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I love weekend breakfast!

September 10, 2011 · by Ari ·

Lately, I have been having the weirdest (for me) craving. All I have wanted to do is make french toast for breakfast. This is weird for me, because usually I like my french toast with super thick, fluffy, grainless white bread with a big glob of butter on top. This why I haven’t had it (with the exception of pumpkin bread french toast that I made for Thanksgiving) in years. No matter what I can say about indulging every now and then, I just don’t feel good when I eat that way. Physically or mentally. So I usually go for whole wheat pancakes when I want a sweet carby breakfast. But this time I had an idea and I had been waiting for the right opportunity to try it out. Well friends, today that time finally came!

As usual, I looked at a couple recipes online for inspiration, then did my own thing 🙂

French Ezekiel Banana Toast

yeild 2 servings (2 slices each)

  • 4 slices cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 banana
  • 1-2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (I wanted to use almond, but sadly we were out)
  • 1 tbs sugar free maple syrup + extra for topping
  • chia seeds (optional)

Yogurt Topping

  • 1/2 cup non fat vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbs peanut butter (I used PB & Co White Chocolate Wonderful. I suggest you do too 🙂 )

Directions

1) Beat egg whites, vanilla, milk, cinnamon, 1 tbs syrup, and half of the banana with an electric hand mixer

2) Soak bread (the longer, the better!)

3) In a small bowl, beat yogurt and peanut butter together with an electric hand mixer

4) Place soaked bread on a sprayed nonstick pan over medium heat

5) Sprinkle with chia seeds if desired

6) Pour remaining soaking mix on top

7) Flip after about 5 min (when bottom is golden)

8) Sprinkle with more chia if desired

9) Cook approx 3 more minutes on second side (until golden)

10) Slice remaining half of banana in half length wise

11) Place banana on pan, sprinkle with cinnamon and cook for about a minute on each side

12) Plate and serve!

 

Prepping the soaking batter

 

Showing some love for Ezekiel bread–it really is good! No one believes me. Buttholes. 🙂

Ready, set, cook! Notice the scrambled eggs cooking in the background? We were completely out of dog food. Whoops. So the puppies got a specially prepared breakfast. Clementine of course dug right in, while Winston is a big scaredy cat had slight anxiety over the change. I had to feed him by hand assist him in his eating endeavors. No pictures of that–Win has a reputation to uphold!

Topping

TAAAAADDDDAAAAA!!!

It was so delicious. I can’t believe it was my first time making a healthy french toast. It was also super easy and I will definitely make it again and again!

In other news, I finally broke down and tried the tofu I bought @ TJ’s last week. I wanted so badly to like it. I put it in a huge delicious salad. I’m sorry tofu lovers, but I HATED it. I’m throwing the rest in the garbage. My tastes have changed and developed quite a bit, and maybe a different tofu would have been better, but I’m definitely going to be put off by it for quite some time.

Tomorrow is Skinnified Sunday!!! My mom, Hank and Charlie are coming over to enjoy with us. I love cooking for my family. It is probably my very favorite. They have done a lot for me and I like being able to share my love of cooking with them!

Hope everyone is having a fab weekend!!

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: clementine, ezekiel bread, food, french toast, recipe, steve, tofu, winston

Super Hero Thursday

September 8, 2011 · by Ari ·

Happy Super Hero Thursday everyone! Didn’t know today was a holiday? Well, don’t worry–I celebrate every Thursday, so you are free to join in at any time. Just buy some sort of super hero clothing item and wear it on a Thursday. Tada. Instant holiday. It started this summer because at my summer job “Thurthdayth are hard!” Yes, we say it in a lisp. We’re theatre people.

Today was an other crazy morning of spin–>dance–>meeting, followed by prep work and work work. But it started out on the right foot with my attire

Sorry it’s blurry. I’m not brave enough yet to ask gym strangers to take my picture haha. Spin class was killer today. Half way through I was D-U-N. It was the first time I actually felt like I had given so much so early in the class that I couldn’t continue to give 100%. That’s okay though, I just focused on getting through it for the rest of the time. Today’s ride was so hill-y and challenging in other ways that I’m not sure how to explain in words haha that I only wound up riding 20 mi today. It was good though,  and I’m taking tomorrow off so I’m glad I worked it out today! Dance class was hard again, but so good. I LOVE this teacher. She reminds me of what classes were like back in the Studio One days!

My lunch meeting happened at Sacks–YUM. If you live in Phoenix and you haven’t been to Sacks, what are you waiting for?! I almost always get whatever the hot special is on 12 grain bread. Today it was chicken and lots of spicy deliciousness. The second best thing about Sacks (the hot specials are the first best) is that with your sandwich, you get a perfectly sized chocolate chip cookie. Not like a huge cookie that constitutes about 4 servings, but a legit cookie serving of deliciousness. I would have taken a picture, but I got camera shy 🙂

When I got home from work, I was huuunnnggrrryyy and had a big craving for a box of Kraft mac n cheese. I remember when that stuff was a staple in my diet. I would eat pretty much an entire box to myself. Gross. You can judge me. I judge myself a little.

I decided to raid my pantry and fridge and figure out a way to satisfy my craving. The most amazing thing about this meal? From the moment I said to Steve “I want macaroni and cheese” to the moment the deliciousness hit my mouth was about 10 minutes–the same amount of time it would take to make the box filled with processed cheese powder!

I immediately grabbed a pretty random assortment of ingredients

And hoped for the best!

I boiled some pasta, sauteed some garlic and veggies

Added in a some goat cheese, cream cheese and skim milk. Mixed in some imitation crab.

And then despite Steve’s disapproval, added some green! And of course the pasta.

Clementine approved and wanted some in her food bowl

Ari’s Crabby Mac

yield 4 servings

  • 1 cup whole grain pasta (whole wheat, brown rice, etc.)
  • 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese
  • 4 oz herb goat cheese
  • 1/3-1/2 cup skim milk (we were out of almond milk, or I would have used that)
  • 2/3 cup crab meat (regular or imitation)
  • handful spinach leaves
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 red pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/2 tbs light whipped butter
  • a couple shakes Chalulah
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chopped tomato for topping (optional)
  • extra spinach for topping (aptional)

Directions

1) Follow directions on the box to cook your pasta

2) Saute onion, pepper and garlic with butter over medium heat for approx 7 minutes

3) When veggies are tender, reduce heat to medium low. Add cheeses, milk, chalulah, and s&p. Whisk together until smooth.

4) Crumble in imitation crab and spinach

5) Add pasta and stir

6) Plate and top with extra spinach and tomato if desired

It totally fulfilled my craving and I had to stop myself from going back for seconds…because I had to save room for desert!

 

I’m Ari, and I am addicted to fro yo. No other dessert cuts it anymore. I just love fro yo and I crave it all the time.

Alright, I have a loooonnng day of teaching tomorrow followed by prep work to teach more Saturday. I plan on spending the rest of the night with the puppies, the husband and Project Runway! Goodnight all!


Filed Under: Entree, Gluten-free, Pasta · Tagged: clementine, dance, food, mac and cheese, project runway, recipe, spin, winston

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