The Battle for Breakfast

In our attempt this year to "take care of ourselves,"  (yes, we've ditched the hired help) breakfast has become one of our biggest challenges.  We believe in breakfast, but not enough to get up earlier than the alarm to make sure it's on the table.  Breakfast has become every man for himself making his own toast, pouring his own bowl of cereal, or just drinking a soy latte.  None of these options are the best for starting out the day.  Letting the maid/cook go this year means that we no longer have our own personal short-order cook in the morning making omelets to suit everyone's taste.  Yes, life is tough around our household, but, I digress...

Over the recent long holiday from school, we made it a goal to discuss and problem-solve the breakfast dilemma.  It wasn't really so complicated in the end.  Like all good cooking, the key is planning ahead.  So, today, before we return to what we so lovingly refer to as "the grind," I hit the kitchen and prepared two breakfast options that should (fingers crossed tightly here) last our family of four through the work week.

First, I prepared a Crustless Quiche which is an old standby from family holiday parties of yore.  (I think it was cut into small squares and served with Triscuits.)  After the quiche came out of the oven, I remembered a Baked Oatmeal recipe which I found online.  I made several adjustments to the oatmeal recipe to make it lower in sugar and fat.  Each of these recipes can be cut into squares, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator making them ready to grab and go as needed.  Both are equally tasty cold or heated for about a minute in the microwave.  

Here's hoping this provides us with a little bit of sanity in the mornings this week!

Crustless Quiche

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. shredded cheese (cheddar or Swiss)

1 c. cottage cheese (or ricotta)

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Seasoned Salt (optional)

ground black pepper

cayenne pepper (optional)

1/2 c. light mayonnaise

1.5 oz. cream cheese, diced (optional)

Mix and add one of the following fillings (I've been known to add two):

12 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

12 oz. package frozen broccoli, thawed

2 c. veggie meat substitute

Add 5 beaten eggs

PROCEDURE

Place mixture in a deep Pyrex pie pan (or a 9 x 13), top with a liberal shaking of Parmesan.  Bake for one hour in 350 oven - with a pan of water on the shelf below. 

*A shallow pan takes less time.

Raw Granola Protein Bars

During the summer months in the States, inevitably there are a few new fads that my friends all seem to be talking about.  This summer it's Netflix, coconut water/milk, food as medicine, and eating raw.  I'm really interested in this eating raw thing.  One of my favorite raw recipes is raw granola protein bars.  Every batch has been met with positive reviews promptly followed by a mysterious disappearing act!  The original recipe I worked with I found at the One Fit Foodie Blog.  Here's where my recipe is at currently.

RAW GRANOLA PROTEIN BARS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 banana, mashed
• 1 c. oats
• 1/3 cup protein powder (plain or flavored)
• 2 T. sunflower seeds
• 2 T. pumpkin seeds
• 2 T. flax seed meal
• handful dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, raisins)
• 1/3 c. almond butter
• 1/3 c. almond milk (coconut, soy, or rice)
• 1/3 c. honey (agave nectar)

PREPARATION

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well blended.
2. Line a cookie sheet (or other square/rectangle container) with plastic wrap or wax paper.
3. Place in freezer until hard.  
4. Cut into bars.
5. Enjoy!

OMG!!! I made graham crackers!

Funny how certain foods come to be associated with time periods of our lives. That's how graham crackers are for me. Truthfully it's more like the past few years that there has been a serious absence of them in my (and my family's) life. I grew up with graham crackers and milk, lived on Teddy Grahams during university, fed organic honey grahams to my children, then discovered most mainstream brands have very unhealthy hydrogenated oils in them. I've often wondered how possible it would be to make them at home. Then I forgot about graham crackers (gasp! a food i could never go a day without for a long stretch of my life!)...until recently when, most unexpectedly, I happened upon a recipe at foodgawker.com. The process is really no different than making cut-out cookies!

HONEY GRAHAM CRACKERS

honey graham crackers

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup of brown sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp butter, cut up, chilled

1/3 cup honey

2 tbsp good quality vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

topping

5 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

• Combine flour, brown sugar, butter, baking soda and salt to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse on and off until the mixture is the consistency of course meal.

• Whisk together the milk, honey and vanilla in a small bowl, slowly add to the flour mixture, pulsing until the dough just come together. It will be quite soft and tacky. On to a lightly floured surface, work dough into a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, or overnight.

• Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

• Divide the dough in half, return one half back to the fridge for another round. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut long 1 inch strips with a sharp knife or pastry wheel cut the strips into 2 inch cookies. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment, prick each cookie with a fork the sprinkle the sugar cinnamon topping and bake for 10 min in a preheated oven set to 350 F.