Finally decided to give it a whirl…

Peanut butter on bananas equals YUM! Peanut butter on toast equals YUM! But bananas on toast, not so sure about this one.

A number of the health and fitness blogs that I read every day show toast with peanut butter and bananas as their breakfast of choice! And I’ve always been a bit skeptical. Just seems like kind of a weird combination.

But today was the day! I got home from running some errands and was absolutely ravenous! Only had a few minutes to spare before I started eating my arm. Saw a banana in the fruit bowl and decided to give the infamous toast, peanut butter, and bananas a whirl!

And now I know why they all eat it for breakfast! Because it is freakin’ good!

The banana kind of balances out the stickiness of the peanut butter. So it doesn’t feel like your swallowing a golf ball. Slides down real niiiiccce!

And I can only imagine how good it will be when I have it tomorrow morning with a cup of steaming hot coffee!

Friday Fun!

I had the privilege of spending my Friday morning with two adorable little tikes! Quite possibly the cutest kids ever! And of course I think that, because they are my niece and nephew! And I love them to death!

Now don’t you agree? Fake “cheese” smile and all! At least today he let me take his picture! Which isn’t always the case. Usually he covers his face or runs the opposite direction. Little stinker!

His eyes were barely open this morning and he was already begging to play with playdough! Love that stuff! Brings me right back to the good ‘ol days of making spaghetti and meatballs and having my grandma take a bite! And yes she actually sank her teeth into it!

She woke up grinning from ear to ear and thankfully it continued most of the morning! This little bumbo chair is the niftiest thing ever! And she absolutely loves it!

Place her in the bumbo chair in front of some cartoons, and she will be totally content! Stared at the tv for an hour without a single peep!

But the best part of the day was….Whipping up a batch of cupcakes with my ‘lil buddy! Apparently baking is his new favorite thing! And boy does he have a sweet tooth! Obviously we share the same genes!

Too cute for words

New Obsession: Panini Press

Will someone please tell me why my panini press has spent the last year in the basement closet collecting dust? I’ve owned my panini press for over two years and have used it more in the past week than I had in two years. Makes for super fast and easy dinner and lunch options!

No more dust collecting for this little guy! It has claimed its new home on the counter!

This was the panini I grilled up for lunch today! Honey smoked turkey, red onions, avocado, tomato, cucumbers, and chipotle mayo! O-M-G! No need to go to Panera anymore when I can whip this up in the comfort of my own home (but I will be consulting Panera’s menu for some ideas for tasty combinations!)

And the options are ennndddllleeessssss! With a million different bread, cheese, meat, veggie, and condiment choices!

And then I have this handy little cookbook to consult as well for even more ideas!

Switching Gears

I am trying my absolute hardest to avoid everything pumpkin for at least a week. So I’m switching fall-flavor gears and moving onto apple! Which I love almost equally as much! Mainly because of apple’s partner in crime, cinnamon!

I died and went to heaven after my first baked oatmeal. And since then I have been obsessed with baked oatmeals!

I might have a little confession to make regarding this baked apple oatmeal. The first time I made it I had a heaping bowl for breakfast and then divided the leftovers into a few containers to have for breakfast the remainder of the week. Well my attempt at planning ahead ended in an epic fail. Ended up eating one of the containers after I got home from the gym. And then heated up the final container for lunch! Oops! So in otherwords, I ate the whole darn casserole size oatmeal in a mere four hours! Oink-oink!

Yes that is a little sprinkle of brown sugar on top! Brown sugar is another one of my weaknesses! Eat it by the spoonfuls. Almost daily.

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/4 light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup peeled and diced apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish with cooking spray

In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and baking powder.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, applesauce, butter, egg, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Stir until combined. Fold in the diced apples. Pour mixture into greased pan.

Bake for 20 minutes or until oatmeal is golden brown. Remove from oven and serve while warm. May top with brown sugar, raisins, craisins, or chopped nuts.

