Rozy's Egg Muffins

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I came across this yummy recipe on Pinterest: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2006/10/egg-muffins-revisited-again.html

Never being happy with the amount of fat or calories in anything I find online, I did a tweak. I was a little nervous about how they would turn out, but when my six-year-old ate three of them and my two-year-old ate two, I knew we were good. My daughter even told me to tell whoever made this thank you because they are so good. That's my girl!

I made two versions of these muffins. I made Spinach Ricotta Egg Muffins for me, while the kids had Cheddar Bacon Egg Muffins (I don't eat pork and they don't eat onions).

Rozy's Egg Muffins

Ingredients- Spinach Ricotta Egg Muffins:
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 cup spinach
2 garlic cloves
1/4 medium onion (about two big slices)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper

Ingredients - Cheddar Bacon Egg Muffins:
3 whole eggs

3 egg whites

4 slices bacon

1/2 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spinach ricotta egg muffins ready for oven

2. For Spinach Ricotta Egg Muffins, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil. Once onions are caramelized, add in the spinach and cook until wilted. Set aside.
3. For Cheddar Bacon Egg Muffins, prepare bacon. Once cooled, crumble into small pieces. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, combine eggs and egg whites and whisk until well blended. Set aside.
5. Depending on your preference, either place liners in a muffin pan, or leave the muffin pan unlined. In either case, SPRAY THE LINERS OR PAN WITH PAM! I forgot to do this the first time and it was a bit of a mess. If you happen to forget, no worries. Run a utensil around the edge to separate the eggs from the holder.

Cheddar bacon egg muffins ready for oven

6. Fill the cups a little more than half-way full with the combined eggs.
7. For Spinach Ricotta Egg Muffins, add the desired amount of spinach/onion/garlic mixture to each cup.
8. Place a dollop (about half a tablespoon) of ricotta cheese in the middle of each cup. Salt and pepper, to taste.
9. For Cheddar Bacon Egg Muffins, add the desired amount of crumbled bacon to each cup and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
10. Place in oven to cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the eggs are golden brown (but not too brown!)
11. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

Ready for the oven... a dinner divided!

These were a huge success tonight! I placed the leftovers in a ziploc bag and put them in the refrigerator. They should last about a week and will be great for breakfast on the run. Simply reheat in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes and voila! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Nutritional info/Spinach Ricotta Egg Muffins:
(based on six total muffins using recipe above)

Cheddar bacon muffins

Calories: 64.66 | Fat: 3.95g | Carbs: .79g | Sugar: 0g |
Protein: 6.13g

Nutritional info/Cheddar Bacon Egg Muffins:

(based on six total muffins using recipe above)

Calories: 96.83| Fat: 6.28g | Carbs: .12g | Sugar: 0g |

Protein: 9.5g

Nutritional info is approximate.

Spinach ricotta egg muffins (the brown is
from the caramelized onions). Yummy!

Super Simple Garlic-Lime Shrimp Kebobs

*** Hey Rozy fans! We have finally created a website to discuss getting healthy! We will be adding recipes, fitness, tips and tons of info about living a healthier life! Check it out: www.livingthehealthierlife.com. ***

The kids and I have been on a shrimp kick here at the Rozy home. I pinned a recipe a few weeks ago for Cilantro Shrimp and then remembered that I don't particularly like cilantro. As usual, I raided the pantry to see if there was a way I could make a healthy, easy marinade for the shrimp. As you know, when you are trying to cook with two- and six-year olds in the kitchen, you want the easiest possible option. What I came up with is this super easy recipe that had the kids asking for more!

Super Simple Garlic-Lime Shrimp Kebobs

Ingredients:
One pound of large shrimp
3 limes
4 gloves of garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Squeeze juice from three limes into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Mince garlic and add to lime juice. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Clean, peel and de-vein shrimp. Add them to the lime/garlic mixture.
4. Marinate for at least 30 minutes (the longer you marinate the shrimp, the stronger the lime and garlic taste will be).
5. After marinating, place shrimp on skewer.
6. Add to pre-warmed grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side (or until pink and in the shape of the letter "C").
7. Enjoy!

Nutritional info per kebob (based upon 11 kebobs with 3 shrimp each):
Calories: 32.7 | Fat: .5g | Carbs: .63g | Protein: 6.3g



Nutritional info is approximate

Out of whipped cream?

After dinner tonight we made strawberry shortcake. I haven't had time to play around with a new angel food cake recipe, so I used the store bought cups. I got everything together and when I went to add whipped cream, I realized we were out! After a little bit of thought I decided to try.... French Vanilla non fat yogurt. OMG! It was so good that both of my kids scarfed down their shortcake and, I kid you not, were wanting to lick the plate! The yogurt not only moistened the shortcake, but it played off of the fresh (organic) strawberries beautifully. So next time you are thinking about adding whipped cream to strawberry shortcake, grab the yogurt instead!

Rozy's Peanut Butter Balls

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Tonight I had quite a craving for something sweet AND salty (hmmm.... us girls know what that means). I'd really like to not wreck my eating so I needed something that would satisfy my craving without doing major damage to my hips. I raided the pantry to see what I had and decided peanut butter balls would do the trick. Simple yet rich enough to cure my craving in just two servings!

