chopped eating

Most times when I refuse to go to the grocery store, I feel like I'm eating all my meals on the Food Network show Chopped. Erin. You have 30 minutes to make yourself a dinner with mustard, rice noodles, tempeh bacon, and chickpeas. Go!

Well this has definitely been one of those weeks for me. Since I'm going home to my parents' house for Easter, why would I buy groceries, when I know there will be a truck-load of left-overs for me to devour next week? Considering I haven't done a real grocery shop in weeks, these past few days have yielded some "creative" meals, and I just wanted to share some of them with you.

Breakfasts

1. Bagels (which I found in the break room for free)

2. Kashi frozen waffles (that have been in the freezer forever)

- some toppings include jam, cream cheese, and cream cheese with honey and Granny Smith Apples. I know cream cheese with honey sounds random, but it was the best creative find I've had all week :)

Lunches

1. Leftovers from the weekend like some hangover chinese food and a veggie sandwich that sat in my boyfriend's car for way too long

2. Freezer food! When eating cheap, this is the time to rediscover those frozen burritos, frozen crock pot meals, and big batches of soup from winter

Dinners

1. Homemade enchiladas with homemade sauce (which I posted about here)

2. Stir fry is always a great option for using up all the odd parts of vegetables, and rice noodles pretty much last forever in the cupboard

3. Polenta with chickpeas, almonds, and tomatoes?

4. Penne pasta with corn, peas, boca crumbles, chickpeas, and marinera?

Moral of the story, is that even when you're short on food, you can still put together some great meals. Success of the week? Cream cheese and honey! Omg who knew it was such a great combination? Also, this week's failure? Chickpeas. Just because they're perfect in a large number of dishes, does not mean they belong in all of them. The last 2 dinners of mine were quite strange- good flavor, hearty and filling, but the chickpeas were the black sheep for sure.

I've had a lot of fun mixing, matching, and getting adventurous in the kitchen this week, but I must say, I am so ready to have a couple of very excellent meals with my mom and dad this weekend! What about you? Ever get crazy with your cooking and end up with EPIC successes and/or failures? That's what cooking's all about! That's why I love it ♥

bulk up them pancakes

It is a very rare thing for me to eat pancakes 2 days in a row, but then again, I suppose it's also rare to get 18 inches of snow, even in Denver. With the snow laying thick around my parents' house, today became a perfectly lazy Saturday- sleeping in late, wearing pajamas until noon, reading magazines on the couch, and of course, a gobbling up a hearty, delicious brunch. Today Mom made her favorite pancakes, and while I don't normally eat many pancakes, I think these could make me convert.

She basically uses her favorite waffle/pancake mix, and then adds in all kinds of goodies to make it healthier, and heartier. Served with a little fruit, these suckers are crazy good.

Mom's favorite mix is Arrowhead Mills' Buckwheat Pancake and Waffle Mix, and to bulk them pancakes up a bit, she adds:

• 1 Tablespoon flax seed meal

• a small handful of chopped pecans

• 1/2 a banana in bite-sized bits

• and a little water, so it's not too chunky

Mom and Pop put butter and syrup on theirs, but I liked my stack with nothing but fresh blueberries. YUM! I love that just a few simple additions can turn a plain old pancake, into fruit-filled, fiber-packed, protein-carrying pancake of amazingness.

What do you like to put in your batter? How do you spice up your pancakes? :)

snowpocalypse

Happy snow day everyone! If you braved the snowpocalypse, and made it to work, congrats! I hope you're traveling safe and keeping warm. I'm excited to say that today is my first ever "working from home day" and I'm celebrating with a big pile of whole wheat pancakes topped with sliced bananas.

If you're bogged down in snow like a lot of us Coloradoans, how are you celebrating your day inside? Checking emails? Watching movies? Maybe finishing a crafty project?

I'm pleased to say I'm being quite productive, all from the comfort of my cozy bedroom and my sweatpants. Today is such a treat :)

green smoothie in a mason jar

If you've ever seen a green smoothie, and wondered if it tastes like an ugly liquid salad gone wrong, I have news for you. Green smoothies are freakin' delicious! I made my very first one today for breakfast, and now I think I could have one every morning!

For my first attempt, I kept it simple with minimal ingredients, but I think with this basic base, I can start getting more creative for different flavor and/or nutritional combinations.

Stuff you need: 1. 1/2 cup rice milk 2. 1 banana 3. apple 4. 3 handfuls of kale 4. 3/4 cup water

If you hate mornings like I do, get everything prepared the night before- core your apple, and chop it up along with the banana and kale. In the morning, combine the rice milk, apple, and banana in a blender and start running it.

