Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Oats

Is it just me, or are Tuesdays the worst? Mondays are pretty bad, but at least you're fresh off the weekend. On Tuesday's the weekday blues are in full effect, and you're still pretty freakin' far from the weekend.

This morning I decided that I would not give into Tuesday. In fact, I was going to eat chocolate for breakfast! And then slather it in peanut butter! And obviously add bananas for good measure. So I did just that.

Here's what you'll need:

-1 cup rolled oats
-2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
-1 tbsp and 2 tsp natural creamy peanut butter, separated (I use Crazy Richard's Peanut Butter)
-2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
-1.5 bananas, sliced and separated
-1 tbsp maple syrup
-Dash of sea salt
-2 small pieces of dark chocolate (at least 70% - I used Endangered Species Chocolate's dark chocolate with cocoa nibs which is 72%)

Instructions:

1) Mix together the oats and almond milk on the stove top over high heat. Cook until boiling.
2) Once boiling, reduce to low heat, and begin stirring regularly for about 3-5 minutes.
3) Add in the cocoa powder, 1 tbsp peanut butter, sea salt, 1 sliced banana, and maple syrup. Continue to stir regularly as the oats thicken.
4) Continue to heat and stir until the oats reach your desired consistency (about 5-10 minutes depending on your stove).
5) Remove from heat, and split the oats between two bowls. 
6) Stick one small piece of dark chocolate into the middle of each bowl immediately.
7) Split the remaining banana slices to top the two bowls.
8) Drizzle 1 tsp of peanut butter on top of each bowl.
9) Enjoy!

By sticking the chocolate in when the oats are right off the stove top, it should melt that little piece of chocolate. It is AMAZING! In general, this combo is pretty heavenly, but that little tiny square gives it just that extra something. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Smoked Salmon, Arugula, Red Onion, & Caper Frittata

So this recipe came as a bit of a no brainer. I'm a pretty big bagel fan, and if you haven't already caught on,  some combination of cream cheese, red onion, and capers is my go to. I either generally switch out smoked salmon or tomatoes depending on how I'm feeling and what I have. I also know that smoked salmon and eggs are DELICIOUS together. So why not make a bagel-inspired frittata/omelet. 

I decided to go with smoked salmon, capers, and red onion plus throw in some baby arugula to add in some seasonal greens and give it another flavor profile. The results were just perfect. I topped it all off with some black pepper, and voila! DO NOT ADD SALT. Smoked salmon and capers are both nice and salty, so no need for that extra salt, trust me. I served mine with some avocado toast, and it was the perfect way to get this week in gear.

Here's what you'll need:

-2 eggs
-1 egg white
-1 oz smoked salmon, cut into small pieces
-1-2 tbsp red onion, sliced
-1 tsp capers
-1/4 cup baby arugula
-black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Heat up a small frying pan over medium to medium high heat and coat with cooking spray or oil of choice (I use coconut oil spray).
2) Whip together the eggs and egg white in a bowl.
3) Pour the egg mixture into the pan so that it coats the whole pan.
4) Add in the smoked salmon, red onion, arugula, and capers spreading each throughout the entire pan.
5) Cover the pan and let cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the eggs are cooked through.
6) Remove from heat and plate or fold in half and plate to serve as an omelet. 
7) Top with black pepper, and enjoy!

Let me know what ya think! I love this combination of the fluffy eggs and salty salmon and capers. Plus a little bitterness from the arugula and a bit of sweet from the red onion. It's definitely a winner in my book, and I'd love to hear your take in the comments below.

Spiralized Potato Breakfast Bowl

I feel like potatoes get such a bad rap these days. I don't know if it's because people are scared of carbs or what, but potatoes are actually really nutrient-dense and packed with a number of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that not only boost your immune system (and help you from getting sick) but also improve your every day health.

So that being said, I love potatoes. They're just such a good base for, well, everything. Yeah sure, if you eat them fried in oil or covered in pounds of cheese, not so healthy. But I wanted to show you a nutritious and delicious way to get those potatoes back into your life. And what better way than a tasty breakfast bowl?

Here's what you'll need:

-1 large potato, peeled and spiralized
-3 tbsp olive oil, separated
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 /4 cup red onion
-1 cup baby arugula
-1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
-3/4 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
-2 eggs
-salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the spiralized potato and cook for about 7-10 minutes until cooked through, mixing regularly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2) In a separate pan, heat up the remaining tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in the garlic and onion and cook for about 1-2 minutes.
3) Add in the mushroom and arugula, and let them cook down for about 2-3 minutes.
4) Add in the tomato and desired salt and pepper and let cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat.
5) Quickly soft fry two eggs - cook over medium heat while covered until whites are no longer runny.
5) Split the spiralized potato between two bowls. Top each with the veggie mixture and a soft fried egg.
6) Enjoy!

