Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I have never liked these little things, but this recipe was absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Brussels sprouts

3 Tbsp. EVOO

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1 tsp. Black Pepper

1/4 C. walnuts (optional) - but I can't tell you how yummy these were, so I will always add them.

1/4 C. sliced mushrooms (optional) - again, yum!

Preparation:

Place Brussels sprouts in a bowl of cold water with ice cubes. Sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 20 minutes. (I let them sit longer because I was busy doing other things). Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400.

Place a clean kitchen towel on the counter. One by one remove the Brussels sprouts and trim the hard end off the bottom. Trim off any loose or yellowed leaves. Make a small cross in the bottom of each sprout. Cut any large sprouts in half lengthwise. When all the sprouts have been cleaned and trimmed, place them in a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, walnuts and mushrooms. Toss lightly until all sprouts are well coated.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I never use to use this stuff, but it has been so nice having it as a staple in my kitchen) and gently transfer the sprouts to the baking sheet. Place any halved sprouts cut side down. Place in oven and bake until lightly browned for about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

My husband, 9-year old son and 2 1/2 year old niece gobbled these up. Everyone loved them!

Chicken Szechuanese

INGREDIENTS:

Safflower or olive oil

1 lb/ 454g lean, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips, OR

1 lb/454g well drained firm tofu, cut into strips, OR combination of both to equal 1 lb (I just used chicken)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup red pepper, cut into strips

½ cup firm green or yellow zucchini, cut into strips

1/3 cup purple onion, cut into strips

1/3 cup snow peas, trimmed

2 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

SAUCE INGREDIENTS

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp potato flour or quinoa flour (I didn't have either of these, so I just used whole wheat flour & it worked fine. I have since found quinoa flour, so I'll be making it again with that.)

3 tsp low-sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari (I used Tamari)

3 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp organic honey

1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth or water (I used a combo of both)

SAUCE PREPARATION

1. Mix all dry ingredients in small bowl.

2. Add liquid ingredients and mix well. Ensure there are no lumps.

PREPARATION

1. Place some of the oil in a nonstick skillet or wok. Brown chicken or tofu strips in batches over

medium-high heat. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Remove from skillet or wok and

transfer to a serving bowl.

2. In same skillet with a little more oil, stir-fry vegetables and garlic and ginger until just done,

but still bright in color. Add sauce mixture to skillet. Bring to a boil and stir constantly. Add

chicken or tofu or both if using. Heat through. Serve over brown rice.

Chinese Chicken & Rice

1 hour & 25 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients

1lb boneless, skinless Chicken Breast, cut into julienne strips

2 C Water

1 C brown rice

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 C Broccoli florets (I used more than this)
1 C sliced Mushrooms
1 small can sliced Waterchestnuts (drained)
1 C Carrots, sliced (I used frozen, already sliced, thawed)

3 or more chopped Green onion

Marinade:
2 Tbsp EVOO

1 Tbsp Ginger Root (I used powdered ginger)
2 tsp low sodium tamari or soy sauce

Dash hot pepper sauce (I didn't have any, so I used red pepper flakes)

Directions

Number of Servings: 6

1. Combine all marinade ingredients. Place chicken in marinade and let stand for 1 hour in fridge. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 6 Qt (I used a smaller one) covered casserole dish with cooking spray. Add rice, water and salt and bake for 40 min or until liquid is absorbed. (I had to cook this for 1 hour and I upped the temp to 420 degrees for the last 30 minutes.)

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet and gently saute garlic until just fragrant. Add sliced chicken and saute until no longer pink. Add chopped veggies and cook until just soft. Remove from heat. Serve piping hot over the rice.

Moroccan Chicken & Lentils

Total Preparation Time: 15 to 30 minutes

Actual Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

8 cups Water 3 tsp Sea salt divided 1lb Dried lentils, (Rinsed drained and picked over)

1 cup Plus 2 tbsp exta virgin olive oil 1/2 cup Red wine vinegar 3 tbsp Ground cumin, divided 2 tbsp Plus 2 tsp chili powder 2 Garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 Large onion, peeled and chopped 2lbs Skinless boneless chicken breast or turkey breast (thinly sliced) 1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon 1 cup Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

Preparation

1. Combine water and 1 tsp salt in stock pot over high heat. Add lentils. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 20 -25 minutes. Drain well. Rinse under cold water. Place in large bowl and set aside.

