Category: Breakfasts

Good Morning Protein Smoothie

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In the morning I get a good workout in and then I love whipping up my Good Morning Protein Smoothie. It is one of my favorite breakfasts. Making this smoothie is easy, it’s quick and I put it in an insulated cup with a big straw(not shown) and head out the door for work. It’s nutritious and delicious and filling. I buy all of the ingredients at Costco, but you can get these ingredients at your local grocery store (maybe not the protein powder). This plant based protein powder really is the best. I’ve tried other brands and I like this one best.

Good Morning Protein Smoothie Recipe

  • 1 C Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • 2 Scoops (1 serving) of Orgain Organic Vanilla Protein Powder
  • 4 Large Frozen Strawberries
  • 2 Handfuls of Kale (I like to freeze mine)
  • 1/2 – 1 C Water

Put all ingredients into a high speed blender (I use a Vitamix) and mix on high until ingredients are all mixed in and it is smooth. If the mixture is too thick add more water. Pour into an insulated cup or into any cup. Makes a good size smoothie. Approx. 20 oz.

Please let me know if you try this recipe! It’s a good one! Cheers!

XOXO

Peg

Southwest Tofu Scramble Breakfast Tacos

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You will love these tofu eggs with veggies! Original recipe from minimalistbaker.com, but we added a twist of our own that I promise you will absolutely flip over the goodness of these. My hubby and I say all the time, “If people only knew how good these were, they would have this kind of food all the time.”

Southwest Tofu Scramble Breakfast Tacos

TOFU SCRAMBLE:

A little vegetable broth
8 ounces extra-firm tofu (I love buying the extra-firm tofu at Harmon’s grocery store, if you live in Utah)
1/4 red onion, (thinly sliced)
1/2 red pepper, (thinly sliced)
2 cups kale, (loosely chopped)

SAUCE:
1/2 tsp sea salt, (reduce amount for less salty sauce)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric

IN A SEPARATE BOWL MIX:
2 T. unsweetened non-dairy milk
2 tsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
A little water

ADD:
Sprinkle 1/4 tsp or more black salt (taste to your liking or until it tastes like eggs 🙂

FOR SERVING:
Salsa
Hot Sauce
Breakfast hash browns (I like the Costco dehydrated hash browns that come in a container that looks like a milk carton)
Tortillas
Cashew Cream
Avocado

DIRECTIONS:

Pat tofu dry and roll in a clean, absorbent towel with something heavy on top, such as a cast-iron skillet, for 15 minutes.

While tofu is draining, prepare sauce by adding dry spices to a small bowl and in a separate bowl combine liquid aminos, almond milk, and and add water mix and add to spice mixture to make a pourable sauce. Set aside.

Prep veggies and warm a large skillet over medium heat (we like to use our wok). Once hot, add a little vegetable broth and the onion and red pepper. Season with a pinch each salt and pepper and stir. Cook until softened – about 5 minutes.

Add kale, season with a bit more salt and pepper, and cover to steam for 2 minutes.

In the meantime, unwrap tofu and use a fork to crumble into bite-sized pieces.

Use a spatula to move the veggies to one side of the pan and add tofu. Sauté for 2 minutes, then add sauce, pouring it mostly over the tofu and a little over the veggies. Stir immediately, evenly distributing the sauce. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until tofu is slightly browned.

Serve immediately on tortilla with the breakfast potatoes. I like to add more flavor with salsa, hot sauce, avocado, and cashew cream.

Vegan French Toast

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Vegan French Toast? What? How do you make french toast without eggs? Well, look no further. Here is an awesome recipe from one of my favorite vegan bloggers, noracooks.com.

Serves 3-4 people

  • 1 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon ground flaxseeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 6-8 slices thick sliced quality bread, such as ciabatta or french
  • For serving: maple syrup, powdered sugar, or fresh fruit
  • In a shallow bowl, wide enough to hold a piece of bread, whisk together the almond milk, cornstarch, ground flaxseeds, baking powder, cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla.
  • Add a little bit of vegetable spray to a pan set on medium high heat. Whisk the batter again right before dipping bread, as the cornstarch will settle to the bottom of the bowl. 
  • Dip each side of the bread in the batter and let soak for about 10 seconds, then add the bread to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.  
  • Serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar and fresh fruit, if desired.
  • Enjoy 🙂

Delicious Granola (oil free)

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This recipe is one that you’re going to want to keep handy. It’s delicious on its own for a snack, or pour almond milk over it and you have yourself a real treat! I also like throwing a handful in my oatmeal.

