Even Faster! Bulk Cooking Breakfast Burritos/Baked Quiche Wraps

We were going through the breakfast burritos at an amazing rate, so I found an even easier, faster way to make them... because you can count on me to constantly be on the look out for ways to make things more efficient so I have more time to be lazy:)

Baked Quiche Wraps!

Use whatever ingredients you like... for our Clean Eating Wraps, we like to use a variety of the following:
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Eggs
Spinach
Peppers (especialy red & yellow bell peppers for me!)
Sauteed Chicken
Onions (lots of onions!)
low fat cheeses

Not so Clean idea that my kids like, and helps extend the eggs are oven fries (cut really small).

Directions:

• Sautee your choice of veggies and meats in a skillet with a little coconut oil.
• Beat eggs in a separate bowl (I used 2 1/2 dozen for our pan, with LOTS of veggies)
• Pour all ingredients into a 9x13 baking dish
• Bake at 350 until done.  (Our 'new' oven is REALLY off temp, wise, so I'm really unsure of the time for a regular oven.  Probably 15-20 minutes?)

After the eggs cool (I just put them in the oven overnight), divide the pan into 16-18 servings.  I cut across the middle first, then in half the other direction... it makes it easier to get more even slices.

Lay out your tortillas with cheese and wrap.

Wrap each on with plastic wrap and you're ready to go!

I keep them in the fridge in a drawer and they're ready to go for my early morning husband and kids!

 What is your favorite easy-go to recipe?

Clean Eating #148: Convenience Foods: Bulk Breakfast Burritos

Bulk Breakfast Burritos

Okay, okay, the truth comes out.  In spite of the fact that I have been really busy this month with movie stuff, I just hate cooking when its hot.  I hate even thinking about cooking, meal planning, any of it.  If only I hated eating... nah.  No such luck.

I would think that logically I would crave fresh fruit, salads and the like.  No such luck.  I eat junk.  I also find that I eat a lot of convenience foods because I'm running around too busy to want to think about cooking.  So not only am I eating less healthy, I'm paying too much for it.

Today was my last straw when I bought a breakfast burrito at Quick Trip... ugh.  I ate a gas station burrito for Heaven's sake.  It is ridiculous.

So I came home and made a dozen breakfast burritos for my hubby and I, and a pan full of kiddable eggs for their own breakfast burritos.  Kids and teenaged boys don't really need to worry about having full out eggs and extra cheese:)

Ingredients:

• 24 egg whites
• 12 eggs
• 1 large onions (diced)
• 8 oz frozen spinach
• a little finely shredded cheese of your choice
• coconut oil
• seasonings to taste
• 12 whole wheat tortillas

Directions

1. Sautee the diced onions and spinach in a little coconut oil until tender
2. add mixed eggs & seasonings, cook on med-low with a lid, flipping occasionally (try to keep it all in one piece for less mess later
3. cut your eggs into "bars" and roll up in tortillas sprinkled with a little cheese
4. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for heating later.

*Kids variations:  I used all eggs, extra cheese, plus added a couple of chopped baked potatoes to stretch out the eggs a little so they would last longer.  Kainan added jalapenos to his (eww!!)

And here is what happens at my house when I go out to a really long lunch with a friend and Paris and Abyni have a lot of time to kill... Its rockstar makeover and modeling time!!  I came home to find nearly 200 pictures on my camera!  My 13 year old is quite talented at the makeup and photos, and my 10 year old loves being in front of the camera:)

Those EYELASHES!!!  

The pouty lips...

Clean Eating #121: Breakfast Stuffed Tomatoes w/Parmesan and Egg Whites

Cheesey Eggwhite Stuffed Breakfast Tomatoes

While perusing the AWESOME recipes posted on Spicy Foodie's "Your Best Recipe" monthly feature, I saw this recipe for Stuffed Breakfast Tomatoes by Pip & Ebby's Recipes and was inspired to try a version of my own.

Ingredients:

6 ripe tomatoes

8-10 egg whites *I made a scrambled egg dish with the leftovers w/extra veggies for my hubby, the # of eggs will of course depend on the size of your tomatoes, and the only ripe looking tomatoes I could find this time of year were pretty small

1/4 cup ricotta

1/4 cup low fat/non fat cottage cheese

1 Tbsp finely chopped kale

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 small onion, diced & sauteed

2 green onions, finely chopped

Grated/Shredded Parmesan

Directions:

Empty out your tomato, and clean them out (I set aside the insides and made a breakfast scramble with all the leftovers and some green peppers)

Mix together the cheeses, chopped kale, parsley, green onions and egg whites

Pour fillings into tomatoes

Set on a lightly oiled baking dish and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until the egg whites are firm (there will be some melted cheese, so it won't be completely firm.

What I'd Do Differently Next Time?  Make more.  These were delicious!!  I forgot the salt and pepper, but that was easy enough to add afterwards.

