The bright side of lazy

Sometimes laziness is bad...like when I'm too lazy to do the dishes and before I know it there isn't a clean fork in the house and we all have to eat with our grubby little paws, or when the kids are asleep but I'm watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse because I'm just too damn lazy to get up and get the remote so I can change the channel.  But then there is laziness that forces you to think outside the box and possibly come up with things you wouldn't have otherwise. 

Enter moi trying to make a ricotta bake and realizing that I have no eggs in the house.  ZERO ZILCH NADA.  So, I sat around half the day debating if I wanted to change out of my pajamas and go to the store for some eggs, and by 1pm I could sense that it would not happen.  So, I got creative.  I googled ways to replace eggs in recipes and there are whole bunch of options.  The option I chose was a banana.  So, here you go!

Ingredients:

16 Ozs. ricotta
1/3 cup liquid egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
4 Tbs cream of wheat/farina
1 banana
1 Handful of dried fruit (optional)

Directions:
Beat egg whites until they are foamy and smooth.  In a separate bowl mix ricotta, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, farina, and mashed or pureed banana.  Add in a handful of dried fruit.  You can, of course, substitue dried fruit for just raisins or chocolate chips or nute or ALL THREE!  Fold egg whites into the mixture, and bake in a 9x9 pan at 300 degrees for about one hour.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Tomatoes

My hubby has been on a stuffed pepper kick.  He has literally made them three or four times in the last couple of weeks.  I, however, despise all things pepper.  Can NOT stand the smell.  So, yesterday for dinner I decided to make stuffed tomatoes.  These were not originally going to be vegetarian until I realized I had no defrosted meat.  YAY for planning ahead! And after that they became a complete improvisation.  But they were pretty yummy so here goes:

Ingredients:
4 Tomatoes
1 cup of quinoa
1/4 onion
1/2 small pack of mushrooms
5 Basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic
salt/pepper to taste
1 handful of cheese (Parmesan would be great- I didn't have any so I used Mexican blend)

Directions:
Cut the tomatoes in half, scoop out the insides and toss (or eat for fun).  Sprinkle a little salt in the tomatoes and turn upside down to drain the moisture (10-15 minutes).  Chop up mushrooms, onion, basil, and garlic.  Mix in a bowl with quinoa, salt, pepper, and cheese.  Spoon into your tomato cups.  Sprinke some more cheese on top.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Oopsy Daisy

I have a weakness for all things carby and especially sweet.  I simply can't resist a brownie, cake, chocolate, etc.  You get the idea???  So, in my quest for healthy treats I have been trying to substitute things here and there and see what I can come up with.  I don't want to pretend that it is easy or that I have found this miraculous way to eat whatever you want and still be healthy and/or skinny.  So, I present to you this failure of a banana bread. Gluten Free, blah blah blah, it tastes like a damn baked banana. 

Another Yumsy in My Tumsy

I remember when I was little, I loved helping my mom in the kitchen.  I wanted so much to be her little helper, and learn how to do everything she does.  That woman can do no wrong in the kitchen.  But as I grew up, I never really developed that love for cooking and all things domestic.  I am a self-proclaimed messy girl.  I'd rather spend a day in the park than at home cleaning and cooking.  Can you really blame me???  But the more I learned about the dangers of processed foods and thought about the long-term effects of how I was eating, the more I realized that in order to be able to go to the park and chase my kids I needed to start enjoying making food for myself.  I have to say, I am loving coming up with new recipes and different ways to mix flavors.  Homemade, organic, healthy, AND delicious!  My latest creation is Mango Shrimp Salad:

Ingredients:

1 Avocado
15 Cherry Tomatoes
1/3 Large English Cucumber
Cilantro (Eyeballed)
1 Mango
1/2 White Onion
20-30 Medium Shrimp
1T Lime Juice
1T EVOO
Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:
Chop, mix, EAT!