The Perfect Green Smoothie

Ah the smoothie...  What an intimidating meal when you don't have a worthwhile blender!  I must admit I went years without making them just because of that!  Between my lack of breakfast choices and my grumbly tummy every morning at work, I decided that it was probably time to get on the ball.  I asked the Shrinking Jeans community for tips, pointers, recipes, ideas, etc.  The diversity is endless based on your own personal preference!  This chart lays out the perfect ratio for a green smoothie, but you have to have quite a large blender of some sort for it, so below, I'm going to share my amounts that makes just the right amount for one person in a Magic Bullet (which is what I happen to have).  My smoothies are low in calories, gluten free, full of protein, and super tasty!  What's not to love?!

My Single Serving Formula:

*makes 16oz smoothie

1 C. Almond Milk
1/2 C. Spinach
1 Scoop Protein Powder (I go with Vanilla Whey Protein but you can go Soy for dairy free options)
1 C. Fruit

The directions are the same as the picture above and it comes out perfectly full every time for me :)

Different fruit combo choices:
*I'm a touch biased when it comes to fruits I like.  I also use frozen fruits because it's easy to portion and defrost the night before.*

Strawberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Blueberries

Strawberries
Banana
(I like to add peanut butter and use chocolate protein powder in this one)

Peach
Mango

Strawberry
Peach
Pineapple

Strawberries
Blueberries

Go bust out your blender/Bullet/Ninja or whatever else you have and get some green in your diet! :)

Biscuits and Gravy

The ultimate comfort food when it comes to breakfast!  Mom was always the major cook in the house but when it comes to breakfast, dad was the boss. :)  His specialties are the most AMAZING pancakes ever (I'm sure I'll put that recipe up sometime) and his hamburger gravy to slather on some piping hot biscuits.  This is not a traditional recipe but I prefer it over using sausage because it's still a unique flavor.

Dad's Hamburger Gravy

*makes 2-3 servings

1/2 lb. Hamburger
3-4 Tbsp. Flour
2 1/2 C. Milk
1 Tube of Biscuits
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven for the biscuits.  Start browning the hamburger.  Be liberal with the salt and pepper.  You don't want the meat to be bland once the gravy is made.

2. Once the hamburger is brown, add the flour and stir to coat the meat and absorb the grease.

3. Put the biscuits in the oven.
4. Keeping the heat at about med-high, add the milk and stir often until it starts to boil.

5. Lower the heat to med-low and simmer while it thickens.  Still stirring often to make sure the gravy doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

6. Season with salt and pepper (heavy on the pepper).  The biscuits should be done by now, pull them out and put it all together!

Dig in!!!

Sausage Sliders

Saturday morning is my favorite day to make breakfast (and usually the only morning in the week I can find the time).  I was feeling a bit adventurous this morning since I've been living on fast food breakfast this week. :(  I wanted to get a little crazy and make my own breakfast sandwich with a biscuit.  The biscuits I use are small and fluffy and not hard and dense like McDonalds.  It makes for a fun breakfast!

Sausage Sliders

*makes 8 sandwiches

1 Tube of Sausage (I use Jimmy Dean's Hot Sausage)
2 Slices of Cheese (My favorite is pepperjack!)
2 Eggs
1 Tube of Buttermilk Biscuits

Salt, Pepper

1. Preheat oven according to your biscuits.  Get your pans ready for the sausage and eggs.  Put the biscuits in as soon as it's ready.
2. Start cooking the sausage patties.
3. About the time you flip your sausages to the other side you can start frying your eggs.  Season them as you like with salt, pepper, maybe some garlic or parsley.  I personally don't like a ton of egg, but if you are an egg lover, then you can up how many eggs you actually use.  I used two and cut them into quarters.
4. About this time, the biscuits should be close to done if they aren't already.  When the saugage is done, put a 1/4 of the cheese slice on top to start melting.
5. Assemble everything and serve!

**These would have been awesome with some gravy to dip in, but I didn't have any. :(

Eggie Bites

Eggie Bites

*Makes 6 Bites

Allergen Tips:
Check your meat labels and always be aware of cross contamination when you buy from the deli when it comes to gluten!
Just omit the cheese for a healthy, yet dairy-free option!

