What I Ate Wednesday

You see these around the web all the time and I wanted to join in the fun! The eats that I chose to share were from Sunday, February 17th. Weekend days can be scary and don't usually reflect the normal eating patterns you follow but Sundays aren't really like that for me. Now if we were talking Date Night Fridays... :0)

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BREAKFAST 9:55 AM

Tone it Up Protein Pancake topped with homemade almond butter and 1/2 banana (sliced), "lemonade"

I put "lemonade" in quotations because all it really is is 1/2 lemon squeezed into 24 ounces of water with a little bit of stevia to help take the super sour edge off. And I am just not sure if there is a way to make protein pancakes look really pretty; however, they taste so delicious that it doesn't even matter. This has been my go-to breakfast for the last couple of days ever since I got a new protein powder:

I am loving this stuff and since it is not sweetened with any artificial or refined sugars it is great for me! The scoop that it came with was HUGE so I replaced it with a smaller scoop that I had from a previous protein powder. This recipe is courtesy of SarahFit. The only things that I do differently are that I just use the whole egg instead of only the egg whites and I add water if I need to to thin it out. 

I don't like wasting the egg yolk but also... here is a bit from Livestrong about Egg Yolks:

"An egg yolk provides almost 2 mg of highly absorbable lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids beneficial for eye health. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University suggests consuming 6 mg of dietary lutein and zeaxanthin daily. An egg yolk provides 27 percent of the adequate intake, or AI, of choline for adult women and 21 percent of the AI of choline for adult men. An egg yolk also offers 17 percent of the RDA of selenium and 9 percent of the RDA of phosphorus."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/544071-calcium-and-egg-yolk/#ixzz2LCIf1ULM

Anyways... onto the eats!

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SNACK 12:35 PM

1 can low-sodium V8 Vegetable Juice, 1 rice cake with lowfat cottage cheese

This is one of my favorite snack combos. I get the low sodium Quaker rice cakes and I love the Darigold 2% fat cottage cheese that you can buy in a big tub at Costco. The V8 juice is refreshing and a wonderful way to get 2 servings of veggies during a snack.

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LUNCH 2:20 PM

1 small bowl leftover Picante Chicken and Black Bean Soup topped with lime juice and green onions, 1 small braeburn apple (sliced) with ~1 tbsp all natural peanut butter, 1 organic carrot

I almost always start lunch and dinner with a carrot. I have a big bag sitting in a very accessible place in my fridge and I munch away at it while I am prepping food. It helps me to not mindlessly munch on other less healthy things and helps to take the edge off of my hunger. I also really like the Braeburn apples because they are a bit sour instead of super sweet like the Red Delicious or Jonagold apples. 

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DINNER 5:45 PM

Kyle's Favorite Beef Stew

My lovely mother made us this wonderful stew for dinner. The recipe is from Allrecipes.com. It was DIVINE! The broth had an almost sweet taste to it and it was hearty and delicious with the beef tender. YUM!

She didn't dredge the meat in flour at all so that it would be gluten free for me. She didn't use any of the real onions (just the onion soup mix) and just added 1 tsp onion powder. She used red wine vinegar instead of the burgundy and just poured the onion soup mix on top of everything in the crock pot.

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DESSERT 6:20 PM

Chili Maple Cinnamon Popcorn

My friends who know me really well know that it wouldn't be a "What I Ate" any day without some popcorn. I LOVE popcorn. Love love love it. I air pop the popcorn and add melted coconut oil. This particular popcorn is sprinkled with pure maple syrup, cinnamon, chili powder, and sea salt. I definitely had more than just this one small bowl. 

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WATER INTAKE (Whole Day)

24 ounces "lemonade" + 84 ounces normal water = 108 ounces total

Not my best water intake but pretty good for a weekend day. It is harder to drink water away from home when I don't have my trusty orange cup with me. 

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Is there something that you eat regularly? A favorite meal or snack? Share your ideas with me!

Loves...Shayla

Supper-time Sunday!