I actually made two batches of this–one with almonds and honey (for all of you non vegans 🙂 and one with agave, coconut, and peanuts. I loved the agave, coconut, and peanuts one!! So delicious! Ahhhh my mouth is watering thinking about it, so let’s get to it…….,.

Recipe is adapted from Cooking Classy.

Granola (no oil)

Yield: 8 cups approximately

Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 30 min. Total time: 40 min

4 c. Whole oats (don’t use quick oats)

2 c. Amaranth flakes

1 c. Slivered almonds or peanuts (I love peanuts)

1/4 c. Coconut, the wide kind (optional)

3/4 c. Packed light brown sugar

1/2 c. Agave or honey

1/4 c. Water

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Baking soda

1 c. Dried berries (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, toss together oats, amaranth flakes, coconut and sliced almonds, set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, combine brown sugar, agave, water, cinnamon, and salt and bring mixture to a boil. Allow to boil for 1 min. whisking constantly and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and baking soda and whisk until foamy. Be careful here because the baking soda makes it foam up a lot.

Carefully pour mixture over oat mixture and toss to evenly coat. Spread mixture onto an even layer on a Splat mat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 30 min until golden brown. I cooked it for 10 min intervals and then tossed it a bit to get even cooking. Remove from the oven, toss in dried fruit and allow to cool completely. Store in airtight container but make sure granola is completely cool first.

Enjoy!

Best Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

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I hope you have all had an amazing Spring Break. I know we have had a lot of family in town and it’s been so much fun.  Love my family time. This recipe that I’m sharing today is one that is so delicious, one that you can make gluten free, and you won’t even miss the oil when you taste them.  They are delicious!

Best Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 T. Flax seed mixed with 3 T. Water let sit for 5 min until thickened a bit

3 very ripe bananas

1/4 c. Applesauce or you can use another half of very ripe banana

1/4 c. Coconut sugar

3 T. Maple syrup

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1 c. Regular Oatmeal

1 1\2 c. Bread Flour, Regular white flour, Wheat flour, Almond flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Flour

1/2 c. Enjoy Life chocolate chips

1/2 + c. Walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tin or insert liners.

Mash bananas, add applesauce, flax seed mixture, coconut sugar, maple syrup and stir.

Add remaining ingredients and mix until all ingredients are combined and all flour is mixed in. Do not over mix. Take a large cookie scooper and scoop batter into muffin tins. You should have 12 muffins. Bake 15-20 min.  Enjoy!!  You can also make these and freeze them as well.

Mixing in flax seed mixture
Dough should be a bit sticky, but not runny
Fill muffin cups almost to the top

Delicious Steel-Cut Oats

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I’ve been hearing so much about steel-cut oats that I decided I had better jump on the band wagon and see what all the fuss is about, and I have to tell you–they are DELICIOUS! There are so many toppings you can add once the oats are done, such as berries, walnuts, banana, Enjoy Life chocolate chips, a little maple syrup– the possibilities are endless! My personal preference is blueberries, walnuts, a drizzle of maple syrup and almond milk, and as pretty as it is not stirred up, I like to make it a mixed pot of goodness. ❀

Steel-Cut Oats

Serves 4

1 cup steel-cut oats

3 cups water

A pinch of salt

Mix oats, water and salt together in a medium sized pan. Turn on high and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn the heat down to simmer oats for 15-20 min, stirring frequently so the bottom of the pan doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and let sit for about 5 min. Place in bowl, add toppings and enjoy. 😃

Scrambled Tofu with Roasted Potatoes

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Who needs eggs for breakfast anyway :)…………Don’t judge the title of this post based on your turned up nose when thinking about eating tofu for breakfast 😂. Seriously, just try this recipe and you will change your mind about making and loving tofu. I dare you. 😜 As I have mentioned before in posts, I love my “Isa Does It” cookbook and my daughter gave me the “Vegan with a Vengeance” for Christmas. Both are by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

If I were to recommend a vegan cookbook to you, it would be either one of these. Seriously, every recipe that I’ve made has turned out amazing. This gal knows her stuff about vegan cooking.  She has been cooking vegan long before cooking vegan was a “thing.” 🙂

Today I am posting a recipe taken from the “Vegan with a Vengeance” cookbook called Scrambled Tofu.