6 Slices of Lunch Meat (Ham, Turkey, Chicken, Roast Beef, or whatever else you love)
4 Eggs (scrambled)
2 Tbsp. Shredded Cheese
1 Tbsp. Green Onions
2 Tbsp. Bell Peppers
2 Tbsp. Onion

1. Set the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Scramble the eggs with the seasonings.  Add the bell peppers, onions, cheese, or whatever other veggies you'd like. (OR you could get crazy and add some bacon or sausage)
3. Spray the muffin tin with non-stick spray.  Line the cups with the meat.  Pour in the eggs.
4. Top with the green onions as garnish and bake for 25-30 mins.

Muffin Base

Everyone has enjoyed a muffin or two.  Some love banana nut, some are all over the chocolate muffins, and some like poppy seeds.  Well, for those of you in adventurous cooking moods I have the perfect muffin base for any type of muffin you could ever want!  Mix it up and make several different kinds or just make a big batch of your favorites!

Muffin Base

(Dark Cherries and Pineapple, Cinnamon Raisin, Chocolate Chip)

*makes 12 regular sized muffins

1 3/4 C. Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
3/4 tsp. Salt
2 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 C. Milk
1/3 C. Oil
1 Egg (well beaten)
1/4 C. Apple Sauce (only use this if you DON'T use some type of fruit in the muffins.  this adds a little extra moisture to the batter.)

1. Add all dry ingredients in a bowl and sift well.
2. Beat the egg in another bowl and then add the rest of the wet ingredients to that bowl.
3. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix 10-15 times.  DO NOT OVER MIX.
4. This is where you can add your mix-ins.  (blueberries, cinnamon and raisin, cherry and pineapple, chocolate chips, poppy seeds, banana and nuts, etc)
5. Fill the cupcake cups 2/3 full and cook at 400 degrees for 18-22 mins.  Keep a close eye on them due to altitude and different ovens.
6. Check them with a toothpick.  When it comes out clean, pull them out and let them sit for about 5 mins before moving to a cooling rack.

These nutrition facts DO NOT include any add-ins

Saturday Morning Bites

It's not often I'm up to make Saturday breakfast because I work super late Friday nights.  I've been meaning to throw together a certain dish for several weeks now because I love playing with crescent rolls!  This was a little time consuming but the result was AWESOME!!!  It's buttery, and protein packed with lots of extra goodies!

Saturday Morning Bites

*Makes 8 rolls, serves 4 (or two really hungry people)

1 Can Crescent rolls (I buy the reduced fat ones, they taste the same!)
9 Eggs (I separate 7 of them and only use two yolks)
4 Tbsp Bell Pepper (chopped)
4 Tbsp Onion (chopped)
2 slices turkey bacon (cooked and chopped)
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, and any other seasonings you like in your eggs
1 Tbsp Parmesan
Parsley for garnish

1. Cook your bacon and chop up.
2. Start cooking your bell peppers and onions in a pan.
3. Scramble your eggs in a bowl with the seasonings.  Add to the bell peppers and onions.  Toss in the bacon bits.  (Here you can throw in whatever extras you might want like green onions)
4. Once the eggs are scrambled, put them aside and open up your can of rolls.  Set the oven according to the package 350-375 degrees depending on the type of pan.  I line my cookie sheet with tin foil for ease of clean up and spray with a non stick spray.

5.  Start with a handful of eggs and put on the thickest part of the roll.  Pull both edges toward each other and then roll the dough up.  This ensures that no goodies fall out of the rolls!

(This is the egg whites one)

6. Once they're all wrapped, sprinkle the parmesan and parsley on top and bake 11-12 mins.

7. Pull them out and enjoy!

Banana Muffin Surprise

My boyfriend isn't fond of bananas and I usually only eat them after a workout.  My mom used to make banana bread aaaaaaaaaaaaaall the time growing up and I haven't had it in years.  I've also never made it before!  So I did a bunch of research and looked at dozens of recipes and I came up with an amazing healthy Banana Muffin that comes with a surprise of only 86 calories per muffin!  These would make an awesome breakfast that's quick and easy to reheat and go!

Banana Muffin Surprise!

 (I don't suggest using muffin liners....

Like I said, it was my first time baking banana bread and they stick horribly!)

*Makes 12 regular sized muffins

1 Large Egg
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/3 C. Applesauce (unsweetened)
1/2 C. White Flour
1/4 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 C. Splenda (or other sweetener, you can use honey but it will raise the calories)
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
2 Large Overripe Bananas, Mashed
4 Tbsp. Dark Chocolate Chips
1/8 C. Sliced Almonds (or any other nut)

1. Set the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In one bowl, mix egg, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
3. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, splenda, salt, and cinnamon.
4. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir.  Then add the mashed bananas and mix well.
5. Here you can stir in the chocolate and nuts or you can put them on top after you pour them into the tin.
6. Spray muffin tin with non stick spray and pour in batter.
7. Cook 30-40 mins. depending on your oven.  Check periodically with a toothpick.  **I had to put mine closer to the bottom of the oven to ensure cooking thoroughly**
8. Remove when done and cool on baking rack.

