Sunday, May 4, 2014

Banana Bread Breakfast



You:  Banana bread for breakfast?
Me:   Why not!
You:  Because it's not healthy.
Me:   This bowl of goodness is :)

Eating healthy doesn't have to be hard, nor does it have to be bland. This was simple and I got two servings out of it at approximately 250 calories per serving with nuts and around 200 calories without nuts.

1 frozen banana (doesn't have to be frozen)
1 cup flake cereal (I found a gluten free one but Corn Flakes are just as yummy)
1 cup milk (I used a light soy milk, but any type will work)
2 TBS walnuts (optional and almonds would make a good choice too)
2 scoops of vanilla whey protein (1 tsp of vanilla extract would do the trick too)

Blended it all together in a food processor. I let mine sit for a little while to get the flakes soft but if you want a little crunch eat immediately.

Note on food processor - I recently bought a Ninja because it was cheep (around $20) and looked like it would do the trick. It was a good call, I use it for all kinds of recipes, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants something small and affordable.


Sunday, April 27, 2014

Kitchen Sink Chicken Soup

For those who don't already know - I don't feel the need to measure most things while cooking... Baking on the other hand, I measure slightly more often. For this chicken soup recipe I don't have how much of anything, I firmly believe that's up to you. Be a Rebel. Do it your way.

Ingredients 
1 whole chicken, rinsed with skin and all. (You could use any combination of parts of the chicken)
1 medium onion (I like to cook with red onions, but feel free to use the onion of your choice)
carrots (I don't measure, as many as you like)
Celery

Seasonings (use any combination of the following seasoning to your preference and fresh or dried shouldn't make much difference for this recipe.)

Salt
Pepper
Fresh grated (ginger past would work good too)
Rosemary
Parsley (I personally never use parsley because I don't think it has any flavor)
Thyme
Bay leaf (I normally find I have to remove the bay leaf after cooking if I am using the whole leaf)

Other optional ingredience 
Jalapenos
Mushrooms
Any other veggie you like
Noodles or Rice (Don't forget the extra water if cooking with the chicken. The lazy way is to cook, then add to soup, which I'm known to do, but you don't get the flavors cooked into the rice or noodles)


Throw everything into a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for an hour. (The more water the more broth you can make. The extra can be frozen for later use if there is too much)

After it's done cooking I take out the chicken, remove the skin and bones, and pull/cut up meat. Breast meat could be saved for salads while putting the rest of the meat back into the soup. You can also chill the broth and skim off the fat if you are looking to reduce calories.

Other option would be to put it into a crock pot - haven't tried that yet because it would take longer to cook.

Easy Peasy!