Energy Boosting Egg Muffins

I found this recipe online and loved it! I can't even remember where I found it?! Eek! I find them delicious and that they freeze well!  So they are incredible for on-the-go!  My hubby found them too moist after freezing them but you could always leave out the zucchini if you didn't want the extra moisture. I love them!  Recipe is below!

Recipe:

6 eggs
1/2 c. skim or 1% milk (almond milk would be fine too!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 c. cheddar cheese
1/2 c. chopped zucchini
1/4 c. each red bell AND green pepper
2 tbsp chopped red onion OR 3 Onion EPICURE spice mix!

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper.  Add cheese, zucchini, peppers and onion or onion mix and mix well.

Spoon evenly into 12 lightly sprayed muffin cups. I actually use the 1/4 c. measuring cup to divide the mixture evenly into each cup. So easy and very little mess!

Bake 20-22 minutes or until set.  Cool on rack for 5 minutes.  Remove from cups and serve warm or reheat!

21 Day Fix Plan?  2 egg cups = 1 red container

This morning I enjoyed an Energy Boosting Egg Cup & a chicken breakfast sausage, with Ezekiel toast (found in the Health Food Section) and 1 tsp of natural PB.  Oh and a McCafe coffee for a treat! Hope you enjoy! :)

Light & Crispy Waffles!

This recipe is my staple waffle recipe!  My hubby and I got a Kenmore waffle maker for our wedding 14 years ago and this was the recipe that was included with it!  I am proud to say my waffle maker has never had to be replaced AND has only ever seen waffles made from scratch.....  However, it wasn't until recently that I revamped the recipe to make it a little cleaner!

The clean eating version of the waffles, are best eaten the minute they come off the grill or I find they do get very soft. If you choose to make the waffles the regular way, they are great left over and toasted the next day!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/3 tsp salt (I use himalayan pink salt)
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. unsweetened almond milk (or 1% dairy milk if not using the clean recipe version)
1/2 c. unsweetened apple sauce (or cooking oil if not using the clean recipe version)
*Coconut oil spray for waffle maker

Method:
Mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl (flour, baking powder, salt).  In separate bowl, beat eggs, milk and applesauce together.  Slowly add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and stir, but do not over mix.  

Spray waffle maker with coconut oil (you can get this near the regular cooking oil spray).   Using a measuring cup, measure out 1/4 cup of waffle mixture and pour on each of the waffle quadrants.  Close waffle maker and wait until cooked according to your specific model.

Variation: Cinnamon-Apple
Add 1 apple, peeled and shredded, 5ml of pure vanilla, 2ml cinnamon to the batter.

*Sometimes, I just add in a pinch of cinnamon!
If you are following the 21 Day Fix.  1 waffle = 1 yellow. 1/2 banana = 1 purple, and 2 tsp of maple syrup doesn't count as anything if you didn't add any to your coffee! ;)

Chicken Parmesan Bites

Ok, this recipe was a show stopper!!!!  Honestly a family favourite!  Easy to make and SOOO good left over. I made these especially so that I could prep them in advance for my family's lunches last week.  The bites were perfect to have as left overs for 4 days!  I would give them hands down an "11/10!" A++!!!!!  This recipe came from my new "Dashing Dish" cookbook by Katie Farrell.  Love this book so far!

Ingredients:
1 cup of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 small onion, finely chopped (I used a sweet onion)
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground chicken
2 large eggs
1 cup canned diced tomatoes drained (I used Alymer, petite-cut tomatoes with celery & green pepper)
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (divided)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce
Fresh or dried parsley for garnish (*optional)

Directions: 
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment paper liners and spray lightly with cooking spray (coconut oil cooking spray is preferred).  Silicon liners lightly sprayed also work well.
3.  In a small frying pan, saute the spinach, onions, and garlic over medium heat until the onions are translucent.  Remove from stove and let mixture cool to room temperature.
4.  In a large bowl combine the ground chicken, spinach mixture, eggs, diced tomatoes (drained), oats, 1/2 cup Parmesan, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.  *Don't over mix or the meat will get tough.
5.  Divide mixture among the muffin cups.  You want about 1/4 cup of mixture into each muffin cup.
6.  Top each muffin with 2 TBSP of the marina sauce and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan among the 12 muffins.
7.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until each mini muffin, reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and is no longer pink in the middle. My thermometer is broken so I just did the old fashioned, "cut one in half."  Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before slicing (oops!) or serving.  Garnish with parsley for fun!

***If you are following the 21 Day Fix program, I would count 2 of these mini muffins as (1) red container.  There wouldn't be enough spinach/onion or even marinara sauce to merit counting any part of a green, purple or even tsp container, but that is just my opinion. :)

Gluten Free Turkey Meatloaf!

One of my favourite cookbooks is called, "Everyday Paleo," by Sarah Fragoso.  I have two of her cookbooks that I found at Costco a while ago and love them! I don't follow a Paleo lifestyle but the recipes are clean, fresh and super easy. This recipe is from the, "Everyday Paleo" cookbook and I changed it up tonight and used turkey instead of beef!  It is family approved!   I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

~2-2.5lbs ground turkey (or lean ground beef)

~1 cup almond meal (*if you have allergies omit almond meal and only use 1 egg instead of 2)

~2 eggs

~small can of tomato paste (6 oz)

~1 small red or white onion, finely diced

~2-3 garlic cloves, minced

~1/2 tbsp pink himalayan salt (or sea salt)

~1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil (I used 4-6 tbsp of dried basil)
~1 tsp marjoram (*optional. I have never added this ingredient)
~2 tsp finely ground black pepper

Prep Time: 30 mins             Cook Time: 1 hour          

1.  Preheat oven to 350° F.
2.  With your hands, mix all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl  (TIP: *I like to wear rubber gloves when mixing it!)
3.  Place mixture into a large, glass baking dish.  You can use a loaf pan if you like! I actually placed mine in a 5x9 pyrex container.
4.  Bake for 1 hour (make sure the meatloaf is no longer pink in the middle and cook more if needed).