Chicken Coconut Curry

Rating: B-

We love curry around here and I was excited to try this one out; however, I didn't feel like it lived up to our curry standard as it was written. It was bland and too thin. I added 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and  about 1 1/2 more tsp curry powder and still topped my portion with Sriracha. What can I say? We like things spicy. I think that this dish has potential and my mom is going to try it with curry paste instead of ground curry powder. My husband liked it just fine and we might do it again but it definitely wasn't a favorite. 

Link: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/11/coconut-chicken-curry.html

Banana Vanilla Protein Pancakes

Rating: C

These ones had an okay flavor but they were really dense. They had a strange texture... it was like a mix between a pancake and a cookie. Too hard. If you are looking for a protein pancake that resembles a normal pancake really closely... this is not the one for you. I won't make them again.

Link: http://www.pbfingers.com/2012/05/26/banana-vanilla-protein-pancakes/

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Pancakes (Vegan)

Rating: B

Her method for adding the bananas is CRAZY!!! They made the pancakes fall apart and they were SOOO unmanageable I was going insane. The texture is really good and very much like a normal pancake despite being vegan and the peanut butter flavor is quite strong but good if you really like peanut butter. We just topped our pancakes with bananas after they were cooked and didn't add them to the uncooked batter. I also didn't have buckwheat flour or vanilla soy milk. Instead we used all wheat flour and regular milk and just added 1/2 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder. Not vegan, but it works. :-)

Link: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/06/peanut-butter-banana-oat-pancakes.html

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Rating: A-

This is a wonderful basic recipe for pancakes. My mom didn't have baking soda on hand so we had to use baking powder and they did NOT fluff up, but we added 1/3 cup blueberries and 1 tsp lemon extract to the batter and they had an AMAZING flavor. They were my dad's favorite. I think you could add a bunch of different flavors or fruits to this one or just top them with it afterwards. We will definitely repeat this one. 

Link: http://www.everydaybelle.com/2011/06/greek-yogurt-pancakes/

Banana Chips

Rating: B-

This was a link on Pinterest that doesn't link to anything but a picture so here is the "recipe": 

Slice banana into thin chips, dip in lemon juice, and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake for 2 hours @ 200 degrees and flip. Bake for another 1.5-2 hours or until crisp. (They wont be totally crisp in the oven, but will harden as they cool) IMPORTANT STEP: Spray the cookie sheet with PAM

These were decent but the cooking method caramelizes the bananas and makes them really sweet. I could only eat three before they were too sweet for me. They weren't easy enough or good enough to warrant repeating for us but it is a good healthy treat.

Greek Yogurt Blueberry Banana Bread

Rating: A

Oh  my deliciousness! This one was a great one. The whole family loved it and my husband had 3 pieces after it came out of the oven. I didn't have pastry flour but so I just used normal whole wheat flour. I used agave instead of the brown sugar. And I also didn't have vanilla flavored greek yogurt so I just used my plain, nonfat yogurt and added 1/2 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder to my batter. It was just the right amount of sweet without being overly sweet.

You have to be careful about cooking it. Banana bread bakes REALLY fast on the outside and gets very dark. Mine got a little bit too dark for my liking on the outside but I was diligent about checking the inside so that it wouldn't be raw. Mine took about 55 minutes and the outside was BORDERLINE too dark. But it was still yummy and we will definitely repeat it. 

Link: http://nosugarsweetlife.com/content/greek-yogurt-blueberry-banana-bread

Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

Rating: A

This was a lovely and easy breakfast to put together for the family. We all enjoyed it and I didn't add any extras to the dish except for a little bit of cinnamon. It really doesn't require any sweetener since the banana sweetens it nicely. I didn't add the coconut oil but wouldn't be against trying it. I made mine in individual ramekins for easy serving to the family and topped with a bit of plain Greek yogurt. We will definitely repeat this one!

Link: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/03/22/banana-bread-baked-oatmeal/

Supper-Time Sunday! (lol... ish)

Dump Chicken ~ Teriyaki Chicken

Rating: B-

Now, to be fair to this site... I think that it is a great idea and there are a TON of recipes. I only tried one of them this week. The teriyaki chicken had a good flavor but it wasn't nearly strong enough for us. Unfortunately, that may have been because of changes I had to make: #1: No sherry - substituted for apple juice, #2: No fresh ginger on hand (a CRIME!) - had to use ground. If you also have to make these substitutions make sure you use 1/4 tsp ground ginger for ever 1 Tbsp of fresh that the recipe calls for. I cooked mine in my crockpot for 1.5 hours on high and about 2.5 - 3 hours on low but this will vary with every crockpot. I mixed a bunch of sauteed vegetables in and we served it over pineapple brown rice. The final dish was very tasty and would've earned a rating of B+ but I made a LOT of changes to get it to that point. 

