Make-ahead quiche

Since I've made this recipe four times in the past few weeks, and countless times before that, I figured it was time to share the love. This quiche is quick, simple, and versatile. You can make it with a premade crust (not so clean) or without. It can even be made ahead of time and frozen** for later use. The cheeses and add-ins are completely up to you. Quiche is a great way to use up less-than-full-portions of meats and vegetables that might be getting lonesome in your fridge!

Today the ones I made were cheddar/broccoli/Canadian bacon, and cheddar/mozzarella/homegrown zucchini/Canadian bacon. It's great to have them ready for a fuss-free midweek dinner. We usually serve ours with fresh fruit and toast. In the fall I might swap the toast for some skillet potatoes and onion.

Quick Quiche -- inspired by an old recipe from allrecipes.com
serves 4

1 cup shredded cheese   (shred your own--better taste and texture)
3 teaspoons all-purpose flour   (King Arthur GF is great)
1/2 cup cooked meat, diced   (ham, bacon, chicken, sausage...)
1/2 cup chopped veggies   (broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, onion, potato...)
3 whole eggs
1 cup lowfat milk
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
1 Tbsp dried parsley (optional)
1 unbaked 9" pie crust (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.

2. In a medium bowl, toss flour with grated cheese. Sprinkle into lightly greased 9" pie plate or premade crust.

3. Put diced meat and veggies on top of cheese.

4. In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, mustard powder, and parsley. Whisk until smooth and pour over meat in pie plate.

5. Put dish on baking sheet in case of overflow. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until filling is set and top is golden brown. If using a pie crust, cover edges with aluminum foil halfway through cooking to prevent burning. 

**TO FREEZE: After all ingredients have been mixed and put into pie plate, cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap. Place a piece of foil over that and crimp edges tightly. Freeze FLAT! When ready to use, put pie plate onto a baking sheet and put into a cold oven. Allow oven and dish to pre/re-heat together. Cooking time will be closer to 60 minutes when using a frozen quiche.

Worth the wait

This morning I couldn't decide what I wanted for breakfast, but I knew I didn't want it to be the Chex and Rice Krispies that my men were enjoying. While I sipped my first cup of coffee (half caff with half-and-half, same as always), I had a piece of locally-made wheat toast spread with Earth Balance to stop my belly from grumbling and to buy me some time until I figured out what I really wanted. Not oatmeal. Not pancakes. No pumpkin to make a protein cake with... it took awhile, but I finally came up with a scrambled egg + egg white, spinach, and Sriracha wrap in a sprouted wheat tortilla. YUM. Warm and filling with just a hint of spice (should've increased the hot sauce), and perfect with my second cup of coffee. It wasn't that appealing looking, so no pic, but I'm pretty pleased with it--oh, and the fact that I successfully avoided putting fresh homemade whipped cream into my coffee. ;) Happy Friday!

Pumpkin protein breakfast cake

See all this?

 

Allergen-free* waffles

* If you use the flax "eggs" as described below, and rice- or almond milk, these can be gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free * If you are allergic to corn, then I'm sorry; this is not the mix for you!



My little guy loves waffles. He asks for one almost every morning. So when we got back from Alexandria and I hadn't gone shopping yet, we nearly had a toddler meltdown on our hands. Lucky for him (you know, since he didn't have to get a time-out for having a tantrum) I was able to whip up this semi-homemade version in just a few minutes.



Starting with Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pancake mix, I stirred in half a container of apple-carrot-sweet potato baby food, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. I also took a chance and added a second egg (the directions call for one) since I thought I remembered reading something like that on the package of Krusteaz pancake/waffle mix once. With a bit of milk and some canola oil, these were ready to be griddled.



I didn't know how they'd turn out, so I halved the recipe that is printed on the the package. Happy to report they were fantastic! No funky GF aftertaste or texture, with a nice wintery spice flavor from the nutmeg. The baby food puree is undetectable, but I feel like it gives us a little boost of orange-veggie intake that we may not have otherwise had.

