Oven Egg Muffin {Gluten Free}

January 24, 2014January 24, 20141 Comment

Good Morning – Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory! Time to wake up, smell the coffee and have a hearty breakfast!

Now tell me, who doesn’t love the incredible, edible egg!? {Organic and cage-free of course!}

This little toasty egg cake will make your morning just a little better. And for those of you on a protein enthused diet {low-carb}, this is perfect for you! It’s is also gluten-free {let the angels sing!}

This recipe is super easy and takes no time at all to make!

Kids and adults will like this yummy meal. So, let’s get cooking.

You will need: 6 eggs {one egg per muffin tin, roughly}, turkey low-fat sandwich meat, grape tomatoes, spinach, yellow onions and salt and pepper to taste.

First of all, spray your muffin tins with some cooking spray and set the oven to 350.

In a separate bowl, crack your eggs {use cage-free} and whisk together into a nice little yellow mixture. On a cutting board, chop up about ¼ of a yellow onion and dump these into the egg mixture – whisk again.

In muffin tins, line the bottom with about 3 spinach leaves. I lined 6 little cups in the tin. Add some sliced turkey meat and sliced tomatoes.

Pour the egg mixture on top of your bed of spinach and veggies. And place these in the oven.

Allow them to cook for about 20 minutes and – there you go – a nice little egg cake. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add salsa on the side or ketchup. It’s your choice.

Coffee Cake {Gluten Free}

January 20, 2014September 12, 2014Leave a comment

Had a sweet craving this morning and, while sipping my coffee, really wanted to have some crumbly moist coffee cake.

However, as you gluten free foodies know – making delicious dishes like this are a little bit harder to make sans gluten.

Fortunately I found a wonderfully delightful recipe on Good Life Eats. I will be making this sweet coffee cake again and again.

Slightly modified the recipe to my taste – here is what I used below. Yum – you will for sure eat more than one piece this morning.

You will need: 1 ¼ cup almond flour (I used blanched almond meal), ¼ cup oat flour (if you don’t have this handy, grind up oats in the food processor), 2 tbsp. coconut flour, a dash of salt, 2 tbsp. cinnamon, 1/3 cup brown sugar, ¼ cup vegetable oil, ½ tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. baking powder, 2 cage free eggs, 1 cap full vanilla extract and ½ cup skim milk.

I also made a sweet frosting to drizzle over the top of the hot cake.

For the frosting you will need: 1/3 cup cream cheese, 1/3 cup powder sugar and ½ cup milk.

Basically, all I did was first combine all the flours together and mix these up with a large fork. I also did not have any oat flour on hand. So, just poured ½ cup of oats into a food processor and made my own. Problem solved!

Add in the salt to your multiple gluten free flour mixture – then the cinnamon and brown sugar. Also put in the baking soda and powder. Stir these together good with the large fork.

Now add in the wet ingredients. Dump in the oil and eggs and stir. Lastly add in the vanilla and milk. Then, you will need to mix all this together into a nice little mixture.

Spray a 8X8 pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour in your yummy mixture. To add to the sugary taste, I created a topping of a little brown sugar and cinnamon that I sprinkled over the top of the cake.

Place this in the oven {heated to 375} for around 25 minutes.

To make the powder sugar frosting, I combined all the ingredients in the food processor and pulsed until the mixture looked creamy. Add more powder sugar, if you think it’s not sweet enough.

Pour your powder sugar frosting on top of the warm cake {I drizzled it with a spoon} – and enjoy!

4 Benefits of Eating Oatmeal For Breakfast

January 17, 2014January 17, 2014Leave a comment

My lovely breakfast at work. 1/2 cup oats & craisins.

Like Goldie Locks and the three bears – eating porridge is pretty good for you!

Well, alright – oatmeal in this case. Nothing says ‘healthy’ like a big bowl of piping hot oats in the morning.

You might think it is bland – but you really can jazz it up with fruits and toppings.

Try dumping craisins into the mix (my fav) before you microwave it. Or how about adding fresh blueberries or brown sugar? The choices are really limitless. What about peanut butter for a creamy taste?

If you are gluten free, you can dig in to oatmeal! But, stick to the natural oatmeal {not the prepackaged kind}.

A recent study of adults with wheat allergies has shown that oats, despite the small amount of gluten they contain, are well-tolerated.