As the blender runs, add the kale in small amounts. When you add the kale in, I recommend you pour a little water in at the same time, so everything continues to blend together smoothly. When all the ingredients are nicely combined and the liquid is to your desired consistency, pour it up, and suck it down!

Isn't that green lovely?

Some thoughts on green smoothies:

1. If you bring it to work, all your coworkers will ask you what the hell are you drinking? Is it pesto?

2. Once you get over the color and the kale in your teeth, it honestly tastes just like a regular banana smoothie, and is seriously delicious.

3. Don, our IT guy and health guru, recommends adding different greens into the same smoothie for better national value- collards, spinach, carrot tops- all great choices.

4. Don't waste your solo cups every morning! Drill a hole through the lid of an old mason jar, and use that for your newfound green smoothie obsession!

Let's be honest. I'm totally obsessed. It's delicious, it's easy to make, it's crazy good for you, and it actually kept me full until lunchtime! Yeah. I think I'll be drinking these A LOT :)

holiday brunch

Oh how I love this time of year- picturesque snowfalls, cozy nights inside, all kinds of holiday cheer, and spending time with loved ones. This past weekend, my roommate, Molly, and I decided to host a small holiday brunch for some of our friends, and it turned out to be so much fun.

When we asked everyone to bring something to share, we thought we'd end up with 10 butter braids or 6 boxes of King Soopers cookies, but everyone brought something special, and our potluck brunch, turned into a feast for kings.

We had bagels and cream cheese, fresh fruit, and homemade cookies and pumpkin bread.

Molly made breakfast potatoes, and I made mini frittatas with spinach, onion, bell pepper, and cheese. They were super easy and super cute- chop up your veggies, whisk your eggs with a little salt, pepper, and milk, pour everything into muffin pans, and cook at 350 for 25 minutes. Honestly, that's it. The only note for next time: MUST use cupcake liners! Omg I've been scraping crusted egg gunk out of those pans for days- yuck!

However tasty all the dishes were, the shining star was definitely Christine's homemade-from-scratch cinnamon rolls with made-on-the-the-spot icing. Omg hese were seriously to die for- I think I ate 3 of them :)

Between gobbling cinnamon rolls and other treats, I set up a "make your own ornament" station, where guests could get creative after a bloody mary or two... or three.

I cut basic ornament shapes out of card stock, hole punched the top, and attached an ornament hanger to finish it off. I placed the blank ornaments next to a big box of old crayons, and let the guests get artsy. While the food was delicious, I must say, I think this was my favorite part! I love arts and crafts, and I love seeing people having fun, and getting creative too.

Cocktails were served, food was devoured, gifts were exchanged, and our Charlie Brown tree got decked out in beautiful handmade ornaments. A wonderful brunch, indeed ♥

a better breakfast burrito

If I have not properly expressed this previously, let me tell you that I am not a morning person. I'm the girl rolling into work at the crack of 9 am, still putting on makeup, and eating oatmeal out of a coffee mug. For these reasons and many more, I rely heavily on late night planning, and frozen, homemade breakfast burritos. A while ago, I made my first batch of breakfast burritos, and since then, I think they've just gotten better. In fact, this last round has been the best yet!

Stuff you need: 1. Whole wheat tortillas 2. 1 block firm tofu 3. Morningstar sausage patties 4. Roasted green chiles 5. Your favorite salsa

Begin by squeezing your tofu like you would for any other recipe- I like to wrap mine in a paper towel, and set something heavy on top of it while I prepare everything else. Meanwhile, you can chop your chiles and defrost your faux-sausage.

When the tofu is ready, crumble it into a skillet with a little olive oil, the Morngingstar sausage, green chiles, and some spices until everything is warmed through. In my tofu/faux-meat mixture, I like to add hot sauce, garlic salt, and cumin. Yumm.

When your burrito stuffing is tasting the way you'd like it to, grab a tortilla, spoon a healthy helping of the tofu mixture into the middle, add a bit of salsa, and then wrap the whole thing up in a square of foil.

Keep wrapping burritos until you're out of filling and tortillas, and then pop them into the freezer for future use. For me, 1 block of firm tofu made about 6 burritos.

When you're ready to devour your breakfast burrito, wrap it in a paper towel, and microwave it on high for 1 minute on each side. The tofu is difficult to heat all the way through, so it may need a little extra time as well. This not-so-fabulous picture is taken inside the microwave at my office. While not super aesthetically appealing, it was absolutely scrumptious, and the perfect way to start off a long day at work.