These turned out so well, the little guy requested them again the next day. Alas, I'd used the last two eggs on the first (half) batch! Then I remembered that Bob's Red Mill pizza crust mix has an egg-free alternative suggestion: * mix together 1 Tbsp flax meal with 3 Tbsp cold water for each egg called for. Let this mixture sit for a few minutes, then use in place of the egg(s). That is exactly what I did, making enough flax-equivalent to replace the two eggs I didn't have.



The flax batch--the ones pictured--came out a little crispier than the ones I made the first time. I'm not sure if that's from the flax, or if I was slower taking them out of the waffle iron. They also stuck to the iron more than the eggy version, even after a spritz of nonstick cooking spray. Just be aware of this if you decide to make them. The original recipe, as printed on the back of the package, is as follows:

Gluten-Free Pancakes
from Bob's Red Mill
makes ~10 single waffles

1 1/2 cups gluten-free pancake mix mix
1 egg* (or flax "egg" - 1Tbsp ground flax + 3Tbsp water)
3/4 cup milk* (cow, almond, rice, etc.)
1 Tbsp oil

We made these again for Christmas morning, a full batch this time, with one egg and one flax "egg", and added cinnamon, nutmeg, and a full "Stage 2" container of apple-carrot-sweet potato baby food. I called them Gingerbread Waffles, and my in-laws gobbled them up.



Oh, and just so you really think we're cuckoo, I feel obligated to tell you that we made them again for breakfast today. Yeah, that's about 4 times in less than two weeks. They're GOOD!

Potato-crust veggie quiche

This recipe, our Sunday lunch, kind of formed in my head before I knew quite how to execute it. I'd seen the potato crust recipe on a cauliflower pie from Branny Boils Over, but knew for certain that The H would revolt if I tried to serve that as a meal. The end of the week in our house usually means breakfast for dinner so my thoughts turned to eggs. Along with the last three pattypan squash from co-op pickup and some red onion, I had a pretty quick and easy filling. We enjoyed co-op chicken apple sausage and homemade applesauce from a friend on the side.



If I'd had more time (the cranky time-bomb that is the little guy was D-O-N-E and ready for a nap) I would've liked to bake the unfilled crust longer; the brown parts on the edges at the very end were my favorite part. Just like hashbrowns!



Because of our limited time, I sauteed the squash and onion in a little olive oil with salt, pepper, and parsley to get them a head start before adding them to the crust to finish cooking.



Potato-Crust Veggie Quiche
adapted from Branny Boils Over and my own imagination

Potato crust:
2 cups packed grated raw potato
1/2 tsp salt
1 beaten egg white
1/4 cup grated onion

Veggie filling:
2 cups diced vegetables of your choice
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried parsley, optional
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup shredded cheese
3 eggs
1/2 cup low-fat milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400*. In a medium bowl, combine crust ingredients and mix well. Press firmly into a 9-inch pie plate that has been lightly greased (or sprayed) and bake 30 minutes. While crust is baking, dice vegetables and onion for filling.

In a large skillet, heat oil and saute veggies, onion, garlic powder, and parsley until slightly softened and browned.

When crust is done (it will look dry, not soupy, and will be browned at the edges), remove from oven and reduce temperature to 350*. Pour diced veggies and onion into crust. Top with shredded cheese.

Whisk eggs with salt, pepper, and milk and slowly pour over the veggies, letting it make its way in between everything. Set the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until filling is set. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Breakfast for dinner

Tonight the three of us went for a run after The H got home from work, so dinner needed to be something quick and easy that we could make afterwards and still get the little guy in bed at a decent time. I made a gluten-free coffeecake this afternoon, so we decided on eggs to round it out.

It ended up being a kind of fridge cleanout meal, since I got to use up the garlic scapes, golden zucchini, beet greens, and a few eggs, in addition to some cherries and a few near-wrinkly peaches that I served on the side.

The H requested poached over scrambled, so I nestled the eggs in the greens/zucchini and let them cook through a bit before putting them in the oven to set completely (make sure your skillet is oven-safe if you try this). I meant to put some goat cheese in there, but I forgot.

