very meaty and definitely was the star of the dish. Lots of flavor. I loved the crunchy pancetta bites I sprinkled on top, it was a nice contrast to the stew. Comfort food at its finest.

Also I couldn't have this dish without a warm whole wheat bread roll and Irish butter! Again more comfort food!

Warm bread and butter is definitely comfort for me!

I picked this up at Trader Joe's. It is absolutely the best butter ever.

This picture makes me hungry!

Delicious!

Click here for Chicken, Artichoke, and Cannellini Bean Spezzatino. Thanks Giada!

Trying to stay warm,
Fallon

Gelato+Cousin+Me= Trouble!

I did it again, with my cousin this time around! Here is a refresher if you can't remember! I went back to Jean Philippe. I was raving to my cousin how wonderful this gelato really is! She couldn't agree more. We went in with a plan to share something. I say go big or go home! We decided a Chocolate Cappuccino sundae would be the perfect plan. Except while waiting we noticed no cappuccino gelato in site! The people who were in front of us ordered the same exact thing (funny how we all can think alike ;)). I saw the gelato man use hazelnut! I was super excited for this. My cousin never tried hazelnut gelato, so before anything I had her try it, just in case it wasn't her thing. Well she actually really liked it, so we were game. Chocolate Hazelnut sundae here we come! This bad boy had chocolate, vanilla (amazing), and hazelnut gelato. Chocolate sauce galore, little brownie bites, whipped cream, and tiny little chocolate pearls. As soon as we sat down we thought, "How are we doing to eat this?" It was piled up so high! Our luck the hazelnut scoop would roll off, LOL. We slowly dig in till it was finally not so high and in minutes it was devoured. For good reasons too! I was able to spend a few hours with my cousin that day and we were able to catch up, laugh and just have a good time! We don't see each other often, so I'm so glad I was able to have that opportunity with her. Which we will have more of! Gelato included! Peace out, Fallon PS: HELLO TO ALL MY NEW COMMENT BLOGGERS!

M&M® Cookies

I'm trying to clear out all my baking goodies from the holidays that I stocked up on. I didn't bake as much and had so many leftover baking chips, butter in the freezer, and sugar to use up! I usually like to keep these staples fresh in my kitchen, which means buying more often but at least I know it's fresh! So I picked up a bag of M&M'S® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits and never could find a remotely "cool" recipe to use them in. I was looking at the bag one day and there were two recipes on the back. Red's Ultimate M&M'S® Cookies or Rainbow Blondies. Both sounded really good, but I stuck with the cookies for a lighter option. I also just noticed the website has a TON of recipes. Now I know for next time because I like baking with M&MS®.

I made these cookies to send to my boyfriend in his last care package! Get this, he was telling me "no more cookies!" Which I totally understand I'd probably say the same thing but I told him share them with his soldiers! I don't think he likes sharing anything I bake. LOL. So I ended up sending him only a dozen cookies and the rest went to work. No biggie! I also recently picked up a bag of 100% whole wheat flour and been wanting to try it out! I probably picked the wrong recipe to use that type of flour in but the cookies still ended up being good. They didn't spread as much and the whole wheat flour kept them more of a sturdy cookie. They were delicious warm out of the oven, but even after keeping them in a ziploc bag they were soft and chewy. You really couldn't tell there was whole wheat flour used but I felt they were a bit heartier. I'll save my whole wheat flour for pancakes. ;)

What I loved about these cookies was the color from the M&MS®. The cute little bites were everywhere in the cookies! The recipe called for the whole 12oz bag which means every single bite was full of bite size goodness! They are a GOOD cookie! They only need to pass the boyfriend test now. ;) Click here for the original recipe for Red's Ultimate M&M'S® Cookies. Below is my recipe with the whole wheat flour swap!

 
Red's Ultimate M&M'S® Cookies (Adapted from M&M®)  
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup 100% whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 12oz bag M&M'S® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In medium bowl, sift flours and combine with baking soda and salt; blend into creamed mixture. Stir in M&M'S®. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper. Bake 10-13 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Do not over bake! Cool one minute on cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container. Makes about 3 dozen 3-inch cookies. ( I made 32 altogether!)

• Don't over bake these cookies. At 13 minutes they looked not cook to me, so I left them in for another 2 minutes. After I pulled them out they were actually cooked once they cooled off! So the first batch was more well done but I made sure the other cookies came out just right.

• Keep these away from your mom! My mom was the cookie monster that night and wanted more and more cookies! I almost had none left for anyone!! Just kidding. ;)

See you soon!
Fallon

Pizza for breakfast!

I'll make this one short and sweet. Delicious too. It all started when a good friend of mine randomly announced she was moving to Washington! So my best friend and I were all kind of surprised, sad, but excited for her. We all go through times when we can't decide what to do in life because everything keeps failing, so finding something different to do and explore is always a great option. So as soon as she announced she was leaving, say in a week I was so thrown off. I haven't really seen her in a while, so I thought it be nice to get together and have a farewell breakfast or lunch. Time just seems to fly by. It ended up being breakfast at the place she works at. Which is awesome because they make some really delicious cheese pizza.

Check out how huge it is!

