Starving Artist

Good morning friends! Are those fellow East Coasters ready for the torrential rain that’s about to descend upon us? I don’t know about you, but I’ve stocked up on some pumpkin beer for tonight just in case we’re all rained in :) I’m not one to rush the seasons, but pumpkin beer is my *absolute fav* and it’s clearly a sin that it’s only offered during the Fall.

Since my last post, I’ve moved from my studio in the Back Bay to a two-bedroom in Fenway. I’ll be posting about that soon, but for now here’s the last recipe concocted on Gloucester Street (*tear*). A go-to brunch staple that’s definitely one of my favorites. Quiche is my favorite breakfast dish by far, and this recipe is a healthier way in which to indulge in breakfast fantasticness.

First, preheat your oven to 375 and then mix together the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl:

• 2 cups liquid egg beaters
• 1 cup of nonfat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup of fat free half and half
• 6 small frozen light turkey sausage links (thawed and cut)
• 1 cup of cooked, chopped spinach
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup lowfat Mozzarella cheese
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tbsp basil
• red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper to taste

   
Then spray a pie dish with cooking spray, and coat with good layer of Parmesan cheese.

   
Pour the mixture into the pie dish, and then top with some goat cheese.

   
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center is set and the outside edge and top is lightly golden brown.

   
Let set for about 5 minutes, slice and serve (serves about 6)!

Or should I say afternoons? On Friday night, I caught up with some college friends that I hadn’t seen in a year, and then last night was a girls night out in South Boston. Two nights in a row of drinking, and my body reverts back to college sleeping mode. By some miracle (or could it have been the vodka sodas and lack of sleep? hmmm), I slept until 11:30! Craziness. I’m usually out of bed by 8:00am on the dot. I guess I needed it!

Sushi with the girls on Saturday night.

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If you know me at all, you know I hate sushi. I can do the wimpy varieties (California roll, shrimp, veggie…), but the idea of raw fish freaks me out. So therefore I obviously had to capture it on camera that I actually tried a spicy salmon roll…

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Gagging ensued… it was lovely. Still don’t like raw fish. Blech.

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After the shenanigans that took place last night (at the bar Shenanigans, nonetheless…), I was in the mood for a breakfast sandwich this morning. Your regular fast food varieties are clearly not heart/health friendly, so I decided to make a better-for-you version at home. This was the result…

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With the swap of some healthier ingredients, not only is this sandwich better for you, but I honestly think it tastes better as well. An iced pumpkin coffee sprinkled with cinnamon rounded out the deliciousness.

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Turkey Bacon, Egg & Goat Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 1 Weight Watchers Original Bagel
• 1 slice of Trader Joe’s Turkey Bacon
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tbsp goat cheese

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon on a baking sheet in the oven at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
2. During the last 5 minutes, add the bagel to the baking sheet to toast.
3. Fry the egg whites to your liking. Once they’re ready to flip, add on the goat cheese, and fold the egg so it’s small enough to fit on the bagel.
4. Assemble and serve!

Calories: 252 Carbs: 33g Fat: 4g Protein: 28g

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Enjoy the last hours of your weekend :)

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With life being so hectic lately, I decided this Saturday morning I would just relax with my favorite Food Network shows (Barefoot Contessa, obviously) and a warm comforting breakfast. I knew I had some yam stragglers in my vegetable crisper, and I suddenly developed the biggest craving for some yam homefries.

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And what goes best with homefries? Eggs of course! The goat cheese I had left over from the squash and beet salad was definitely finding its way into a spinach scramble. A little of this, a little of that… and this is what I came up with…

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So good! Very satisfying, yet so healthy and full of protein, fiber, and vitamins to get me going this morning. If you haven’t made breakfast yet this morning, try it out! These recipes are portioned for 1, but can easily be multiplied to feed more people :) Also, thanks to Sparkpeople.com, I’m going to start listing the calorie, carb, fat, and protein count of my recipes. I hope you find that information useful!

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Yam Homefries

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Ingredients:

• 1 small yam
• 2 tbsp chopped onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• rosemary
• thyme
• salt + pepper

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Directions:

1. Peel and chop the yam into small cubes.
2. Toss with the olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper on a baking sheet and roast at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
3. On the stovetop, saute the onion in a frying pan with a tiny bit of olive oil until translucent.
4. Add in the homefries and saute until the flavors are combined, and the fries are slightly crispy.
5. Plate and serve!

Calories: 122  Carbs: 7 g  Fat: 5 g Protein: 1 g

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Spinach and Goat Cheese Scramble

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Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 cup of cooked spinach
• 2 tbsp fat free half and half
• 1 1/2 tsp goat cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

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Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the egg whites, half & half, salt and pepper. Whisk until frothy.
2. Stir in the spinach.
3. Coat a pan with olive oil spray, and pour in the eggs.
4. Scramble the eggs and cook for a few minutes.
5. Once the eggs are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and add in the goat cheese.
6. Plate and enjoy!

Calories: 103  Carbs: 7 g  Fat: 1 g  Protein: 19 g

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Happy weekend! :)

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… and not all that happy about it! This past weekend was definitely one to write down in the books as one of my top 5 weekends of all time. It was that much fun.

A post and pictures to follow tonight, but for now I’ll leave you with a recipe and (crappy iPhone) photos of my attempt at avoiding the impending jet lag that I’m sure will be setting in before I know it.

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Breakfast Power Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup spinach (packed)
• 1 banana
• 4 oz apple sauce
• 1/3 cup blueberries (frozen)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp flax

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Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor/blender.
2. Pour into glass and enjoy!

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It may not look all too appetizing, but I promise you it tastes really good, and it’s chock full of all the vitamins, protein, and fiber you need to start your day :)

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I’ve been looking forward to today all week! In about an hour, I’m driving out to Stow, MA with 2 of my girlfriends (pumpkin lattes in hand, obviously), to go apple picking! I’m a complete dork, but apple picking is one of my favorite Fall activities and I make sure to go every year. And to top off this fabulously Fall day, we’ll be putting our bounty of apples to work when we cook up an apple themed dinner tonight. I’ll be posting the photos and recipes, so check back later on tonight ;-)

As I gear up for what is sure to be a lovely day with my girlfriends (the rain has stopped, thank goodness!), I thought I would start my morning off with some healthy pecan pumpkin pancakes with TJ’s mix as the base.

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The pumpkin pancakes were out of this world, and so incredibly light and fluffy!

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Here’s the recipe:

Recipe is for 1 large pancake.

• 1/3 cup TJ’s Pumpkin Pancake Mix
• 2 tsp Fage Nonfat Yogurt
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 tbsp egg whites
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp chopped pecans
• Pumpkin Butter
• Maple Syrup

1. Combine all ingredients (except for the pumpkin butter and maple syrup) in a small bowl.
2. Lightly coat a fry pan with margarine/spray/butter/whatever you like, and pour the mixture in.
3. Flip over once the top of the pancake is covered with bubbles and the sides are cooked.
4. Top with a spread of pumpkin butter, drizzle of maple syrup, and a sprinkling of pecans.

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Enjoy!

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