Link: http://whenthedinnerbellrings.blogspot.com/2011/06/super-easy-way-to-getting-meals-ready.html

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Rating: B-

This is a great idea for a healthier spaghetti sauce, however we are pretty used to more flavorful sauces. This dish relies completely on the flavors of the onion and peppers until you add a few herbs to your individual dish. We are just too much in love with garlic to fully enjoy a sauce that doesn't call for any. The sauce was really thin too which Skinny Taste addresses but we didn't like it enough to repeat it. If you like Chicken Cacciatore I think that this is a good, solid recipe and it was really easy to make. Try it out!

Link: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/06/crock-pot-chicken-cacciatore.html

Perfect Protein Pancakes

Rating: A

I had heard of protein pancakes before this week but had never tried them - I had no idea what I have been missing! I love them and they will be my go-to breakfast for a while, at least. I don't have buckwheat or almond flour on hand so I have tried this recipe once with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and once with heaping 1/2 cup rolled oats. I just throw the ingredients in my blender and blend until smooth. My biggest complaint about this recipe is actually the cooking method. It is HARD to flip such a large pancake. I will probably start doing what is implied in the picture - make a bunch of smaller ones. I add blueberries to my pancakes once I have poured them onto the pan and top with organic, unsweetened applesauce. If you have never tried that method before - do it! It is delicious and saves you countless of needless calories from butter and syrup. 

Link: http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2012/04/perfect-protein-pancakes/

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup

This is a wonderful recipe for Fall that is very easy to make and a treat for breakfast, lunch or dinner! I made these one night even though I had something else planned because they sounded really good and they were quick and easy. They definitely didn't disappoint. My whole family loved them - especially my daughter.

I substituted the sugar for honey in this recipe and it still turned out excellent.

*Fun suggestion for people with kids: Pancakes can be a bit hard for little kids to eat and we parents usually have to cut the pancakes up into small pieces. To avoid this all you have to do is pour your batter through a funnel onto your griddle and make Pancake Sticks. They are easy for little hands to hold and dip in the syrup. I think my little girl easily ate twice as much as normal because she was having so much fun dipping her sticks!

Thanks to the wonderful Real Mom Kitchen for this fantastic recipe and picture. It will be a staple at our house! You can see her original post at this site here: http://realmomkitchen.com/8472/cinnamon-apple-pancakes-with-apple-cider-syrup/

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup

From Real Mom Kitchen
Printer Friendly Version

CIDER SYRUP:

·         1/2 cup sugar (or substitute with honey)

·         1 Tbsp cornstarch

·         1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

·         1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

·         1 cup apple cider or juice (I used 100% apple juice)

·         2 Tbsp butter

·         1 Tbsp lemon juice

PANCAKES:

·         2 cups complete pancake mix (the kind that you only add water to)

·         1-1/2 cups apple juice or cider (again, I used 100% apple juice)

·         1 apple, finely diced

·         1 tsp ground cinnamon

1.      Start by preparing the syrup. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar (or honey), cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg.

2.      Add the cider in and stir until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes.

3.      Reduce heat to a simmer and cook while stirring for 2 minutes longer. Stir in butter and lemon juice until butter is melted.

4.      In a medium bowl, whisk together the pancake mix and cinnamon. Add juice and whisk just until moistened.

5.      Fold finely diced apple into the batter. 

6.      Pour batter onto a greased hot griddle using a 1/4 cup measuring cup; turn when bubbles form on top. Cook until second side is golden brown.

