Egg Muffins

Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day. Not only does this first meal break the fast that your body has been in overnight, it is your first opportunity to influence how the rest of your eating for the day will go. If you choose to eat a sugar-fueled breakfast then chances are high that you’ll continue to make poor food choices for the rest of the day.

These Ham and Chive Egg Muffins are the perfect blend of protein, fiber and flavor to start your day off right. Make a big batch on the weekend to provide days of on-the-go breakfasts for your busy workweek. Enjoy!

What you need
Serves 12

10 eggs
2 Tablespoons coconut cream
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper
1 cup cooked ham, chopped
1/4 cup fresh chives, minced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-muffin tin pan with coconut oil.

2. Whisk the eggs, cream, nutritional yeast, sea salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Add in the ham, chives and bell pepper. Divide the egg mixture equally between the 12 muffin tins.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-18 minutes, until set. Remove from the oven and cool before removing the egg muffins from muffin tins. Once fully cooled, store extras in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy!

Nutrition
One serving equals 89 calories, 6g fat, 2g carbohydrate, 0g sugar, 268mg sodium, 1g fiber, and 8g protein.

I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try this week. Remember that I’m only a call or email away to assist you in all things fitness. And if you are not yet one of my prized clients then call or email me now to set up your first workout – I’d love to help you achieve your best body ever!

Butternut Apple Ginger Soup

butternut

• 4 pounds whole butternut squash (about 2 medium), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick)
• 1 medium Granny Smith apple (about 8 ounces)
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the squash pieces cut-side up on the baking sheet. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and brush all of it over the tops and insides of the squash halves (alternatively, you can rub it on evenly with your fingers). Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until knife tender, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, peel, core, and cut the apple into medium dice. Cut the onion into medium dice. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the apple, onion, and sage, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
4. When the squash is ready, set the baking sheet on a wire rack until the squash is cool enough to handle. Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh into the saucepan with the sautéed apples and onions; discard the skins.
5. Add the broth, water, and measured salt and pepper, stir to combine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up any large pieces of squash, until the flavors meld, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream.
6. Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth, removing the small cap (the pour lid) from the blender lid and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam to escape and prevents the blender lid from popping off). Alternatively, use an immersion blender. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with the pumpkin seeds, if using.

http://www.chow.com/recipes/30466-roasted-butternut-squash-soup

Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Slaw

It seems that I gravitate towards some veggies more than others and this time of year we are getting large bags of Brussels sprouts in our Bountiful Basket. If you grew up hating Brussels Sprouts this is a sure bet it will change your mind. My theory is that by slicing them thin and then of course adding bacon to anything it will be a hit!

Ingredients

1 pound of Brussels Sprouts sliced thin

1 large apple or 2 small ones cut into bite size pieces

5 slices of bacon

Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned, but not crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the grease in the skillet. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.

Cook in your thinly sliced brussel sprouts. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until it softens, 5 to 7 minutes. Add in your apple cook another 2 minutes. Add your bacon back in and warm through.  Serve with a side of your favorite meat or bowl of soup.

Super Easy and this dish holds well for leftovers.

Sweet Chicken Salad

I don't eat mayonnaise - never have really. I go dry. As I got older I started using more spicy style mustard.

I hate it when I am doing laundry and I try so hard not to totally dry my sorta nice work-out clothing, the dry wick kind....just to find out as I am folding my clothes that I totally baked my work-out clothes. I guess that is why I never buy nice clothing - cause I will totally ruin it.

This idea is great when you have left over chicken in the fridge and it is starting to dry up on you. Okay maybe your chicken isn't dry but I always over cook my chicken.

For your Salad

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and cut up into bite size pieces

1 medium sized apple cut into bite size pieces. The sweeter the better

1 small green bell pepper, diced

For your Dressing

1 ripe avocado

2 tablespoons of mustard preferably a Dijon type.

2 tablespoons of olive

water as needed

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 tsp dried parsley

S/P

Mix your salad fix- ins into a bowl.

Prepare your dressing by adding in your avocado, mustard, olive oil and a tablespoon of water into your blender. Puree until smooth adding in more water as needed.  Pour over your salad along with your spices and stir together. Chill for about 15-20 minutes.

Then Eat!

Zucchini Garlic Soup

This recipe is inspired for two reasons. Well actually three reasons. #1 I had an abundance of zucchinis from my garden. #2 Zucchini is super cheap to buy most of the time. #3 Baby its cold outside, and who doesn't want to snuggle up with some soup. This is a super duper simple soup to make - and it can be made ahead and store in the fridge for later use or stocked up in the freezer for a quick add to dinner.

Olive Oil (coat the bottom of your pot) 1 white onion, sliced 8 to 9 large cloves garlic, sliced thinly 4 medium zucchini, about 1 1/2 pounds 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a heavy 4-quart pot over low heat. Add the sliced garlic and onions and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Keep the heat low enough that the garlic doesn't brown; you want everything to sweat.

When the onions are soft, add the zucchini and cook until soft. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer at a low heat for about 45 minutes. If you want a less bitter zucchini taste (which sometimes zucchini has) you can peel your zucchini before adding to the pot.

Let cool slightly, then blend with an immersion blender until creamy, or transfer to a standing blender to puree. Be very careful if you use the latter; only fill the blender half full with each batch, and hold the lid down tightly with a towel.

Taste and season with ginger, salt and pepper. Like most soups, this is significantly better after a night in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld. If you want a creamer richer tasting soup - add about 4 ounces of canned coconut milk to the blended soup.

This recipe was inspired by http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-zucchini-1-32520