Recipe: Whole Foods Quinoa Egg Bake

We’re planning a brunch wedding shower for my sister next month, and I needed some good food ideas (not that it’s a difficult task, brunch is my favorite meal!). Sara sent along this delicious recipe from Whole Foods that I knew I’d have to try. I did a test run recently on a rare Sunday when my husband was off work, and we both loved it.

Quinoa egg bake fresh from the oven

The dish was quick, simple, had few ingredients, and reheated well. I actually thought it was better the second day, and it was nice to have a fast and hot breakfast before work. Quinoa is a great plant source of protein, and eggs and garlic are superfoods as well.

...and on my plate!

We rounded out the brunch meal with Al Fresco apple chicken sausage (which I’d never have but highly recommend) and wheat toast with homemade apricot preserves (thanks, Eva!). Yummy way to start a Sunday, that’s for sure. I’m looking forward to serving this up at the wedding shower!

– albledsoe

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The one germ you want

Wheat germ, that is. It may not sound all that appetizing, but this grain component is quite tasty and easy to incorporate into your diet. I began using it on the recommendation of my personal trainer because of it’s fiber content. But it’s also a great source of folic acid, magnesium, vitamin E, and many other nutrients.

Turns out the stuff can also help your body deal with stress, according to the YOU docs (Roizen and Oz) at http://www.realage.com. They recommend topping your oatmeal with wheat germ. I do that, but also put it on sandwiches and wraps, mix it in pasta dishes or veggies, stir it into yogurt or cottage cheese, and pretty much anywhere else I can fit in in. I was sprinkling it on cold cereal for awhile, but felt like it was getting wasted because I don’t drink all the milk and there was nothing to make it stick. As the RealAge article suggested, I’ve also baked with it, and it doesn’t change the taste of the food as far as I’ve noticed. I mixed it into the cornbread I took to a family dinner, and no one could tell.

Is there anything you add to your food to sneak in some extra nutritional value?

– albledsoe

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Bringing Breakfast Back

My very favorite part of any given weekend is the morning. Specifically, breakfast on Sunday morning.  I just don’t think you can beat the smell of coffee in your kitchen accompanied by a delicious breakfast!

My pace in on the weekend is leisurely – prepare breakfast, enjoy a great meal and embrace the day. However, just a short 24 hours later, it’s a breakneck pace to go, go, go and get out the door to work.  There is barely have time for mascara, and certainly no time for a real breakfast! That’s what I thought for years.

A little background – I can’t make it very long on an empty stomach.  Just ask my husband, he says I start to turn green and bust out of my clothes like the Hulk if I wait too long in between meals.

So, on a weekday, in my rush to eat something that resembled breakfast, I would give in and make a bad choice. Settling for a package of pop-tarts, donuts or giant specialty bagel was the fast choice. Here’s the problem – these fast options were making me fat!

Finally, I resolved to do everything I could to incorporate my beloved Sunday morning breakfast routine into my daily life.  I made healthy breakfast choices on the weekend, so I just needed to try and figure out a way to make it work when I had to ‘grab it and go.’ Here’s what worked for me:

1. Plan ahead – I can’t stress this enough. Add breakfast foods to your grocery list. Boil eggs on Sunday for the next few days. Wash and pre-package your fruits (grapes, cherries, berries) in zip-locks baggies or reusable containers right after you buy them.

2. Buy things that make life easier – Give up the guilt of the extra $0.45 you pay for some prepackaged items. Pick one or two favorites each shopping trip. Small V8 cans, pre-portioned almonds, individually packaged yogurt – I KNOW the big tub is cheaper, but how many times has that gone bad just sitting in your fridge?

3. Choose items that will fill you up – Whole wheat breads, eggs, instant organic oatmeal, yogurt and fruit are your new best friends.

4. Figure out your favorite weekday breakfast, you will be more likely to stick with your plan if you are looking forward to it. My go-to fast breakfast favorite is an egg sandwich – it takes less than 5 minutes to make and it will hold you over until lunchtime.
Here’s the recipe:
-Spray a microwave safe bowl lightly with nonstick cooking spray
-Scramble 1 egg or egg white and add green onions and cracked pepper to taste
-Microwave on high for 30 – 40 seconds
-Toast your whole wheat bread or english muffin while your egg cooks
-Add one small slice of cheese and microwave on high for 15 – 20 more seconds
-Enjoy your delicious breakfast sandwich!

Give breakfast a try next week. If you make it through one full week, you can easily turn that into a habit. Think about how much time you devote to planning and looking forward to your lunch or dinner – doesn’t breakfast deserve a little love too?

– Sara

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