Breakfast for dinner = coffee, so The H made a fresh pot, and we were good to go.

Summertime, and the livin' is CHILLY!

The high temperature yesterday was barely into the 70s. It was breezy and sunny, and perfect--as close to fall as we'll get for the next few months! My favorite. I celebrated it with a trip to the farmer's market AND by looking ahead to *real* fall weather and registering for my first full marathon in October! (FYI, a marathon is always 26.2 miles--always. Anything less is not a marathon; anything more is an "ultra"marathon.) I've been following an 18-week training plan for the past 2 1/2 weeks, so it was about time I officially registered. Wish me luck!

Lunch was a lovely little autumnal beet-green-and-poached-egg skillet topped with crumbled goat cheese, sea salt, and black pepper. Those odd little yellow-green things are garlic scapes and green onions, from last week's trip to the market. I chased it all down with a warm, steamy mug of Oregon Chai. Cheers to summertime fall!

Roasted Beet Frittata with Goat Cheese

This was my first experience with beet greens. When I've bought fresh beets in the past (and it's been less than a year now) they've either been trimmed already, or the tops didn't look appealing enough to save. This time, however, the set of greens on my beets was so fresh and vibrant that I couldn't imagine throwing them away. Instead, I set out to find a great recipe for them.

My search led me to a starred post in my Google Reader, Roasted Beet Frittata with Beet Greens, Shallots, and Goat Cheese from Cara's Cravings. I've made a lot of great recipes from her blog, and this was no exception.

Roasted Beet Frittata with Beet Greens

from Cara's Cravings

serves 1 as written

1 small shallot, minced, about 20g

1 bunch fresh beet greens, rinsed well and rough-chopped

Freshly roasted beets, about 85g, sliced thin

2 large eggs

2 Tbsp non-fat milk

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1 oz soft goat cheese

1/4 oz chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. On the stovetop, heat a small, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Spritz with cooking spray and add shallots. Cook for a few minutes until softened.

3. Add beet greens to skillet and continue to cook until wilted.

4. Whisk together eggs and milk; season with salt and pepper. Arrange beets on top of shallots and greens in skillet.

5. Raise the heat to medium-high and pour the eggs over the vegetables. Let cook without stirring for a few minutes so the bottom can set.

6. Crumble the goat cheese over the top and add pecans. Place skillet in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until top is set.

I thought I had everything to make this as written, but it turns out the last of my pecans got tossed into my oatmeal this morning, so I subbed in pine nuts (which the little guy calls "pinecone seeds") and we proceeded without a hitch (the first pic above shows walnuts, which I thought I'd use, but decided against because of their stronger flavor). My 12" cast-iron skillet worked great for this recipe (use a pot-holder on the handles!) since I sort of doubled the recipe to feed the three of us. It was a little thin, but nobody seemed to mind.

When you use beet greens, make sure to rinse them really well. They are dirty, sandy little buggers! Even though I rinsed several times and spun them dry on food-prep day, I still had to let them sit in cold water tonight (twice) and swish them around to loosen all the grit.

As for quantities, I used two shallots, three whole eggs and two additional egg whites, about 128g of beets since that is what I had left after roasting some this weekend, 2 ounces of goat cheese, 0.5 ounces pinenuts, 1/4 cup of milk, and five fresh baby bella mushrooms to bulk it up a little more.

The H ate half of the skillet shown, and the little guy and I shared the other half. He happily gobbled up his slice, beets, greens and all, which blew me away. He loved that we called it "cheesy pinecone seed eggs." I've said it before--when it comes to kids (or picky husbands)--whatever works!

I love how quickly and easily this came together, considering that my beets and greens were already mostly prepped, and my goat cheese was pre-crumbled. While this was on the stovetop I thought two things: 1) add the cheese and nuts right after you add the eggs, so the cheese can really soften and the nuts can "settle" into the eggs more, and 2) this would make a beautiful addition to a Mother's Day brunch--I will definitely be making it again, and probably very soon.

The weekend!