Oats have some great health benefits and will help keep weight gain at bay…

Oatmeal contains loads of fiber. That means that your tummy will feel fuller longer. So, you are not reaching for that snack at 10am. You can keep those hunger pangs away! These thick oats wills stick to your stomach – and you have its insoluble fiber to thank for that!

It will lower your cholesterol. MayoClinic.com recommends oatmeal as one of the top five foods to eat to improve your cholesterol numbers. So, if you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol – dive in to hot bowl oatmeal.

Reduce the risk of breast cancer. A study conducted in the UK found that pre-menopausal women reduced their risk of developing breast cancer by 41 percent just by eating fiber from whole grains. The insoluble fiber is said to attack carcinogens as well as lower levels of estrogen in the body – which protects the body from the development of cancer cells.

Curb Inflammation in the body. Lab tests show that antioxidants in oats have anti-inflammatory properties. So, if you feel a little bloated, eat a ½ cup of oatmeal. Maybe it’s the lack of sugar in these little oats of power – but swapping this for your favorite sugary cereal will make you feel less puffy and more fit.

Parmesan Chicken & Sautéed Garlic Onion Spinach {Gluten Free}

January 8, 20141 Comment

Working long days in an office atmosphere can make you famished. That was the case for me yesterday.

The oatmeal, soup and veggies was not holding me over anymore and something homemade and filling was smack dab on my mind as I left the office.

It was about 7 degrees yesterday in the Washington, DC area – so going to the grocery store was not an option.

So, I thought – ‘what do I have in my fridge?’ A bag of spinach and some frozen chicken! Let me tell you, a lot can come from those two items. It made the perfect lean and green meal.

You will need: 1 cup Parmesan cheese, olive oil, 2 frozen chicken breasts (thawed), salt and pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 small onion, 2 heaping handfuls of fresh spinach.

First – prepare your chicken. I dipped my thawed chicken breasts in olive oil and then rolled them in the Parmesan cheese. Yum! This created a little bread like texture – but gluten free!

Line a cookie tray with foil and set your chicken on there. Pop in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes. You want the cheese to be a little golden brown.

In a pan on the oven, drip in some olive oil. Let that heat up. Chop up an onion and 2 cloves garlic {or more – depending on how much of a flavor kick you want!} Dump these into the hot pan and sauté.

Put one handful of green spinach in the hot pan mixture and fold these leaves into the oil. Let this cook down {it will not make as much spinach as you think!} Add in the other handful and let it cook down. Sprinkle salt and pepper as needed.

Set your cooked spinach on a plate. Then, take your chicken out of the oven and plate this delicious piece of meat on top of your greens. Fit, healthy and filling!

Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup {Gluten Free}

January 6, 2014January 6, 2014Leave a comment

Nothing warms me up in the winter quite like a bowl of hot soup. There is something about this watery texture that just pervades your stomach and heats your whole body and soul!

If you are gluten free – soup is a tough one to find because a lot of chicken broths have gluten in them. Yikes! However, if you home make your soup – you will have nada problems at all.

I use a big box of Pacific Chicken Broth. You can get this at Trader Joes or any grocery store really. And this serves as the base of a lot of soups. Broccoli cheese is one of my all-time favorite soups.

When you get a bowl from a restaurant – it is easy to worry about the continents of the soup. But, homemaking it – you will know for sure what you are putting in your body. And, that’s a good feeling.

You will need: 1 quart gluten free chicken broth {I use this kind}, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, 1 small onion, 3 small cloves garlic, 2 cups frozen broccoli, 1 cup shredded yellow cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

First off—heat up your broth in a pot on the oven.

While you are doing this – chop up your onion and garlic pieces. You will then want to sauté them in a separate pan with a little olive oil. When the garlic and onion are golden brown, dump them in the broth mixture.

Add into your soup the heavy whipping cream and stir. Make sure your broccoli pieces are separated – so you don’t have huge chunks of broccoli in the soup. Then pour in your tiny trees.

Let your trees thaw out in the soup. When you think it’s thawed enough, add in the cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer a little more in the pot – and serve!

3 Ingredient Mango Ice Cream {Gluten Free}

January 5, 2014January 5, 20142 Comments

Big thanks to my sweet sister, The Veggie Girl, who got these new glass bowls for me {Christmas gift!}.

Who doesn’t love ice-cream? As a child, getting that single scoop of Strawberry from Braum’s was simply heavenly.

However, I did not count calories then – or think about weight gain. Wah. Wah.

