Make Ahead Spinach, Bacon and Egg Sandwiches

It's about to get really really busy up in here. Next week, I'm on the longer shifts at work so I'll be starting early most days, then the week after we have a big big PR event that I'm partially responsible for, then we go on our dark and I'm away for most of two weeks... one week in Antigua, one day in New York, then two or three days in the mountains learning to Snowboard with the new boy. I'm learning, not him. He can already Snowboard quite well,  although there was an incident with a tree last season that best not spoken of.

When I go into a period where I'm about to get busy, I try and be smart and prep ahead with food in the freezer so I'm not busy and tired AND hungry. Honestly, you don't want me to be all three. I'm awful. I'll start by getting cranky, then I'll just live on the verge of tears where any little thing can make me cry. I am not fun when I'm busy and tired and hungry.

But the promise of vacation is coming. I think the last time I went on a real holiday was when I was a teenager. Every other time I've been responsible for someone else, or visiting family, or something else where I can't relax. I'm so happy I get to just take a week on a beach with no one but my Mum and Stepdad, and unlimited food, drink, beach and sleeping.

So anyways. Make ahead stuff. I've seen a version of this knocking around Pinterest for a while. I figured I would go ahead and play around and see what I could come up with. I'm a big fan of adding bacon to things, and when I was making this, I had a really really good idea. I was cooking the bacon, and prepping the muffin cups, and I was about to reach for some cooking spray when I said Nay! Thou Shalt Not Use Cooking Spray, Thou Shalt Use Bacon Grease!! And yea verily, a bacon grease smeared muffin cup was born. For I am mighty in my use of bacon. I love my brain sometimes.

So yeah, screw the spray, use the bacon grease. I made six of these and after they had cooled, I wrapped them in foil and put them in a freezer bag. When I want one, it'll be two minutes in the microwave, add a slice of cheese and an English Muffin, and I'll be out the door on my way to make people fly through the air.

Make Ahead Spinach, Bacon and Egg Sandwiches

6 Eggs
3 Rashers of Bacon, cut in half
1 Cup Spinach
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the over to 350F. Cook the bacon in a skillet until mostly done. Use a basting brush to coat six muffin cups with bacon grease. Layer in the spinach so that it is essentially lining the muffin cup.
Lay a piece of bacon in each cup. I like to flip it over a little so it's like a little ball of bacon. Break an egg into each cup and put a few grinds of salt and pepper over each one.

 

Bake in the oven for twenty minutes. Everything will be cooked through and delicious. Allow to cool then wrap individually in foil, and place in a freezer. To use later, unwrap from the foil, pop in the microwave for two minutes or a little longer if needed. Add a slice of cheese and an English Muffin and you've got breakfast. 

Eat hurriedly whilst heading to your car. Then double back because you left your coffee on the counter. 

Makes 6.

Color Me Rad

So, I have a new blog design, courtesy of the lovely Kathleen. It's a lot less standard blogger and a lot more individual which I like. What do you think?

It's been a bit dull over here in the Valley the last week or so. I did, however, get to do something pretty cool. I got to run in the Color Me Rad 5K here in Vegas.It's a neat race... they have them all over the country. Basically, you run and you get pelted with paint powder at various intervals throughout the race, and a whole bunch at the end. It's non-competetive and it isn't timed, so it's a lot of fun.

I really like running 5K. I've gotten a lot better at them, and I really like running with a bunch of people.

Here is my before shot, with the lovely Dan and Kate. Dan wasn't running, but he was nice enough to hold the car keys. We also made sure he got a good dose of paint on him at the end. 

Here is how we looked after. Nice and messy in front of the final paint station. We'd had an adult slumber party the night before and stayed up very late drinking rum, playing Wii bowling, and chatting, so we were running on less than four hours sleep. I'm amazed at how energetic we looked!

Afterwards I heading home to shower. The amount of paint was ridiculous! I had to wash my hair twice to get it all out, and my shower looked like it had been attacked by a parade of angry smurfs. It was back to bed and then a bowl of my favorite comfort food... mashed potatoes with peas and gravy, washed down with a cup of tea.

All in all a good time was had, and I'm really glad I did it. Time to find another race to run! I'm really wanting to do a 10K next.

Healthy Scrambled Egg Wrap

I know, I know. I'm on another breakfast kick that I can't seem to shake. I'm not complaining, though, because this one is really really good.

I've mentioned a few times before that I went through a period of weight loss over the last year. It wasn't easy, and I'm still working my ass off to maintain my current level of fitness. I'm so much healthier, happier and I have more energy. These days I try and do a big run on Tuesdays.... hoping to reach my goal of being able to run a 10K (6.2 miles) in an hour by the 1st of December. I'm at 5.81 miles right now and continuing to push. I try and do at least three 20+ minute runs at other times during the week, and I'm also starting to add in some more toning and shaping.

I'm happy with how far I've come and I'm happy with where I'm going. The only problem is that I've come to realize that it's going to be very easy for me to backslide. Gone are the days when I could eat anything that I wanted. Now it's all about portion control. If I make cookies, I eat one or two and I don't eat half a cup of the dough any more.