Happy Saturday! I hope you had a beautiful, relaxing day. We didn't have any real plans this morning, other than spending some time with my sister. Even though the little guy was up before the sun (ok, so it was raining anyway) we had a nice morning chilling with each other while we got ready for the day. The sun came out later, which made for a grand afternoon. My little guy adores being outside, so I'm glad we were eventually able to get out of the house!

7:30am - breakfast

Steel-cut oats with walnut, raisins, and maple syrup (local).

10:30am - snack

Low-fat string cheese and a banana before going garage-sale shopping with my sister.

12:00pm - a few chocolate-covered edamame and water while we wandered and browsed.

1:00pm - lunch

We stopped at my sis's alma mater to watch a little of the rugby match. I'd packed a picnic lunch, but we started with the free hot dogs and popcorn they were serving. Then we shared some fresh fruit (pineapple, cantaloupe, strawberries), grape tomatoes, water, and veggie Pirate's Booty, and then I had a dark mint-chocolate square.

Don't you love my gigantic thermal bag? I found it at the grocery store for $8 and it's amazing! I have been huntingfor a nice-looking cooler, since that is what The Eat-Clean Diet author suggests for toting clean eats on the go (not that I eat out of the house a lot, but sometimes I wish I had one for day trips!), and this one fit the bill perfectly. The only hard part was choosing a pattern. There were so many cute ones on sale! I intend to use this for my regular grocery shopping trips to hold cold things, in case I can't get right home to put them away.

4:00pm - snack while doing food prep

Wheat toast (local) with sunflower seed butter; hardboiled egg (local) with horseradish. In my rush to eat before the little guy woke up, I forgot to take a picture until after I'd taken a bite. Oops!

6:00pm - dinner

The little guy and I had another picnic while we waited for The H to get back from his weekend business trip. I reheated a portion of tuna nicoise casserole, and his plate was filled with quinoa, turkey, cheese (local), edamame, and grape tomatoes. I intended for us to share the strawberries, but he snatched 'em all, little fruit monster!

When The H rolled in just before 7, we piled into the car and met my sis and bro-in-law for ice cream. It was sadly unsatisfying... I had a single scoop of some chocolate-peanut butter combo, shared with the little guy.

The H put him to bed while I made H a salad, since he hadn't had dinner yet. Thanks to my gorgeous fridge, I was able to pull this beauty together in no time:

Spinach, turkey, egg, bell peppers, walnuts, beets, tomatoes, cucumber, baby bella mushrooms, feta, Romano Caesar dressing. He had a peach Chobani yogurt on the side, then we made some decaf and settled in for the night with our second dessert--almond butter chocolate chip cookies--that was far better than the first!

Weekend breakfast

Alternating steel-cut oats with peanut butter toast and/or a green monster smoothie is fine for my weekday breakfasts, but sometimes on the weekend I prefer to indulge a little more. Those indulgences often happen after a good, long run, like The H and I had yesterday.

I started with a piece of local flax-bread toast with natural peanut butter and honey, since that is a self-approved pre-run fuel for me, but after slogging through seven miles of slush and mush, we were ready for something hearty. And dry socks.

Scrambled eggs, omelets, and frittatas are a great way to increase your veggie intake and use up some of the straggler produce that may have seen better days. Go take a peek in your crisper and see what you have to use! (Wait, finish reading, THEN go look.)

For this one, I used some local whole eggs + egg whites from a carton, fresh spinach, a big clove of fresh garlic, two fresh mushrooms, a Roma tomato, the end of a bag of shredded cheddar, and two leftover pieces of local nitrate-free bacon. After all, this was for The H, too. And leftover bacon isn't really good (to me) any other way except hiding in another dish.

I started by sauteeing the garlic, mushrooms, and spinach in some olive oil.

When the spinach was wilted, I whisked the eggs and whites with some ground cumin (just a little!), fresh ground black pepper, and a smidge of sea salt.

