Quick and Easy Mashed Potato Pancakes

Last year Isla was a newborn for St. Patrick's Day, so I didn't cook and we didn't celebrate. Now that she's a toddler I wanted to have some fun and cook the traditional Irish-American corned beef and cabbage with a couple sides. This resulted in too many mashed potatoes for a family of three. I like to make leftovers a little different the next day, and these potato pancakes were a fun way of changing up the meal from the previous night. Best part is you can fry a bunch up, then reheat the leftovers the next morning with scrambled eggs. Yum!

Easy Mini Breakfast Pies

In my experience, a great cup of coffee is made even better by a delicious sweet treat. It's probably from breastfeeding, but I crave sweets like crazy these days. I wanted to make something quick and easy that was basically a glorified Pop Tart. My grocery store was out of puff pastry, so I picked up a box of refrigerated pie crusts. This is a super simple sweet treat you can make in about 20 minutes.

Crock Pot Orange Rolls from Canned Dough

After the success of my recipe for cinnamon rolls using canned dough, I really wanted to give orange rolls a try. And what better way to make sweet sticky rolls when it's 90 degrees than in the crock pot? I have yet to try these on another heat setting, I've only cooked them on high. I plan to experiment making them on both low and warm. I will update when I have time frames on the other heat settings.

These rolls turned out wonderfully. Sweet and sticky with a bright orange flavor and a hint of spice. I hope you give them a try!

Sweet Lemon Gluten-Free Pancakes

Easy pancakes that taste just like the title says, sweet and lemony. This is a simple recipe that doesn't require too much prep, and the batter doesn't need to sit or thicken up like other gluten free recipes. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!


On a side note . . . We are in the process of buying a house! It's all very exciting, things have been crazy. Very crazy. Isla is almost 8 months old and crawls everywhere and gets into everything. Every. Thing. She's sassy and very determined. My husband has been working like crazy, and I've hardly been cooking. I am so looking forward to having a house with a nice kitchen to inspire me to cook again! I plan to have a garden so I can grow fresh veggies and herbs. Hopefully you'll be seeing a lot more of me around here, I sure do miss blogging.  If anyone out there is still reading, thanks for sticking around :)

Blueberry Cream Cheese Low Carb Scones

I had purchased a small bag of the Bob's Red Mill GF flour, but I wasn't too impressed. It's high in carbs, not very high in fiber, and doesn't taste great. The majority of this recipe calls for almond four, but I bulked it up with coconut flour and the GF flour.  I wish I had used fresh blueberries because the frozen always turn the batter an ugly blue/green. If you are using frozen, try tossing the berries in a little sugar/sweetener and GF flour to coat the berries and keep them from staining the batter. I really enjoyed these scones!

Blueberry Cream Cheese Low Carb Scones

• 1/2 cup blanched Almond Flour
• 1/4 cup Coconut Flour
• 1/4 Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour
• 3 tbsp. sweetener, I like Truvia or the Truvia Baking Blend
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/8 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 packet Truvia, for sprinkling
• 2 large Eggs
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen Blueberries
• 1/4 cup Almond Milk or other milk
• 4 ounces Cream Cheese, partially frozen and diced
• 4 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, diced

Per scone: 138 calories, 5.5 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein, about 10 grams fat.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Dice the cream cheese and the butter, and place on a plate in the freezer. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients (almond flour through the cinnamon) and whisk together to get rid of any lumps. Cut the butter into the flour mixture, I just used my fingers and then a whisk. Whisk in the eggs and the almond milk until combined. Carefully stir in the cream cheese and the blueberries. There is a proper way for forming scones, and then there's my way:

On a baking sheet lined with parchment, plop the dough out and smooth it into a rectangle using a damp spatula. Use one packet of Truvia to sprinkle over the top of the dough. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and use a sharp knife to cut into fourths, and then into eighths making triangular cuts (like a pizza). Return to oven and bake an additional 5-7 minutes until golden brown on top and set. Let cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack until the scones are completely cool. 

When you cut the dough it will be very wet in the middle still, but a little firm on top. It's too difficult to cut and form the dough before you've baked it, so I like my method because you get it into the oven before the butter and cream cheese completely soften and you're still able to form the dough into the triangular scones. Be sure not to overcook these scones, as recipes with coconut flour tend to dry out quickly. Enjoy!

Breakfast for Dinner: Polenta and Asparagus

Lately I haven't been cooking. Between waiting on the baby to come "any day now" and going out to see friends, cooking has been pushed to the back burner. Last night I made a quick and easy dinner that was vegetarian and filling. If you're unfamiliar with polenta, it's essentially corn porridge. You can make it yourself with corn meal, water, cheese, and butter plus whatever else you'd like to add. I like to buy the rolls of polenta. It's already cooked and packaged, all you have to do is slice it and cook it up!

Spinach, Bacon, and Mushroom Breakfast Quesadillas

My hubby and I call breakfast for dinner "brinner," and it's one of our favorite things to make. It's usually quick and easy. You can just do toast and eggs, or pancakes and omelets. We decided to get fancy and make some gourmet quesadillas. I ended up making a ton of food, which we ate. All of it. No shame. 

Pancakes (because there can never be enough recipes)

Please excuse the poor lighting, photo quality, and paper plate. I whipped these up after a hike, I needed some extra calories and something a little sweet. This recipe just makes three pancakes, so I wasn't intending to blog it. However, I'd have to say these are my favorite pancakes so far!

