You know how sometimes you have a bad eating day and then you swear the next day you’re going to do better and not touch any chocolate covered pretzels on your boss’s desk? But then the next day arrives as unwanted as your period and you don’t know what to make for healthy breakfast and then your coworker calls telling you she’s bringing donuts to the morning meeting and while you’re listening to her explain the elaborate array of glazed and sprinkled donut holes she picked out, there’s a lone chocolate chip last bagel eyeing you from the counter, taunting you and wistfully calling your name?

Well, this is my solution to that.

Breakfast salad. Easy.
Just chop up some fruit and veg, put it in a bowl, and blam.
You have a breakfast salad – to go.

The ingredients are simple. Just spinach and fresh fruit.
Lemon juice, chia seeds and peanut butter act as an additional garnish.
You know, for protein, flavor ‘n stuff.

As I was preparing my salad John walked into the kitchen and we shared this exchange.

John: What are you making?
Me: A breakfast salad.
John: That’s my honey.
Me: Would you like some?
John: Aaahhhh, I’ll stick to coffee.

Then he walked off.

What do you expect? The boy doesn’t like veggies, especially not at 7a.m.
Coffee is his only sustenance until lunch. Lit’rally.
Clearly we have nothing in common when it comes to breakfast.

Breakfast Salad
serves 1 | vegan

Ingredients
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 green apple, sliced
4 strawberries, sliced
3/4 banana, sliced
1 orange, peeled and separated
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Method | Plate spinach and arrange with fruit. The prettier the better. Then sprinkle the entire salad with lemon juice and chia seeds. Place peanut butter in the corner for dipping. Marvelous.

I was beaming as I ate this.
It doesn’t get any healthier, fresher or more delicious than this.

It was like giving my body a big hug first thing in the morning.
My little way of saying ‘I love you, body. Thanks for being healthy for me.’
‘And for this, I will reward you with salad.’

We have a special bond, my body and I.

Breakfast salad. Yeah, I think I could get used to this.

Enjoy! Dana.

Last week I walked into work at my coffee shop and there lie a near empty container of black bean hummus. What to do, what to do…

Not but five feet away on a rolling rack, the day’s vegan seeded flatbread, just beckoning to be sampled.
You wouldn’t believe this BUT somehow a slice of the flatbread fell into the hummus and, before I knew it, I was tasting some of the best hummus I’d ever had in my life. [sound the angel chorus]

Yeah, it was that good.

The next day I inquired to our chef what was in it.
Black beans, he said. And all the other traditional hummus ingredients, plus cumin and cilantro.
Ah, brilliant. Why didn’t I think of that?

Black Bean Hummus 
inspired by Chef Jamie

Ingredients
1 can black beans, drained*
1 tsp cumin
pinch of salt
2-3 tsp minced garlic
2-3 Tbsp tahini
~1/4 c olive oil
large handful cilantro, stems mostly removed
juice of half a large lemon

Method | Place all of the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth and well combined. Drizzle the olive oil in while processing. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Serve room temperature or chilled with bread, pita, veggies or even tortilla chips.

*I didn’t drain all of the juice from my black beans and although it didn’t affect the flavor, it wasn’t as thick as I prefer. Reserving the liquid and then adding it back in as needed will allow you to better control the consistency.

This hummus is my new favorite! It has a completely different taste than traditional hummus, but in a good way. It’s exploding with bright lemon, garlic and smoky cumin flavor. And the cilantro will make you think there’s a hint of lime inside. Hmmm. It’s a mysteriously wonderful thing.

Shmear this on toasty sandwiches. Dip into it with fluffy triangular pieces of bread or crunchy carrots. Pour it over cheesy nachos. I don’t care how you eat it – you really can’t go wrong.

And that does it. Enjoy!

happy eating. xo. dana.

For two weeks I’ve been craving a cinnamon roll.
A big, fat, juicy one with a gooey center and lots of frosting.

But since there are no fabulous bakeries in town,
I was forced to make a batch myself one Saturday morning
with my friend, Rebecca, and her puppy, Nick.

What a terrible problem to have.

When he wasn’t on guard duty, Nick looked on curiously as we danced around each other in the kitchen, sipping coffee, singing ‘Flight of the Conchords’ songs and getting messy with our whole wheat dough. And after running a quick errand to the Asian market, this is what when we returned to.

Dough overload! Looks like the yeast got all yeasty and doubled over. Not a bad problem to have, I suppose – especially considering all my previous cinnamon roll attempts have yielded flat, cracker-like rolls.

After making some more coffee we rolled out our dough, piled on the butter,  brown sugar and cinnamon mixture, and rolllllled it up into fat pastry roll. It was so giant it took both of us to move it from counter to cutting board.

And some 30 minutes later in the oven, we had a hot pan of whole wheat cinnamon rolls on our hands. All that was left to do was frost – and frost, we did.

Wow, these were incredible. I loved the sight heartiness and nutty flavor the whole wheat flour gave them. They were so fluffy and moist. The cinnamon to sugar ratio was spot on, and the easy-to-make glaze sent them over-the-top.

Just one serving wasn’t enough. I had to have two rolls to satisfy my cravings. And they did not disappoint.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
From the Hope Mennonite Cookbook | yields 2 dozen

Ingredients
2 packages yeast (I used rapid rise, but either works)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups warm water, divided
3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
2/3 cup honey (I used part honey, agave, and maple syrup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
6-7 cups whole wheat flour

Filling Mixture
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 Tablespoons milk

Method | Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup of warm water. Add oil, honey, salt, eggs, remaining 1 cup water, and 2 cups of flour. Beat for 5 minutes on medium speed. Add remaining flour, beat for 5 minutes more. Switch to wooden spoon if it becomes too stiff. Let rise until doubled (at least 1-2 hours). Mix brown sugar mixture: place brown sugar, sugar, butter, flour and cinnamon in mixing bowl and mix until combined. Roll out dough in a large rectangle and cover with mixture. Roll up and cut into 1-1.5 inch rolls. Place in butter baking pan and bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and prepare icing. Then ice and eat immediately.

