Meatless Monday Week 2: Quinoa Mac and Cheese

Whole Foods is know for free sample Saturdays. New products are prepared and displayed. A few weeks ago I tried the gluten free corn free quinoa noodles. They tasted soooooo similar to a regular white enriched pasta. About 200 calories per serving and still a whopping 40 carbs, but zero sugar higher protein and way easier for your body. 

What you need: 

Quinoa noodles (there are two kinds the gluten free can be found at most grocery stores. The gluten and corn free I have only seen at health food stores) 

1 cup organic cream or half and half 

1 cup of buffalo cheddar 

1 cup extra sharp white cheddar

1/4 cup plain unsalted Panko crumbs 

2 tsp butter

1 tsp of flour 

How to do it: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare noodles according to package set to side drained. Melt butter in sauce pan on lowest setting. Add flour and whisk consistently. When flour starts to turn to a light brown color add in half of the cream. Whisk very quickly and make sure the mixture is smooth. Add in cheese. Whisk while cheese melts and add the rest of the cream. Cheese should be thick and creamy. Add in noodles. Now is the time to salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle Panko on top. You can add extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 15 minutes. 

This dish is very easy to change up. Use any cheeses you prefer! 

Blueberry Oatmeal Chip Muffins

Let me tell you about these muffins. Each bite is packed full of chocolatey blueberry crunch. These are not health food muffins  but they are definitely better than something you will get in a bakery. So fluffy with the perfect top crust. 

Blueberry Oatmeal Chip Muffins 

What you need: 

1 1/2 cups oats 

1 cup all purpose or wheat flour unbleached

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp of kosher salt 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/4 cup granulated sugar 

2 eggs 

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce 

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 tbsp canola oil 

1 tsp vanilla 

1 cup blueberries ( I buy fresh then freeze them. This keeps the color from bleeding and it's healthier than buying already frozen) 

1/2 cup dark chocolate 

Ok I know there are a ton of ingredients but I promise it is worth it. You can replace the almond milk with regular milk and skip oil by adding more apple sauce. You can even ditch the chocolate if you want. 

How to do it.

Preheat to 400 degrees. Mix all wet ingredients together then add in the dry. Mix very lightly. You almost just want to fold the mix. Add in blueberries and chocolate. These do not rise a ton so you can fill the muffin liners 3/4 of the way. I sprinkled more oats on top. The more you mix the batter the tougher your muffins will be. Bake for 20 minutes. 

Enjoy! 

 

Chicken pot pie minus the pie

Sometimes you want food so comforting you just forget how cold it is outside. This is one of those dishes. We were craving the creaminess of a chicken pot pie, but did not want to add so many calories to our meal. 

What you need: 

2 chicken breasts cooked and chopped 

1 cup of peas (we used organic frozen)

1 cup of corn 

1/2 cup chopped raw carrot 

1/2 cup chopped raw celery 

1 small sweet onion chopped 

1/4 cup cream or half and half 

3 cups chicken broth 

1/2 tsp red pepper (optional) 

Salt and pepper

How to do it:

Heat up a soup pot with a little cooking spray or olive oil and add all veggies. Cook about 5 minutes stirring as needed or until onions are translucent. Add in chicken and broth. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium low and let simmer for at least 20 minutes or until carrots are cooked through. Mix in seasonings. Turn heat to low. Stir in the cream. 

Serve with crusty farmers bread! Trust me you will want it to soak up this goodness. 

Meatless Monday Series

So I am definitely a day late on this post, but I want to start a meatless Monday series! All my favorite protein packed meatless recipes. This isn't a diet. Just an extra day to fill up on produce and yummy grains. This first recipe is a an awesome light salad that is perfect for lunches! 

Spinach Quinoa Salad 

What you need:

1 cup red quinoa (prepare according to directions)

1 can of rinsed chick peas

2 handfuls of spinach 

1 ounce herb goat cheese crumbled 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar 

1 tsp honey 

1 tsp spicy mustard 

Salt and pepper 

How you do it:

Add spinach and chick peas to warm quinoa. Mix together oil, vinegar, honey and mustard to make a vinaigrette. Stir dressing into the quinoa. Add goat cheese, salt and pepper and toss. 

Tada! Easy peasy quinoa salad. Serve warm or cold. 

Super fast apple pie crumble

We have all been there. 30 minutes before people arrive and you still have nothing to serve. We tried this apple pie crumble recipe the other night and not only was it easy - it was delicious! 

What you need: 

Prepared pie dough wheat or regular 

Canned apple slices

1 cup flour 

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon 

1/2 stick butter

How you do it:

Roll out the dough to fit a 9 inch pie pan. Grease before hand. I used canola spray and a glass dish.

Poke holes across the bottom and bake at 350 for ten minutes. 

Add apple slices 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon. 

To make the crumble:

Mix flour, butter, cinnamon and sugar. 

Use a fork to incorporate the butter making a crumble texture. Spread ontop of the apples. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Have a few more minutes? 

Mix 1 cup of heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon. Mix until the cream starts to stiffen and stand up on its own. 

Enjoy! We sure did. 

5 Minute Day Time Sultry Eye

Hey guys! 

Every day I fight the battle between looking put together and sleeping longer. I use just a few tips and tricks to bring my morning routine down to a whopping 35 minutes. One of the easiest looks is a day time smokey sultry eye. Takes only a few minutes, but looks like a lot of work went into the makeup. 

Today I used the Two Faced palette.  To recreate this look you will need a blending brush, a smudge brush or Q tip and a lengthening mascara.

First I prepped my skin with Origins moisturizer and Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation. I primed my eyes with Mac Pro Concealer.

Using the blending brush I put Chocolate Milk on my entire eyelid and the crease.

Next I used the second darkest chocolate shade mixed with the silver navy shade and put that on my entire lid. Using the smudge brush I blended the same combo on my lower lash line. This is when you can use the qtip. The trick here is to REALLY blend. This is the biggest step because this is what makes the eye smokey.

Go back in with the darkest chocolate shade and cover the lid. Go back to the Chocolate Milk shade and blend any harsh lines.

Mixing the light champagne color and the matte cream color I highlighted my tear duct and under my brows. 

Finish off with the mascara! I used Origins brightening mascara. 

Bon Appetite Friends

Hey guys! 

So I stumbled across the most amazing dessert book at Barnes and noble the other day. I decided to channel a little Julie and Julia and cook my way through the Bon appetite cookbook. Wish me luck!