2. In small bowl, mix 1 cup olive oil (I felt like this was way too much oil, so I'd cut it back - maybe by half - next time), vinegar, 2tbsp cumin,2 tbsp chilli powder, garlic and 1 tsp salt. Pour this dressing over lentils. Toss gently and let cool.

3. In large skillet heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add onion and saute until well cooked, about 5 min. onion should appear dark and soft. Add chicken or turkey and saute 2 min more. Add 1 tsp salt, 1 tbp cumin, 2tsp chilli powder,and cinnamon. Saute until poultry is cooked through.

4. Arrange lentils on a large serving platter. Place sliced chicken on top of lentils. Use remaining dressing and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve at room temperature.

Great to freeze.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 391 ; Total Fat: 20g ; Carbohydrates: 25g ; Protein: 28g ; Sodium: 564mg ; Fiber: 5g

Split Pea Soup - Yummo!!!

2 hours to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients

2 cups dried split peas
12 cups water
4 bay leaves
sea salt
1tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion
4 ribs celery, trimmed and chopped
3 thick carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
6 cups water
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1.5 cups cubed roasted turkey (if vegetarian remove turkey breast)

Directions

1. Put dried peas in large saucepan and cover with 12 cups of water. And 2 bay leaves and sea salt and bring to boil. Let cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a Dutch oven (I just used my big cooking pot), place olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Saute for 8 minutes until onion begins to turn translucent.
3. Add chicken broth or preferred cooking liquid and 6 cups water. Add 2 more bay leaves, peas, and thyme and bring to boil. Add roasted turkey breast. Reduce heat and cover. Let simmer for an hour. The peas need to be soft. Check the pot now and then, since the peas have a tendency settle to the bottom and burn. You'll have to break them apart by stirring them.
4. Remove the bay leaves and season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve hot.

Number of Servings: 10

New Post

Hello to all my family and friends who've been following my blog and asking where my posts have been. Thanks for noticing and missing my posts!

I was in a 'workout rut' and I took about a month off from my normal P90X routine. That was a welcomed reprieve. I was able to hit the ground running again on a new round. I am feeling renewed and rejuvenated in my workouts - the break was just what I needed.

The hubby and I have been doing all kinds of Fall/Winter projects around the house - feeling inspired by all our friends who were fixing up their homes to prepare to put them on the market - I thought what a shame to do all that work, getting their house in beautiful condition and then not be able to enjoy it, so we set out to just do all those same things to our home, but just for us to enjoy and keep - no plans to leave any time soon! It's been fun... painting, cleaning and fixing all those little things that pile up. And... my house is looking gorgeous for the holidays! Bonus!

I've also been cooking - trying out all kinds of 'Clean Eating' recipes. I have a few to share that have been our favorites! I'll try to get those posted this weekend. If they're not there, please check back in a day or so.

It's a busy time of year for everyone. Don't forget to enjoy the Season and remember what's it's all about.

Merry Christmas!

Snack Time

Here are some great snack ideas!

http://teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/188#72091502

Muscle Soreness

So, I don't know about you, but I get incredibly sore from my workouts. I especially feel it in my back, shoulders and neck area - mostly because they are my weakest areas and the pull ups are killer, but I also experience some pain from a condition I have called Sjogren's Syndrome. Among other things, Sjogren's can cause muscle & joint pain & fatigue, so while exercise actually helps my condition, I can over-train, which kind of exacerbates my already sensitive system.

Most of my pain management comes from stretching (ballistic & static & yoga), but also nutrition, plenty of water (is critical) and yes, I have to take my daily prescriptions. But, I manage it.

It always helps my muscle soreness to get those (sore) muscles warm again... especially if I've been sitting at my desk all day... boy, do I get stiff. I make myself get up, walk around and do some ballistic bouncers, neck stretches, shoulder rolls, any of those kinds of things that correlate to your specific muscle group that's screaming at you that day.

I have also used those muscle creams and salves. I've tried them all. I like one called BioFreeze. I get it from my chiropractor. It is a gel and it is fast heat, then cool and it doesn't smell after it dries. I also like Tiger Balm & those Icy Hot patches work pretty well too, but they tend to be really... shall we say... fragrant.

I also have found these bath salts that are really great for soaking sore muscles. Village Naturals Therapy Mineral Bath Soak. I get the one for Aches & Pains. It has Eucalyptus in it. I buy it at WalMart down the bubble bath aisle. They have a few different kinds to choose from. I find them very soothing.