The combination of the fake sausage, chiles, and salsa, are the perfect mix of texture, heat, and flavor. They're fast and easy to make, they're absolutely delicious, and they're a total life saver first thing in the morning. You better believe I'll be making more of these very soon :)

overnight oats & homemade chips

I am not a morning person. In fact, I'm a total night owl, finding that my most productive hours are between 10 pm and 1 am. Because of this, I find it incredibly helpful to pack my gym bag, lunch, and anything else I can the night before. Enter, overnight oats. I made this recipe a lot last summer, and it's absolutely one of my favorites. Healthy, sweet, filling, and the perfect chilled breakfast for these hot summer days. The original recipe idea comes from Lorna Sass' cookbook Short-Cut Vegan, but I've altered it a little as well.

Stuff you need: 1. 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 2. 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple 3. 1.5 cups milk- or a soy milk of some sort if you'd like to make it vegan 4. cinnamon 5. Nutmeg6. 1 Banana

Just before going to bed, combine the oats, pineapple, and milk into a large bowl. Spinkle with a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg, cover, and pop in the refrigerator while you sleep. In the morning, scoop about 1 cup of the oats into a bowl, top with 1/2 a sliced banana, and dig in. No really, that's it!

It's so nice to have such a tasty meal already made for me in the morning, while I'm rushing around trying to get to work at a decent hour.The original recipe suggests using cardarmom and topping with toasted nuts or flax seed, but I like my changes as well. It still needs a little tweaking, but I think flavor perfection is almost there.

Also, on another late night note, I'm pleased to say that as of this evening, I have successfully prepared breakfast, lunch, and a snack for tomorrow. Less chaos for me in the morning! Currently, my favorite snack is homemade tortilla chips. If you've never made them yourself, you must try it.

Stuff you need: 1. Whole wheat tortillas 2. Olive oil 3. Sea salt

This is so incredibly easy and delicious, I may have to start making these all the time! Take your whole wheat tortilla and slice it into little triangles. I simply continuously folded my tortilla until I had little bite sized pieces. Place these tortilla chunks into your toaster over- or on a baking sheet in a real oven. Lightly coat with olive oil and coarse seal salt, and pop them in the hot oven at 325 for 5-10 minutes. Check on them often, making sure they become golden, but not brown. When golden, flip them over and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

They are crispy, yet buttery, with just a hint of saltiness. You can serve them with salsa or guacamole, but I eat them plain cause I think they're that good. Mmm! Seriously. Bestest, most easiest snack EVER.

Oh! And one last thing-see how this late-night energy really kicks in? Tonight I also rummaged around in my craft bin, looking for something fun to make in honor of this festivity-filled weekend ahead of us. I found a tub of round beads in rainbow colors, popped in Julie & Julia, and 2 hours later, I'm filled with good-chick-flick vibes and half a dozen fun bracelets for my accessorizing pleasure. Pre-made meals, a heart-warming movie, and a little bit of crafting to boot. What a lovely Thursday evening, indeed!

breakfast dilemma & morningstar farms

When I arrived at work this morning, I found my friend Jenna in a breakfast dilemma. She came to work armed with a package of Morningstar Farms bacon, egg and cheese breakfast biscuits when she discovered that one of our coworkers had brought in homemade breakfast burritos for $2, which, I might say, are absolutely delicious. On top of this, she also found out, much to her dismay, that Morningstar Farms is a vegetarian company, and this said "bacon biscuit" contained no real bacon at all- mind you, my friend is an avid carnivore. Thus, Jenna's breakfast dilemma.

This is where I enter. Eat your vegetarian bacon biscuit so it doesn't go to waste, even though I've already had a wee apple for breakfast, just so you can eat a meaty burrito instead? Oh twist my arm.

First and foremost, it's a little high in calories and fat than I'd like in my breakfasts. Usually I stick to oatmeal, fresh fruits, or toast, so this 270 calorie pocket (with 80 fat calories and 8 grams of fat) was not part of my diet. However, it is seriously tasty. Throw aside all caloric numbers and thoughts of the treadmill, and this is a mighty fine breakfast. It nukes quickly in the microwave, the flavors are great, and the biscuit was soft and moist.

I probably won't make a habit of eating these all the time, but if I was forced to eat one again in order to help out a friend, I would have absolutely no problems in doing so :)

This was hands down the best breakfast dilemma I've been part of. Any food crisis that ends with me eating awesome, free, vegetarian food is a.o.k by me.

vaffeldagen

If your Friday was anything like mine, it probably included excessive amounts of drinking and waffles. Waffles you say? Of course! For those of us who are not up-to-date on our random holidays, yesterday was Vaffeldagen! In Sweden, March 25th started out as a celebration for the virgin annunciation- the day Mary found out she was preggers with baby Jesus. However, Varfrudagen (Our Lady Day) sounded way too close to Vaffeldagen, and it stuck! Thus, March 25th is Waffle Day. Note: this is the only thing I learned from my vikings class in college.

