An Enchilada Breakfast Creation

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a family of four spends $80 more a month on groceries than they did two years ago.

Ok. So $80. You think, that does not seem like so much.
But.... Let us take a look at that within the current economic context.
American families today are also feeling the burden of increasing energy prices, housing market uncertainty, and growing health care costs.
And, in an alarming reversal of past progress, real household income for the typical family has declined over the last seven years!
So, how are families able to actually shop healthy but still afford what they are buying for their meals!?

Well, first of all, take a cue from the $5 Dinner Mom, and start cutting coupons, following sale trends at your local grocer, and optimizing savings with her strategic planning techniques.

Then, start making better use of your left-overs by creating new dishes, instead of just reheating the same old thing two days in a row.
Usually when you think about a meal your focus is just on that one meal.
But wouldn't life be so much easier if thinking about one meal.... led to another meal with less work?

Yes - it would!
(Plus, being more creative with the food you already have will most certainly save you more money on groceries.)

So, here is one of my favorite left-over creations: An Enchilada and Baked-Egg Breakfast. It is so simple, and totally satisfying.

Baked-Egg Enchilada Casserole
(Serves 2)First, start with two left-over enchiladas.
(Use my Mostly Mushroom Enchilada recipe or my Black Bean Enchilada recipe as a base.)
Split the servings and layer them over a bed of rice inside two serving-sized baking dishes. Now, using the back of a spoon, make an indent into the center of the enchilada and then crack a single egg into each crevice. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes (or until the egg whites have just set). Serve immediately and enjoy!!

Per serving: approximately 469 calories, 27 g fiber and 23 g protein. Also high in calcium and iron!


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What do you do to make the best use of your leftovers??

A Very Veggie Breakfast

Despite our very different ideas of what constitutes a “fabulous meal,” I can always rely on my husband and I to agree on what to eat for breakfast. Whether I am just fishing for compliments on my cooking, or I am just too tired to want to argue, I can always count on a good omelet (or egg sandwich – or breakfast burrito – or, yes, even pancakes) to have us both leaving the table sated and smiling.

I suppose that is how we adopted our weekly, Sunday morning “breakfast in bed” routine. No matter what else is going on in our lives, we make sure we have that time together, just the two of us. While some couples have a “date night” routine, my husband and I prefer to sleep in late on the weekend, then whip up breakfast in our pajamas and crawl back into bed to watch cartoons. This weekend was no exception, and we may have even out-done ourselves with this super-veggie-stuffed, cheesy masterpiece of an omelet– served with a simple side of sauteed garlic potatoes and three episodes of The Venture Brothers.

The omelet, which was executed beautifully, if I do say so myself – was incredibly filling. In fact, I found it impossible to finish my portion – and my husband, after the fact of course, said he surely shouldn't have finished his... The completed dish could easily feed three - maybe four - adults (with a side of potatoes and toast). By cooking up the onions, peppers, mushrooms etc. ahead of time, their distinct flavors are made more vibrant and cohesive. The filling develops this harmonic blend of sweet from the onion and bell pepper, pleasantly pungent earthiness from the mushrooms, with a lingering hint of spice from the jalapenos and peppery cheese.

I dare you not to enjoy!

Cheesy Vegetable Omelet
(Serves 2-4)

4 large eggs + 2 large egg whites
(beaten with a splash of half and half)
3/4 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
4-5 white button mushrooms, finely diced
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely diced
1 small red pepper, finely diced
8-10 grape tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
Olive Oil, to cook

First, I sauteed the diced vegetables in about one tablespoon of olive oil.
Start with the peppers and onions for 2 minutes over a medium heat, then add the celery, and lastly the tomatoes and mushrooms. Cook for another 7-8 minutes, or until the entire mixture has softened and browned.

Now, everyone has a different technique for creating that perfect omelet, but in my kitchen, I always have the most luck with a large cast iron skillet and an evenly heated oven.

I'll lightly grease the skillet with a touch of oil, pour in the scrambled eggs (they'll cook more evenly if you have let them warm while you were preparing the filling), and cook, until just set (about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees). Once the egg mixture has set, pull the skillet out of the oven and layer the cheese and the filling on one half of the omelet shell. Finally, use a spatula to gently loosen, and then fold over the other half to create that perfect omelet. Cut in half (or thirds - or quarters) and serve with a side of potatoes and toast! Enjoy!

