Have you ever had those oatmeal breakfast cookies from the grocery store that make life on a busy morning quick and easy?  These are just like those.  Except that they are made with quinoa.  And they taste better!  Just think of the added cranberries and almonds (and the freshness, of course!).  AND you can freeze them for up to a month, so don’t fret if you are coming up on a busy month of graduation, job searches, baby-raising, and moving half way across the country because pull these puppies out of the freezer and you’re set to go!  Oh, are you not doing all of those things?  Well, then make them for me and I’ll freeze them.

Speaking of busy, Jake’s parents came to visit to attend his graduation (smarty pants got his master’s degree in mechanical engineering) and the next day we took Lily to the aquarium.  She loved the “ishies” and the sea turtle floating around in the huge cylindrical tank, but the scuba diver scared the bejeezus out of her!

Quinoa Breakfast Cookies

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered unsalted almonds

Preheat oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, both sugars, and honey until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and extracts; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in quinoa, oats, cranberries, and almonds. Spoon dough onto the prepared sheets, spacing at least 1” apart.

Bake cookies until golden, 12–15 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack and let cool.

Source: Bon Appetit

Generally speaking, I love breakfast and Mexican food (sometimes together). Especially on the weekends when there is actually time to make something delicious and enjoy it leisurely with Jake and Lily. Well, as “leisurely” as possible given the fact Lily will sit still for 10 minutes tops. Regardless,there is nothing better than a weekend breakfast with waffles or omelettes or apple cinnamon coffee cake. Which is what we recently did!

You can tell that this was a weekend morning by the hair:

I actually chose this recipe from Amy’s blog What’s Brewing in the Kitchen for Sarah’s recipe swap because it not only looks like a delicious breakfast food, but it also only dirtied a few dishes (which is good given the state of our house right now) and came from Cooking Light magazine. Yes, it is spring and spring means digging out of the winter sweaters stews and trying to do things a little healthier. Plus, we have a beach vacation with Jake’s family planned for August. I haven’t been in a bathing suit for a looong long time. Without intervention, it would be a scary sight. I’ll keep you updated on the progress!

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Cake:
1 1/2  cups  all-purpose flour
1  cup  granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2  teaspoons  ground cinnamon
1/2  teaspoon  salt
3/4  cup  1% low-fat milk
2  tablespoons  butter, melted
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
1  large egg, lightly beaten
1  cup  diced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 apple)
Cooking spray

Topping:
1/4  cup  packed brown sugar
2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
2  tablespoons  chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.

Combine milk, melted butter, vanilla, and egg, stirring with a whisk; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in apple. Pour batter into an 8-inch square baking pan (or a round cake pan… it’s all I had!) coated with cooking spray.

To prepare streusel, combine brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Then Mix in the almonds.  Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter.

Bake at 350° for 35 – 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack before serving. Serve warm.

Source: Adapted slightly from What’s Brewing in the Kitchen

This picture is borrowed from Comfy Cuisine until I get to make these delicious-looking squares.

Friends, I have to be honest.  I haven’t been allowed in my kitchen much this month.  We are in the process of selling our house and need to keep it clean and I couldn’t possibly bake without getting flour and sugar all over the place.  Which, in general, is just as well because ordering a Greek salad for dinner from the local pizza shop isn’t something that I will ever complain about.  The problem is that I forgot about this predicament when I signed up for April’s Secret Recipe Club swap so now I am left with an IOU.  I was assigned Comfy Cuisine for the SRC swap, and I loved looking through all of her recipes.  Especially the pizzas.  Holy moly, those looked good (if only I had the time and space to make one).  And I was really happy that there was a vegetarian section to browse through!  Then I came upon these Pineapple Pie Squares and just about cried with delight.  Until, of course, the parade of realtors and open houses took over.  I kept convincing myself that I would have time to make them but here I am emptyhanded.  But I WILL make them soon and will post pictures for all to see!  I’m so sorry for the delay, Patti!