Scrambled Tofu

Equipment
Skillet, cast iron but use what you’ve got
Firm wooden spatula

Ingredients
1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium chopped white onion (about a cup)
2 cups cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 carrot (this is optional, I grate it in at the end, mostly for color)

Spice Blend
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon thyme, crushed with your fingers
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high. Saute onions 3 minutes, until softened. Add mushrooms, saute 5 minutes more. Add garlic, saute 2 minutes more. Add spice blend and mix it up for 15 seconds or so. Add 1/4 cup water and deglaze the pan, scrapingthe bottom to get all the garlic and spices.

Crumble in tofu and mix well. Don’t crush the tofu, just kind of lift it and mix it around. You want it to remain chunky. Let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water if necesary to keep it from sticking too much. Lower the heat a bit if you find that it is sticking. Add lime juice. Add nutritional yeast and mix it up. If it seems too dry add splashes of water. The moistness really depends on how much water the tofu was retaining before you added it.

Grate the carrot into it and fold. Serve with guacamole and salsa and potatoes and toast and tempeh bacon. Then rub your tummy till well into the afternoon.

img_9971-1img_9972-1img_9973-1.jpgTo roast sweet potatoes and baby red potatoes:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut potatoes into evenly sized 1 inch chunks, drizzle with a bit of vegetable broth, and salt and pepper.  Place in preheated oven for 10 min and then turn over and place them back in the oven for 10 more minutes or until done to your liking.  Enjoy!

Quick Meatless Breakfast/Dinner- Sunny-Side Up Eggs with a Veggie Hash Topped with Avocado and Tomato

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Last night I went to a hot yoga class after work and when I got home I needed a quick fix for dinner. My DH was out of town and I needed food NOW, as in “I’m so hungry I could die now :).” I recently read an article in a cooking magazine about cooking eggs with a perfectly done yolk, so I decided to give their method a try and it was THE BEST! I loved that the yolk was done, but not too done and dry (ewww), and pair this with veggies that are a little crispy on the bottom in the hash, and you’ve got a winner :). 


Seriously, look at that yolk! My fav, but for those of you that like your yolk done, done, I’ll show you how to do that as well. 

Sunny-Side Up Eggs with Veggie Hash

Ingredients 

A tiny amount of butter–a must to have crispy veggies

Zucchini, Mushrooms, Summer Squash, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes or whatever veggies you have in your fridge. Coarsely chopped or you could even grate them for a quicker cooking time

2 Eggs, yes the whole egg – healthy fats 🙂

Salt and Pepper

Tomatoes, I love heirloom baby tomatoes but any will do 

Avocado

Optional: Avocado, sour cream or you could even wrap this all up in a tortilla or serve it on top. YUM. 


First, put all the veggies you want for the veggie hash, salt and pepper in a frying pan. I just happen to have zucchini, but this is the fun part, use a variety and make it colorful.  Put a small amount of butter in the pan (I like getting a hard stick of butter and heating up the pan until it’s warm and spreading a coat around the pan).  On medium-high heat, sautĂ© the veggies until tender crisp. Around 3-5 min if coarsely chopped, less time if you grated the veggies. Spread veggies evenly in the pan to prep for the eggs.

Add eggs on top of veggies and salt and pepper. 


Cover with a tight fitting lid. If heat is too high at this point, turn it down to medium. Leave it for about 4-5 min for a softer yolk or longer for a harder. Test the yolk by touching it with a very clean finger 🙂 to make sure it’s done to your liking. Now remove from pan and top with your favorite toppings like avocado, fresh tomatoes, sour cream, wrap in a tortilla, add salsa. Seriously, the possibilities are endless with this one 🙂  Eat and enjoy!


This is one I’m going to be making over and over again :). 

FRIEND FRIDAY GUEST–CRYSTAL BOREN!!

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Meet my dear friend, Crystal Boren!!  Crystal is crazy amazing!!  She is an awesome mom who adores her 5 kids, she is an incredible massage therapist (trust me, I know) and is so knowledgable about injuries and the body.  I love running with her and chatting.  She makes the time fly by because its so enjoyable to be with her.  She is such an awesome cook and baker and makes some really, really awesome food.  AND………..