As a adults, that guilt-free snack simply becomes quite sinful and maybe a diet sabotager {if you are watching your girlish figure.} Bummer. So you hold off – but it’s painful.

This Mango Ice Cream {though not completely guilt free} is lower in fat and sugar than your favorite childhood ice cream. It contains fresh fruit and will leave you feeling satisfied and not guilt ridden.

You will need: 1 cup of frozen mangos, 4 tbsp. heavy whipping cream {or full fat coconut milk}, 4 tbsp. sweet leaf or stevia sweetener.

First, dump your frozen mangos in the food processor – then pour in your cream. Pulse – for about 4 minutes or so. You want to keep checking the consistency. It needs to look like actual sherbet texture.

When it looks appeasing to you, dump in the sweetener and pulse again. Taste your yummy ice cream. You may want to add more sweetener to meet your taste. It’s up to you.

Enjoy. This is perfect for a little dessert for a small dinner group. You may want to top it off with a little dab of whipped cream. Cheers to the healthier, guilt-free ice cream!

Toasted Balsamic Caprese Bread {Gluten Free}

January 4, 2014January 4, 20141 Comment

Hello taste explosion in your mouth! This bread is phenomenal. Sadly, I do not dine on a lot of Italian food – because of my gluten free lifestyle.

Corn pastas are great – and if you are craving some carbs – go for it; but, it’s nothing close to the real taste of thick, creamy pasta. Yum {melt in my mouth}, alas – skipping this is my lot in life.

However, Caprese Salad (naturally gluten free) is one of my favorite dishes. It satisfies that Italian craving and won’t mess up your stomach (for those with gluten sensitivity).

This Balsamic Caprese Bread combines the taste of bruschetta and that to-die-for mozzarella salad. This is perfect for appetizers or just a simple dinner.

You will need: 2 gluten free Udi’s hamburger buns (you are going to split these ½ in two), one ball of skim mozzarella, 4 grape tomatoes, 1 tsp. of low-fat butter *you can also use olive oil* (for each bun), balsamic vinegar and basil leaves.

First, separate each hamburger bun into two parts. You will use each side for your toast. Spread a little butter over the surface of all four pieces. No need to go crazy with butter portions. Sparingly is always better.

Before I popped them in the oven!

Wash your basil leaves. I used about two leaves per piece of bread and just laid them on top of the bread.

Cut one grape tomato into three parts and lay these pieces across your bread pieces. You will use one grape tomato per piece of bread.

Cut the mozzarella ball into strips. I probably used just ¼ of the total ball of cheese. Layer your pieces of cheese on top of your other delicious toppings.

They are ready for the oven.

I used the broiler for my toast – so it took about 5 minutes on high to heat these babies up.

You will want to stand by the oven the whole time just to make sure they don’t burn. The broiler heats food up pretty fast – especially on high.

If you don’t want to use the broiler, set the oven to 350 and bake for about 10 minutes or until the bread and cheese is lightly brown.

Lastly, sprinkle balsamic vinegar over each piece. This completes the dish. I used fat-free dressing. And, don’t worry if a little bit drizzles on the plate. You will devour this up – and want to dip the bread into the excess vinegar. Enjoy!

Favorite Healthy Road Trip Snacks

December 18, 2013December 18, 2013Leave a comment

Road Trip Packing. Always fun.

I am from the great state of Texas – so every so often, I have to road trip it to visit for the holidays.

Alas, have to fit all the presents. Not to mention, saves me money on boarding my puppy, Dallas.

One of the major issues in taking a long road trip is the unhealthy snack choices along the way. That McDonald’s looks amazing when you have been driving for 10 hours – and you just need that large French fry to get you through the pain staking trip.

Don’t indulge in these pesky, heart clogging snacks.

I know, easier said than done. But, if you pack your snacks wisely, you won’t have to stop for the greasy foods.

Here are my top 5 favorite road trip snacks:

Homemade Gluten Free Sandwiches

Have some sandwiches packed and ready to go. You don’t have to spend money on the road this way. Just wrap each one in foil or plastic wrap. Indulge in that creamy taste of light mayo, lettuce and chicken. This is way healthier and won’t sit heavy in your tummy.

Trail Mix

Walmart has huge bags of trail mix that you can buy and just stick in the car. Stray away from the ones that have chocolate in them. Opt for ones that have dried fruits and nuts. These will give you energy to power through the long drive.