I poured the egg mix over the veggies and let it set for a while, gently stirring and lifting with a rubber spatula occasionally to let the uncooked egg run underneath. When it was mostly set, I sprinkled the cheese on top (The H added the bacon shards at some point) and put a salad plate on top to help it melt. I couldn't find the lid that fits this pan!

Once the cheese was melted I plated it up and we sat down to eat.

Mmm...coffee...

The cumin added a nice hint of something extra. I didn't use enough to make it spicy or taste like chili. I will use it again in future egg scrambles. A leftover potato or sweet potato, diced small, would have been good in this meal, so when you're rummaging through the refrigerator for goodies to include in yours, don't limit yourself to just the produce drawers. If I had been thinking more cleanly, I would have used more egg whites and fewer whole eggs. Next time!

What do you like to eat for breakfast on the weekend? Is it different from your weekday standbys?

Breakfast time!

A typical weekday breakfast for me starts out looking like this:

The container on the left contains my pre-made serving of steel-cut oats, already mixed with whatever yummy add-ins I had on hand. I aim for a fruit, a nut, and real maple syrup, with a shake of cinnamon. I try to make 2-4 servings at a time and keep them in the fridge. The bowl on the right is microwave-safe.

It comes out of the container looking like this:

I like that the goodies all end up on top. Looks like this was a cherries, walnuts, and pumpkin day!

Once I pour a cup of coffee, this is what I sit down to:

(See my cute little food scale on the left, and handy yellow Amphipod bottle on the right? Great tools, both of them!)

I'll usually let the oatmeal settle, then come back for the grapefruit and banana (half, if the little guy has anything to say about it) a bit later. My son often asks for some oatmeal as well, especially if I've used dried cherries as my fruit that day. Nice and sweet!

What's your favorite go-to breakfast?

Cleaning up the Krusteaz

Yesterday was difficult. The little guy was clingy and cantankerous, which is always hard on everyone. He was very hands-on, which didn't leave me much time for puttering in the kitchen. So when lunchtime rolled around I had no idea what I was going to make. In his grumpy mood, he refused everything I offered, even his usual favorites.

Then I remembered the box of buttermilk complete Krusteaz pancake mix in the pantry. He tucked away a large blueberry pancake at running group on Saturday, so I decided to whip up a small batch. The mix itself isn't the cleanest but I added unsweetened applesauce, a healthy handful of frozen blueberries, and some ground flax seed in addition to water to make it a bit heartier.

We got 7 pancakes out of it--we each ate one for lunch (I wasn't too optimistic about my chance of getting to eat later) with a chunk of sharp cheddar, and I put the other five in the fridge. He asked for one this morning for breakfast, so we must have a winner. If I had more time, I would've made them from scratch with oatmeal so The H could have some of the leftovers.

Yep, I was right!

My carb-load from last night helped me power through my long run, over 7 miles, this morning. It was a very pleasant run (non-runners, there really IS such a thing!) with no aches or pains, mostly dry roads, and not too much wind. Meeting a friend just after mile 3 provided a nice boost, too. When we got back, our host was making oatmeal-blueberry pancakes and omelets. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had real maple syrup, which I enjoyed on my first pancake, but it was gone by the time I had my second (ok, ok, and my third--they were small!) so I used a little Mrs. Butterworth's. What a difference in taste! I'd forgotten how sweet the artificial stuff is. The H and I shared an omelet stuffed with cheese, sausage, and black bean salsa. And of course, I did my part to keep Folgers in business and put away a good 2-3 cups, lightened with low-fat milk. Dinner tonight will be ground turkey nachos topped with tomatoes, black beans, cheddar, peach salsa, and guacamole. I'm not sure what I'll eat in between now and then, but a green monster smoothie is a good possibility--I need to bump up my fruit/veggie intake.

Post-Christmas cleansing

No, I do not subscribe to a "cleanse" in the sense of chugging pepper-spiked lemonade. Gross. And no, I am not consuming only fruits and vegetables for the next 10 days. What I mean by "cleansing" is getting back onto the clean-eating and menu-planning track and refocusing on whole, clean foods again after a good solid week of holiday treats and party food.

