Easy, Healthy Breakfast

I've always had a hard time with healthy, nutritious breakfasts that will give me energy to start my day.  I can make that happen, but I do not have time to cook a big breakfast every morning.  So I was browsing around for some ideas and morphed what I found into my own version of egg and  biscuit cups.  I made a batch of 6 cups, froze 3 and put 3 in the fridge.  I can then heat them up in the morning before work and have a high protein, high energy breakfast. 

Ingredients: 
6 biscuits from the fridge section in the tube
6 eggs
milk
cheese
season salt to taste
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup bell pepper finely chopped

Start Cooking: 

1.  Saute the onion and pepper in a small skillet, until tender and slightly browned.  Remove from heat to cool.  Meanwhile, pre heat the over to 350 degrees. 

2.  Spray 6 jumbo muffin tins with cooking spray.  Flatten out the biscuits into the bottom of the muffin time.  

3.  Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat with a few tablespoons of milk and the season salt to taste.  If you do not like season salt, use regular salt to taste.  Mix in the cheese, however much you like.  Then mix in the cooled veggies.  

4.  Pour the egg mixture into the muffin cups, making sure there is an even amount in each cup.  

5.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until the eggs are set and starting to brown.  Also check to make sure the biscuit is cooked through on the bottom.  Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before storing.  

Tips and Hints:

1.  You can easily add meat to the egg mixture.  Just make sure the meat is cooked all the way through before adding it to the eggs.  

2.  Serve with fruit for a complete breakfast.  

3.  Use whatever veggies you have on hand.  Onions and bell peppers are a good starting point, but if there are others you like, use them.  

Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut Cream Pie and some seriously burned croutons.

About 1 pm I decided to toast up some bread to make delicious garlic croutons. Then went out to the store. Came back around 4 pm, to some not so delicious garlic croutons, still "toasting" in the oven. oops. 

Unfortunate Croutons

Now the desire to make Coconut Cream Pie wasn't out of the blue. The company I work for has some. . um. . AWESOME perks. Like we get to taste test all sorts of goodies. Last week we tested Turtle Cream Pie, Banana Cream Pie, and . . Coconut Cream Pie. 3 days in a row of amazing pie and a very happy tummy (maybe not so happy pants). That was, as I'm sure I don't need to tell you, a super good week. Then I started thinking about these pies, their crusts, their fillings, their textures- and I HAD to make one. So I settled on my favorite: Coconut Cream Pie. I kinda combined a few different recipes to get the perfect mix of vanilla, coconut, and creamy. Its probably my new favorite (.. I feel like I say this every time a recipe turns out really good)- even my Dad who's not a 'sweets' person was devouring it.

(what was left after 4 hours and 2 people))

This is a 3-step process. Not really extremely difficult, but not really super quick either. I listed a super short version of this recipe at the end, using store-bought components instead of homemade (not that I would recommend store-bought over homemade, but if you're in a hurry. . . i guess. . .)

The following recipe is written for a 9-inch pie plate. HOWEVER, if you would like to put it in a 9 by 13 rectangular pan, double the recipe!

Coconut Cream Pie

For the Crust:1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cups shortening
5-7 Tbs. cold water (or even . . coconut water. . oooh)

1) Cut shortening into flour, until shortening is in pea-sized pieces. Stir in water as needed, until just combined.
2) Roll out on a floured surface, and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp edges. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Let cool.

For the Vanilla Coconut Pudding:
2 2/3 cups whole milk (1/2 evaporated milk and half water is a great substitute for whole milk!)
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch (don't do the flour substitute, just use cornstarch)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups sweetened, flake coconut

1) In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk and egg well (so they are COMPLETELY) incorporated. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Cook over medium heat, whisking often, until thickened. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir in coconut. Pour into cooled crust. Place in refrigerator for a few hours, or until chilled.

For the Whipped Cream and Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 T. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup coconut

1) Combine cream, sugar, and vanilla. Whip until light and fluffy. Spread on top of chilled pie.
2) Spread coconut on a pan. In a 350 oven, toast for about 2-4 minutes, until lightly golden. Sprinkle evenly on top of the pie.



To Make This Super Fast:
1) Store-bought refrigerated Pie Crust dough, fitted into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
2) Prepare a box of vanilla pudding mix, stir in 1 cup coconut (or more to taste), pour into cooled pie crust. Put in the fridge until chilled.
3) Spread an 8 0z container of Cool Whip on the top.
4) Toast 1 cup coconut in a 350 degree oven for 2-4 minutes, until lightly golden. Sprinkle evenly over pie.