Clean Eating #92: Vegetable Fritatta

Vegetable Fritatta

What's the difference between a fritatta and a quiche?  Not much.  In my own opinion, it seems like pretty much the difference is in the texture.  Quiche seems a lot lighter and fluffier, the fritatta turned out a lot more dense.

I'll be making a lot of baked goods over the next month because I'm honestly just BROKE and everything and anything in my house seems to be breaking down.  This means I'm going to my staples that I bought in bulk over the last two months, so lots of protein bars will be made, breads, oats, etc.

I added some extra potatoes to the fritatta because they're cheap and I need to stretch every penny.  If you're wanting less starch and more protein, just leave out some/all of the potatoes.  I also used very little cheese because its so expensive, but it still tastes great.

Ingredients:
18 eggs
1 large onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 - 2 cups frozen spinach
3 - 4 small to medium potatoes, diced really fine or shredded & rinsed (Or you can use leftover oven fries)
1/2 cup of shredded cheese

Look at that!  Did I not say to beat those eggs WELL???

• Sautee all the veggies in a covered skillet for about 10 minutes.
• Uncover and let the liquid evaporate for another 5-7 minutes
• Add eggs (well beaten) and cheese
• Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until done.

Serve hot, wrap the leftovers for quick breakfast or post workout fuel!

Clean Eating #36: Bagels! Everything Bagels! Whole Wheat Bagels! Healthy Bagels!

Bagels, Bagels, Bagels!

Do you cringe every time you have to pay a fortune for decent bagels?  Especially when you know your kids are going to INHALE them the minute you get home?

You can use your regular bread dough to make bagels, or use this one I posted a while ago (Add about another 1/2 a much of Vital Wheat Gluten to this recipe to make them fluffier)  Or the "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" 100% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe... or just clean bread dough you already buy.

Now I can add bagels to my "Bread Variations" recipe post.  I can not believe I forgot about making bagels!

First, pinch off a piece of your refrigerated dough about the size of a small orange.
Quickly "roll" between your hands to form a tube
Press ends of your 'tube' together to form the bagel shape.
Set loosely covered for at least 20 minutes to rise.
Turn oven on to 375 degrees with pizza stone on the middle shelf.
Set a pan of water on the stove with a pinch of sea salt to boil.
When the bagels have risen, carefully use a spatula to transfer the bagels, one at a time, into the boiling water.
Boil for about 2 minutes on one side, then flip to boil the other side for about a minute.

I am never very precise on this part because I can't keep track of several things at once.  About 3-4 minutes is how long mine tend to boil!

After they are done boiling, use a slotted spoon to transfer to a clean towel, flip so the towel absorbs the excess water.
Place directly on the pizza stone & ADD ONE CUP OF WATER to a shallow pan on the shelf below your pizza stone.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool... then slice and enjoy!

I made a few tiny baguettes as well to experiment and it was SO good.  Crisp outer crust with soft middle

Here is the bread we used from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  We'll now be able to pull some dough out each day for healthy "everything" bagels or pitas... or just bread!

Bread Ingredients & Directions:
7 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1 1/2 Tbsp Yeast
1/4th cup Vital Wheat Gluten (don't try to make 100% Whole Wheat bread without this!  It helps it rise)

Mix Dry Ingredients and desired seasonings well, then add:
3 1/4ths cups of warm water.

Mix well (no kneading), then leave lightly covered for at least 2 hours or until your dough doubles in size.
Then place bread in your refrigerator tightly covered and its ready to use.
The flavor and texture of the bread seems to get better with time.  I would leave it in the fridge for at least 12 hours before trying to use it.

Variations
Add cinnamon & dried fruit & nuts for fruity bagels
Shredded Apples & Pecans
Dried Cranberries & Almonds
Blueberries & Walnuts
Cinnamon Raisin

Everything Bagels:  My guys' Favorite!
For the "Everything" Bagels Seasonings, we added

Seasonings:
1 1/2 Tbsp Garlic Pepper Blend
1/2 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper
2 Tbsp Chives
2 tsp Celery Salt
1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt
3 Small Spanish Onions, diced
1 Red onion, diced

When they are ready to bake, you can brush with egg whites and sprinkle with sesame seeds, flax & chia seeds for extra texture!

I sauteed the onions for just a few minutes in a tiny bit of coconut oil before blending them with the EVOO.  I wasn't sure how having chunks of onions would work with trying to form the dough.  Patrick wasn't thrilled that I took away his 'chunky' stuff:)

Bread:  Dry Ingredients (mix WELL with a spoon before adding oil and water)

And by "we added"... I of course meant, my hubby added.  Hey, he's home from work today anyway, and I know he'll be the one to eat most of the bagels anyway:)

What I'd Do Differently:  Um, nothing.  These were DELICIOUS.  As soon as I get to the store, I will be making a lot of varieties of these! Oh, wait!  I would DEFINITELY remember to get my hubby's reaction on video.  He's so funny.  I know, I think I've said that before, but I keep forgetting.


