Quinoa & Spinach Egg Bake

I was super excited when I found this on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago. I'm always up for an easy, protein-packed breakfast. I really like that I can make this once and have breakfast for 6 days. It's also pretty yummy, unless you do not like spinach. This is what I ended up making on Friday night...or really early Saturday morning...when I could not sleep. The original recipe is from Whole Foods. I changed it a little, using mozzarella instead of Romano or Parmesan. The caloric value will change depended on what kind of cheese and milk you use, but mine turns out to be around 219 calories with 16 grams of protein per serving.


Quinoa & Spinach Egg Bake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa 
8 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk (I used fat-free organic)
1 TBSP chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I recommend shredding your own)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a non-stick cooking spray to grease an 8x8 pan. 

Whisk everything but the spinach and cheese together in a bowl; stir in spinach. Pour mixture into prepared 8x8 dish. Gently jiggle so the quinoa falls to the bottom. Cover with foil and bake until egg is set, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Enjoy!

Black-Eyed Pea & Kale Soup

If there's anything at all I've learned from nursing school, it's that you don't challenge a superstition. Like, full moons are always crazy, and you never ever say "quiet." So I figured for New Year's Day, we needed black eyed peas for good luck. In looking for a recipe, I found that leafy greens and pork are also "good" things to eat on New Year's. I located a recipe from Whole Foods that included all those things, except I opted to use kale instead of collard greens. The soup turned out really well. Even my mother, who despises black eyed peas, enjoyed it. The only problem was that I had a sinus infection when I was cooking, so I may have added a little more ground cayenne pepper than necessary...but I guess the plus side to that was it helped clear me up! Anyway, it's a fabulous soup...just be careful how much punch you give it!

Black-Eyed Pea and Kale Soup

Ingredients:
2 cups dried black-eyed peas, let soak overnight and drain before cooking
2 TBSP EVOO
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 lb. Black Forest ham or smoked turkey breast cut into small cubes (optional)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch (or 1/2 bag) kale, chopped and stems removed
4 carrots, chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onion, garlic, and celery and cook until onion is translucent. Add peas, broth and ham; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until peas are tender. Add kale and carrots and simmer until tender. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Enjoy!

 

My final semester of undergrad is well underway. My calendar is literally the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. Seriously. I've been back at school for a week and my roommate and I didn't have time to talk to each other until today. So I really shouldn't be on here blogging. I should be writing a research paper, reading my books, and working on study guides, case studies, and other assignments. I'm at that place where there is so much to do, that I don't even know where to start. Yikes. Well, Biggest Loser is over so I guess I'll get off here and go workout. Then, maybe I'll actually get some sleep tonight. Maybe.