Hispanic Chicken and Rice

My grandmother is Puerto Rican.  She was born here in the US, but her father was born in Puerto Rico and then moved to NYC as a young adult.  My great grandfather, who I never met, made a traditional chicken and rice dish ever Christmas eve.  He learned the recipe from his father, and then it got passed down to my grandmother.  Aroz con pollo, that Christmas eve meal, has been one of my favorites for as long as I can remember.  My mom, sister and I made aroz con pollo this year.  It take a few hours to make and is a lot of work.  I love the dish, and wanted to make an easier, faster version of it.  Ok, so mine isn't as good as the real thing.  But it's a nice week night dinner. 

Ingredients: 
Spanish yellow rice mix, found in the hispanic foods section of the grocery store
Chicken, I used 2 chicken thighs because they were on sale
Salsa to taste
1 can of peas

Start Cooking:
1.  Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.  Put the chicken in a baking dish and cover with 1/4-1/2 cup of your favorite salsa.  Bake for an hour. 
2.  While the chicken is baking, make the rice according to the directions on the box. 
3.  Once the chicken is cooked, let sit for about 20 minutes so it can cool off.  Pick all the chicken off the bones, and make into bite size pieces.  Add the chicken to the rice, along with the salsa that was baked with the chicken.  If you like, add extra salsa. 
4.  Drain and rinse the canned peas and stir into the rice and chicken. 

finished rice and chicken, minus the peas(I didn't have any on hand)

Enjoy! 

Healthy(er) Pasta Bake

I have had some health concerns recently, mainly trouble regulating my blood sugar(it's too low, then spikes, then drops way too low again) and migraines.  So I have decided to eat small amounts of meat and change my diet.  Whole grain foods are best for keeping and maintaining a steady blood sugar level. 
I LOVE pasta and eat it a few times each week.  My challenge was to make a dish using whole grain pasta.  I generally don't like the texture of whole grain pasta, it's sort of chewy/gritty.  But I thought I would give it another try and I came up with a pasta bake using whole grain pasta and ground turkey.  I'm sure it's been done many times before, but the turkey(instead of beef) and the whole grain pasta(instead of white pasta) make this dish a little healthier.

Ingredients: 
1/2 box whole grain noodles, I used small shells, but you can use any style you like
1/2 pound ground turkey
2 cups grated cheese, whichever kind you like
1 cup tomato sauce

Start Cooking:
1.  Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium pot, cook pasta until just underdone.  It will finish cooking while baking and you don't want the pasta to get soggy. 
2.  While the pasta is cooking, grease a 8X8 or 9X9 baking dish with cooking spray.  Put the ground turkey in the dish and break up with a fork or use your fingers.  Sprinkle the cheese on top. 
3.  Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and add to the baking dish.  Pour sauce over the pasta and mix well.  Then top with a little extra cheese. 

Pasta bake, before baking

4.  Bake for about 45 minutes, until the cheese is golden on top.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.  Serve with your favorite bread and veggie of choice.  

Pasta bake, after baking

Tips and Hints:

1.  This dish freezes really well.  Pop it in the freezer before baking.  The night you want to cook it, just bake as normal(might take a little longer if still frozen when you put it in the oven).  

American Chop Sui

This recipe was started by my grandmother, passed on to my mom, and then passed on to my sister and me.  I honestly have no idea where the name came from, I'm sure my grandparents came up with it for some silly reason.  I've grown up eating this dish.  It is very kid friendly, easy to make, freezes well, and is a complete meal in one pot.

Ingredients: 
1/2 pound ground turkey or ground beef
1/2 box of elbow pasta(or shells, any small pasta will do)
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed veggies, of whatever other variety you like
1 can tomato sauce
Italian seasoning to taste

Start Cooking:
1.  Cook the pasta per the directions on the box.  While the pasta is cooking, saute the onions and ground meat in a large pan.  After a few minutes, add the green peppers.

2.  Continue cooking for about 5 more minutes, then pour half the tomato sauce into the pan and add the seasonings.  

3.  Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and add to the meat mixture.  Add the frozen veggies.  Stir so everything is incorporated.  Continue cooking for a few more minutes so the veggies become warm. 

4. Serve with bread and grated cheese.  

Tips and Hints:

1.  Use whole grain pasta for extra fiber.  You won't taste any difference and it's a good way to get kids to eat more whole grain. 

2.  Make a double batch and freeze for later.  

3.  This recipe is really easy to tailor to your own taste; use whatever seasonings, meats, veggies you like.