Meatless Monday LinkUp & Pumpkin Recipe RoundUp

I Love Meatless Mondays!

It's been over 3 months since I cut out meat completely.  In the last 21 days or so I have eaten a few bits of chicken here and there (not gonna lie).  I have enjoyed not eating meat on a daily basis.  I feel great!

With Thanksgiving right around the corner I thought it would be nice to share a bunch of healthy PUMPKIN recipes
 

Southwestern Pumpkin Burger

Roasted Pumpkin Apple Soup

Pumpkin No-Bake Energy Bites

Pumpkin Spice Quinoa Breakfast Cookies

Skinny Pumpkin Granola

Joining me for Meatless Monday is Lydia @ Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen 

and Christie @ A Kitchen Hoor's Adventure

Are you ready to PARTY?
This party is LIVE for an entire month!!!  Each week you'll have another chance to add your meatless creations to the party.

Amazing Pancake Recipes for New Years!

Good Morning!  The NEW year is less than 72 hours away. Woohoo!!!
One last recipe round-up and then I'll get to the "best of" post.
I'm planning on making pancakes on New Years Day so I thought I'd share.  I included a few eggless varieties since I'm out of eggs at the moment.

Eggless Best Recipe Pancakes from Sailu's Kitchen

*I like this recipe because it uses butter and not vegetable oil*

REAL Food Yogurt Pancakes from Mary's Kitchen

Karina's Gluten Free Pancakes from Gluten Free Goddess

Fluffy Eggless Pancakes from Food.com

The Perfect Vegan Pancakes from One Ingredient Chef

There you have it!  Do you have have a favorite Pancake recipe? 
Please share your link in the comments!

Asparagus and Eggs

The past 2 weeks my husband has asked for "just a protein shake" for dinner.  While our shakes are healthy, filling and nutritious I get a bit bored after 2 weeks.  Last night I just wanted something different.

Eggs are a great source of protein and healthy fats.  They are also a great source of Omega-6, Vitamin A, Selenium, Iron and vitamin B12.

Steamed Asparagus are low-calorie source of fiber.  They are also a great source of Vitamin K, Vitamin A and Folate.

Steamed Asparagus and Eggs
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Asparagus, chopped and steamed
2 eggs, poached

Directions:
Wash asparagus, chop and steam.
To save time and extra dishes I microwaved my eggs as I did with
Mary's Breakfast Sammies.
*Microwave for approx 50 seconds. Watch it or it will POP all over your microwave*
Place the steamed asparagus in a bowl and top with eggs.
Salt and pepper to taste (optional).  Feel free to add sauce if you prefer.  This would have been great with Hollandaise sauce but I'm avoiding high calories at dinner.

I hope you have enjoyed Meatless on Monday # 30.  This is a great meal for breakfast, lunch OR dinner.

Sharing this delicious recipe at Tuesdays with a Twist , The Creative HomeAcre Hop , Foodie Friends Friday and HERE.

Yogurt Pancakes Recipe

I'm not sure why I wanted to use yogurt in pancakes this weekend but I really wanted pancakes.  We've been on a bit of a yogurt kick so the fridge is full.  I'm thinking about making my own but that's for another day.

I'm linking up again at Tuesdays with a Twist.  Join me!




Delicious Yogurt Pancakes
adapted from about.com

Ingredients:

1 cup flour (organic, non-bleached)
1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt 

(nonfat, low-fat, or whole milk all work here)

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. melted butter or oil (I used Coconut Oil)

Oil or spray oil for cooking

Directions:

Heat a griddle or large frying pan over medium high heat. Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl; then whisk yogurt and eggs together; add yogurt and eggs to flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in melted butter or oil.

Spray oil on hot griddle and spoon batter into even cakes – about 8 – and let cook until bubbles form on the surface of the cakes, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, about another 2 minutes.

This recipe makes about 8 pancakes so it can easily be doubled or tripled.

Coconut oil has many health benefits and gives any recipe a nice flavor.  Check out some of the great deals at Tropical Traditions:

Virgin Coconut Oil, Gold Label, 2-jar pack - 1 quart each




Virgin Coconut Oil, Green Label, 2-jar pack - 1 quart each





Special Price! - Organic Coconut Flakes - 1-lb Bag





Sharing this recipe at Tuesdays with a Twist, The HomeAcre Hop and HERE. 

Old Fashioned Pancakes and Happy New Year!

Good Morning and Happy New Year!!!

Today is a fantastic day for Pancakes.  Don't you think?  I found an easy recipe at allrecipes.com.  However, after making it I have to say that I prefer my pancakes a bit sweeter and less doughy.  SO, when I make this again I'll substitute the butter for applesauce which should give me a lighter, sweeter pancake.  Also, I like to add a generous sprinkle of cinnamon to my pancake batter.

Enjoy and "tweak away"!

Old Fashioned Pancakes

I'm lucky I took a picture before they vanished!

from allrecipes.com

Make 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups milk

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Mary's Breakfast Sammies!