Finally, I have a good massager. And, don't discount the benefits of ice. Sometimes after I rub my shoulders (ok, so usually I get my hubby to rub my shoulders) with the massager, putting ice packs on the area really cuts down on my soreness the next day.

What do you do to treat sore muscles?

Freezer Meals

Recently, I was asked about some good recipes to make ahead and freeze - to make dinner time easier. I think just about anything you make can be frozen and heated up or thawed later. The Eat Clean Diet recipes usually make a ton and I have to freeze half because it usually makes way too much for the 3 of us. Especially if its one of Tosca's soups.

I actually freeze alot of my leftovers, so we aren't eating it for 2 weeks straight! You can freeze just about anything, including cheese. I have a friend who buys me a block of this really good sharp white cheddar every time he travels near this cheese factory. We don't eat very much cheese, so I freeze it. Then, when I know I'm gonna need it, I pull it out of the freezer, cut off what I need and throw it back in the freezer.

If I have too much of a homemade salad dressing or fixins to a big salad (like beans, beats, hard boiled egg, little corns, water chestnuts, etc.) I freeze them and when I need them again, I just let them thaw either on the counter or in the fridge. I'm not sure there is anything that you can't freeze. I make extra oatmeal, quinoa, protein bars, cookies, etc., etc. and I freeze them all.

The cookies and protein bars are actually really yummy to eat frozen in the summertime! A cool treat!

One more thought: Just today, I had two bananas left over from last week, so

when I got home from the store, I put the fresh bunch

in the hammock and I peeled the other two and put them in my freezer. I will use them in my protein shake or oatmeal next week. If you have any fruit that is on the "ultra" ripe side, cut it in half (& pit it or peel it, if necessary) and pop it in the freezer. No more wasted fruit! You can toss it into a shake or smoothie for extra flavor & coldness without the ice!

The key to freezing your meals/leftovers is to actually use it later; which I'm pretty good at doing; however, I am really bad at labeling the containers, so I have to remember what stuff is and sometimes we have a little surprise when it thaws cuz it wasn't what I thought it was!

Keep checking my Recipes page for more ideas. There is a sensational Chicken Parmigian recipe by Guy Fieri that is not "clean", but man, is it good for a splurge. I'll try to get some stuff like that added to my page in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, just take your favorite recipes and double it - freeze half - and enjoy it later.

An Excellent Article for Eating Clean!

This is from the Beachbody Newsletter. It is good information and really explains why processed foods and low fat/no fat foods are not a great option. Check it out -

http://teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/184#68207360

New Recipe Posted

Please check out my Recipes Page for the Whole Wheat Flax Cookies - Yummmmmm!!!

Sweet Tooth

So, I have a confession to make. I have a huge sweet tooth. I love desserts and candy, so having lots of fresh fruits and healthy sweet alternatives in the house is a life saver for me. Now, don't get me wrong, we do occasionally buy candy as a splurge for like... movie night, but I definitely don't keep any in the house because I have zero will power when it comes to that stuff.

The same is true for chips and crackers. If they are in the house, it is so easy to snack on them instead of eating something better for me. Even the so called "healthy" crackers are still processed foods. I feel so proud of myself when I grab some fruit, or almonds, or some celery with some nut butter as a snack instead of processed crackers. I keep a container of prepared carrots and celery in the fridge so they are easy to grab. Here's a tip: I put cold water in the bottom of the container and then include just a touch of carbonated flavored water (the zero sugar kind at WalMart). It keeps the carrots and celery crisp longer. I will replace the water and do it again halfway through the week if the water is getting murky or slimey from being in the fridge too long. My veggies stay fresh & crispy all week long.

Anyway, once you get use to not having the excess sugar in your diet, your taste buds change. At least ours have changed. When I first started cooking and eating clean, I was worried that my son wouldn't like the things I cooked, but slowly and surely as he tried each new recipe, even he came around. The first time I made a bean soup recipe, he didn't like it, but the next time I made the same recipe... he liked it - go figure! He even likes the Quinoa dessert (which his friends didn't), but oh well! It's yummy! I don't care what they say.

A happy by-product of cleaning up our diet has been that my son has just naturally slimmed down without even knowing that it was happening - by only having healthy snacks and eliminating the processed foods, refined sugars and flours and replacing them with yummy healthier alternatives, he has slimmed down and he's noticed the change.

