Super Yummy Quinoa and Chickpea burger

Mexican Breakfast Pita Pizza

There's nothing like soy Chorizo (veggie chorizo) and eggs to help the body recover from a night of over indulging on Blue Moons. Even better; making breakfast pizzas! The man will eat anything that resembles a pizza, like all men right!? I snuck in tomatoes and peppers too; when veggies are covered with cheese and avocado, I hear no complaints.

Pumpkin Night

Spiced Beef and Pumpkin Stew

Pumpkin and Apple Bisque

Calorie Free Noodles?

Yes...kind of

These tasty Shiratake noodles are made from the root of a plant called Konnyaku Imo. The noodles are from the soluble fiber source of the plant known as Glucomannan. They take on flavors of any sauce or dish you make.  



One should definitely, definitely follow package directions; Rinse, heat/boil, rinse, pat dry and boil in sauce for a bit. These steps are a must-otherwise, they dont taste as amazing.



Yes, they are pale looking, almost anemic! But a great sources of fiber!

Saute onions, leeks or scallions with any leftover protein source (grilled pork loin here, about 1 cup or so), using olive oil or canola oil (2 tsp.? or so).

Add dry noodles to pan and saute for a few minutes; this will dry the noodles out a bit (a good thing). Add sauce and heat cook for a few minutes.

Serve with shredded Parmesan or Fancy Swiss, or any other cheese you like; all cheese is welcomed!



Yup, its the close up! Makes 1 large 373kcal portion, with 26 grams protein, 22 grams of carbs, 22 grams of



monounsaturated fat (hey...just use less oil if this scares you..or love the good fats!),

Oatmeal-cherry-date breakfast bars


Oatmeal, Tart Cherry and Date Breakfast Bars
2 ¼ cups whole pitted dates
1 cup water
2 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cups oats
1 cup whole what pastry flour
1 cup vanilla whey protein powder
¼ cup millet
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup sucanat or brown sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
½ cup dried tart cherries

Place dates, water and vanilla in a small sauce pan; simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until tender. Place in food processor to puree until smooth.



Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat together oil and eggs. Mix egg mixture into dry ingredients; mixture will be crumble.

Line a 9by 13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Coat with cooking spray and press half of the flour mixture into pan. Bake for 10 minutes; remove from oven.

Spread date puree evenly over crust and top with dried cherries.

Spread remaining flour mixture over top; Bake for an additional 15- 18 minutes until golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack. Cut into 25 squares.

A Week of Tasty Meals

Food photos!

I set up my own little photo studio, right in my dining room. Why not, its Spring Break! A tri-fold poster from Michael's, a red table cloth from Walmart, a couple desk lamps, a few props (note the sexy glass jar from IKEA filled with whole wheat spaghetti in the background). Getting crazy over here lol. Today I prepared a few recipes and had a chance to put my studio into action. Check them out!

A wheat berry salad with tart cherries, feta, almonds and lots of veggies. Photo #1



A close up of the same salad...obviously. Note-if you want to use hard red winter wheat berries for your salad, make sure to soak them overnight. Lesson learned. Pearled farro is much quicker though, and requires no soaking. I am learning so much!



Grilled pound cake, spiced fruit and gelato. Hot! Notice how the spoon gently sits on the plate; brilliant! The limes in the background, yup, they are from Costco, thats how I can afford so many lol.

This shot lets one really appreciate the fun cloth napkin my sweet mother-in-law gave me! She also gave me the silver napkin-ring holder thing;is that what they are called?

Chocolate Raspberry Tofu Mousse-Yup, there is really tofu in it...not kidding. It's delish. Had my dog walker try it-she loved it, so that means its great. She was also super impressed with my photo studio set up...she really was!

Dont you just want to dive in??!! Changed the napkin out here if you did not notice; got these at a yard sale.

Pumpkin Muffins with Crunchy Almond Topping in March

I had a special request from my lovely preceptor at my clinical site; something Pumpkin!!! Hmmmm.....Its winter, but not a problem, I am a trained chef and even off season baking is manegable. Plus, ITS NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH!!! So what  is more nutritious than pumpkin, sugar and spices?? I added a bit of protein powder for that reason, and almonds too! Now the muscle man dietitian at my site will be pleased as well!!

Pumpkin Muffins with Crunchy Almond Topping

2 cups white whole wheat flour
½ cup vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
10 packets stevia
2 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp. salt
2 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. nutmeg
15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 cup milk
½ cup canola oil                                        
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggsTopping:½ cup sliced almonds
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. canola oil

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine flour, protein powder, sugars, baking powder, salt, spices in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix pumpkin, milk, oil, vanilla and eggs. Fold together gently. Coat 18 muffin cups with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together topping ingredients; set aside.

Fill cups ¾ full and top evenly with topping mixture. Bake for about 25 minutes until center springs back. Remove from oven and cool on rack.