I'm so excited to share one of our special little meals.  We actually eat them for lunch but they're perfect for breakfast.  We're cleaning up our diet a bit but that doesn't mean we can't have fun meals.

Find out more about My Journey HERE.  Also, there is still time to enter the Coconut Oil Giveaway AND the gmo-free Open Pollinated Seed Giveaway at It's Your Life.

Mary's Breakfast Sammies

makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients
2 English Muffins
2 eggs
2 slices of ham or Canadian bacon
cheese, sliced or grated
non-stick spray
Small bowl or large coffee mug.
MUST be microwave safe!

Directions
This is a rapid-fire sandwich.  I rush around the kitchen so that everything is done at once.  It's actually pretty funny.

Cook or warm up your ham/bacon.  Toast the English muffin.  Spray your small bowl with non-stick spray, crack an egg and add it to your bowl.

Microwave your egg for approx 50 seconds.  It will make a "pop" sound and it should be done.

Once your muffin is toasted add cheese then add the ham/bacon.  Once your egg is done place it on top of the ham. 

Cover with the top piece of the English muffin.  Repeat with remaining ingredients.  Serve hot!

Linking up HERE!

Health Alert Follow-up and Post-Gym Super Meal!

Almost all of my posts here have been about food.  Okay, ALL of my posts have been about food.  My first blog, Back to the Basics started out 3 years ago as health and nutrition but has evolved into DIY, health/nutrition and organic gardening.  I thought I'd share a little health information with you today.  Don't worry, there's a recipe at the end!

Last week at Back to the Basics I shared 
Rare form of Meningitis and Why I choose Chiropractic.  
This post is only just the beginning.  This morning I read that 15 people have died, 198 people have been infected with Meningitis and 14,000 people are at risk all because they received contaminated steroid injections. 

This is a perfect example of the potentially life-threatening side effects of "modern medicine." Between drug interactions, overdose and misuse the statistics are staggering!  In 2009, more people died from prescription drugs than in car accidents!  In 2008, prescription painkillers like oxycodone and hydrocodone, the main ingredients in Oxycontin and Vicodin, landed 305,885 Americans in emergency rooms -- more than double the 144,644 visits in 2004, according to a 2010 study by Samsha and the CDC.

Why not try "alternative" forms of treatment for pain, discomfort and to improve you quality of life?!  I encourage you to read Why I choose Chiropractic and let me know what you think!

And now for my recipe!  I thought I would share my favorite post-gym power meal.  Potatoes are high in potassium and are great for after a hard workout.  Eggs are high in protein which is important for your muscles post-workout.  Since we eat oatmeal for breakfast every morning I make eggs for lunch or dinner on workout days.

Power Meal: Eggs and Potatoes
2 large servings

Ingredients
For the potatoes:
1 large potato, chopped into medium cubes
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
1/2 packet of Liptons Onion soup mix
dash of pepper

For the eggs:
4 eggs
3 inches of turkey kielbasa, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
2 handfuls of raw spinach, steamed or sauteed and then drain

Directions
The potatoes take the longest to cook so I start on them first.

Bring a pot of water to boil while you chop the potato.  Add the potato to boil for about 7 minutes.  In a large skillet combine oil, potato, soup mix and pepper.  Cook on high for approx 20 minutes or until browned and slightly crispy.

While your potato is cooking, crack and scramble eggs, chop onion and bell pepper and steam spinach.  Be sure to squeeze out the spinach so your eggs aren't watery.  I use non-stick spray but you can use grapeseed oil if you prefer.  In a large pan on medium-high (with spray or oil) add chopped kielbasa, onion and bell pepper. 

Once the onion and bell pepper are cooked, pour in the eggs and mix.  Add the spinach in small pieces so you don't have a big chunk of spinach.  Cook as you would scrambled eggs.  Serve hot!

Linking up HERE.

Breakfast Anyone?

Sausage and Mushroom Breakfast Quiche

Makes 1 dozen mini quiches

Ingredients:

8 ounces turkey breakfast sausage, removed from casing
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 eggs
3 egg whites
1 cup 1% milk

Directions

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. Coat a nonstick muffin tin generously with cooking spray.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add oil to the pan. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in scallions, cheese and pepper.

Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk in a medium bowl. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each cup.

Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a rack on top of the pan, flip it over and turn the quiches out onto the rack. Turn upright and let cool completely.

Coconana Pancakes

Now this is a fantastic summer breakfast!  Coconut, bananas and pineapple...Oh my!

Coconana Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 tbs coconut flour

2 tbs reduced-fat shredded coconut

2 tbs vanilla protein powder

1/4 cup Egg Whites

2 tbs unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs stevia (sweetener)

1/2 tsp baking powder

45 g sliced/cubed banana

Pineapple (optional)

Directions:

Heat pan over medium. Coat with cooking spray.

Whisk together protein powder, stevia, baking powder, and flour. Add a pinch of sea salt and combine. Then work in almond milk, egg whites, vanilla, and shredded coconut. Slice banana in to batter and fold to combine.

Pour batter in to pan, cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until browned.

Serve with sliced pineapple and syrup.