Doin' Some Cookin'... Breakfast Quesadillas

Breakfast Quesadillas come together quickly if you prep your ingredients ahead of time and each quesadilla can be customized to suit each person's taste. It's also a great way to use up any meats, cheeses, and veggies at the end of your week.

To save even more time you can assemble the quesadillas, pop them in the freezer and thaw the night before for those mornings when you need something quick and easy. It'll literally take a couple minutes to heat up in the skillet and you can be out the door in no time at all.

We filled our quesadillas with bacon, ham, hashbrowns, and a spinach/arugula mix. These quesadillas make for a hearty meal and will keep you and your kids full of hours.

Breakfast Quesadillas

Adapted From: Thriving Home

Makes 2 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 4 flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 fried eggs
• 1 cup spinach/arugula mix
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• ham, cubed and cooked
• 1 cup hashbrowns, cooked
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp butter

And Action:

Lay out two tortillas on parchment paper and sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese on each. Add an egg, spinach/arugula mix, bacon, ham, and hashbrowns evenly between the two. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup of cheese on top of the ingredients and lay a tortilla on top. 

Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt 1/2 tbsp butter. 

Slide the quesadilla in the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. While cooking on one side, butter the uncooked side of the tortilla before flipping. You'll get a really nice crispy tortilla. 

Transfer to a plate and cut into quarters. Enjoy!

Freezer Meal:

Assemble the quesadillas and freeze just before cooking. You can layer multiple quesadillas in a gallon size ziplock wrapping each one in parchment paper to keep them from sticking together. Thaw and cook as noted above.

Doin' Some Cookin'... Power Bowls for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

2017 kicked off with the realization that I only had 6 months left for me being in my 20's. Holy shit. I'm going to be 30 years old this year.

Only two years of this last decade were what I consider to be "healthy" ones and that was the year after I gave birth to Little Man and this last year after being invited on a girls' trip to Mexico and knowing I'd be sporting swimwear. I had gained 50 pounds during my pregnancy and after being cleared to workout again I worked my ass off to lose 45 pounds of the weight I packed on. It took me a year to do it.

Fast forward five years and I've packed 40 pounds back on. Ugh! I watched my weight slowly creep up year over year at my desk job. I made excuses, lots of them and I continued to do so until the start of 2016 when my company announced a Biggest Loser competition and a coworker introducing me to Whole30. I dropped almost 20 lbs in one month. I did not win the competition and watched the extremes some of my coworkers were putting themselves through. One ate nothing but veggies and bone broth for the three months and another went as far as getting liposuction. I was all about the slow and steady. As much as I like instant gratification as much as the next person I'm realistic about my body and my goals.

So, I continued getting in workouts when I could and followed Whole30 loosely. I'd get on the bandwagon for a couple of weeks and then dive head first into a tub of ranch and chicken wings with fries and then I'd get back on track again.

The yo-yo'ing that I put my body through is not healthy so I'm making it a point to get laser focused and prioritize my health again.

Now it's time to buckle down and fuel my body for the workouts that I will be getting and to be able to power through my day.

I'm looking forward to improved health, better sleep, and some pounds and inches lost.

Here are three power bowls that are perfect for the person always on the go and needing to maximize time outside of the kitchen so you can workout and meal prep like me.

Don't get discouraged. Love yourself, no matter what.

Acai Breakfast Power Bowl

  Full of fruit and antioxidants but not too sweet. Perfect option before a workout due to the fast-acting carbs. 

From: Camille Styles

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• Acai powder
• frozen banana
• unsweetened almond milk
• protein powder
• coconut flakes
• hemp seeds
• cacao nibs
• granola
• fresh berries
• almond butter, optional

And Action:

Combine acai powder, banana, almond milk, and protein powder in the blender. 

Swirl in almond butter, if desired. 

Top with coconut flakes, hemp seeds, cacao nibs, granola, and fresh berries. Enjoy!

Quinoa Power Bowl

Light but filling lunch bowl.

Adapted From: Camille Styles

Makes 1 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1/2 cup quinoa or any other whole grain - I used a Seven Grain mix. 
• 1 fried egg
• 1/2 cup roasted veggies - any combo you like (I used Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, butternut squash, and asparagus.)
• Sauteed kale with garlic
• 1/2 avocado, sliced
• 1 chicken patty, cubed

And Action:

Layer all ingredients in a bowl. Enjoy!

(Leftovers without the egg and avocado)

Green & Protein Power Bowl
Adapted From: Camille Styles
Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1 cup raw kale, massaged
• 1/2 cup shredded chicken or protein of choice
• 1/2 cup sweet potato, cubed and roasted
• 1/2 lemon, wedged 

And Action:

Layer kale, chicken, and sweet potato in a bowl. 

Squeeze lemon over the top. Enjoy!

Try this bowl too:

Garlicky Steak and Veggie Bowls

   

Doin' Some Cookin'... Breakfast Casserole Muffins

I place an importance on making sure Little Man heads off to school every morning with something in his belly even if it's just a nibble of something if he's really not that hungry. Rare when that happens. His go to breakfast is peanut butter toast or cereal (not the sugary kids kind either). I offer to make him other items but he usually will pass and stick with his usual.

I'm always trying to get Little Man to branch out and try new things so I figured I would give these Breakfast Casserole Muffins a try and not give him any other option for breakfast. Well well well... that plan worked because he loved these.

My only complaint is that there was too much bread in our muffins and not enough of the other yummies. Next time around I will clean out the fridge adding any meats and veggies that need to be used up and might make them healthier by omitting the egg yolks and replacing the bread with some cooked potatoes at the bottom of the tin cups.