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SHE IS A CRAZY AWESOME RUNNER!!!  She set a 3:17 PR at Mount Charleston Marathon and is now tackling ultra-marathons.  Yikes!  And look at that smile :).  Everyone who knows Crystal LOVES her :).  She is sharing two recipes with us today :).  SOOOOOO HERE’S CRYSTAL……….

I grew up in Orderville…I am a runner, mom of 5, and massage therapist. I love being outside more than anything else and enjoying getting lost and really long trail runs. I also love rock climbing, canyoneering, kayaking, and mountain biking. And I love running with Friends like YOU. Ha! Love ya!

This first recipe is from my husband and these potatoes are the biggest reason I will never leave him. I can’t make them as good, no matter how hard I try,  and they are so so so delicious! 😋
The second is my pancake recipe I make and eat almost every single day! They aren’t the tastiest things you will ever eat but they are pretty dang good and stick with you for a long time and they are super healthy!

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So here is our Breakfast potatoes:
4-5 potatoes (different varieties) I use sweet potatoes, red, and yellow.
5 cups of whatever other veggies you have in the fridge
My favorites are brussels sprouts, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and squash.
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil
Rosemary (fresh or dried)
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Chili pepper lime seasoning
I have used a lot of different combinations of seasonings and it’s really up to you and your tastes at this point.


Dice all the potatoes and veggies into small cubes.

Toss everything in a bowl with seasonings and 1/4 cup olive oil.

Pan fry the veggies and potatoes until they are slightly soft and have some color.

Transfer potatoes and veggies onto a sheet pan lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake at 390 degrees until the mixture is browning and caramelized. Usually takes about 30 minutes.

 
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And here is my Trail-mix Protein Pancakes :
Mix together 1/3 cup of freshly ground seeds of your choice. I always use chia, flax, sesame, sunflower, and hemp.

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I use a cuisinart nut/seed grinder for this and it works like magic! It takes me about 30 seconds to grind up that many seeds. 😊

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Add 1/3 cup of raw nuts mixed with dried fruit. I use organic dried bing cherries with sprouted pecans and walnuts. I break the nuts slightly but I like the big chunks.

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Add 1/3 cup of protein powder. I try to eat a plant based diet so I use vegan protein but you can just as easily use whey.

This should all equal 1 cup of dry ingredients. Add 3/4 cup of almond milk (or milk of your choice) if you want extra protein you could also add an egg white but I usually don’t. Sprinkle in a teaspoon of cinnamon and a half teaspoon of baking powder.

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Stir it up and fry ( with cooking spray or coconut oil) into pancakes. Keep the heat pretty low and cook for 5-8 minutes on each side. I almost always top these with papaya but today I had blueberries. I’ve also used bananas and they are super yummy. You can add oats to this recipe if you want more carbs and they still work great, just add more liquid. And if you really wanna get crazy, add syrup! đŸ˜”

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FRIEND FRIDAY GUEST POST–Christina Stanley

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IMG_0402I’m so excited to introduce my Friend Friday guest post by Christina Stanley!!!!  Christina is a part-time working mama, has her degree in accounting, and is a certified Pilates teacher. Currently, her favorite workout is spinning.  Christina is passionate about traveling and photography (as we can see by her photography skills on this post :).  She is married and has 2 beautiful girls AND is a master at overnight oats.  Christina is going to share with us her recipe for Cinnamon & Vanilla Overnight Oats and I am sooooo excited to try this.  I love me some overnight oats!  Thanks so much Christina for contributing! You’re the BEST!

IMG_0398Cinnamon & Vanilla Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

1 cup old fashioned rolled or quick cut oats
1 scoop vanilla protein powder of your choice
1 tablespoon chia seeds
œ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk of your choice (my favorite is coconut almond milk)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl or jar. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Serve warm or cold. Serves 2.

These overnight oats have taken over breakfast at our house. We were in need of something even faster, and preferably more nutritious, than Lucky Charms and (overly) buttered toast. These are high in protein, fiber, and calcium. They are so easy to mix together the night before, and all the kids have to do in the morning is scoop some into a bowl and viola! Healthy, satisfying breakfast can be achieved in a minute, which is about all the time there is to spare on weekday mornings.

My favorite milk to use is coconut almond milk. The sweet and nutty flavor goes perfectly with oats. If I don’t have coconut almond, my next pick is unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Any kind of milk you prefer/have on hand will work just fine though. I always double the recipe to make sure the 4 of us get enough. They are good in the fridge for up to 2 days. Enjoy!

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