7.      Serve the pancakes with cider syrup. Makes 12 pancakes and 1-1/4 cups syrup.

Wheat Pancakes with Homemade Strawberry Jam

Wheat Pancakes are a staple at my parent's house. My mom never uses white flour - just wheat. It is so satisfying and filling. If you have the opportunity to make wheat pancakes you SHOULD. You will feel better and be more full! These pancakes are moist and tender and just melt in your mouth. They are so fabulous hot off the griddle - you don't even need butter! Plus, jam on pancakes is SOOOO much better than syrup! This homemade jam is fantastic - I could eat it plain! (and I probably have on more than one occasion. :-))

WHEAT PANCAKES

1 c. whole wheat kernels
1 ½ c. milk
1 egg
½ c. oil
2 tsp. sugar (opt.) (or you can use honey if you want to be even more healthy)
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder

Put wheat in blender. Add 1 c. milk and blend at high speed for 3 minutes. Add another ½ c. milk and blend a minute or two longer. Add other ingredients. Blend until smooth. Cook on griddle.

HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY JAM

5 ½ c. strawberries, blended
2 c. sugar
3 heaping Tbsp. clear gel
½ c. light corn syrup

Mix clear gel with sugar. Whisk into blended strawberries while slowly adding sugar. Add karo and mix well. Refrigerate or freeze in storage containers.

Classic Repeat : One Egg Pancake

This is a great breakfast when you want something a bit different. Instead of cooking these in one big pancake this time I did them in a bunch of little pancakes. My husband and brother (who slept over at our house) both really enjoyed them, as did I. The pancakes are really thin, like crepes. They would be fabulous with veggies mixed in instead of the cinnamon as well. A bit of green pepper, ham, cheese, onion, maybe tomato would be really great. Fast, easy, basic ingredients, AND tasty = a great recipe! The picture is courtesy of A Scientist in the Kitchen and can be found here.

ONE EGG PANCAKE
http://bloggingitswhatsfordinner.blogspot.com/

1 egg, beaten
3 Tbs. flour
4 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. baking powder
dash salt
Cinnamon (optional, but it is soooo good)

Mix all ingredients together and pour in buttered/sprayed saucepan. Wait till the edges look done, and then flip and cook on other side. This makes a really BIG pancake.

*This recipe is enough for 1 serving. I used wheat flour and the resulting pancake was a lot like a crepe, but sufficiently filling that I only needed to make one pancake per person. I didn’t just double the batter but actually made them completely separate so that the proportions would be identical.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches and Potato Pancakes

The Monte Cristo Sandwiches are a classic repeat for this house! Sweet but with a wonderful complement of meats and cheeses, they are DELICIOUS! The Potato Pancakes were a new recipe I found on "Recipes of a Cheapskate." We have TONS of leftover mashed potatoes from our good old chicken fried chicken with gravy, corn and mashed potatoes dinner yesterday... so I decided to use some of them up. Yes, I said mashed potatoes. I was skeptical too but they turned out DELICIOUS! Put a little bit of salsa on top and I liked them even better than the Monte Cristos! SUPER easy to make too! The pictures are not mine. I give full credit to "Recipes of a Cheapskate!"

MONTE CRISTO SANDWICHES

2 eggs
1/4 c. maple syrup
4 slices of bread
cream cheese
2-3 slices deli black forest ham
2-3 slices deli turkey
2 slices Swiss cheese
powdered sugar
Raspberry Jam (or any jam you like)

Mix eggs and maple syrup together with a fork and pour in a shallow dish. Dip the bread in the egg (make sure the bread is well-covered with the egg mixture) and cook on a griddle or in a frying pan (as if you were making French toast). Spread a good amount of cream cheese on half of the toasts. On the same toasts, add half of the ham and turkey and a slice of Swiss cheese. Top each sandwich with the remaining toasts. Turn the griddle to a low heat and add the sandwiches. Warm each sandwich until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and sprinkle each sandwich with powdered sugar. Cut into halves or fourths and serve with raspberry jam.

POTATO PANCAKES
From Recipes of a Cheapskate

• 1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup flour
• chopped, cooked bacon
• seasonings of choice (salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic, etc.)
• onion (optional, I use onion powder)

Mix together the eggs, flour, seasonings, and bacon. Add the potatoes and mix well. Make your patties and cook in a little bit of the bacon grease, or oil, until crisp on each side. Drain on a paper towel.