So, yesterday I filled my meals with waffles in various forms. For breakfast, I had whole wheat waffles covered with apples and strawberries- SUPER tasty and healthy. My lunch was an ode to chicken and waffles- a Morningstar Farms chik patty with some more whole wheat waffles and a little stone ground mustard on the side- also delicious.

For all my waffle needs, I usually use Krusteaz wheat and honey pancake mix. You measure it out, add water, stir it up, and throw it in the waffle maker. It's super easy, and the results are always fluffy breakfast perfection.

Even though my waffle streak was broken with a plate of fried pickles and some Mexican food, my first 2 meals were a total success! More importantly, I had way too much fun planning out special recipes in celebration of a fun holiday. I definitely plan to do it more often!

breakfast burritos & daiya cheese

Let me begin by saying that I am NOT a morning person. I usually make my lunch, lay out my clothes, and make extensive lists the night before, otherwise I always end up forgetting something important first thing in the morning. This is why last night I decided to make a big batch of vegan breakfast burritos to last me the next few weeks. A healthy homemade breakfast burrito always beats eating plain toast while running out the door, and trying to put on eyeliner in the car.

Stuff you need: 1. 1 firm block of tofu it will be about 6 burritos) 2. some tortillas (the regular size is fine) 3. tasty salsa 4. vegan cheese (or regular cheese or no cheese- your choice) 5. spices 6. foil

Start by squeezing the liquid out of the tofu like normal. When your skillet is warmed to about medium, crumble the block of tofu into the hot pan. Season the tofu with your favorite spices (I used tobasco, red pepper flakes, garlic salt, and CUMIN♥ to stick with the Mexican breakfast theme). When the tofu is warmed through and spiced to your liking, take a tortilla and throw it in the microwave for 25 seconds.

Pull the tortilla out of the microwave and put it on top of a piece of foil. Add some tofu, salsa, and cheese to the tortilla and roll it up nice and tight (don't forget to tuck in the ends). Wrap the burrito up in foil and throw it in the freezer. DONE AND DONE!

A breakfast burrito was perfect this morning! I grabbed one on my way out the door, and when I got to my office, I took the burrito out of the foil, and microwaved it for about a minute or so in a paper towel. A hot, healthy, and incredibly easy-to-make breakfast like that! I love it.

Here is my only complaint: the cheese. I know this is heresy, but I don't think I liked the Daiya vegan cheese I purchased. I've read about this stuff everywhere, and everyone and their mom says that this it's the best cheese substitute out there. Of course I had to try it! The texture is phenomenal- it does, indeed, melt and stretch just like real cheese, but there's no way I can get past the taste. Maybe I needed more salsa, or spices, or maybe there was too much cheese for the little burrito, but I definitely did NOT like the taste at all. I can't put my finger on it -like, old soy cheese with better texture? Maybe the flavor is too strong for cheese? I don't know, but it wasn't good.

I haven't given up on Daiya just yet. Since everyone loves it to death, I'm going to keep around the rest of the bag so I can try a dip or pizza or something, but until it impresses me, strike 1, Daiya, strike 1.

I think I'm in love with the homemade breakfast burrito idea.

On my next batch, I'll just skip the cheese altogether :)

tofu scramble

So this is the dish my mom goes crazy for. Every time we say, What should we have for dinner? Mom always says A TOFU SCRAMBLE! Yeah she's hooked. I've tried a lot of tofu scrambles out there, but I personally think mine is the best :)

Stuff you need: 1. 1 block firm tofu 2. any vegetables & fun stuff you have laying around the kitchen- veggies, Morningstar sausage, spices, etc.

Start by draining & squeezing your tofu- I usually wrap it in a paper towel and let it sit under something heavy while I do everything else for this recipe. Chop up all your veggies into bite-size pieces. For this particular scramble, we found onions, carrots, zuccini, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, and Morningstar Farms breakfast sausages (which I cooked in the microwave before adding to the scramble).

Pour a little olive oil into your pan and sauté all your fixins from hardest to softest- so onion goes first, so they get nice and soft, followed by carrots, bell pepper, zuccini, and mushrooms. When all your vegetables are starting to get tender, unwrap the tofu and crumble it into the pan. Mix everything thoroughly and make sure all the ingredients are warmed through. Add your tomatoes, cooked breakfast sausage, and cheese if you'd like it for a non-vegan version. Season with garlic salt, pepper, CUMIN♥, tobasco sauce, and anything else to your liking.

Voila! Plate it up and devour! A little salsa is nice on the side, but let me tell you, it's also delicious as is!