I started this morning with a hearty bowl of steel-cut oats mixed with chopped walnuts, a few dried cherries (until my son ate them all--"Cheddies! Eat, eat!"--and some real maple syrup from the co-op. I would have loved to whip up a Green Monster smoothie, but I forgot to buy peanut butter when I went to Trader Joe's. Grr. Lunch was a salad with mixed greens, apple, and stinky cheese dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette. Planned snacks are raw almonds, dried apricots, blue-corn-flax chips and salsa, and 72% dark chocolate to ease myself off the steady sugar intake of the previous week.

This morning I was thrilled to get my first 2010 issue of Clean Eating Magazine! I am so excited to flip through it and get some fresh ideas. One of my tasks tonight is to peruse the grocery store circular for some green veggies; we have plenty of squash, onion, and potato from the co-op, but eating green things in the middle of a Michigan winter requires a little more non-local shopping (or preserving, oops), I've discovered. And besides, I've become rather fond of roasted broccoli, and I used my last two heads for dinner on Saturday.

This week I will be soaking some black beans, making a big batch of brown rice, and cooking a million-and-a-half chicken breasts to I'm ready for a quick snack or lunch without too much additional prep. I've said before how important planning ahead is, but I too often forget it myself. And now I need to choose something for dinner tonight... What's on your menu this week? Got any great recipes for acorn squash?

Another blah day

This cold is kicking my butt. Started the day with sprouted grain toast, natural peanut butter, and my beloved coffee. Lunch was sushi with coworkers. Snack was almonds and dried cherries. Had some caramel popcorn after a Christmas shopping marathon; The H bought it from the boss's kids' boyscout troop (pack? den?). Dinner was rather last-minute, as I still haven't gotten in gear enough to make that kale soup I mentioned yesterday, but I managed to pull together some decent gluten-free blueberry pancakes (Bob's Red Mill mixed with applesauce, pumpkin, cinnamon, and low-fat milk) and scrambled farm-eggs/eggwhites with lean ham and chives. Had juice to drink for a change; yesterday I bought some organic blueberry-pomegranate juice to mix with sparkling water. When my throat hurts, I like the feeling of fizzy drinks but can live without the HFCS and caffeine in soda. I couldn't even muster up enough oomph to go for a run on the treadmill tonight (it's super-slick and beyond cold outside), but whined to The H that I just wanted ice cream instead. So Ben, Jerry, and I spent the evening watching Scrubs and toodling around on the computer. Here's to a better tomorrow!

Yummy breakfast shake

Today I felt like shaking it up a little and having a protein shake for breakfast. Haven't done that in a while. Rather than just protein powder + milk, I wanted a little more substance. I ended up blending 1/2 frozen banana, 1 tablespoon ground flax seed, 1 cup low-fat milk, and a scoop of chocolate protein powder with 2 ice cubes. It turned out perfectly! Sweet, but not overpowering, cold and creamy with a little bit of oomph from the flax.

Oatmeal overhaul

I just couldn't do it. I could not start another day with reheated steel-cut oats. Around 8am I had sprouted grain toast with peanut butter and honey and a glass of milk, instead. Then I grabbed my coffee and got to work (love those daycare Fridays).

With a few hours separating me from breakfast, I was ready for a snack and decided to face those oats after all. But mixing them up with cherries, nuts, and agave was just not doing it for me... thus, the overhaul.

Hiding in the back of the fridge was a dish of leftover canned pumpkin from last week, thankfully not yet fuzzy. To my oats I added about 1/4 cup of the pumpkin, 1/2 tablespoon ground flax seed, 2 tablespoons chopped almonds (walnuts would have been better, but I'd already chopped the almonds, and the walnuts were allllll the way downstairs in the basement pantry), a shake of cinnamon, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a healthy drizzle of real maple syrup. For someone who doesn't like pumpkin pie (yes, really) the combination was delicious, hearty, and a very welcome change.

Really good oatmeal!

