Real Good Eats

I am happy to say that I have been cooking at home a lot this week, it seems even more than usual since our dishwasher is running often. Or maybe it’s just better than usual, from the Kale Salad to the Chili and Cornbread to the Asian Stir Fry. That’s a lot of real dinners in a row for us, plus breakfast and lunch which are made or eaten at home too.

I also haven’t been baking. Since it’s January and all, I have made an effort to cook dinner at home this week and not bake treats. It also helps to know that yesterday through Sunday will be full of birthday eats and treats, so I better start the week right!

I haven’t posted a whole day of meals in a long time, so here are a breakfast, lunch and dinner that I am really enjoying on repeat.

P.S. Thanks for the birthday wishes yesterday! I had a great birthday. Now it’s on with starting my #27 year.

Perfect Oatmeal

Starbucks has their version, I have perfected mine. I have been in the mood for thicker oatmeal, and I also found that it cooks much faster. Here’s the mix:

• 1/3 C Oats (Scottish in this batch)
• 2 T Ground Flax Meal
• 1/2 banana, mashed
• 1/4 C almond milk
• 2/3 C water
• pinch chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• small handful raisins
• topped with spoonful of peanut butter and sweetened coconut

Instructions:

In a small pot, bring the water to a simmer. Add the oats and flax and whisk. Wait a minute and add the milk. Then banana and everything else. Whisk well until it thickens and bubbles. I turned the heat to low so it wouldn’t cook so fast and burn.

Served in a cup so it looks cuter and more fun to eat. The peanut butter makes it stick-to-your-ribs good. The coconut is a really nice addition of sweet. And the texture with less liquid to more oats is much better for me. I still love cooking the raisins in the pot so they really pop. It all just works together so well. Mmm. This is really, really good.

An easy lunch with a special treat on the side

In the salad mix: Lettuce, tomato, carrots, hummus, guacamole, 1 hard boiled egg white

On the side is Pumpkin Ginger Bread with a little pumpkin butter. Mmm hmm. I think I made the salad just so I could eat the pumpkin bread. This is my favorite creation of the last few months.

Quinoa with Veggies, Dates and Apples

I am really proud about this dish. I don’t know why, but making use of things in the pantry and refrigerator without having to buy more seemed like I was making use of what I have.

Ingredients:

• 1 C dry quinoa
• 1 red bell pepper
• big bag of green beans (1 pound?) with ends cut and chopped into thirds
• 1 apple (I used Braeburn), chopped
• EVOO, salt, pepper
• 1/2 C dates, chopped
• 2 T apple juice

Instructions:

• In one pot, cook quinoa like it says on the box (1 C quinoa to 2 C water), boil and then let simmer 10 minutes until liquid is gone.
• In a separate pan with a little EVOO, cook green beans and red pepper until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add apple and dates and let soften too.
• Add apple juice when all fruits and vegetables are in the pot and stir around for a few minutes.

• When quinoa is done, pour on top of vegetables and mix to combine.

I ate this as dinner with some leftover tofu on top. The apple juice was key! It added a really nice but not too sweet flavor to the quinoa since it had no seasoning. And don’t leave out the dates! I don’t like dates plain, but I love to add them to things. It’s like a raisin but more chewy and sticky. It was a perfect addition to this dish.

This would also be a great side dish to serve more people. It made a lot! I’ll have a lot leftover for a few days. I think it would also be great for lunch over lettuce.

And I thought that dinner was just too healthy, so for dessert, I had one piece Ezekiel Raisin Bread with Orange jam and chocolate chips. This is a favorite dessert. I have seen it a lot with peanut butter, but I lightened up the calories and did a light jam.

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