Hopefully, we are modeling a behavior and lifestyle that he will continue throughout his life. It would be nice if he would never have to struggle with weight issues again.

Favorite Recipes

OK, so I've been meaning to write more about the actual inspiration for my blog... FOOD! I have some favorites to share with you from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet.

Clean-Eating Power Protein Bars on page 303 of The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. This recipe actually has the most ingredients I think I've seen in her recipes, but it is still soooo easy and good! My husband and son love them too!

The next one I want to mention has to be her Grandmother's Favorite Oatmeal Cookies! OMG! These are sooooo good! These are husband and son approved as well, not to mention others that I've shared with - though I try to be stingy because I have a sweet tooth. This recipe is on page 249 of the book.

Her Low-Fat Almond Date Biscotti are fabulous with your morning coffee!

And, the absolute most fabulous dessert I think I've ever had is her Tofu Chocolate Mousse! Yes, tofu... I'm not a big fan of the stuff, but this is to die for. You have to try this one!

Ok, so that's my favorites so far in the sweet category. Let me tell you a few in the savory category.

Her Adobo-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Black-Bean Pico DeGallo is at the top of the list. It is on page 200 of the book. The Stellar Legume Soup on page 238 and the Hearty White Bean Chili on page 245 also top notch and well loved in my household.

I'm still working through the cookbook, so I'll keep you in the loop as I try new recipes! In the meantime, give a few a try yourself! It is actually yummy to eat clean! Her books are also at the local library, check them out.

Check my Recipes page for my favorites.

Breaking Through a Rut!

I've been working out to Beachbody products for over 2 years now. Most of my first year was spent solely on P90X, then I moved on to P90X Plus, so I hadn't really gotten bored with my workouts until just recently, this summer.

I found myself not really applying myself anymore. Feeling bored with the workouts, I decided I needed something new, so until I could purchase my latest workout (Brazil Butt Lift), I decided to change up my existing routine. I started by alternating between the two programs I already had - regular P90X and the Plus. Instead of doing the 90 day program straight through on one or the other, I would do one week on schedule with regular P90X and then switch the next week

to the Plus schedule.

I would also reverse the order of my workout. Instead of starting at the top of the workout sheet, I would start with the last exercise and move up the sheet in reverse. That may seem really simple, but it made a big difference. Doing that was a really great way to confuse my body and break up the monotony of my workouts. It's amazing how you get so use to doing the workout in the same order each time. I found that I could do alot more reps (or weight) than before when I was doing these excercises at the end of my workout - doing them at the beginning, when I was fresh and rested.

I also use music as a motivator. I love music, so I have found that it really helps me to apply myself more. Especially, on workouts that aren't my faves, like Plyo. If I can get lost in some great music, I find that the exercise is over before I know it and I'm dripping sweat.

Another thing to remember, that can be very effective, is to maybe just take a good long break. I do something easy, like walking (quickly) on a treadmill. Sometimes it's nice to just do a brisk walk on the ol' treadclimber, getting lost in a magazine or book or music while I walk/climb.

Or here's a novel idea... sometimes, I just... sleep in!!! Whaaattt?! I give my body a rest - I don't allow myself to feel guilty - and I come back in a week (or more) revived and renewed in my commitment to workout.

What does it mean to "Eat Clean" anyway?

So, last year I came across an article in a fitness magazine about The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno. She has a book by the same name (& several subsequent recipe books). The article was interesting. I liked what she had to say, so I bought the book and actually read it cover to cover.

I learned about sugar intake, sodium, good fats & bad fats (i.e. trans fats) and I learned how to really read labels (I never really knew what to look for before). What an eye-opener!

I found out that eating clean is more about simplifying the way we eat/what we eat; and cutting out the "processed" foods (think lunch meats, snack crackers, salad dressings, sweeteners, frozen prepared meals, etc., etc.) and getting back to the whole, fresh foods of the past.

Eating clean is not about counting calories. In fact, she doesn't pay too much attention to calories, but about minimizing processed foods and cutting refined sugars and reducing sodium intake. Did you know that when something says "light" or "reduced fat/calorie" or "diet" it will often times have extra sodium in it?