There you go!  Snow Day #1 for this years big Tulsa Blizzard!!  Tomorrow I'll bake some of this and make some sort of meal to go with it.  I'm also going to make homemade tortillas:)

Clean Eating #30: Dessert, Apple Cinnamon Crescent Rolls with Yogurt Orange frosting

Apple Cinnamon Crescent Rolls

w/ Yogurt Orange frosting

Holy COW, you guys.  I'm not lying... this is DECADENT!!! And clean, although it is a treat, which means you can't eat the whole pan.  However, they are SO good, I advise you to only bake enough for one serving at a time.  So easy!!!

Crescent Rolls:
1-2 pounds of whole wheat dough from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day or your own favorite whole grain bread recipe.
1 apple, shredded or sliced into thin strips (I used my hand grater and sliced them thin)
Cinnamon to taste
Ideal Brown Sugar Substitute to taste

• Gently roll out the dough, as quickly as possible, the point being to not break all of your air bubbles.
• Cut into long triangular shapes.

• Top with Sliced/grated apples, cinnamon and a little sprinkle of brown sugar substitute
• Roll up, beginning with the wide end, pinching the tip slightly into the roll so it stays

• Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon
• Let rise for about an hour on a lightly floured surface, or until dough is puffed and room temperature
• Using a spatula, place gently on preheated pizza stone
• Bake at 350 for about 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of your rolls.  They're done when slightly browned.

Put on cooling rack until warm, top with a dollop of 'frosting' and a sprinkly of cinnamon... and enjoy!

Frosting:
3/4 cup of yogurt cheese *See below for tips*
8 Tbsp of Ideal Powdered Sugar Substitute
1/2 tsp Orange Extract (you can use whatever flavor, we love orange:)

*Making Yogurt Cheese: 
Take Plain, non fat yogurt and drain.  I used a lightweight dishcloth and used rubber bands to make a seive over a tall plastic storage 'cup'.  You could use cheese cloth and a sieve, but this worked well enough for me.  Let the liquid drain, then twisting the top of the fabric, I used my hands to squeeze out the last of the liquid until the yogurt was pretty firm... about the consistency of whipped cream cheese. 



I used a rubber spatula to scrape the "cheese" into a ball and put it in a fresh container.


What I'd Do Differently Next time:
Ummm... not make as many?  Honestly, I'm sure that the very next time I make these that I'll experiment with blue berries.  These are so much like cinnamon rolls and I love putting bluberries and almonds in my cinnamon rolls!  I would like to experiment with different flavors of "frosting" as well.  What are your ideas?  I love crunch and different, unexpected textures in my treats...
Yogurt "Cheese" I must admit that I didn't expect to like the yogurt cheese.  Although I don't mind a little yogurt flavor in my protein shakes, I am really not a huge fan of yogurt.  This yogurt "cheese" is meant to take the place of cream cheese, and I must say, I really REALLY liked the end result.  The kids used it as sort of a dip for their rolls and they loved these rolls.  I think it would be a great Saturday morning breakfest treat with a healthy egg white omelette for some protein to offset the sweetness.

Clean Eating #25: Breakfast or Snack Cranberry Almond Quinoa Oat Porridge

Cranberry Almond Porridge with Quinoa & Steel Cut Groats

*topped with brown sugar substitute/agave nectar and chia seeds. This was our favorite so far!  The chocolate banana groats are moving down the list:)

The kids loved it too. Paris and I put this at the top of our favorites list for sure!
I used a 4 Quart Pan about half full of water (I know, I know, so sue me for my crappy measurements)
1 1/2 cups steel cut groats (this makes a LOT) Oat Groats, Steel Cut - 25 Lb Bag Each
3/4ths cup of Quinoa Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa, Traditional, 12-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)
Bring to a boil, then add
I just used my mini blender and ground all the stuff at once:
1/2 cup Chopped Cranberries (You should be able to find some on sale this time of year, chop and freeze for quick use later)
3/4 cup ground/chopped almonds
1/4 cup Brown Sugar sub/Agave Nectar
1/8 cup ground flax seed (I keep whole flax in the freezer and grind it in small batches as I need it so it stays fresh)
2 Tbsp of Cinnamon
Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender.

Both Quinoa (good source of protein) and Steel Cut Oats retain a bit of crunchiness, but should be fairly tender.
Serve hot, topped with extra chopped almonds, cranberries & chia seeds. DELICIOUS, nutty, crunchy, and since I ground up the nuts, even my kids who don't "like" almonds ate it without noticing. All the textures are wonderful together with just a hint of sweet.

This was a HUGE HIT.  A great, filling breakfast, one dish meal with all the fiber and protein we needed for a great breakfast.  There is a bit leftover, but I imagine one of us will eat it before we get a chance for any other oats recipes.