So I'm frequently on the look out for lower calorie, flavorful food that I can put into my regular rotation. A while ago I decided that I don't eat enough veggies, so I starting going more for scrambled eggs with spinach and other vegetables, instead of my usual poached egg on toast.

I've made this combination as just a bowl of scrambled eggs, as a breakfast sandwich using Sandwich Thins, and as a wrap. Honestly, in my opinion, the wrap is the best choice. It comes together quickly and it's really delicious. It won't break the calorie bank, and it's nice and filling.

Healthy Scrambled Egg Wrap

1/2 Cup Spinach
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Egg Whites
2 Tablespoons Goat Cheese
1 Tablespoon Sundried Tomatoes (chopped small)
1 Teaspoon Butter Replacer (I use Store Brand I Can't Believe it's Not Butter)
1 Whole Wheat Flour Tortilla
Salt
Pepper

In a saucepan over a medium/low heat, melt the butter replacer. Add in the sundried tomatoes, egg and egg white, and a few grinds of salt and pepper. The key to scrambled eggs is cook over a gentle heat and to stir frequently. So, stir frequently and gently until the eggs are cooked most of the way through. Add the spinach and cook for a few more seconds, then add the goat cheese.

Warm your flour tortilla just a little by setting over the flame of a stove for 5 seconds each side. Turn out your eggs onto the tortilla, wrap up and serve.

Eat at the dining room table, staring out a window at rare fluffy clouds.

Serves 1.

Chicken and Broccoli Asian Noodle Bowl

I love Asian food. Whenever I go out to eat with a friend, I find myself always suggesting Sushi or Vietnamese or Thai or Indian. I'm not really sure why that is. I think I just really love fresh flavors with lots of salty soy goodness, and I've always been a big fan of ginger. I love a good Pad Thai, or some Chicken Tikka Masala, or a Rainbow Roll. I never seem to want to eat American. It's weird. 

I've been eating out a lot recently. When you spend lots of time with friends, and when you're dating someone new, this tends to happen I think. I think that is why it's been so quiet around here. I'm not spending time in my kitchen. Though it is still my happy place, I have more than one happy place now. It's odd, but good. 

A couple of weeks ago, I finally had an evening where I was home by myself and in the mood to cook. The pantry busting continues, and this time the victim was rice noodles. It's hard to figure out exactly how much I used in this dish, but it came out to about a cup when cooked. 

 Chicken and Broccoli Asian Noodle Bowl

Marinade
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice
Sesame Oil, a few drops
1 Inch Ginger, minced
1 Chicken Breast, diced into 1 inch chunks

Olive Oil
1 Red Pepper, diced
1/2 Cup Peas
1/2 Cup Broccoli Florets
1 Cup Rice Noodles

Prep your marinade and chicken. Mix all the ingredients for it together in a sealable tupperware container or a freezer bag. Add the chicken and mix well to coat. Allow to marinate for at least an hour, longer is always better.

Cook your rice noodles by boiling water, then turning off the heat and letting them soak. Takes about 10 minutes.

In a wok or wide pan, heat a tablespoon or two of the olive oil. Add the chicken and all the marinade. Cook for a about four minutes until the chicken is starting to cook well. Add the red pepper and then broccoli. Cook for two more minutes, add the drained rice noodles and the peas and cook for a couple of minutes more. Make sure your chicken is done.

Eat out of your favorite bowl with a little extra soy sauce if your palate is salty. Catch up on How I Met Your Mother.

Makes two large servings. Good for leftover lunch the next day, too.

Where the Hell is Redd?

 

I'm not really here. I'm everywhere and nowhere doing everything and nothing. I'm working at the Circus, I'm spending time with my friends. I'm hanging out around firepits at 1 in the morning, drinking Pecan Abita and talking about love. I'm going to Antigua in a month. I need to buy a new Bikini. I'm doing a 4-day detox. I have no idea if I'll make it four days, but I'm going to try. All of my ex-stunt guys stuff is now out of my house. I have more closet space than I thought. I really don't have a lot of stuff. Where did all my stuff go? Wednesdays and Fridays are my favorite days now. Tuesdays are pretty fun too, when they involve going to eat at random ethnic restaurants with my awesome girl friends.

I had this Blueberry and Lemon Curd crepe at Crepe Expectations. It was tangy and delicious and smacked me in the face with flavor. It was a Sunday morning and I was drinking coffee with Chantal as we talked about her upcoming wedding. They have a Pear and Cheese crepe that I want to try so badly the next time I'm there. Really amazing service, too.

I ate this Eggplant Grilled Cheese at Bread and Butter, which is where I've been hanging out pretty much every Tuesday afternoon. I sit and I read and I eat a pastry, or a sandwich. I drink Earl Grey tea. The lady behind the counter is amazingly nice to me. She makes me smile. I always sit in the same place. I think of it as "my spot". I'm nuts about their raspberry muffins.

 

I ate this Masaman Curry at Pin Kaow, while catching up with my friend Dragan. This place was recommended to me by a friend. I liked it a lot. Nice atmosphere, nice food. The service was a little slow, but I was happy with the curry. I'm a sucker for Thai food. I eat it way more often that I think I realize. It's delicious. I need to come back here and try their Panang curry too, and their Pad Thai of course.

 

It's been a long time since someone gave me flowers for no good reason. I'm a big fan of said someone.