Now, I am nowhere near being as clean-eating as she is; and I don't even know if I want to aspire to be that dedicated to it, but I did take the information she gave and gleaned what I could from it and applied what made sense to me to my lifestyle. Every little bit of knowledge helps and pretty soon, a year later, I look back and can see that I've incorporated quite a bit from her books into my life and it was pretty painless. I took small steps as I learned and little by little, recipe by recipe, small changes happened here and there.

Also, I love her recipes because they are simple. They have a handful of ingredients and just a few steps. I like to cook, but I don't like complicated recipes with extensive ingredients lists and hours in the kitchen.

Take a look at her book. It has helped me so much in my fitness journey. My husband read somewhere that "you can't out train a bad diet" and trying to eat clean has really helped in that department.

I just got back from a week long camp trip with my family. We went to Bull Trout up near Stanley. We had some excellent food and fun! Everyone usually tries to go all out to bring meals that will wow everyone! It’s always so much fun to see who will come up with something totally new! My sister-in-law made a fun dessert using hallowed out oranges. It was neat and very yummy!

I have a recipe to share for a dessert I made with avocado from the book “10 Things You Need to Eat” by Dave Lieberman. It is Yummy!

Ingredients

· 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

· 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 1 cup almonds

· 4 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate

· 1/2 cup canola oil

· 1 large, ripe Hass avocado, pitted and peeled

· 6 eggs

· 1/2 cup granulated sugar

· 1 cup dark brown sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish with parchment and grease the parchment.

Whisk the flour, cocoa, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.

Grind the almonds in a food processor until roughly chopped. Stir the nuts into the cocoa mixture.

Break up the chocolate and add the pieces to the food processor. Pulse just until coarsely chopped and stir into the cocoa mixture.

Wipe out the food processor; then add the oil, avocado, eggs, and sugars and process until smooth.

Use a rubber spatula to transfer the avocado mixture to the bowl with the cocoa mixture; then gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for 35 minutes, until the batter has

just barely set in the middle. Allow to cool fully before slicing into 3 4-inch brownies.

I prepared all of the dry ingredients before we went and just had to throw together the wet ingredients and then incorporate. We camp in a trailer and we take a generator so I can use my mixer when I have recipes like this. I had a total splurge week and served this with vanilla ice cream, but you could just as easily use frozen yogurt.

Now, to work off all of the wonderful food that we had, my husband and I tried something new for our workout routine, besides our normal camping activities of swimming, hiking, biking and horseshoes, we also got up each morning and went for a run. Now, please bear in mind that I am not a runner (though I have tried it on a few occasions) and have never been able to go very far without stopping, but we gave it our all. It was fun to try it together (he ran in the army every morning) and I did surprisingly well. I was sure sore in my shins and hips. It was a nice change from our ordinary routine and was a good break, but I've learned that I am not a runner. I think you either are or you aren't, but it was fun to try it for a week.

It was nice to get back into my P90X routine this morning. I did Kenpo Cardio from the Plus routine. I was pouring sweat and it felt great to get back into it after my week off camping.

This next week I am going to write about Tosca Reno & "The Eat Clean Diet". Which was definitely not the theme for this last week's camp trip, but we did o.k. with plenty of fresh fruit and veggies, homemade cereal bars, Tosca's homemade protein bars, oatmeal cookies & biscotti.

Other Supplements

Besides, my workout drinks, protein bars and shakes, I also take 1 women’s multi-vitamin every day; 1 Omega 3 / Fish Oil supplement twice daily; and 1 Maximum D3 vitamin D supplement once a week (vitd3.com).

As far as the multi-vitamin, there’s been a great deal of press lately about whether or not to take a multi-vitamin, so I’ve been considering not buying more when I’m out, but I’m not sure yet. When I see my general practitioner, I will ask his opinion on the matter. I'll let you know what he says.

Save your hands

It occurred to me this morning during my workout that I should share some valuable information about protecting your hands during pull ups.

When I first started doing pull ups my hands really hurt - the skin near my fingers really pulled and pinched during pull ups. I tried gloves, but they didn't give me the padding where I needed it most.

So, after lots of searching, I finally found these grips at www.newgrip.com. They work awesome. I bought a pair for me and a pair for my husband. I haven't done a single pull up without them since. They really saved my hands.

Getting enough food…Snack Time

So, breakfast is out of the way, but now I need to come up with some snacks to get me through until lunch and then again mid-afternoon. This is what I keep out and readily available at my house for snacks.