Here is the delicious-looking recipe:

Pineapple Pie Squares

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup Crisco Shortening
1 Tbsp. melted butter

2 large cans crushed pineapple
1-1/4 cups sugar
7 Tbsp. Minute Tapioca

*Note: Don’t forget that the Oxo Food Scale Giveaway is still going on.  Click here!*

I don’t have a blogroll (a posted list of my favorite blogs) because a) I read waaay too many to ever possibly include everyone, b) it’s hard enough to get posts written, so the frills are hard to come by these days, and c) I don’t like to play favorites with anything except ketchup.  Heinz is obviously the best.  That being said, if I DID have a list of favorite blogs, Prevention RD would be on there.  Nicole’s recipes are healthy, easy to make, and meals that I actually look forward to eating.  And she has Meatless Mondays!   Perfect!

Which leads me to this pizza.  I saw it on her site and immediately loved it.  Then I made it and both Jake and I ate… uhhh… more than one slice each.  Maybe more than two.  The heat of the adobo  is cooled off by the avocado and sour cream.  And the corn adds an awesome texture.  Of course, you can use lower fat versions of the cheese and sour cream.  Summer is coming, after all!

On a side note, if you are making this pizza and have extra shredded cheese to give to your baby, try to remember that it is much more fun to eat off the couch than out of a bowl.  Just sayin’.

Vegetarian Southwest Pizza

1 ball raw pizza dough (bought or homemade)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 chipotle chile en adobo, minced + 2 tsp adobo sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw)
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 avocado
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp lime juice

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and unroll pizza dough, stretching and pressing to create a rectangle reaching the sides of the baking sheet.  Bake the dough for 5-6 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, place the black beans in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave them for 45 seconds. Add the chile en adobo, sauce, chili powder, cumin, and salt to the bowl and smash them into a thick paste.

Spread the black bean mix on the pizza dough, followed by the tomatoes, onions, and frozen corn. Bake the pizza for 8 minutes or until edges of the pizza are just starting to turn golden. Remove the pizza, sprinkle the top with cheese, and bake for another 3-4 minutes until the cheese is melted.

While the pizza bakes, mash the avocado with the sour cream, lime juice, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. When the pizza is done baking, smear the avocado cream across the top and sprinkle with the cilantro. Serve immediately.

Source: Very slightly adapted from Prevention RD

Food scales are super important.  For real.  A cup of flour isn’t just a cup of flour these days.  Do you tap the sides of the measuring cup to make the flour settle?  Do you lightly scoop the flour in with a spoon and slide a knive over the top to get rid of any excess?  These are details that can save or ruin a batch of cookies! 

Do you throw a slab of meat on your plate and assume it’s a single serving?

With cheeses, the size of your grater, from big ribbons to small-as-powder flakes, makes a big difference in how much fills up a cup.

These simple (but obvious)  facts are why I’m embarassed to say that until about a week ago, I didn’t weigh my food.  Didn’t even own a scale!  Luckily, the good folks at Oxo decided that I should take control of my kitchen and sent me their 5 pound scale.  Amazing.  And they sent one for you, too! 

Here are the details (found here):

•Display pulls away from base to prevent shadowing from large plates or bowls
•Convenient indicator displays how much capacity is left on the Scale
•Zero function allows for zeroing Scale before adding additional ingredients
•Measures in 1/8-oz (imperial) and 1-g (metric) increments for greater accuracy
•Easy-to-read, large display numbers
•Platform can be removed and washed by hand only
•Thin profile allows for easy storage
•2 AAA batteries included

See that?  They even include the batteries.  This is why I love Oxo.  They don’t skimp on their customers!

So here is how you win this bad boy: Leave a comment on this post telling me what you would like to weigh.  And I don’t mean how much you personally would like to weigh!  (Though, you can feel free to write that if you please.  I won’t judge.)

Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Oxo, but my opinions are my own.  There will be one winner randomly chosen on 5/4/2012 who will be notified by email.  If there is no response within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.  Winner must live in the U.S., but if you don’t live in the U.S. I would still love to hear from you!  No purchase necessary.

And you thought that the queso blanco from last month was just for tortilla chips.  No no, my friend!  It is so delicious that you can pour it over egg whites and a whole-wheat English muffin and you will completely forget that it isn’t a fried egg over thick-sliced sourdough.  OR, if you’re into that kind of thing, you can pour it over a fried egg and thick-sliced sourdough.  Frankly, you could pour it over cereal and I wouldn’t blink.  Love. it.

Speaking of eggs, I hope you had a happy Easter (or Passover)!  Ours was fun and low-key, and made complete with a dinner of chips and dip.  Lily celebrated by eating hummus and contracting a contagious bacterial infection, making my first week back at work a partial one while she recovers at home.  Thanks for making me look good to the boss, kid.  But an even bigger thanks for not giving me your rashy infection!

This isn’t really a recipe as much as it is a “don’t forget that queso goes with everything” memo.  So please feel free to adjust the ingredients as you see fit.

Queso Blanco Egg Sandwich

1 English muffin
butter (optional)
2 eggs (or egg whites)
2 slices of tomato
queso blanco
salsa

Toast and butter the English muffin.  While it is toasting, spray or butter a frying pan and cook the eggs.  If you are using whites, you will do it as though you are making an omelette (so that the eggs form a “patty” of sorts).  To assemble, put a tomato slice on top of each side of the muffin.  Then top with the eggs, cheese, and salsa.  Easy!  This is an open-faced sandwich, so unless you’re feeling might brave you’re probably going to want a knife and fork. 

Source: My dad first made it while nursing me back to health last month.  Needless to say, my back was immediately healed upon eating it.

When Austin and Travis came to visit a couple of weeks ago, they grabbed one of these little egg nests off the counter and asked if Lily made it at school.  That’s how easy these are to prep.  They thought that a 17-month-old could do it.  And maybe she could, but no, we don’t let the baby handle foods that are hot enough to be in liquid form and candy eggs that are the exact size of her airway.  Mommy made this batch.

Mini Cadbury Eggs are my FAVORITE candy in the world (Jake’s mom bought me a 10 pound bag and it lasted… well… not as long as it would have if handed to a pack of hungry school children), so why wasn’t I the first to think of this adorable nest idea?  Alas, I just copied it.  If you ever have an extra 12 hours and a need to smile, then start clicking through the archives of Cute Foods for Kids.  I’m not kidding.  Do not go there if you aren’t prepared for a time investment.  (See what I mean with the cute factor?)

Chocolate Easter Egg Nests

4 spoons
1/3 cup chocolate chips
12 mini chocolate eggs
chocolate sprinkles

Melt the chocolate either over a double boiler or on the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval.  Dip a spoon in the chocolate, coat it, and let the excess drip off.  Set on parchment paper and put three eggs into the middle.  Sprinkle the chocolate sprinkles around the eggs.  Do the same with the other spoons and let them cool completely in the fridge.  You can either eat them directly or eat the eggs off and stir the spoon into coffee.  Either way is tasty!

Source:  Cute Food for Kids

The best part of making melted chocolate treats?  Leftover chocolate makes great bark!

Who is the only person you know who can browse the healthy eating website A Healthy Jalapeno and pick out one of the only unhealthy recipes to make?  This girl.  But I couldn’t pass this tart up.  It just looked so tempting.  I was assigned Laura’s blog for this month’s Secret Recipe Club exchange and just loved everything – I’ll definitely try one of her smoothies soon!  But for today I stuck with a delicious looking dessert to take to a potluck dinner at Lily’s school.  I’ll let you know how everyone likes it!

Chocolate-Raspberry Tart with a Graham Cracker Crust

Baking spray for the dish
1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
3-1/2 cups fresh raspberries
8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
Small pinch salt

Heat the oven to 325°F. Spray the sides and bottom of a 9-1/2-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Put the graham crackers and butter into a food processor and pulse until crumbly.

