This blog goes out to my friend Grant, for his request for quick and easy meals is all about yogurt. I go through waves of eating yogurt. I don't typically have it for breakfast, it's more of mid-morning snack for me. That being said, I could use a bit more in my life and so should you. I'd stray away from the mixed fruit and yogurt or flavoured yogurts. Go straight for the plain yogurt (Greek is the best!). Whether you choose non-fat or something more is completely up to you. Let's start with something simple. Just get a cup of yogurt out of that container and add something to it! Buy granola to toss with it, or some fresh or frozen fruit. Go ahead and mix all three together to have a fuller start to your morning. I tend to throw yogurt together with frozen blueberries or raspberries. For a little added touch, I've gone and added some unsweetened cocoa powder. I bought some mixed snack packages from @Nakedsnacks (www.nakedsnacks.ca) and if gave me some good ideas for what you can throw into yogurt. Their two granola packages (one regular and one chocolate) have an assortment of items including, but not limited to, various seeds, dried cranberries, coconut and dark chocolate. You could spend an eternity going through a bulk section buying all individual ingredients or buy packages pre-packaged. I should add stray away from those with additives. Go for organic/natural. If you want a yogurt breakfast, I'm assuming you want healthy, so shop smart. Adding fruit, seeds, almonds/nuts, honey, oats or bran buds (yup I add those for fibre) are all great additions to yogurt. Even sprinkling in some cinnamon or cocoa power can make it that much better! One thing to think about may be - what would you put into a smoothie? Odds are if you add it to that you can just mix in with your yogurt (PB and J anyone?). Are you a smoothie person? Have your meal on the go! If you don't want to prep in the morning, don't! Do it the night before. You may have to give it a stir out of the fridge but it'll be good as new again! When making your smoothie, I suggest always adding spinach. We all know the health benefits of spinach and you'll never notice it. If you prefer, adding protein powder will also provide that balance for a perfect meal. Go all fruity whether it' strawberries, blackberries or bananas. Add some flack seeds or oats, maybe some cocoa powder for flavour and you've got yourself a mighty shake! Get a little adventurous and make a peanut butter and jam smoothie. It works and it's delicious. So.... add your yogurt, then some milk (regular, soy, almost, coconut), then some fruit, seeds and whatever else. Add some orange or pineapple juice or some honey, vanilla or maple syrup. Just use certain ingredients in moderation so you have a solid healthy meal. If you want to get more creative with yogurt, whether it be a sour cream replacement or mixed as a dressing or topping, check out these awesome ideas at http://greatist.com/health/greek-yogurt-recipes-healthy-delicious. Go ahead and mix yogurt with a dollop of mayo to create some seafood patties or egg salad. Heck skip mayo ad mix yogurt with salsa or hummus. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy your yogurt and enjoy it quickly!
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Eggs. They're so versatile. Eat them on their own. Mix them up in a dish. Serve as a main component with anything! I think most of us forget that eggs can make an awesome, easy and quick meal. I eat eggs every day - 2 eggs over easy with a slice of toast to be exact. People say they don't have time in the morning... well guess what? Neither do I. I like to sleep until the last minute - wearing makeup would kill me! Yet every morning while I get ready I make a delicious full breakfast in less than 5 minutes. Some margarine, some eggs... boom! Breakfast. But why should it stop there? Eggs are great for any time of day and in any form. So you want quick and easy in your daily lives? Let's talk eggs then. And if you don't eat eggs, then tune into next week's yogurt week! I can go to Costco and buy a box of eggs (36) and go through that by myself long before the expiry. Worried about cholesterol? You really have nothing to worry about unless you already have a health condition. I don't think most of you eat them every day, so I think you're okay! The Super Quick and Easy I find scrambled eggs take the most work for this section. If you just want to just crack the egg in a pan then listen up. Breakfast, lunch or dinner - fried egg, eggs over easy and sunny-side up. They take virtually no effort and can be done in about 5 minutes. Add your basic salt and pepper or live on the edge and add some spices. Maybe you want something spicy? Add some paprika or cayenne pepper. Check out some good listings on my Breakfast page. There's many ways you can get creative and step it up a notch! Add some deli meat and make a fried egg sandwich <--the best part is taking a bite and hitting that runny yolk mmm. If you're not a fan, break the yolk in the skillet and just cook it all!. Take Another Five So you have some extra time. Got 10 minutes? Why not make