Flax seed 2: Protein Pancakes

Blessed are those who drink the coffee beverage and eat the manna that is....Peanut butter chocolate protein pancakes!

These are super tasty and easy and pretty and healthy!

If you need a little switch-a-roony in your morning routine, I hope you try this!

2 scoops of your favorite protein powder (we use About Time)

1 tsp. cinnamon (Did you know cinnamon can extend the effects of caffeine? It's true!)

1tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup of Ideal sweetener
1/4 cup flax seed meal
2-3 TBLs of oil
1 egg lightly beaten
3/4 - 1 cup milk
1/4 cup Peanut Butter


Put all of your dry ingredients together and whisk until all the lumps are gone. Next add your oil and egg and stir with a fork until mixed in. Next add your milk a little bit at a time until the mixture resembles a cake batter. You should have some milk left over. Next add the PB. Mix until it is thoroughly mixed into the batter! Now add enough milk to thin the batter to pancake batter consistency. If you hold up a medium ribbon drizzle should stream down.
Heat a pan to medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Use the 1/8 cup measure to pour the batter. Pour 1/2 of the measure for the perfect little cake!

Yay, more healthy options!

If you're not sure you're ready for a completely all healthy meal, then add some bacon. Yup I added some bacon for my sweet husband! He worked a double yesterday and totally deserved some bacon! 

 and of course some coffee!

Fancy Hobo Lasagna

Let me start with a disclaimer:
a. I use oven ready noodles
6. Store bought sauce
n. I had to cook and assemble the whole thing with Adelaide on my hip. She has become very interested in food, and helping prepare it.

AJ's Lasagna

Fancy Hobo Lasagna
Did your mom ever make that soup that was basically all the cans in the cupboard + anything frozen + leftover turkey from thanksgiving? Remember it was called Hobo stew? I remember it. Well that's kinda sorta what I did. EXCEPT, I was a bit choosier with what I threw in. 

I had some mushrooms that needed to be used. 
2 handfuls of fresh Spinach
There was 3/4 of a bag of sliced peppers and 1/2 a bag of pearl onions in my freezer. 
A container and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. 
6 slices of provolone 
Slightly less than 1/2 a block of cream cheese
1/4 of a bag of mozzarella 
I did buy 1 very large jar or two regular sized of marinara, and I obtained a box of Gluten Free Brown rice noodles (Oven Ready)  
1/8 to 1/4 cup of liquid (broth, water, wine, your choice) 
This was a super easy little thing to put together!

Basically it consisted of a little time to saute the mushrooms, peppers, and onions in some olive oil. Dash of salt, italian seasoning, and crushed red peppers! 
Next pour the sauce all over that mess! turn the heat to low or the sauce will pop like the weasel. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the extra liquid.
Oil up the pan. Now, start layering! 
The first two layers are identical. 
Noodles--> Cream Cheese --> Sauce ( be a little chincy so you'll have enough)--> Spinach --> Cottage Cheese--> Sauce
The Last layer was: 
Noodles--> Cottage Cheese--> Sauce--> Provolone--> Sauce --> Mozzerella and Parmesan 
Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 350* over for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 or until the cheese is slightly brown and bubbly. 

Needless to say this was delicious and my friends got seconds (unprovoked)! 
Just open up your cupboards, fridge, and freezer! See what is lurking in there just waiting to be useful! Cheers friends! 

Flaxseeds

SUPER FOOD!

Did you know that flaxseed is a super food? It is and here are some facts (borrowed from the mayo clinic)
1. High in fiber: It kicks cholesterol in the nads!
2. Mega on the Omega-3s: Good for your daily dose of Inflamtion a$$ whoopins
3. Lignans:

Benefits

• Alpha linolenic acid works to relieve inflammation, strengthen bones, reduce the amount of certain material that cause blood to coagulate, slow tumor growth and balance hormones.

Uses

• Because of their many benefits, lignans are used in herbal medicine to treat a number of conditions, including high cholesterol, reduced kidney function caused by lupus, menopausal symptoms, blood clots, prostate cancer, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome. Lignans are also believed to help prevent osteoporosis, according to Rx List.

  Seriously good stuff!

  Ok so why am I telling you this? I wanted you to know how amazing this one little seed can be and Ryan bought me this-

  

  
  

  I think I will make eggs in a nest pancakes! Recipe and pictures tomorrow!

  
  

A sweet Variation!

So last night at 10:30, after I put baby girl to bed, I got an over whelming craving for something sweet! I like to call these cravings the mid-nighties! They are the ones that after you have done a couple of days of eating to be proud of, and you are feeling really good about yourself, hit like a freaking ton of bricks! I know you know what I'm talking about!
It's the kind of craving that if someone told you to eat  a turtle first to get the doughnut you would definitely consider doing it. Yeah You Know!

I decided that instead of a doughnut I would eat this:

It's the same recipe as yesterday-- omit savory for sweet! I added 3/4 cup ideal no calorie sweetener, 1/2 cup of coconut, 1/4 cup  really good dark chocolate (like the 90% kind), 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp almond extract, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 3-6 tbls of unsweetened almond milk instead of water at the end!

The perfect healthy midnight snack!

It was super delicious. I plan on taking some to my mom, so I have to hurry and do that before it's all gone. You know because I ate it....all!

Announcement and Spinach cheese bread

In the last week or so I've had several people tell me that I needed to get serious about my cooking! I have decided to step up my blogging and head down a path of writing a cook book. And yesterday as I reflected on turning 28, gosh, I realized that this is something I want to do! I want to do it for myself, but more than that for my daughter! I want her to know that if she puts her mind to it she can do it! I also want to teach her that healthy eating is a life style choice that doesn't have to be boring or flavorless!

The recipes will be about good yummy food that you will want to eat! It will not be chalk full of all kinds of crazy or exotic ingredients. I buy all of my ingredients at Homeland. If it's not there it's not here! However if you would like to send me a challenge to use an ingredient, I wouldn't say no!

Spinach Cheese Bread 
for HC

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp each of: garlic powder, minced onion, chili powder, italian seasoning, salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup frozen spinach (thaw overnight then squeeze dry)
1/4 cup of cottage cheese
2-3 tbls  of room temp water

Preheat your oven to 325*
Oil your pan

Mix all of your dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and oil together. Stir the wet into the dry until combined. Now add the spinach and cheese! Stir.
At this point your bread batter may look super thick, if so add 1tbls of water at a time to thin it out.
Pour the batter into the pan, and smooth the top.
Bake for 30-45 minutes

You will know it's done when the top is firm to the touch!

This is seriously delicious! It's also gluten free and slow-carb friendly!