Tag Archives: breakfast

A Budget Friendly Meal Plan for Busy Seasons

Every day life, Food, , , , , , , , , ,

There are usually two scenarios that find people diving head first into the world of meal planning — they need to save time or they need to save money. But at this point in the year, it often seems those two go hand and hand. We’re in the heart of the fall semester, activities are ramping up, and something about the waning evening sunlight makes it feel like a mad rush between the end of work hours and climbing into bed at night. There’s no time for planning and executing a healthy dinner on the fly!

Then you’ve got money saving. Ah yes, I feel you there. Maybe you spent a little too extravagantly on summer travel or plan to spend extravagantly on the upcoming holidays. Either way, there’s no room for extravagance in this in-between!

Enter the power of the stupidly simple meal plan…

Shopping List

Breakfast

  • Oatmeal
  • Yogurt
  • Bananas

Lunch

  • Bread
  • Lunch meat
  • Cheese
  • Salad
  • Salad Dressing

Extras (Snacks, desserts, and lunch add-ons)

  • Granola bars
  • Fruit (apples, oranges, berries on sale)
  • Crackers
  • Hummus
  • Peanut butter
  • Cookies

Dinner

  • Chicken
  • Rice
  • Stir-fry vegetables
  • Bulk frozen veggie
  • Pasta noodles
  • Ground turkey or meatballs
  • Pasta sauce
  • Tortillas 
  • Shredded cheese
  • Avocados
  • Refried beans or black beans
  • Green peppers
  • BBQ sauce
  • Hamburger buns
  • Chips

Meal Plan

Breakfast – Oatmeal or yogurt topped w/ bananas

Lunch – Sandwich or salad w/ 2 sides of choice (and/or any dinner leftovers)

Dinners – 

Monday/#1: Chicken stir fry w/ frozen veggie

Tuesday/#2: Spaghetti w/ fruit salad

Wednesday/#3: Quesadilla w/ beans and guac

Thursday/#4: Stuffed peppers w/ frozen veggie

Friday/#5: Panini and chips

Saturday/#6: BBQ chicken sandwiches w/ frozen veggie/fruit salad/chips (whatever is left)

Sunday/#6: Eat out

What meals are on YOUR stupidly simple meal plan? Here’s to a stress-free and money-saving AUTUMN!! 🍂 🍁 🍂

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Recipe: Tropical Chia Pudding

Food, How to's, , , , ,

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For the last several years my breakfasts have consisted of one of two options. Hot outside? Yogurt. Cold outside? Oatmeal. I love both options a whole bunch and find them incredibly versatile. So many possible toppings!

But, don’t let that blurred Christmas tree in the background of the shot above fool you. Christmas may be fast approaching but it is still in the 80’s down here in South Florida. Meaning, I’ve been on the yogurt train for a few too many days straight. Time to mix it up!

Since it IS the week after Thanksgiving, my focus is on light & healthy eating…just for a quick recharge before I start gorging myself again in honor of the next holiday. With that in mind, I cast my focus on the nifty lil chia seed. These guys pack more Omega 3 fatty acids then salmon, contain more fiber than flax, pack a serious protein punch, are calcium rich, AND have a whole bunch of helpful vitamins and minerals. So, in an effort to fully lean in to the weird weather juxtaposition of a tropical holiday season, I give you the Tropical Chia Pudding. And my yogurt can happily take the week off.

What you’ll need…

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– 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk

– 1/4 cup of chia seeds

– 1 Tbsp of your preferred sweetener (I used Stevia but you could use honey, agave syrup, sugar or whatever you like.)

– 1 Tbsp of coconut flakes + more to top

– chopped fruit to top (I used mango but you could use pineapple, papaya, kiwi, etc.)

and how it all comes together…

– Put everything but your chopped fruit into a pot, combine, and bring to a boil.

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– Lower the temperature and allow the mixture to simmer for about 18 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the seeds aren’t sticking to the bottom of your pot. It should reach a pudding/porridge consistency.

–  Take your pot off the heat and allow to cool for several minutes.

– Divide the mixture evenly between 4 containers.

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– Top each jar with chopped fruit and a sprinkling of more coconut flakes.

– Store in the refrigerator (for no more than a week) and pull out a jar to enjoy for breakfast, snack time, or a healthy dessert!

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What do you normally eat for breakfast? Have you ever tried chia seeds? I love making chocolate puddings with chia, almond milk, and cocoa powder if you’re looking for another way to enjoy this healthful ingredient! 