Rozy's Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:

The final product - delish!

1/2 cup peanut butter

25 ritz crackers

Cocoa powder

Parchment paper

Directions:

1. Crumble crackers and add to peanut butter. Mix well.

2. Sprinkle cocoa powder onto a plate or in a bowl.

3. Roll peanut butter/cracker mix into balls. 

4. Roll balls in cocoa.

5. Place balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

6. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

7. Enjoy!

* I didn't roll of the balls because my husband doesn't like chocolate. :-)

Nutritional info per ball (based on 24 balls):

Calories: 46.25 | Fat: 2.52g | Carbs: 4.33g | Sugar: 1g | Protein: 7.25g

Nutritional info is approximate.

A little daily inspiration

Slimmed-down Shepherd's Pie

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After three days of creating granola bars, I thought it might be time to move on to an actual meal (something the hubs was glad to hear). Although it's already hot here in Texas, Shepherd's Pie sounded so good. As usual, all of the recipes I found were chocked full of fat (mostly in the form of lots of butter and cream). Here is my slimmed-down version of an old favorite.
* I have to add that the hubs went back for seconds and my daughter cleaned her plate - which is something that never happens. While we were eating the hubs even asked if it was a pain to make (because it tasted so good). This recipe is definitely a keeper and will be Rozy fave!

Slimmed-down Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:
1 package (1.25 pounds) Lean Ground Turkey meat (93% lean/7% fat)
4 medium potatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 can (11 ounces) corn
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tablespoon plus 3 splashes Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Salt and Pepper, to taste
*Peas - most Shepherd's Pie call for peas but I am not a fan of peas, so I omitted them. 

Directions:
1. Skin and quarter potatoes. Boil in water until tender (around 15 to 20 minutes).
2. In the meantime, place olive oil and one minced garlic clove in a skillet over medium heat.
3. When oil warms, add onions and carrots. Sauté for 10 minutes. Depending on how crunchy you like your corn, you may add it at the same time as the carrots and onions, or you can add it with the turkey.
4. Add the turkey to the onions and carrots and cook until the turkey is no longer pink.
5. Add chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and flour. Salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Cook turkey mixture on low heat for around 10 minutes.

Fresh out of the oven

7. While the turkey mixture is simmering, prepare the potatoes. Add buttermilk and remaining minced garlic clove to the potatoes and whip. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Place turkey mixture in an 8 x 11 shallow glass pan and spoon potatoes evenly on top.
9. Using a fork, swirl the potatoes. Be careful not to go too deep or the turkey mixture will show through the potatoes.
10. Cut butter into 8 small squares and distribute evenly on top of the potatoes.
11. Cook for 25 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and lightly stir the potatoes.
13. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.

Before being devoured

14. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!


* I should note that I had this strange inclination to add a tablespoon of homemade ranch dip to part of the potatoes topping the dish. While absolutely delicious, it did not change the taste enough to warrant the extra calories or fat. 

Nutritional info (based upon 12 servings):

Calories: 159 | Fat: 5.7g | Carbs: 15.6g | Sugar: 2.8g | Protein: 10g

Nutritional info (based upon 8 "hungry man" servings):

Calories: 239 | Fat: 8.6g | Carbs: 23.45g | Sugar: 4.2g | Protein: 15g

Nutritional data is approximate.

Rozy's Lower Sugar Homemade Granola Squares

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As much as the kids and I loved the Homemade Granola Bars, they were a little sweet for my taste. After playing around with a few different combos, I found the perfect blend to get the same amazing taste but with less sugar! These are my favorite bars so far!

Rozy's Lower Sugar Homemade Granola Squares

Ingredients:

2 cups oats

1/2 cup nuts (I used pecans)

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

2 tablespoons coconut

Parchment paper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place oats on a cookie sheet and place in oven for 10 minutes.

3. While the oats are browning in the oven, combine the softened butter and honey in a bowl and stir until smooth (this will be the "glue" that holds it all together).

The "glue"

4. Add dark chocolate chips, nuts and cocunut to mixture and mix well. Set aside.

5. Once oats have cooled completely, add to the "glue" and stir until well combined. 

Note: If you add the oats before they have cooled completely, the chocolate chips will melt.

Granola mixture

Final product!

6. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface and press the mixture into a single, even layer. Allow the edges to build up a bit as they tend to cook a little quicker and may burn. A large serrated knife is ideal for making the edges uniform.

7. Transfer the mixture onto a cookie sheet (sprayed with Pam). I put the cookie sheet over the mixture and flip it all over using the edges of the parchment paper as "handles".

8. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

9. Let the granola cool for 10 minutes and then slice into squares (I actually cut my bars a little soon which resulted in the edges breaking apart. The squares I cut after 10 minutes sliced up perfectly).

10. Allow bars to cool for approximately 30 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet.

11. Place in an air-tight container and enjoy!

Nutritional info (based upon 16 squares):

Calories: 112 | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 14.1g | Sugar: 6.4g | Protein: 1.6g

Nutritional data is approximate.