The night before I was wondering what would be good at Double Play. I asked my best friend and she mentioned breakfast pizza! I was intrigued. I was going to order a veggie omelet, you know something "boring." I asked her more about this pizza and she said it was on regular pizza dough with eggs, cheese, hash browns, with a choice of bacon or sausage. I'm not a huge pork person, but bacon every blue moon is a treat for me! Luckily my best friend wanted bacon too! Perfect! I'm so glad we ended up splitting the pizza because it was a LARGE! HUGE! It was only us 3 ladies and we can only tackle so much pizza. I requested to have veggies on my side which included onion, green pepper and spinach. It was a great addition to the pizza. So how did the pizza taste? AHHMAZING! Probably the greatest invention ever. It wasn't overly eggy, or cheesey, or hash browney. Like my word choice? LOL. It was all evenly and perfectly distributed throughout the pizza. The crust was strong, crunchy, not greasy, and a great chew. I can't stand a greasy pizza. It is all you'd ever want in a perfect pizza for breakfast. It was so good I had to have 2 huge pieces. I admit I did go for a run early that morning and waited afterward for this breakfast! So it was well deserved. ;)

Pure deliciousness! I of course needed a little ketchup to dip my pizza in.

I can't wait to have this pizza again! It was so good. I may try to recreate this at home because I could eat this all the time. Just need to tackle a good whole wheat pizza dough recipe. ;) SO after all this was said and done our friend ended up with not moving to Washington! She decided after 5 years of going back and forth to finally join the Air Force. I wish her the best of luck and I'll be here to support her! Check out this handsome cutie!

My best friend's son! He just woke up about an hour ago. ;) I don't think he liked the camera. LOL

Have a great day, Fallon

I call it Frito Bark

I've been reading food blogs for probably 2 years now. It definitely inspired me to start my own blog as well. I have SO MANY recipes saved on this computer from food blogs, I wonder if I'll ever get to them. Sometimes my eyes are bigger then my stomach, if you know what I mean! Many blogs come up with super, creative recipes that you wish you made up yourself. I like this recipe I'm going to share with you today. I found it on Anna's blog Cookie Madness and have been addicted to this sweet, salty, nutty, chocolaty mixture since. I shared this recipe with my best friend and we started calling it Frito Bark. When we get together for a UFC PPV she will make this dessert. She makes hers a bit different by doubling the toffee mixture and making it more like a huge bar, rather then bark. I usually won't make it because it is very, very addicting. I mean very addicting. Once you start you can't stop. So I'm warning you now! I usually have to keep it out of my house because not only am I addicted but my mom as well! It is like cat nip but for adults.

Check out the frito and pretzel just chilling!

I now just follow the recipe on a whim. It is so simple, fritos, pretzels, peanut butter cups, brown sugar, butter and semi-sweet chocolate. I also just crush the fritos and pretzels with my hands. I don't feel a food processor is necessary. As for peanut butter cups, I buy the big cups and cut them into fourths. I feel they have more peanut butter in the middle then the small cups. The chocolate chips, I just sprinkle till I feel there is enough, and I leave the peanuts off because most people don't like them! Here is the recipe on Anna's site for Sweet, Salty, Frito Candy. Alas I call it Frito Bark! Don't say I didn't warn you. 


I only made these because I thought it be a fun treat for St. Patrick's Day and I added them to my boyfriend's care package.

________________________

Okay and if that wasn't enough. I bought myself some frozen yogurt with the flavors Madagascar vanilla and red velvet cake batter (this flavor was awesome!). For my topping, I felt Frito Bark would do its justice! 


Oh, it was heaven alright!

Enjoy,
Fallon

MMM Goat cheese!

I found a new love in my life and I hope my boyfriend won't be so jealous. I mean it is just cheese. Goat cheese that is! Being a foodie I love trying new things, and I usually like really odd things that many people think would be gross. Don't knock it till you haven't tried it is my motto. EXCEPT anything that is seafood or fish I refuse to try. I like plain chevre cheese, although the cheddar and mozzarella varieties are tasty as well. Chevre is moist, smooth, creamy and a slight tang. I like to add it in salads, eggs, spread on crackers, or rolled into a veggie wrap sandwich. It gives so much flavor to the food without being a whole lot of calories and fat, except for pure goodness! I'm going to share with you my FAVORITE way to consume goat cheese. It's so simple that it is sometimes part of my meal or as a snack. It is a dip with goat cheese, topped with a roasted raspberry chipotle sauce and with one of my homemade crackers for dipping. My homemade cracker is usually a toasted pita bread, toasted sprouted ezekiel wrap, or in today's post a toasted brown rice tortilla!

These are wheat and gluten free!

These make great crackers, but not so much on the wrap department. They crack easily. I use about 1oz to 1.5oz of goat cheese and a tablespoon of the raspberry sauce. Once the toasted cracker of choice has cooled off I just start breaking off pieces and dipping. What is also pretty neat about this is you can double dip! It is a single serving for yourself and you don't have to worry about anyone else trying to get in on this delicious dip. 

I had this with my wonderful oven roasted broccoli and broccoli slaw salad! Definitely help complete this meal for me.
If you aren't a goat cheese fan, cream cheese is the original way to enjoy this dip! It just as good. This is also a great appetizer to have at house gatherings. If goes real well with everyone and is usually gone by the end of the night!

Enjoy!
Fallon