Dessert for Breakfast

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Why?

Because anything goes! If you want pancakes, have pancakes. If you want cake, eat cake. If you want a steak, because breakfast isn't your thing...well by all means go ahead.

Which brings me to my most favorite breakfast dish I have ever created...

Apple Pie Oatmeal 

Seriously, it tastes exactly like a big slice of apple pie, but for breakfast!! BONUS: it's super healthy too! (and super simple to make)

Print this recipe!

First you need an apple! 

Peel and core apple, and chop the flesh into bite sized pieces

And you'll need some oats! About 1/2 cup

 

Put the apple and oats into a small sauce pan. Add 3/4 of a cup of unsweetened almond milk + 1/2 cup of water to the pot.

In goes 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon next!

 You will also need three heaping teaspoons of brown sugar...it makes it tasty

Make sure everyone is in the pool!

 Cook in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low for 10 - 15 minutes or until apples and oats are tender.

Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and serve.

Eat and be happy you made a healthy choice for breakfast!

Far too excited

To say I like food in an understatement.

I mean, I did start a blog just so I could talk about food all day and I'm centering my career around eating the best food for your body. I think that should classify as obsessed.

clearly obsessed

So with that little introduction in hand, I occasionally get far too excited about food. Which happened last night around 8:00 pm.

Background: I workout at bootcamp every Monday night at 6:00 pm and it just so happened that around 5:15 pm, I was STARVING! But I just sucked it up and went hungry and got a great workout in. But as soon as 6:55 pm came along, the hunger reappeared.

Note to Self: Do not go to the grocery store hungry! You will but things you do not need!


I walked into Whole Food super hungry, just planning on getting some lettuce so I could make a salad for dinner. Let me tell you what I walked out the door with:

• Spring Green Mix - perfect! I got what I needed
• Bananas - this is ok, I needed them anyway
• Jalapeno Pepper - going to make salsa, this is acceptable
• Whole Wheat Pita Chips - definitely an impulse buy
• Frozen Edamame - due to my rekindled love for the stuff
• BEAN DIP - obvi I needed something to dip my pita chips in!

What I almost walked out the door with:

• Slice of carrot cake
• Morning Star Farm sausage patties
• Flavored Coconut Water
• Sushi

I'm just glad I had enough sense to put down the products I really did not need. But the impulse buy I was far to excited about: BEAN DIP

I love the stuff. And when I saw Whole Foods made their own version, I was excited to try it out. Granted I probably could have made the dip myself for less than $3, but like I said before, do not go to the grocery store hungry!

Now, for dinner last night, I just HAD to now make a tuna salad open-faced sandwich with the lovely product I just bought. It was important I open up the carton of luscious bean dip as soon as I got home. (Naturally)

I know it's not the prettiest thing ever, but tuna + bean dip = the BEST tuna salad I have ever had. The dip was spicy and flavorful and it gave a nice zing to the tuna. Ate this tuna on top of spring greens, heirloom tomatoes, and a slice of sunflower bread as neatly as I could (read: it all fell apart).

So delicious! I savored every last bite! Seriously if you ever see bean dip in the store... buy some and mix it with tuna. You won't be disappointed. And I had to round off this meal with a side of edamame...it just had to happen

the aftermath

Healthy Dinner

The weeks after a nice break are always the hardest, don't you think? You've just had a relaxing break from work, but you are now thrown directly back into the normal, daily routine very abruptly and its hard to find your daily pattern.

Well that exactly describe last week for me. Trying to find my normal routine again posed a bit of a challenge, but I'm back and ready as ever to give you all yummy recipes! I'll start with this one:

Stir Fry Tempeh

This meal is super delicious and nutritious! Colorful vegetables provide the nutrients while tempeh provides a lean source of protein.

Not too familiar with tempeh? Well it is made from soybeans that have been fermented via a special process. It is a great meat alternative and has A LOT more texture than tofu (personally, I've never been a fan of the stuff). It is super simple to marinade (Example) and easy to incorporate into any recipe!

So if you're in the mood for an asian inspired dish but don't want to shell out the bucks for chinese takeout (or wasted calories on white rice and deep fried everything), take this recipe for a spin! From start to finish, this took only about 20 minutes to make....WAY faster than delivery! 

Print this recipe!

Stir Fry Tempeh

Ingredients

• 1 - 8 oz block tempeh
• 1/2 pound asparagus spears (or other green veggie of your choice)
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 3 tablespoons stir fry sauce, divided
• 2 teaspoons agave nectar 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 avocado
• brown rice for serving

Directions

Take your block of tempeh and cut it into 1/4 inch thick strips. Each strip will be thick so cut in half lengthwise.

In a shallow dish, combine 1 tablespoon stir fry sauce, agave nectar, garlic, red pepper flakes, ginger, and pepper. Toss the tempeh in sauce until evenly coated and allow to marinade for about 10 - 15 minutes (For extra flavor, double the amount of marinade and allow tempeh to marinate for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through).

In the mean time, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium high heat. Sauté your vegetables and bell pepper, until they are tender, about 10 minutes.

Once the tempeh has had some time to marinade, push the vegetables to the sides, and add the tempeh to the middle of the pan. 

Try to get all of the tempeh directly touching the pan and not on top of the vegetables

Allow to cook for about 2 - 3 minutes per side or until it looks golden brown and heated through. Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and add 2 tablespoons of the stir fry sauce and stir to evenly coat.

sufficiently browned! add the sauce!

Serve with a side of brown rice and garnish with a few slices of avocado. Douse on the hot sauce (optional) and enjoy your healthy, flavorful meal!