Healthy Muffins

You can get some good recipes {that I have posted on my blog here}. Simply load up a gallon Ziploc with these yummy, fiber packed muffins.

Low-Fat String Cheese

Need a little protein energy burst? String cheese is a filling snack that will give you that little protein punch. It also has a load of calcium and is low-fat.

Unsweetened Iced Tea

This you can buy on the road. Do not pump sugar into your body by purchasing soft drinks. You can buy a $1 large unsweetened tea at McDonald’s. This drink always gets me through road trips with the occasional bathroom break.

Gluten Free Vegetable Cheese Bake

December 17, 2013December 17, 2013Leave a comment

Top Picture: What the dish should look like before going in the oven. Bottom Picture: Dallas, my cooking buddy.

Want to whip up a nice, healthy meal in no time at all? Well, sure of course, all us working women do.

This simple vegetable cheese bake takes about an hour {no mess or fuss} and fits the bill for those nights when you don’t really want to cook, but want something healthy, nutritious and filling.

Not to mention, the beautiful colors of the tomatoes, squash and zucchini are fabulous. It looks like a little celebration in a baking pan. This is also gluten free. Sorry, it lacks meat; but, the potato in it should fill up that little rumble in your tummy.

Looking at the finished product, may make you a little leery about taking on the task of creating such a masterful dish. However, you will be pleasantly surprised that this meal is easy as pie. You will also be shocked that you really can create something so beautiful. I felt like a food artist.

You will need: 2 yellow squash, 1 zucchini, 1 large Russert potato, 1 yellow onion, 1 large tomato, rosemary, 3 cloves garlic, shredded mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper to taste.

Finished mouth-watering product.

Start by cutting your onion into little small pieces. You are going to sauté these in a frying pan. Dice your garlic cloves and add them to your onion mixture. Dump this flavorful mix into the frying pan lined with a tad of olive oil. Let sauté for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.

On a cutting board, slice your potato, zucchini, tomato and squash into little round circle slices. You are going to stack these in a beautiful pattern in a clear baking dish.

Make sure and spray the clear 8×8 pan with cooking spray. You don’t want your veggies to stick to the side. Line the bottom of the pan with the onion and garlic mixture.

Gently, layer your circle cut veggies in the glass tray. I included a picture – so you know what it should look like before you stick it in the oven. Sprinkle rosemary generously on top of the veggies – this spice adds great flavor to the dish.

Preheat the oven to 400 and cover your glass dish with a piece of foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Then pull out the dish and top with mozzarella cheese and bake for another 20 minutes.

After it’s done, use a spatula to scoop out your delicious dinner. You may want to sprinkle some more cheese on top or more salt and pepper. Enjoy.

Sweet Potato Fries {Paleo, Gluten Free}

December 9, 2013December 9, 20131 Comment

The finished product. Toasty, seasoned and fantastic!

Well, the blanket of snow on the ground in the Washington, DC area has melted. Boo hoo – that means I and thousands of other people will be commuting to work this morning.

Oh well, at least, we got to witness such a beautiful snowfall yesterday. It was very refreshing and gave me a lot of time to cook.

{Check out my Instagram for snow pictures!}

With all the snow and the weather getting more frigid – my food cravings come out in full! The two foods on my naughty list, for the most part, are potato chips and French fries.

And, these are way not good for you. So, it is awesome to find healthy alternatives to these sinful treats = when you get a craving. Hello sweet potato fries!

Last night, I just ate of plate of these for dinner. Simply awesome and they took no time at all.

Before they were in the oven!

You will need: 2 sweet potatoes, 2tbsp of garlic powder, 3 caps full of olive oil {maybe more – you want to lightly coat each potato piece}, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. red pepper, salt and pepper to taste.

Take a pretty sharp cutting knife and chop your potato pieces into strips that look like old fashioned fries. This might take a little elbow grease. Sweet potatoes are pretty thick.

Once your strips are chopped up, pour them into a bowl and add the olive oil, garlic, onion, red pepper, salt and pepper – and stir these ingredients in. You want to make sure all the pieces are lightly covered.

Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie tray with foil – and dump your fries onto the lined tray {easy cleanup}. Pop these tasty treats into the oven and let cook for about 20 minutes.

Friends and family will love these – treat them and yourself to something healthy and way lower in fat. Not to mention, this is paleo and gluten free!