Source: Two Peas and Their Pod

Breakfast Quesadillas

Decided to make something a little more fun and exciting this morning for breakfast. And by-golly I deserve it! Just got home from working my third twelve hour night shift and I’m not even tired! Which could possibly be related to the three cups of coffee I had during the night {yes Sarah, I am a coffee drinker now!} Needless to say I have just a tiny bit of energy that still needs to be burned off before I can relax and hit the pillow! And it’s always easier to fall asleep when the belly is full!

Love me some quesadillas!

The refrigerator is kind of bare right now so I didn’t have a ton of filling options. Stuck with something pretty simple. Eggs, green onions, feta cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, and a dash of wild mushroom seasoning.

Already dreaming up other fun filling options! Spinach, peppers, and tomatoes are up next! And maybe a little salsa dip! Options are endless!

 

Breakfast Quesadillas

2 eggs

3 green onions

1 tablespoon feta cheese

sprinkle of cheddar cheese

dash of wild mushroom seasoning

1 tablespoon butter

2 flour tortillas

 

In a small skillet scramble eggs and green onions. Stir in feta cheese. Scoop into small bowl and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Lay a tortilla in butter. Evenly spread egg mixture over tortilla. Top with cheddar cheese and mushroom seasoning. Place other tortilla on top and press down. Cook until tortilla is golden brown. Flip quesadilla. Cook second side until golden brown. Slice into quarters and inhale!

 

Food Rules!

I can probably count on my two hands the number of fictional books I have read in my lifetime. And three-fourths of those were likely some kind of school assignment. I just can’t sit still long enough and actually focus. And when I am “reading” my mind  is always off thinking about something else. Usually about the fifty million other things I should be doing instead of sitting on my rear reading some fake story. Dang undiagnosed ADHD gets me every time.

I do, however, thoroughly enjoy reading non-fiction books! Especially ones about health and fitness! And cookbooks, if ya count those as books! I usually end up bringing these books to the gym, which also works as a little motivation to not push the “stop/reset button.”

I just picked up a new book at the library, non-fiction of course, and am super excited! Food Rules by Michael Pollan. A little handbook containing sixty four rules to guide every day food choices. Whether at the grocery store, restaurant, or at home preparing dinner.

I already know I am going to like this book. First of all, only 140 pages! Definitely something my short attention span can handle. And rule number one is “Eat Food.” Won’t be breaking this rule anytime soon!

Creamy Grape Goodness

I’ve never really understood those people that consider fruit as dessert. Well maybe if it’s a fruit pie or served alongside a big scoop of ice cream. But fruit alone, not gonna cut it for me.

When I was cruising through Skinnytaste {blog bursting with healthy recipes} I found this recipe under the “Skinny Summer Desserts” section. What? Grapes for dessert? Wasn’t convinced. Clearly she must have made an error and filed it under the wrong tab.

Had this at the end of dinner last night and totally licked the bowl clean. And I didn’t even crave my usual chocolate, cookies, or ice cream afterwards. The brown sugar topping was just enough to meet the needs of my sweet tooth!

Creamy Grape Dessert

1 pound green grapes

1 pound red grapes

4 ounces of light cream cheese, softened

8 ounces greek yogurt

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Wash grapes. Can cut in half if desired. And set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Mix until smooth and well combined. Add grapes to the mixture and stir until well coated. Pour into serving dish.

Combine brown sugar and walnuts. Sprinkle over grapes. Chill until ready to serve.

Don’t do it…

This is the quote I recite in my head as my hand is grabbing for that sweet treat {sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t}….

Bananas + Peanut Butter + Chocolate

Bananas + Peanut Butter + Chocolate!!! Yum, yum, yum! Who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate together! Especially when it’s for breakfast! I wasn’t even tempted to hit snooze when my alarm went off!

In a blender combine 1 cup crushed ice, enough milk to cover the ice, 1/2 of a banana (bag up the other half for tomorrow), 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, and 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder.  Blend until you get this…

Might have to add a little more ice or milk to get the right consistency.

I wanted to put a straw right in the blender. Heck with taking the time to pour into a glass. I’m home alone. No one will know.

But I had to. My straw didn’t reach to the bottom of the blender

Seconds, please! I’m already excited for tomorrow’s breakfast! Better hit the gym while all this protein is circulating through my body!