*Updated* Low Carb Pancake Recipe

The first time I made the pancakes I instantly had to blog it. Since then, I've made them 52 several times and I've decided on my favorite way. It's not much different, but it will give you really thin and creamy pancakes versus the first batch which rendered thick and dense flapjacks. If you aren't too familiar with flax meal, keep an eye out for a variety that says "Golden Flax Meal." It looks and tastes more like regular flour; the standard flax meal is darker in color and although the same in nutritional value I swear it tastes healthier . . . I could be wrong, but I love the golden stuff! The main difference here is subbing water for some of the egg whites. I realized when I was cooking this morning that halfway through the batch seemed to shrink up and I was getting small little pancakes. I added a splash of water and ended up giving my hubby 2 amazingly thin and golden, beautiful pancakes (he ate them before I could get a picture).

Low Carb/High Protein Blueberry Bread

This little bread is absolutely genius. It's moist, sweet, hearty, and totally satisfying. You won't even be sad that you're getting under 7 grams of carbs for a slice of this stuff!

Less Than 1 Carb Pancakes

A hot stack of flapjacks sounded amazing after being on a low calorie, sugar and carbohydrate restricted diet for 44 days! I made these pancakes for Sunday morning brunch served with Joseph's sugar free maple syrup, bacon, and hot coffee ^_^

Delicious Hearty Omelet For Under 200 Calories!

 What a great way to kick off the weekend!! Mushrooms are so hearty and meaty that you forget this meal is vegetarian! ^_^ No Denver omelet here folks, fill up on mushrooms today!

Grilled Eggplant Crostini & A Recipe Remix

I bought an eggplant for 64 cents the other day and didn't know what I wanted to do with it. I had a large baguette sitting in my freezer that I got for $1.15, I also happened to have plump tomatoes on the vine. I didn't want to fry the eggplant since I'm in a constant struggle to lose weight, so I decided little crostinis would be fabulous! This recipe is so simple but incredibly tasty and pretty healthy as well, minus the carbs of course.

Quick and Easy Whole Wheat Blackberry Ricotta Scones

I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen the other day, the original recipe called for raspberries but I had frozen whole blackberries and wanted to use them. All I did was half the recipe, and I used low fat ricotta and half n half to cut on calories. Just remember to use a lot of flour on your work surface to avoid everything sticking to you and your surface, that's so frustrating! Enjoy ^_^

Banana and Nutella Breakfast Crepes

Mastering the Art of French Cooking never lets me down. I've been wanting to make crepes for a while now, and I knew this book would have the tastiest recipe for them. I followed the instructions for making dinner crepes versus dessert because 1: it was easier, and 2: it was easier. No judging.

SOYrizo!

I've never had chorizo, when I want a meaty Mexican breakfast I got for a breakfast burrito or machaca. Chorizo is made from the lymph nodes and other questionable parts of the pig. That grosses me out quite a bit. Although I've never had authentic chorizo, I think soyrizo tastes excellent! I know a lot of people that say it almost tastes the same as the real deal. So I'm guessing both are tasty, but one is a far healthier choice. You can find soyrizo in pretty much any grocery store, and especially in health food stores. I have a quick and easy way to make breakfast burritos for me and the hubs on weekends!

Poached Eggs & Asparagus

I've been seeing this all over the food blogging world lately. Spring is the absolute perfect season to buy asparagus. It's so vibrant, crisp, and full of flavor. The combination of creamy eggs with crisp asparagus is to die for, especially when sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan cheese!

Oeufs en Cocotte (Eggs in a Ramekin)

Some of you may already know that I'm a big fan of Julia Child, as well as amazing French foods. I don't cook enough French food, mainly because of the time and unhealthy aspects of butter and certain meats, but I've been trying to do more French cooking lately. I love this dish because it's simple, and you can make it as healthy and as fancy as you want.

How To: Cinnamon Rolls from Canned Biscuits

My mother made a delicious batch of cinnamon rolls the other day. I went over to her house and left with baggie with two cinnamon rolls. I must admit, with my husband sitting right next to me, that I ate both of them. One was supposed to be for him, but I just couldn't resist! I felt really guilty about the cinnamon rolls; my poor husband had missed out on a treat, a treat we had been craving for weeks. I decided I would make a batch to ease my guilt, this is where I encountered a slight problem. I had never actually made cinnamon rolls before; not Pillsbury and definitely not from scratch. Enter: Store brand 50 cent can of biscuit dough. How do you spell lifesaver? BISCUIT DOUGH.

  

How To: Spruce Up Your Leftovers

Remember that amazing chicken, lemon, and basil dish I made a couple days ago? Well, the next day I needed something hearty and delicious for brunch but I didn't want to eat the same thing twice in such a short time. If you're like my mother, then you loathe eating the same thing two days in a row. She'll make a giant casserole, enchiladas, chicken, you name it; then the next day she'll be making another ridiculously large meal so that she, my dad, and my little brother don't have to eat the same thing two days in a row. My mom does leftovers the smart way, instead of getting sick of your food you give it a break in between meals but you have enough to last you all week ^_^

Back to brunch. I had a few red bell peppers that were just screaming "pick me, pick me!!" from the crisper drawer. I chopped up and froze most of them, but I saved half of one so I could use it for breakfast. I had only grilled half of one chicken breast to go with my pasta for dinner because it was just me; what I did do with the rest of the chicken breast and another whole breast I had was butterfly them so they'd be thin, and then popped them in the oven to bake with a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Standing in front of my fridge I searched for all the ingredients that would work with the peppers. I saw: noodles from the night before, chicken, eggs, and my lovely balsamic glaze. Shizzam!! There it was, a simple and quick skillet breakfast. Not only is this a great way to use up leftovers, it's also a smart way to really stretch a buck.