This bowl will seriously make your weekend (or week day) morning, and is nice and easy to throw together. You have to let the yolk run all over the potatoes and other veggies. It is TO DIE FOR. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Spiced Pear Oat Parfait

Sorry for rolling out all the oat recipes on you, but hey, it's winter, and oats are warming AND delicious! This one's a little bit of a twist because I decided to throw them into a parfait, and it is seriously BOMB!

Here's what you'll need:

-1 cup rolled oats
-2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or your milk of choice)
-1 tbsp and 1 tsp maple syrup, separated
-1 tbsp and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, separated
-1 tsp nutmeg
-dash of sea salt
-1 /2 pear, chopped
-1 tbsp ground flax seed
-1 tbsp chia seeds
-1 6 oz container of nonfat plain Greek yogurt
-1 (0.36 oz) package of Crispy Green Snacks freeze dried Asian pears
-2 tbsp slivered almonds

Instructions:

1) In a pot on the stove top, heat up the oats and almond milk on high heat until boiling.
2) Once boiling, reduce the temperature to low and begin stirring regularly.
3) Once the oats begin to thicken a bit (about 3-5 minutes), add in 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp cinnamon, the nutmeg, sea salt, flax seed, chia seeds, and chopped pears.
4) Continue to stir the oats until they become thick and the consistency of oatmeal (another 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat.
5) In a bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, remaining cinnamon, and remaining maple syrup. 
6) Begin layering your parfaits - do one layer (about an inch thick of the oatmeal followed by a thinner layer of the Greek yogurt mixture followed by the crispy pears and finally the almonds. Repeat until both parfaits are complete.
7) Enjoy!

If you aren't a fan of pears, you can easily switch them out for apples (and Crispy Green Snacks does make freeze dried apples as well). I like using Crispy Green Snacks because 1) they're non GMO verified and 2) they're pure fruit which means no added sugar like a lot of dried fruit. Let me know what you think in the comments below! I look forward to hearing from you!

Savory Arugula Shiitake Oats with Parmesan and Thyme

So I will admit it, I have been slacking on recipes recently. It's not that I haven't been playing around with new things, but the holidays were just hectic! I know, excuses excuses. BUT it is one of my New Years resolutions to get back to my normal recipe posting schedule because I have A LOT of exciting ideas coming your way.

I'm a huge savory breakfast person (if you couldn't already tell). I'd probably be very happy eating just eggs and veggies every single day. But I do like to switch it up. I think it's important to vary what you eat 1) so you don't get bored and 2) so you get different kinds of nutrients. So one of the ways I've been trying to vary my usual egg and veggies dish is oatmeal. And honestly, I just wasn't feeling something sweet. So I decided to try to make a savory oatmeal, and it was AMAZING.

Here's what you'll need:

-1 cup of rolled oats
-2 cups of your milk of choice (I use unsweetened almond milk, and that's what the nutrition info accounts for)
-2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup shitake mushrooms
-1 cup baby arugula
-2 cloves garlic
-1/4 cup red onion, chopped
-1 tsp olive oil (or your choice of oil)
-3 sprigs of thyme
-Sea salt and black pepper to taste
-2 eggs (optional but included in nutrition info)

Instructions:

1) Mix together the almond milk and oats in a pot, and heat on the stove top over high heat.
2) In the meantime, heat up the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add in the garlic and onion and let cook for about a minute alone.
3) Add in the arugula and mushrooms and let cook down (about 3-5 minutes).  Remove from heat.
4) Once the oats are boiling, reduce the heat to low, and begin stirring regularly.
5) After about 3 minutes, as the oats are becoming a bit less watery, add in the garlic, onion, arugula, and mushroom mixture as well as the thyme, salt, and pepper. 
6) Stir regularly until the oatmeal becomes close to the consistency you want (about another 3-5 minutes). Add in the parmesan cheese, and continue stirring for an additional minute.
7) Once the oatmeal reaches your desired consistency and the cheese has melted, remove it from the heat and split between two bowls.
8) (Optional) In a skillet, soft fry two eggs, and top each bowl with one.
9) Enjoy!

I can't wait to recreate this dish! Next time I think I'm going to try gruyere cheese. I'm dreaming about it already. Let me know what you think in the comments below!