Recipe: Dairy-free Crepes

Food, How to's, , ,

Pancakes 1

So, these are sort of a cross between a more European style pancake and a good ol’ fashioned American pancake. They have a more neutral taste so the toppings shine but they’re still gonna fill you up. As a result, I’d say this is a stick-to-your-ribs sort of meal….but in the daintiest way possible. ; ) You’ll only need a couple. However, if you’re like me and you can never really own up to your pancakes limits, you might gobble down a few (too many) more. This recipe uses almond milk and oil (I used vegetable oil here but coconut oil works nicely, too) to stay dairy-free. You can also use gluten-free flour if that’s your jam. And if you want to up the protein on ’em, sub in some protein powder for a quarter of the flour. Perfect weekend brunch feast or breakfast for dinner fare. Or if you work from home like me, you can whip them up for lunch in the middle of the day and enjoy a nice break from the grind!

What you’ll need…

– 2 cups flour

– 1 tsp vanilla extract

– 1 1/2 cups almond milk

– 3 Tbsps oil

– 1 tsp baking powder

– 4 eggs

– cooking spray to coat pan

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and how it all comes together…

– Mix flour and baking soda together in a mixing bowl.

– Add your eggs and then slowly stir in the milk.

– Add oil and vanilla extract and blend with a mixer or immersion blender until mixture becomes a thin consistency.

– Grease your pan and heat to medium high. Add your batter in 1/4 cup at a time and allow to cook for about 4 minutes before flipping.

– This will make around 10 pancakes. If you want to keep everything warm to serve all at once, pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees and place pancakes on a wire rack over a baking sheet as they come off the pan.

– Top with fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, pure maple syrup, or whatever you like best!
Eat Drink and Be Mary

Do you ever make pancakes? What’s your favorite topping? Do you make them on a cast-iron skillet? If so, I’m JEALOUS! 

Recipe: Apple Pie Oatmeal

Food, , , , , ,

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Today, I thought I’d share a really simple crock-pot recipe that you can make with items you may already have on hand! It allows you to cook a hearty breakfast WHILE YOU’RE SLEEPING which is basically sorcery in my eyes. This recipe makes 6 servings which is a perfect hot meal for one family OR if you’re a household of one, like me, you can set and forget on Saturday night, enjoy a no-fuss breakfast on Sunday and then mason jar the rest up! You’ll have oats ready to go for the rest of the work week. Just microwave and GO! Crock-pots essentially allow for the laziest meal prepping imaginable…and that’s why I love them.

What you’ll need…

– 1 cup of steel cut oats

– 3 apples, diced

– 1 cup of apple juice

– 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

– 4 cups of water

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Before the water was poured in!

and how it all comes together…

Put all the ingredients into your crock-pot and set on LOW for 7-8 hours. Wake up in the morning and serve up a bowl! Top with walnuts, more cinnamon, honey, nut butter, or anything else your heart desires. Store extra in containers in the refrigerator for easy meals all week.

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What’s YOUR favorite crock-pot recipe? Do you meal prep to make the work week easier on your self? I would highly recommend it. Your time is precious, doll! 

 

YouTube recipes for Winter!

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kitchen utensils edited

Now that we’ve had the pleasure of “falling back” and the sun is pretty much clocking out at the same time as I am, I’m all about hunkering down at home during the evenings with a warm meal. This Fall I’ve been on a pretty consistent dinner rotation of tomato soup, jacket potatoes and warm sandwiches. In an effort to spice things up a bit, I turned to YouTube for some inspiration. I’m ready to tackle Winter head on! (Is that snow outside? ARRGHH!) When it comes to recipes I want simple, affordable, and quick. I’m usually only cooking for 1 or 2 so I want bigger batch recipes to hold up as great bring-to-work lunch options. So, with Winter on it’s way into town, I bring you 11 recipes to try. Enjoy!

BREAKFAST:

Healthier Banana Bread by Light by Coco. My sister once told me that the best present to take when you’re visiting your significant other’s parents is a loaf of banana bread because that way, as they’re slicing it up the next morning for breakfast, they’ll think about how much they like you. I have no idea where she got that nugget of knowledge from. (Katie?) Anyways, maybe the magic of banana bread works in other ways too. Like if you bake this up for a weekend breakfast you’ll remember how much you love YOURSELF when you have some leftover slices for snacks all week long. Also, great way to use up those over-ripe lingerers.

Overnight Oatmeal (5 Ways) by The Domestic Geek.  I’m a fairly recent convert to overnight oats. I eat straight up, hot oats (with various spices and nut butter mixed in) pretty much all the time. In fact, I went 2 whole years where I ate them for breakfast every single day unless I was eating breakfast out. They’re cheap, filling and I just love them. BUTTT, in this Instagram-age, I also enjoy aesthetics. So a meal that gets made right in a Mason jar? I can be game for that. Not to mention, this version of oats is much more portable and is great if you’re running out the door and need to eat breakfast at your desk while you’re checking your e-mails.