Pour the cracker mixture into the tart pan and press the mixture into the sides and bottom of the pan with the bottom of a measuring cup or a jar.

Set the pan on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm, then bake the tart crust about 15 minutes, checking and rotating if needed to make the sure the crust doesn’t get too dark. Set on a rack to cool.

Meanwhile, push 1 cup of the berries through a fine sieve, mashing with a wooden spoon, into a medium bowl so the puree drips through; set it aside and discard the contents of the
strainer.

Heat the cream over medium heat until scalding, but not quite boiling. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate; whisk to blend until the chocolate is melted. Stir in the raspberry purée and the salt.

Pour the mixture into the cooled tart shell. Refrigerate until the ganache is fairly firm, about 1 hour.

Arrange the remaining raspberries on top of the ganache; they should completely cover the surface. These berries won’t sink into the chocolate filling. The ganache is chilled slightly before the raspberries go on.

Chill until the ganache is completely firm, about 30 minutes, and serve.

Source: A Healthy Jalapeno

It has been almost four weeks since I had back surgery, and I’ve been hanging out at home ever since.  Lord only knows how I will go back to work after 6 weeks of (literally) doing nothing.  Here’s how I know it has been too long since I’ve been a part of the real world:

1. I’m all caught up on EVERY television show that you could imagine, and I’ve even started watching new shows (how is that even possible?).  Shows that I have no business watching.  Pop-Up Video: Jersey Shore edition.  Yes, really.  And I’ve actually started setting TV reminders to let me know when it’s time to tune in to a certain show.  Who does that?! Oh, and I’m now convinced that I am personal friends with Bethenny Frankel.  No biggie.  Just slightly delusional.

2. My dirty laundry pile (that I can’t wash) consists of t-shirts, sweatpants, and sweatshirts.  And underwear.  That’s it.  Not that I normally traispe around in DVF wrap dresses, but I do normally wear the occasional – wait for it – pair of khakis.  *gasp!*

3. I’m actually reading my Strategic Management textbook for the class I’m taking.  Like, reading it.  Not just flipping through when I want an answer.  In case you’re wondering, no, it isn’t any more interesting than one would guess.

4. I check Jake’s iPad on a regular basis (every 20 minutes… but never on a plane runway) to see if anyone has made a move in Words With Friends.  And my mood for the day can be dramatically altered by whether or not I am facing the letter line-up of eeeeiiu.

5. Indication that my brain OFFICIALLY doesn’t work: when given the opportunity to give a 1.5-year-old a Thin Mint while she was sitting on our couch, I said yes.  What?  Why?!

The gods of mint have descended upon March.  Cute little girls dressed in green (how appropriate!) stand in front of the grocery store peddling Thin Mint cookies, and McDonald’s makes those heavenly, minty Shamrock Shakes in celebration on St. Patrick’s Day.  Obviously, both of these treats are fat-free, so when you combine them you are left with a frothy, creamy drink that very closely resembles a salad.

In reality, I made the shake with fat-free frozen yogurt (the kind with “live and active cultures” makes me feel both healthy and creepy all at once) and skim milk, so it isn’t a terrible dessert.  But if you want to go all out with premium ice cream, then by all means do so!

*Side note: In the next post, I will put a picture of what happened when we gave Lily a Thin Mint.  It was pretty ridiculous.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Thin Mint Shamrock Shake

2-3 scoops of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
2 Thin Mint cookies
1/4 cup milk
~ 1/8 teaspoon mint extract
a couple drops of green food coloring (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until the cookies are crushed and all ingredients are combined.  Of course, this recipe is easily customized to what you like by adding more or less of each ingredient.

Serve immediately with whipped cream and crushed cookies on top.  Top o’ the dessert to ya!

Source: Inspired by McDonald’s Shamrock Shake and those pesky, cookie-peddling Girl Scouts