Christmas 2012 Brunch!

*For some reason, I'm unable to upload pictures from my computer, the browse box isn't coming up. I will add the images when I can figure out what's wrong. In the meantime, all of these recipes, along with the corresponding photo, are being posted to my Beachbody coach "like" page: www.facebook.com/bondgrlfit. I apologize for any inconvenience.*

My favorite part about Christmas after becoming a mom is seeing how excited and happy my son is, not just on Christmas morning, but also in the days and weeks leading up to it! The downside to his Christmas morning excitment is that all he wants to do is tear into presents and play, not sit down and have breakfast before present time! My solution is to make handheld food that would be excellent both warm and at room temperature, so he can pick it up, take a bite, and rip open another present! This year, I made roasted pepper, bacon, and egg ham cups and fruit salad! Of course, my son only managed to get a few bites in, but at least he ate some, and it was delicious!!

Here is how I made the ham cups:
4 whole eggs
4 egg whites
salt and pepper
dash hot sauce
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1/4 lb turkey bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/4 cup diced roasted red peppers
1/4 cup shredded swiss cheese
12 thin slices deli ham (I used black forest ham)
1/2 Tbsp minced chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and a little hot sauce, if you like. Stir in the bacon, peppers, and cheese. Line each cup of a 12 cup muffin pan with a slice of ham, then fill about 3/4 of the way with egg mixture (The egg will souffle some while cooking, and you want enough to fill all of the cups!). Bake for 15-20 minutes until set, then plate and sprinkle with chives!

This recipe makes 12!

How the fruit salad came to be:
2 large apples, chopped (I used one red and one green)
1 cup green grapes, halved
1 cup chopped pear (I used Bosc)
1 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt

In a large bowl, toss the fruit together, then stir in yogurt. Done! Eat! Enjoy!

This recipe makes 6 servings, 3/4 cup each!

Steak and Eggs with Creamed Spinach in Tomato Cups (Bonus! Leftover Idea!)

My husband made a stir-fry a few days ago and used all but three of these little steaks, and I needed to use them up. I needed a recipe that included more protein, since these steaks are small, I also love breakfast, it's my favorite meal of the day, so I like to make breakfast for dinner from time to time! I was thinking of maybe doing a hash or... a breakfast casserole, but with steaks, I like them to be front and center, not hidden. I would ordinarily have used sunny side up eggs, but I wanted to squeeze in some more vegetation, so I went with scrambled, since I could incorporate them right into the egg. When thinking of an accompanying veggie side, I thought of how my favorite steakhouse side is creamed spincach, but how it has too much liquid for a plate, and how yummy spinach is with tomatoes! Voila, dinner was now a concrete idea, just to get it cooked (I only made this for three, but I'll post the amounts for four):


For the steak and eggs:
4 small, lean steaks, extra external fat trimmed (I can't remember what cut we used, I think it was eye of round)
grill seasoning
worchestershire sauce
1/4 to 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped (Depending on how many eggs you use)
1/4 onion, chopped
1/4 jalapeno, minced (optional)
4-6 eggs (However many you want. I made one egg for me, one for my son, and two for my husband)
1 tablespoon evaporated skim milk

Preheat a large skillet (Or a grill, if it's not freezing death cold where you live!) to medium-high heat. Season one side of the steak with grill seasoning and add, seasoned side down, to the heat, then season the other side. Cook for 2-4 minutes (Depending on how you like it, I like mine mooable, so I went with 2, my husband likes his medium, so his was on for three), flip, sprinkle with worchestershire, and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, saute bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno until just slightly tender but still crisp. Beat eggs with milk and a little salt and pepper, then add to pan. Reduce heat to medium low, and let cook slowly, gently folding eggs occasionally (This will result in moist, fluffy eggs. If you cook them too quickly, they'll be dry). When cooked to your preferred level of doneness, remove onto plates (If you're like me, here is where you would generously give the gift of hot sauce!), and top with a steak. Enjoy!

For the creamed spinach:
1, 16 oz bag frozen chopped spinach
1/4 cup onion, chopped (Half of a medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I gave about 10 grates)
4 roma tomatoes, halved and scooped out (I saved the insides to chop up and add to my frittata in the morning)
freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a microwave safe bowl, thaw spinach in the microwave on high for about three minutes, scoop into a clean dish towel, and squeeze all of the water out until no more comes out.

Meanwhile, cook the onion and garlic in a small pot sprayed lightly with cooking spray until tender, stir in milk and seasonings, bring to a boil, then simmer until thickened. Add spinach and simmer, uncovered, until milk has reduced to desired consistancy, stirring occasionally.

Spoon into tomato cups and sprinkle with parmesan cheese! I've made this before with blue cheese, and broiled the stuffed tomatoes for a couple of minutes, which is excellent, as well!

 

Leftovers??

If you happen to have extra creamed spinach and tomatoes, what do you do with them? For me, the answer to any leftover veggie dilemma is a breakfast frittata! My breakfasts are always a cup of veggies with an egg, in various forms, but frittata is my favorite!

I had two stuffed tomatoes leftover from when I made the steak and eggs. I first sauteed about a tablespoon or two or diced red onion, then added the tomatoes, diced up, and sprinkled the spinach filling over the top (I also topped the spinach with a quarter of a jalapeno, chopped, because I need my food to be spicy!). I then poured a beaten egg over the top, covered, and let it cook over medium-low heat until it was cooked through, about 5 minutes, and sprinkled parmesan cheese over the top!! Yummmmmm!!

Eggs Three Ways!

 

This is my typical breakfast. Not all three at once, but one of these three variations of the same dish.

They all consist of:
1c veggies (Usually 1/2c of two different ones, depending on what's in my fridge)
1 egg
chopped jalapeno
hot sauce :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I do is saute the veggies and then pull from the pan. I then either fry an egg (Sprinkled with jalapeno) and top the veggies with it, or beat it (Yeah, with jalapeno!) and either scramble then toss with the veg, or put the veg back in the pan (After giving a spray of olive oil, then wiping the pan to make sure it's coated evenly) and pour the egg over top, cover, and make into a frittata.

On these three days, I had extra avocado on hand, so I chopped it up and sprinkled it over my completed dish.


Every day, I season it differently. This morning, I did a frittata with 1/2c broccoli stems (Leftover from the head I cut the florets off of for snack time last night) and 1/2c cauliflower (Leftover from the mashed potatoes and cauliflower from Thanksgiving) and seasoned with some garam masala. Along with the jalapeno, I beat the egg with the leaves from the celery from last night's snack.

I started playing around with the egg after getting bored of the scrambled egg and veggie bowl, but liked the makeup of the breakfast so didn't want to switch to something entirely different! I like that I've come up with three variations because I can still get my cup of veggies and egg in, but it be different enough every day that I don't start hating it! You could do an omelette, too, but I don't for two reasons. One is, I fail 3 out of 5 times at not breaking it up when I fold it, and the other is because I have to load it with cheese to keep the mound of produce in. I love that it changes daily based on what veggies are in my fridge, the spices and herbs I feel like using, and the preperation method for the egg! It seems different every morning, while being virtually unchanged!


How do you like to change up the recipes you make most often?