recipe wednesday: soft boiled egg

this is more of a how to than a recipe... but it is one of my favorite meals, that took a while to perfect. 

hard boiled eggs are easy, you just stick the eggs in and boil the water, you don't really have to think about the time {as long as you boil them long enough}.  soft boiled are a little more tricky. i like mine not too runny and not too firm. i also enjoy mine on very crispy toast with a slice of avocado. yum!

how to make the perfect soft boiled egg:

-place your egg in a pot of cool water {be sure it is fully emerged}

-turn stove top on high heat and wait until water starts boiling

-as soon as the water starts to boil, set your timer to 5 minutes

-run your egg under cool water after 5 minutes is up

-don't wait too long to crack your egg

enjoy!

if all else fails, go buy yourself an egg timer. i had one for a while, and it works great. i must have left one in australia, and one in seattle, so i have had to learn how to perfect my soft boiled eggs sans timer.

love, kbn

recipe wednesday: lemon oatmeal cakes

husband and i were invited to a friends house for easter dinner. i wanted to bring a dessert, but knew that enough chocolate would be consumed {at least by my husband}, so i wanted to make something a bit more refreshing. 

i found this delicious looking recipe on pinterest {originally found here}, and decided it was easy enough to recreate. other than the butter, it isn't too bad for you. mine made 12 individual servings. i decided to use a cupcake pan instead of making them into bars and it worked great! this would also be great with a mini cupcake pan for smaller servings. 

what you need:

oatmeal cookie mix {i used betty crocker ®}

1 can condensed milk

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

2 tsp lemon zest

juice of about 2 lemons

step by step:

1. cut cold butter into the cookie mix with a fork {just cut into small pieces and mash with fork until crumbled}

2. crack the egg into mixture and stir 

3. press half the mixture into cupcake pan sprayed with cooking oil

4. bake for 15 minutes at 350 F {180 C}

5. mix condensed milk with lemon juice and lemon zest until blended well

6. pour the lemon mix evenly onto the baked cookie mixture

7. crumble the remaining cookie mix on top

8. bake for another 20-25 minutes and let cool for at least 30 mins before serving {it stores well in the fridge for up to a week}

have you made any pinterest inspired recipes lately? i have many more, as well as some originals to share with you soon!

love, kbn

banana+peanut butter=delicious!

anything that combines peanut butter and bananas makes me happy and if you mix chocolate in as well, it can't get much better. sometimes i think i could live off of those three ingredients. 

i found on pinterest some chocolate covered banana bites. after reading the recipe closer, i realized peanut butter was also on the ingredient list and i had to make them asap! you can find the original recipe here. 

i adjusted the recipe a little to fit my taste and they turned out perfect.

banana bites

2 bananas sliced into bite size pieces

1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 T peanut butter

crushed peanuts, coconut, sprinkles... to garnish

melt chocolate and peanut butter for 1 minute in the microwave, mix until nice and smooth. dip sliced bananas in the chocolate mixture {they don't have to look perfect}. garnish with whatever you feel like, i used crushed up peanuts, which turned out great. i placed mine on a plate covered in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer for an hour until hardened. i then placed them in a plastic bag and put back in the freezer until ready to eat.

here is the banana butter from chocolate covered katie that i decided to make. i eat a lot of peanut butter, i think i have an addiction. i thought it might be better for my waste line to make some banana butter to cut some calories. it is a fantastic hint of banana to my peanut butter fix, you should try it! find the recipe here. you can store it in the fridge and it is wonderful on a slice of toast.

enjoy!

spinach pancakes

i have been searching the internet, trying to find the perfect spinach pancake recipe to try. i decided to be money smart and use ingredients i already had in my pantry. 

my inspiration came from spabettie originally, which i found on pinterest. i then came up with a recipe of my own to fit my taste.

keally's spinach pancakes

ingredients:

1 cup spinach

1/2 cup flour {flour of your choice}

2 eggs {or egg substitute}

2 T chilled water

1 tsp peanut butter

dash of salt

blend spinach, water and eggs until smooth. add remaining ingredients and mix again until blended together. mixture will seem thin, but it is just fine. i let mine sit about 5 minutes while my non-stick pan heated up. cook like regular pancakes, they only need about a minute on each side.

healthy spinach pancake sandwich

i made a sandwich for dinner using my spinach pancakes. they turn out a bit denser than regular fluffy pancakes, but are great for a savory treat. i added my favorite ingredients to create the perfect sandwich; tomato, cheese and avocado-absolutely delicious! 

have a happy st. patty's day everyone!

st. patty's day oats

i really love adding spinach to my smoothies to make them green, so why not add spinach to my oats for a healthy does of iron first thing in the morning?!

i loved the result! it was very fresh tasting and you cannot taste the spinach at all {i promise!}

mine turned out more like a pudding because i blended all my oats in the blender, but you can make it thicker by following the instructions below.

ingredients:

40g of oats

handful of spinach

1/2 ripe banana

1 T plain {or vanilla} greek yogurt

1 T of peanut butter

1/4 tsp vanilla extract {can omit if using vanilla yogurt}

1/4 cup almond milk

sweetener: agave nectar, or raw sugar {optional-i omitted}

i cook about 20g of oats in the microwave with extra water and a pinch of salt the night before, and let it sit in the fridge over night. 

blend the refrigerated oats, spinach, banana, yogurt, peanut butter and milk {and sweetener if you are going to use it}. blend until smooth, cook the rest of your oats as usual and mix by hand into the blended mixture. 

garnish with some slices of banana and a dollop of yogurt.

enjoy!

homemade hummus

it's march! so in honor of st. patty's day, i came up with a green hummus recipe. i have been wanting to make my own hummus for a while and didn't realize just how easy it is. i always thought it was a daunting task, but with our new kitchen gadget, it is oh so easy!

husband recently bought a cuisinart smart stick, it works great to make hummus. he bought it to make single serve smoothies while he is on the road racing, so ill have to take advantage of it while he is home. i definitely recommend getting one if you make many recipes that require blending. it will save your blender and is a lot easier to clean too.

ingredients

our cuisinart smart stick

spinach hummus

keally's homemade green hummus:

1 {15 ounce can} of chickpeas/garbanzo beans

1 to 2 cloves garlic, diced

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp chili powder {optional}

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder {optional-i love garlic!}

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 cup fresh spinach

drain beans, reserve liquid. blend together all ingredients {except spinach}, slowly adding extra liquid from beans until you reach your desired texture. add spinach and blend again until smooth. 

enjoy with tortilla chips, bread, pita chips... or just with a spoon!

keally's green hummus

pumpkin pancakes

i had a half a can of pumpkin puree sitting in my fridge and i was about to go on a wonderful trip to visit my best friend and meet her beautiful babies... what to do with the pumpkin so it doesn't go bad? pumpkin pancakes of course! 

ingredients:

3/4 cup of pumpkin puree

1 cup of milk {i used almond milk}

1 cup of flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

2 Tbls sugar {i used agave nectar}

oats {i subbed some of the flour for extra oats}

directions:

mix all dry ingredients very well. add wet ingredients and mix again.

heat a non-stick skillet, add cooking spray or oil. 

pour your pancake batter and wait for it to bubble before flipping.

makes about 7-10 silver dollar size pancakes.

i enjoyed mine with a dollop of greek non-fat yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

i found an amazing new blog on pinterest called walk to the mailbox, it is the perfect place to get running inspiration if you are looking to enter any sort of long distance running race. also check out fit chick in the city.

my half marathon training

i have decided to train for a half marathon... call me crazy, but i am determined to see this through!

below is an example of the training schedule i have written for myself. making a schedule is the best way to keep myself on track and i cross off my days as i go to track my progress. it feels so good to cross off each run as i finish it!

-run: monday, wednesday, thursday, saturday

-rest days: tuesday, friday and sunday

-start with 3 miles and increase by approximately one mile every saturday

week 1) 13 miles total

week 2) 15 miles total

week 3) 16 miles total

week 4) 19 miles total

week 5) 21 miles total

week 6) 24 miles total

week 7) 26 miles total

week 8) 22 miles total

week 9) 18 miles total

week 10) race week! 21.1 miles total

{i tried to include the chart i created, but it wouldn't work}

i researched online a lot of different half marathon training schedules, and combined some together to come up with what would suit me best. on thursdays, if i am feeling sluggish or tired, i will do some weights and walk 2-3 miles, or do other cross training.

the reason you choose to run any distance race determines how successful you will be in completing the race. my reason is to accomplish a goal. i have wanted to run a half marathon for a while now, and i want to see it through. if you just want to loose weight, you might loose motivation once you reach your goal weight or start loosing weight at all. keep in mind that your goal should be to FINISH the race, not just to loose weight.

below is a photo of a my new favorite breakfast oatmeal. it is great to get more energy before or after a long run. i love oatmeal, but even if you don't like it, you will like this... it is so sweet and delicious!

pumpkin oatmeal with cream

i found inspiration for this oatmeal from chocolate covered katie's blog, her recipe can be found here.

i changed the recipe up a little bit. i didn't used the flake cereal, just oats, pumpkin puree, almond milk, agave syrup, and cinnamon.

i mixed the pumpkin puree with the oats and other ingredients, then let it sit over night with a bit more water. i microwaved the oats in the morning to take the chill off and made some delicious "cream" to go on top.

almond milk cream:
1 banana
3 T of almond milk {or any milk of choice}
cinnamon
1 tsp nut butter

directions:
mix all ingredients in a blender until thick and creamy, you can add more milk if the consistency is too thick.


enjoy! 

dinner for one please

happy v-day everyone! since husband is away on valentines day, i thought i should cook up a dinner for one. i made this delicious meal yesterday and will have the leftovers tonight for my v-day dinner, along with a sappy movie and a yummy sweet {healthy} dessert. maybe ill try this from chocolate covered katie's blog. 

spaghetti squash pizza:

ingredients:

1 small spaghetti squash

fresh kale {about 3 stems}

vegan cheese {or regular shredded cheese of your choice}

pizza sauce

1 garlic clove

olive oil

cut spaghetti squash in half {i microwaved for 4 minutes first to reduce cooking time}, cook in a pyrex dish, flesh up for 20-30 minutes at 375 F. while squash is cooking, saute garlic and kale in a skillet with olive oil until nice and crisp. shred squash and put into a small pyrex dish, add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. spread pizza sauce on top of squash and add kale and cheese. broil for a minute until cheese has melted and browned {keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn}. 

take a fork and dig in! it really is delicious and tastes like pizza!

ill post some more delicious vegan desserts i have been trying soon, they already passed the husband taste test! {though i am not vegan, i figure if i'm going to indulge, i should do it the healthy way-and they are really tasty too!}

a healthy baked breakfast

i know i said i would try to make chocolate covered katie's banana butter, and i did try it, but it was early morning and i didn't have time to take a photo before leaving for work. i used a bit more banana than i probably should have for the amount of peanut butter i had left, so it had a strong banana taste. i spread the mixture on my sandwich and had it for lunch, and it tasted like banana bread! yum! ill try this again now that i have more peanut butter. 

feeling more adventurous, i decided to make CCK's cookie dough boatmeal {sounds delicious-i know!}. i made it at night, knowing i had to be in to work at 7am and i also doubled the recipe so husband could try some as well when he woke up {hours after i did}. pictures of my creation below and the recipe can be found here. 

it was moist and delicious

sprinkled with cinnamon

i made it with a banana {maybe ill try applesauce next time i make it}

thanks katie, for all your delicious recipes! i already tried some others too!

ill share mine and tommy's february date night next-we saw the re-lighting of the slc olympic flame and had a camping trip {in our living room}

green smoothie

i love a green smoothie, it is so easy to make and delicious too!

 

ingredients: (for single serve, just double the ingredients to make for two people)

 

1 banana (ripe)

generous handful of spinach or kale

a few table spoons of greek non-fat yogurt (plain or vanilla)

almond milk (or any milk of your choice)

2 tablespoons of quick oats (optional)

1 tablespoon of peanut butter (optional)

all the ingredients ready to go, minus the peanut butter

 

just throw all ingredients into a blender, add the peanut butter and oats to make it a more subtantial meal. i add enough milk to make it the consistency i like, you can also add water instead of milk if you want to reduce calories. almond milk is pretty low on calories though, and lactose free.

ingredients ready to be blended together

i enjoyed my green smoothie today with some avocado spreaded on toast, it was a green day today and a totally delicious light lunch!

 

anyone out there have a favorite green smoothie recipe you want to share?

cake and presents

What is better than cake and presents? My husband just had his 29th birthday, getting up there! The big 3-0 next year. 

I love surprises, always have and always hope to be surprised (although I typically ruin surprises for myself). My husband on the other hand, is not so thrilled with surprises. I once threw him a surprise going away party with our friends in Athens, GA before he was headed back home to Australia for summer, and he was not amused. He was of course a good sport and went along with it, but I now know not to plan any more surprise parties for husband ; )

I did still want to surprise him when he woke up on his birthday with his big gift. We had been talking about getting a big flat screen t.v. since we moved into our new place. Our little 22" wasn't cutting it and we love to watch movies. We spent lots of time looking at t.v.'s at Best Buy (Tommy's favorite place), and narrowed it down to a few we liked. I went back and got one while he was off training in LA, stored it at a friends house, and woke up before he did on his bday to get the t.v. all set up. I wish I had some photos of me trying to haul it in the house, not an easy task! 

the big t.v. all set up ready for the surprise

He was surprised! I tried to get a video of him coming into the room and seeing the t.v. but he walked right in front of the video and all you can see is his shirt (oh well).

Now for cake! My mom always made us this delicious pizza cake for our birthday's growing up, and Tommy requested it. It was my first time making it and was fairly easy (this coming from a girl who is not a very good cook). 

desert pizza cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

2 cups mini marsh mellows

1 cup chocolate chips

M&M (or your favorite candy to top it off)

Preheat oven to 375 F/190 C

In a bowl, combine sugars, butters, vanilla and eggs (mix well)

Spoon the flour and gradually stir into the wet ingredients until a dough forms

Press dough into a round 12 or 14 inch pizza pan (I used square because I didn't have round)

Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown

Take out and sprinkle with toppings, bake another 10 minutes or until marsh mellows begin to puff up and brown. 

Let cool and enjoy! 

(disclaimer-this is not a healthy cake recipe, but who are we kidding, aren't you supposed to indulge on your birthday, your husbands birthday, your friends birthdays...)

We braved the snow (it doesn't faze anyone here in SLC) and had a delicious birthday dinner at Vinto's. They have amazing wood fired pizza's, then enjoyed some wine and pizza cake back at home with some friends. Perfect end to a successful birthday!

snow on our way to tommy's birthday dinner with friends