I love raw almonds from WinCo’s bulk section or Costco (actually cheaper per ounce). I also enjoy walnuts (cheaper at WinCo), dry roasted peanuts (unsalted) and occasionally I will rotate in some others (soy, pistachio, cashews (unsalted), etc.) for variety. WinCo’s bulk section is my haunt.

For store bought protein bars, I buy at Costco. They have the most protein per serving and they taste fine and the price isn’t bad for the amount of protein per serving. They are Premier brand and are just called “Protein” bar. These bars have no High Fructose Corn Syrup, so they are pretty “clean”.

I also have fresh fruit readily available and I always have carrots & celery cut up in the fridge. Celery and peanut butter have saved me from total starvation a few times. OK, so not total starvation, but I was hungry!

I have also used a protein product called Egg Whites International for supplemental protein in our diet. I really like the convenience & versatility of this product. The only problem is we go through it so quickly… it’s hard to keep enough on hand. I buy this from their website eggwhitesint.com.

Let's talk breakfast

OK, so now we get to talk about the good stuff! Food!

For breakfast, I will either have a protein shake, steel-cut oatmeal or an egg sandwich. Just depends on what I feel like.

For the protein shake I take 8 oz of OJ, a few ice cubes, a tablespoon of ground flax seed (WinCo in the bulk section), a ½ scoop of protein powder (EAS or Muscle Milk at Costco), a palm full of frozen mixed berries and ½ a banana. Mix it all up in the blender. Occasionally, I will also add a tablespoon of peanut butter.

There are so many different things you can add to a protein shake - yogurt, all kinds of fresh/frozen fruit, even veggies. I sometimes add avocado or a hand full of fresh spinach leaves. Try it! It all gets whipped up and blended with all the other flavors. You’d be surprised how good it is! You should also try out some of the stuff in your spice cabinet. I’ve used all the usual suspects like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc.; but I’ve also tried a bit of chili powder. You’d be amazed how yummy chocolate is with just a hint of chili powder.

The steel-cut oats are so good. I buy mine at Winco in the bulk section. I use ¼ Cup of oats to 1 Cup of water. I spray the bottom of my pan with cooking spray. I use a deep pan because this stuff boils over easy, so I like it to have plenty of room. I bring the water to a rolling boil, then add the oats. Once it comes back up to a boil, I reduce the heat to low. I let it sit there and simmer on low for about 30 minutes or more (while I’m doing other things like getting ready, etc.) You may like yours creamier, like normal oatmeal. You can experiment with this by just cooking it with a lid on it and at a higher temp for a shorter amount of time, etc. I eat mine with milk and a bit of honey. You can add berries or cut up a frozen banana. Experiment with different things.

Quinoa is another really great grain for a warm cereal. I’ll write about Quinoa in another post.

Now, for the really satisfying, filling breakfast! The egg sandwich – my dad use to make these when I was a kid, but his version wasn’t in the least bit healthy. I make my egg sandwich in the microwave. I use a whole-grain English muffin. I buy the Franz brand at Walmart. I like to toast it so that it is really crunchy. And… here it is… you may think me bad, but, yes, it’s true… I use a bit of butter on my muffin.

I am a believer in “real” butter. I don’t use margarine. Margarine is just a few particles away from being plastic... well, I read that one time and I don’t know if it’s true, but that imagery has stuck with me. I grew up on butter. Butter is real. It wasn’t developed by scientists in a lab. Look at the ingredients list of margarine and the ingredients in butter. I know what it is I’m eating & I can pronounce it & it tastes good! I use a little bit and not everyday on everything. All things in moderation! OK, off my soapbox and back to the sandwich.

I include one slice of turkey bacon. I use to buy the regular bacon, the stuff that is pretty much already cooked and you just finish it in the microwave, but on a whim I decided to buy the turkey bacon and guess what? I actually like it, so that’s what I use now.

I cook the bacon inside a folded over paper towel directly on the microwave turntable. 1 strip is cooked for 1 minute.

For the egg, I spray a small plate with cooking spray. You know those little saucer plates that are suppose to be for tea/coffee cups? They are the perfect size for the egg-to-muffin ratio. I’ve also seen people use a ramekin, which would give it the perfect egg ‘McMuffin’ look. I crack the egg on my plate, put a little salt & pepper on it and then I take a fork or knife and stir it around a bit to break the yolk. I put the plate in the microwave and cook for 1 minute. Assemble the sandwich and yum! Very filling and satisfying.