Breakfast for Warriors

As you are reading this, Staci and I will be participating in the...

 WARRIOR DASH!

Even though it is almost May and has been 80 degrees in Texas for a good long while, Mother Nature decided it wanted to throw a curve ball and have it be COLD!! Projected Forecast:

Just the normal 53 - 57 degrees outside (not cool...haha). But really, it seems like every time I place to compete in a race in this state, it decides to be cold the day of the event.

Nonetheless, I am super excited about tomorrow!! But thinking of the cold, really just makes me want to curl up in my pajamas on the couch, eating a hot, toasty bowl of healthy oats. 

But normal oats are boring... I'm talking some tasty oats that feels more like dessert than breakfast. 

Enter: Strawberry Banana Oatmeal

Trust me, it is even more delicious than it looks. At it has the added bonus of sneaking in some protein to give it an extra healthy kick that will help you to feel fuller for longer.

Recipe for success? Start with 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk and 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan over medium heat.

don't forget the water too!

And drop a banana in the pot...

Now chop up your banana into a million little pieces with your wooden spoon. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be in many small pieces.

Now, let that mixture come up to a simmer. It will look like this:

Nice and bubbly... and the banana magically disappeared!! It's still there... no worries.

Now, back the heat down to medium low and add in your 1/4 cup rolled oats.

 Now cook your oats on medium low for about 10 minutes or until they are nice and tender. Next comes the protein part... Egg Whites!!

The packaged kind really do work better in this situation than egg whites from a "real" egg.

To add these 1/4 cup egg whites to your hot oat mixture, you will need to take your little pot off of the hot part of the stove. Stir the oats around to get some steam (and heat) out.

VERY SLOWLY, pour your egg whites into the oatmeal mixture, and stir the oats vigorously as you go. A little coordination is required for this maneuver.

If you thought your oats were a little too wet for you, they definitely will NOT be runny after the egg white addition. The egg whites bulk up the oats a bit and add to a nice fluffy texture.

Once all the egg whites have been combined, you are ready to serve your oats for one! Garnish with strawberries, brown sugar, chopped nuts, or whatever else you might like!

Chocolate would also be a good addition... :) 

Cooking with quinoa!

Hello!  My name is Staci, and I am lucky enough to write a guest post on Kimberly's amazing blog.  Kimberly and I are currently in graduate school for clinical nutrition together.  Kimberly and I are a lot a like..we love bootcamp, running, of course food, and we have an obsession with anything pinterest related!  Like any normal friendship, I texted her a picture of the dinner I just made (definitely normal) and the next thing I know, she asks me to do a blog post.

I feel like I won an oscar, since I love this blog so much!  As I said earlier,  I love pinterest and have an obsession with pinning anything food related.  I need therapy! Everywhere you look on pinterest, there is a recipe for quinoa.  I love cooking with quinoa. I guess it is new and trendy even though it has been around forever.  Little do people know, quinoa is a good source of protein.  I am definitely a huge fan! I am always looking for ways to make recipes healthier, since I am a future dietitian and all.  I saw a great recipe for quinoa mac and cheese. I knew I had to make this comfort food healthier, and it was beyond amazing. I apologize for my picture not being so great (first time blogger).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of quinoa
• Veggies (I used spinach)
• Salt
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 2 Eggs
• 1 cup Nonfat Milk
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
• Parmesan
• Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. The first step is to make the quinoa according to the package directions. It usually takes around 15 minutes.  I used rainbow quinoa from whole foods which takes around 20 minutes.  As the quinoa is cooking, you will need to cook the veggies you plan to use in your dish.  I used spinach but next time, I will probably add onions and broccoli.  You can add anything you want or have in your house!

Whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl.  After the quinoa is cooked, you will fold in the eggs and milk along with the cheese and veggies.  Once everything is folded in together, it can be transferred to a baking dish.  I added whole bread crumbs and more Parmesan to the top of the dish. Bake around 30-35 minutes until the top is browned.  Enjoy!!