The pictures say it all. You will LOVE these cinnamon rolls. I promise.

Enjoy,

Dana

Sometimes you just need to play with your food, especially when it’s snack time.
And this simple little bar is the perfect food for doing just that.
No cuttlery, napkins or proper table manners required.
Just grab a square and get as messy as you please.

I think I’m going to be a good mom.

Plus, with only four ingredients, it doesn’t get any more easy.
Assuming you have some cereal, peanut butter and honey lying around, you’re already in business.
The cereal-bar making business, that is.

4-Ingredient Cheerio Snack Bars
adapted from taste of home

Ingredients
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 peanut butter (I used natural crunchy)
2-3 cups plain cheerios

Method | Combine sugar and honey together in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter until smooth. Then, fold in the Cheerios and put into a greased loaf pan or 9×9 glass pan. Chill for an hour, slice into bars  – should yield 12 servings. Store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag to maintain freshness.

First off I should say that I made the moronic decision of using honey nut cheerios instead of plain so mine turned out a tad bit sweet. But if you use plain they’re sure to turn out perfectly.

The cheerios maintain their light, crunchy texture, and the peanut butter and honey meld together perfectly to bind the bars and provide a delightful, honey nut flavor.

These would be great for take-along snacks, road trips, picnics and kids (no I’m not pregnant – not even close. don’t get any ideas).

And according to the original recipe, each bar will only set ya back about 95 calories, 3 grams of fat and 16 grams of carbs. So all in all, a pretty healthy little bar.

Enjoy!

Oh, and the randomly-selected winner of my LUNA Fiber Bar Giveaway is Katherine W. Congrats Katherine! I’ll be emailing you shortly to arrange sending you your prize. Thanks to everyone who participated, and stay tuned for more fun giveaways in the future.

-Dana

Typically, I wouldn’t put an egg anywhere near my oats.
Or a green onion.
Or spinach.
Or anything remotely salt, for that matter.

Normally, I like to keep my oats sweet with fruit, honey, chocolate and the like.
Read: I’m a sugar fiend.

However, sometimes, it’s good to try new things.
And so for the sake of branching out, I strayed from the sweet [gasp] and headed right to savory town.
And, it certainly didn’t disappoint.

When I started toying around with the idea of a savory version of oatmeal, my mind went straight to the basics:
eggs
onion
spinach
parmesan

So, that’s what I did. I stuck with the basics and kinda sorta hit a breakfast home run.

Although savory oats have a much different flavor than their sweet counterpart, they have the same thick, creamy texture that I love. And depending on how you make them, they can be incredibly healthy considering the healthy balance of carbs, veggies, fats and proteins they provide.

This, of course, is all besides the fact that they taste really, really good.

Savory Oats

Ingredients
scant 1/2 cup oats
1 cup water
1/4 cup milk
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach
salt, pepper and garlic powder
parmesan cheese
1 egg

Method | Over medium heat, cook green onions in a dash of olive oil or cooking spray. Season lightly with salt and pepper and stir for a few minutes until the onions are soft. Then add spinach. Next add the oats and water and raise the heat so the mixture comes to a low boil. After another minute or so, lower heat slightly and add the milk and season again with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Once the mixture is creamy and thick, remove from the heat and add desired amount of parmesan cheese and stir [I added a couple Tablespoons]. In a serving bowl, add another small handful of chopped spinach and then add the oats. Then, add a cooked, seasoned egg [I prefer sunny side], and garnish with a few more sprinkles of fresh spinach.

Salty? Check.
Cheesy? Check.
Creamy? Check.
Hearty, healthy and delicious? Check, check and check.

The flavors meld together beautifully to create a dish that almost reminiscent of cheesy rice.
And with the runny egg on top each bite is a taste of farm fresh heaven.
Ahhh, breakfast. I didn’t think I could love you anymore than I already do. But it happened.

Enjoy,
Dana

Hey guess what. I’m kind of addicted to pineapple.

Especially when it’s married to Tomato.

And Onion.

And Juan Jalapeno.

And Elvis Parsley.

So I guess that makes this…Mrs. Pineapple Tomato Onion Juan Jalapeno Elvis Parsley Salsa. Errr whatever.

John and I are usually boring salsa people.
Give us a well salted mix of overpureed tomato, onion and jalapeno and we are two happy white kids.
Oh, and we love chips. Don’t forget the chips or else, we’ll get angsty.

This salsa is the best of both worlds – salty and sweet!
If you love the sweetness of pineapple and the saltiness of traditional salsa, you’ll love this version.

Pineapple Salsa
inspired by Chef Jamie

Ingredients
1/2 a pineapple {or 1 can} roughly chopped
1/3 red onion, diced
1 tomato, chopped
1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
1 large handful parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice {or sub lime}
salt and pepper

Method | Simple. Mix together and season to taste. Make sure some of the pineapple juice gets in the mix to ensure it’s extra tasty.

There are four things you should know about this salsa.

1) It’s delicious with chips.
2) It’s delicious in tacos.
e) It’s delicious atop towering taco salads.
4) And it’s extra delicious when eaten straight from the bowl with a giant SPOON.

Trust me on the last one. I tested it four times over. It’s legit.

Enjoy! Dana.