We had plenty of leftovers for breakfast for the week. Such a time saver on rushed work and school mornings.

Breakfast Casserole Muffins

From: Thriving Home

Makes 12 Muffins

Stars of the Show:

• 3-4 slices whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces
• 4 slices deli ham, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• dried parsley

And Action:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tin well.

Fill muffin tins about 1/2 way with the bread. 

Sprinkle ham and egg evenly in each tin. 

Whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, and ground pepper. 

Pour the egg mixture evenly in each tin. 

Sprinkle dried parsley to taste on each top.

Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through the middle. Enjoy! Preferably with some hot sauce like Cholula. It kicked this up a notch. 

Freezer Meal:

Bake according to the directions above and then cool completely. Place in a single layer in a freezer container or bag. Seal well, squeezing out excess air, and freeze.

To reheat, wrap a muffin in a moist paper towel and microwave for 30 second increments until heated through. Or thaw in the fridge and warm in the microwave. 

Doin' Some Cookin'... Breakfast Egg Muffins

Breakfast Egg Muffins are so easy to make and easily adaptable for ingredients you have on hand.

I followed this recipe from the Healthy Recipes blog and did as they did using beef. Not a traditional "breakfast" food item I use so it was no big deal making these for dinner instead. Word from the wise, using beef made these essentially a burger topped with an egg. Not at all what I was thinking an egg muffin would be. Next time I would use spicy pork sausage for more of a "breakfast" egg muffin.

I also want to try and scramble the eggs with some veggies and fill the meat shells with that instead of cracking the egg whole.

Serve these egg muffins with a side of fresh berries and you've got a filling meal.

Breakfast Egg Muffins

Adapted From: Healthy Recipes

Makes 8 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 4 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 8 large eggs

And Action:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place eight 7oz ramekins brushed with olive oil on a large baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, mix the beef and seasonings until well combined. Divide the meat mixture into 8 equal portions and press into each ramekin. Pressing the meat until it covers the bottom and sides of the ramekins creating a shell.

Break an egg into each meat shell. Sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper. Bake until eggs are set, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from the ramekins and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Breakfast "Sandwich" on a Sweet Potato Slider

I am so grateful for Lexi's Clean Kitchen on Instagram for the inspiration and a well stocked fridge. I jumped right up from the laptop and made this for breakfast.

This had me singing, "Happy Saturday to me!!" You can do the same too, make it immediately.

Breakfast "Sandwich" on a Sweet Potato Slider

Adapted From: Lexi's Clean Kitchen on Instagram

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1 sweet potato, cut in 1/4" slices
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• seasoning of choice - I used onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper
• 1 slice black forest ham
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 egg

And Action:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Toss the sweet potatoes in olive oil with seasoning. Lay them on a single layer on a baking sheet coated with nonstick spray. Roast for 10 minutes.

Heat the slice of ham until warmed (I prefer mine browned). Sauté the spinach.

Cook egg however you like (I prefer mine over medium).

Lay a sweet potato slice on a plate, layer with the spinach, ham, egg, and top with another sweet potato. Enjoy!  

Doin' Some Cookin'... Breakfast Burrito

To put it simply, most mornings I don't have time to prepare breakfast since it feels like I'm always running negative 15 minutes behind. Breakfast burritos are the perfect breakfast for busy mornings and can be adapted to suit your tastes and what you have on hand. There is nothing fancy about a breakfast burrito but they sure make for a tasty and filling breakfast option.

Breakfast Burrito

Adapted From: Mom On Timeout

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 2 slices bacon, cooked
• 1 cup shredded hash browns, cooked with 1 tbsp canola oil and seasoned with seasoning salt and ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• 1 flour tortilla
• 1 egg
• pico de gallo

And Action:

Combine bacon, hash browns, and tomato together in a nonstick skillet over medium heat through. Whisk the egg and add to the skillet. Top with the shredded cheese until melted. Warm the tortilla and fill with the egg mixture. Top with pico de gallo then roll up the tortilla into a burrito. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cooking... Blueberry & Pomegranate Chia Oats Breakfast Parfait

We've all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but most days I think sleep trumps that notion. I'm generally rushing through my morning getting lunches packed, putting on my face (hello! foundation and mascara), convincing Little Man that I let him sleep until the last possible minute and that we really only have 5 minutes before we have to leave, and then before we make it out the door realizing that breakfast was an afterthought and I end up at work with a grumbly tummy. Every. Damn. Day.

Worse than skipping breakfast is having something to eat that is just... meh! 

With a little planning you can give your body what it needs to start the day.

These Blueberry & Pomegranate Chia Oats Breakfast Parfaits are made with all natural ingredients, packed full of antioxidants, essential fatty acids, magnesium, manganese, calcium, with lots of protein and prepared in an untraditional way. 

Oats and chia seeds are soaked which means more of the nutritious benefits stick around rather than breaking down when they're cooked on the stovetop. 

Although, with the weather cooling off here in Texas a cold breakfast isn't comforting like a big bowl of piping hot oatmeal. This is definitely a recipe to keep in the arsenal for those Summer mornings. Nonetheless, it's definitely worth a try no matter what the thermometer reads and the soaked oats are just a blank canvas for you to get creative with fruit toppings of your choice. 

Blueberry & Pomegranate Chia Oats Breakfast Parfait

Adapted From: Pure Ella

Makes 2 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1/2 cup steel cut oats
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
• 1/4 cup blueberries

And Action:

The night before, in a mason jar or air tight container, mix in oats, chia seeds, and coconut milk. Seal the jar and place in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning layer a container with the oat mix and fresh fruit. Enjoy!