TIP: Loosen the edges of the omelet with a knife before attempting to flip the omelet to prevent breaking.


Per serving (assuming 3 servings): approximately 420 calories, 6 g fiber, and 30 g protein.
Also high in Vitamin A, C and Calcium.

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Banana Pancakes - A Splendidly Sweet Morning

Yesterday I spent more than half of the day meddling in the kitchen. I put together dinners for the next four days (just into the oven and 40 minutes later, voila, a home-cooked meal), breakfast items (because I can't live off of smoothies and hard boiled eggs forever) and even a few snacks (to fight off my mid-day munchies, without spoiling dinner).

Yes, it was a busy day in my kitchen... But I enjoyed every minute of it, and now, even if I don't feel like cooking, there will be something in the kitchen ready to eat...

This morning, it took just 10 minutes to throw these pancakes together (since the batter was already made), and my husband and I got to enjoy a splendidly sweet little breakfast together before he had to go to work (working for the third full day this week, which is a small - but definite - improvement).

Banana Pancakes
(Makes 8-10 Pancakes)


2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup white whole wheat flour (I like King Arthur brand flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup soy milk
1 tbsp. maple syrup
(and you add walnuts, pecans or even chocolate chips... extra yummy...)

First, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the mashed banana and stir until the flour is moistened. Then add the milk and syrup and stir until the batter is smooth. Cover and set aside for 1 hour (or overnight in the refrigerator).

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and melt a small amount of butter into the bottom (this will give you those nice crispy edges on the pancakes). Cook the pancakes in small batches, using 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Cook for 3-4 minutes (or until bubbles begin forming on the surface), and then flip and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.

Serve drizzled with maple syrup (unless you used chocolate chips, and then that should be sweet enough even for kids).

Enjoy!

Per serving (2 pancakes): Approximately 200 calories, 5 g fiber and 7 g protein.


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Sunday Brunch: French Country Omelet

One of my favorite parts about Sunday mornings is making brunch together just before noon and then crawling back into bed with the shades drawn to watch a movie and eat our breakfast together in bed. We aren’t lucky enough to do be able to do this EVERY Sunday, but more often than not we manage to fit it into our busy schedules. This has been a wonderful tradition of ours for probably over a year now. I know it won’t last forever, especially once we have children to turn our schedules upside down and inside out, but until that time comes I continue to relish this little piece of time spent together and hope that it will be a simple (but perfect) little something we can come back to frequently over the upcoming years.

While some Sundays we go all out with an array of mid-morning munchies, there is something to be said for creating a simple, yet hardy dish that satisfies even the largest appetite. This is one of those meals. The following omelet is a wonderful creation I first stumbled upon in Ina Garten’s book, Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics, which was given to me as a Christmas gift last year by my boss. It is based on a French dish served for lunch at the Café Varenne in Paris. We love it because it can be made in one pan and it combines meat, potatoes and eggs into one perfect omelet. Plus, it works great for either breakfast or lunch (or brunch). We often serve it with a big fruit salad, or a creamy fruit smoothie for a fulfilling and well-rounded meal.

Country French Omelet
Original recipe from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics by Ina Garten
(Serves 2-4, depending on appetite – either serve 1/2 omelet or 1/4 omelet as desired)

2 tbsp olive oil
3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
5 large brown eggs
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp fresh chopped chives
1/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded*
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil*
*Not in the original recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch ovenproof omelet pan or skillet (e.g., cast-iron skillet ) over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium-low heat until browned on both sides. Take the bacon out of the skillet and set aside to drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Place the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until very tender and browned evenly. Toss the potatoes occasionally to cook evenly. Remove the potatoes to the same plate as the bacon. Discard the fat from the skillet and melt the butter in the bottom of the pan while adjusting the heat to low. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, milk and basil together with a fork in a medium bowl. Add the egg mixture to the hot skillet. Sprinkle the bacon, potatoes, chives and mozzarella evenly over the top and place the pan in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or until the eggs are just set. Slide onto a plate and divide in half (or quarters) and serve hot. We like to serve this with a big bowl of fresh fruit salad for a well-rounded breakfast meal.

Per serving (based on 4 servings): 315 calories and 18 grams protein