Bagel Stacks

I'm always looking for new things to have for breakfast.  I'm not a huge breakfast person so it's usually a bagel or some cereal.  And let me tell you, that's not getting me healthy any faster...  So this morning I decided I was super hungry and I have also been slacking on my protein.  So I stared in my fridge for a bit and came up with this beauty that is sadly cheese free (I'm trying to love it just a little less...).  But you can add some cheese if you'd like!

Bagel Stacks

*Makes 1-2 servings depending on how hungry you are

1 Thomas' Whole Wheat Bagel Thins
3 Egg Whites
3 Mini Bell Peppers (chopped) (1/8 C. if you only have large ones)
2 Slices of Turkey Bacon
2 Tbsp. Salsa
Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder

1. Chop everything up and separate the eggs.
2. Cook the bell peppers and bacon until the peppers are soft.
3. Add the egg whites with seasoning to taste and scramble.  Toast bagel at this point.
4. Top bagel with the yummy eggs and add salsa.
5. Enjoy!

NF are if you eat both slices

Cravin' Crepes?

My favorite breakfast as a kid was the "crepe bar" we would have occasionally.  We would go all out and make 2-3 different flavors of pudding, 4-5 different kinds of fruits, whipped cream, etc!  I've been terrified to attempt the recipe and finally bit the bullet!  From my breakfast bar to yours!

Crepe Batter

Sugar free Chocolate Fudge and Peaches

*Makes 6-8 depending on your pan size

Heaping 1/2 C. Flour
Dash of Salt
1 1/3 tsp. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 C. Milk
Butter (give or take a Tbsp)

1. Mix it all together (minus the butter, that's to grease the pan).
2. Warm up your pan and keep it at med-high to high.  Butter the pan before each crepe.
3. Pour around 1/4 C. of batter into the pan and rotate to disperse the batter evenly.
4. Cook for 20-30 seconds on the first side, flip it over and cook for about 5 seconds on the second side.
5. Remove from the pan and keep on a plate under a damp paper towel to keep them warm.
6. Fill them as you see fit, using pudding, sweet cheeses, fruits, etc.  Top with whipped cream or more fruit!

*These keep in the fridge for a few days if sealed in a ziploc bag, just pull out and microwave 5-10 seconds on a plate and then fill!

McDonald's Breakfast, Eat Your Heart Out!

I'm guilty of loving the cheap, unhealthy, $1 breakfast burritos at McDonald's.  But that requires driving, and wasting money and I'm always tempted to buy more than just one.  Or I have to add on a drink!  Such a bad situation to put myself in!  So I made my own that are freezable and you can pull out however many you want at a time and they (imo) are way healthier than McDonald's processed crap.

Mini Breakfast Burritos
*There is no exact number of burritos to make.  It all depends on tortilla size and ingredients.  This particular recipe made 18 mini burritos but I bought extra tortillas just in case.

1/2 a roll of Jimmy Dean Sausage (we use the hot sausage)
1/2 Onion (chopped)
1/2 Bell Pepper (chopped)
2 C. Hash Browns (I made my own fresh ones in a food processor but you can use frozen too)
6 eggs
Shredded Cheese of your choice
Tortillas (I use fajita size and 2 are usually perfect for a meal, but you can use soft taco size for bigger ones.)

1. Cook onion, bell pepper, and sausage in a skillet.  Set aside when it's done.
2. Cook hash browns next (season with salt and pepper).  Throw the sausage back in once it's done.
3. Use a whisk and whip the eggs (I season these too before I throw them in the skillet).  Add them into the skillet and keep turning it to make sure it cooks thoroughly.
4. Take a tortilla, add some of the egg mixture, top with some cheese and roll into a burrito.  Make sure and tuck both ends.
5. Wrap in saran wrap and repeat until all the eggs are gone.
6. Put the burritos in freezer safe bags and pull out however many you'd like to eat!
7. For warming them back up:  Fajita size: 30 seconds on each side  Soft taco size: 45 seconds on one, 30 seconds on the other
8. Serve with your favorite salsa and enjoy your real eggs, and yummy hand picked ingredients!

 Stirring in the eggs.

Add the innards and cheese, then get to rollin'!

Rolled, and wrapped to go in the freezer.