some delicious poached eggs and just skip the hollandaise? (Well...I only do at home as making it is ridiculous). You can make poached eggs simply with water and vinegar. It takes 5 minutes. I think Alton Brown explains it quite well here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/perfect-poached-eggs-recipe.html. You can stop at that with some salt and pepper or add some spinach, meat and English muffins for something more - like my poached eggs with garlic-spinach. I recommend an egg poacher - cheap and quick to use! For scrambled eggs, you know the drill, but why not mix in some cheese? maybe cubed ham? Heck go ahead and make an egg breakfast wrap (for dinner?) with some salsa and cheese. Enter Omelette Mode You can throw just about anything into an omelette, which is why I think they're fantastic as a meal for any time of day. You can keep it super simple with just adding cheese, or use leftovers from last night's dinner to throw into the mix. A few of my favourites include the mushroom omelette, asparagus omelette and bacon and ham omelette. I usually only use two eggs per omelette - I feel it's all about the inside that counts. You can use heavy cream to water to whip up your eggs, depending on how fluffy you want those eggs to be (or how healthy). The timing will vary depending what kind of omelette you make but I'd say anywhere between 10-20 minutes. Master the omelette at home and you'll just be ordering the poached eggs for that hollandaise when you go out for breakfast or brunch! These are just some of the many ways you can make eggs come alive for a quick and delicious meal. You can even make a quick soup and add a hard or soft-boiled egg to it just to elevate the dish. So you have no idea what to make for dinner? I beg to differ. Eggs are a quick solution for when I'm on the go or when I'm incredibly lazy. So jump on it!
Ever bought canned tuna? When they're on for $1 or so, I stock up. Sure, my utmost laziest days may have me having it straight up, or with hot sauce or honey mustard. You get your protein, fish is healthy and it's quick. Okay... that's maybe too quick, but hey we all have our thing going on! I've had days where I've wanted to save myself a trip to the grocery store or just stared at a can wondering how I could get creative other than tuna salad. You could do tuna salad - no judgement it's delicious - buuuuut I'd like to take it a little further. Tuna Melts Easy for lunch or dinner, tuna melts are so quick to make. This baby will take about 15-20 minutes. Now, I don't always want a heavy meal and while you can mix the tuna with mayonnaise, I chose a lighter, chunkier and healthier route. I also never buy mayo. Enough said. I also ditched the bread on top and created an open-faced tuna melt for lunch one day. I wanted something quick and easy to make that didn't lead me to eating something I'd probably regret. You probably have most of these ingredients at home and if not, I think they are all ones you should always have on hand! What you need: 2 Slices sourdough bread (or any kind) 1 Can flaked tuna, drained 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/8 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp parsley 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper Salt and pepper for taste 1/4 Cup mild salsa 1/4 Cup diced green peppers 1 Green onion, finely chopped 1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast sourdough in toaster until golden brown. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine tuna, seasonings, salsa, green peppers and onion. Place tuna mixture on top of sourdough bread and add cover with cheddar cheese. Place in oven and bake until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve immediately. Tuna Cakes Burgers, salmon burgers, tuna cakes... made em all. Once again, I scoungered up what I had at home and made a delicious meal! Great for any time of day, eat tuna cakes sans bread or load it up into burger form! What you need: 2 Cans flaked tuna 2 tsp Dijon mustard 1/2 Cup white bread, crust removed, torn into small pieces 1 tsp lemon zest 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 Tbsp water or liquid from tuna + 1 tsp olive oil 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1-2 tsp dried) 2 Tbsp chopped green onions Salt and ground black pepper for taste 1 Egg 2 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp butter or margarine Instructions: Drain liquid from tuna cans. In a medium bowl, combine first 10 ingredients. Divide mixture into 4 parts; form a ball and flatten into a patty. Place patties on a parchment paper-lined plate and chill up to an hour (this helps the patties hold together). In a medium non-stick skillet, heat olive oil and butter on medium-high. Place patties in skillet and cook until nicely browned, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve with lemon wedges or as a burger or with tartar sauce! So there you have it for this week's easy meals! You can take no time and eat straight from the can or you can spend a few more minutes and make something quite worth while! Tuna cakes and tuna melts - have at em! |