Since my toddler-baby was still sleeping when I got up this morning, I took advantage of the extra time to make myself a bowl of oatmeal--the perfect start to a drizzly gray day. I've been getting bored with my typical clean breakfast (sprouted grain toast, natural peanut butter, honey, and a small banana) and needed to change it up a bit. My oatmeal was so good! haven't had it in so long and I'd forgotten how much I liked steel oats.

Really Good Oatmeal

1/4 cup dry steel-cut oats, quick-cooking variety

3/4 cup water

1/4-1/2 cup blueberries (frozen are fine; just thaw a bit first)

Shake of cinnamon, to taste

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or other nut if you prefer)

2 teaspoons brown sugar (or sweetener of choice)

1. Boil the water in a medium saucepan (leave room for those oats to expand!) with a tiny shake of sea salt if desired. Stir in the 1/4 cup oats and cover. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes stirring often.

2. Meanwhile, put berries, nuts, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl. Thaw berries in microwave if frozen (about 30 seconds for me).

3. Stir cooked oats into berry mixture. Top with milk of you want.

The oatmeal came out nice and creamy, and just a touch too sweet. I haven't had brown sugar outside of baked goods in a very long time, and I think the 2 teaspoons combined with the blueberries was a tad much. I'll cut that back next time. Agave nectar would be a good substitute, but be careful with the quantity as it's sweeter than sugar. The walnuts were an excellent hearty addition, keeping the whole thing from being too mushy. Combined with my small cup of (half-and-half whitened) coffee, this was an excellent breakfast. My toast just got demoted to "AM snack." Well, at least until my stash of frozen blueberries is gone.

Breakfast for dinner

The weather here has been gray and drizzly all day, and has now turned cold. Usually I'd make chili in the CrockPot on nights like this, but I didn't have any turkey thawed. Comfort food runner up? Breakfast for dinner! Tonight we had gluten-free veggie pancakes (not as gross as they sound, I promise), chicken-apple sausage, and homemade blueberry syrup. The H said the house smelled like fall, "and maybe a little bit like winter." The pot of half-caff Sumatra-Mandehling coffee he brewed added to the hunker-down homey feeling.

Veggie Pancakes - triple batch

1 16oz bag frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans)

1 bag Bob's Red Mill GF pancake mix

3 eggs, or equivalent (I used one egg + 1/3 cup egg whites)

1 1/2 cups milk (cow, almond, rice, etc. as stated on pancake mix; I used enough for a double recipe, not a triple as I didn't want them runny)

3 Tbsp vegetable oil (could use applesauce, I bet)

Cook vegetables until soft - microwave works great. Let cool slightly, then add to blender and puree with milk; add eggs and oil and blend until smooth. Don't add the eggs with the milk or the might start to cook if your veggies are still quite hot. Mixture will be light green. In large bowl, stir veggie mix into dry pancake mix. Add more milk if you like thinner pancakes (remember I used 2x the milk called for, and 3x everything else).

Heat a griddle over medium heat. Add oil or spray of your choice. Scoop pancake mix by 1/4 cup and pour onto hot griddle. Flip when pancakes are dry on edges; cook another few minutes until golden on the other side. Making a triple batch provided enough for our dinner plus 14 extra to freeze for quick breakfasts or snacks. They do turn out green, but the veggies do not negatively affect the flavor.

Blueberry Syrup

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup water, minus a few tablespoons to mix with cornstarch

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp powdered stevia (I found mine at Trader Joe's, in a big shaker-style container. I think Truvia would work)

1-2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with reserved water

Combine blueberries, water (minus reserved), spices, and stevia in small sauce pan. Bring to boil over med-low heat, stirring often. Mash blueberries with a fork if you feel like it. Once the liquid has reduced a bit, stir in the cornstarch + water slurry. Return to a boil and let bubble until thickened the way you want. Pour into small pitcher or gravy boat and serve with pancakes.

For the sausage, I just sliced each one into quarters (giving each piece a flat side) and browned them in a skillet, adding water to keep the pan from scorching. With a small glass of milk and the aforementioned coffee, this was a great filling meal for a cold blah night.