LUNCH:

Curried Rice Salad by The One Pot Chef.  Maybe because The One Pot Chef is Australian but this definitely looks like something the cast of McLeod’s Daughters would chow down on. Perhaps Meg would whip it up for Terry after surfing for recipes on the web. Or maybe Tess used to make it in the big city and now has Jodi hooked on the stuff. Either way…SULTANAS! A good arvo meal if you ask me, mate. (If you’ve never seen McLeod’s Daughters that’s not my problem. IT IS YOURS.)

Veggie Oriental Noodles with Peanut Sauce by Joanna Soh. I have a bunch of friends who SWEAR by their vegetable spiral slicers…and not just the weird paleo friends. I like that this recipe doesn’t completely substitute veggies for noodles but uses both spiral cut vegetables AND soba noodles. If I was bumming about being at work for 4 more hours, seeing this colorful salad in my lunchbox would definitely cheer me up! Almost as much as listening to Joanna Soh’s Malaysian-British accent!

Broccoli and Arugula Soup by Gwyneth Paltrow. I’ve only tried this soup during my forays into Gwyneth Paltrow cleanses so I have no idea if my perceptions of taste were totally skewed but I thought it was AWESOME. The arugula made it really pepper-y and I always forget how much I like broccoli until I’m forced to eat it. I have a feeling this soup would warm you up and brighten your day…even if you weren’t already starving. I know I’ve mentioned it before but don’t hate on Gwynnie! 

DINNER:

Slow Cooker Chicken & Vegetable Coconut Curry by Sarah Fit. I’m a little crock-pot obsessed. And honestly, if you’re a working guy or gal and you’re NOT crock-pot obsessed than you need to get with the program. Fix everything up and leave it on all day while you’re away and dinner is waiting for you! Especially in the Winter, I want to limit my trips out into the cold. Suiting and booting up for Indian take-out? Not necessary. Leave it in the crock and FUHGETTABOUTIT.

Real Food Quiche by Lisa Leake.  I know I talk about breakfast for dinner a lot but YOU SHOULD HAVE BREAKFAST FOR DINNER. Once a week. Make it a thing. Rituals are awesome. Ok, ok, broken record over here. Quiche is a really easy meal to have in your repertoire and is a great excuse to turn that oven on for some extra warmth in your kitchen. Full disclosure: I’m WAY too lazy to make my own crust and typically just go the store-bought route but this video DOES make it look pretty easy to DIY. Maybe because a TINY CHILD MAKES IT! Oh, Lisa Leake you tricky trickster. We get it! Cooking is easy!

Vegan Chili by She’s So Mickey. I definitely crave big bowls of chili served with cornbread in the winter. While normally I would go the slow cooker route, this vegan chili is so simple the YouTuber explains how to make it in 60 seconds! Great for all my vegan sistahs out there…but really for anyone. Also, if you have a super hectic week this Winter and money is tight, may I recommend She’s So Mickey’s 21 Meals for $40 Part 1 OR Part 2. These would be super helpful for my babes in college or grad school.

SIDE:

5-Minute Whole Wheat Naan by Ashley (never) Homemaker.  Not the greatest video but Ashley’s blog is one of my very favorite’s for recipe inspiration…and naan is delicious. Because you know what you need in the Winter? CARBS! (At least I do.)

DESSERT:

Chocolate Souffle by Lo Bosworth.  Did you ever think when you were binge watching The Hills (for the second time) that Lo would go to culinary school in New York? I certainly didn’t. While her cohort L.C. has made quite the fame-fame name for herself in the ~*~Lifestyle~*~ world, I kinda prefer Lo’s IDGAF video tutorial approach. These souffles would be the perfect addition to an at-home date night. Pair with super full glasses of red wine, a cozy throw blanket and your worn copy of “When Harry Met Sally.”

Pumpkin Pie by Leanne Brown.  Maybe it’s because I’m an October baby but pumpkin pie is one of my all time favorite desserts! And BONUS it is pretty easy to make. Here, my cooking on the cheaps guru shows us how it’s done. Don’t you just love her???

Alright y’all, I hope you’re inspired to cook at home this Winter…or at least to sit in your pj’s and watch tons and tons of cooking tutorials on YouTube! What’s your favorite dish to make in the Winter? Do you have a go-to YouTube channel for yummy recipes? Let me know in the comments below!