Muffin-Sized Breakfast Quiches

We had a pre 4th of July Brunch today and I was asked to bring a breakfast casserole. Since we're watching our carbs, and those usually call for bread, I chose this fun recipe a friend sent me when I wanted something with eggs for an Easter Brunch. I made them in mini bundt pans. I doubled the recipe so I could have 24 as 16 of us would be there. Several seemed to like them, but I think the trick is really what my Mother taught me that her Mother taught her. "75% of what we eat is with our eyes!" They were more attractive looking this was than in an aluminum dripper pan, so they tasted even better than maybe they would.

Muffin-Sized Breakfast Quiches
Measurements are approximate.

About 9 eggs, cracked in a bowl and beaten as if making scrambled eggs, salt and pepper to taste (you add to the beaten eggs, stir well) 1 bag baby spinach (about 10 oz., you won't use the whole thing) 1 onion, chopped and sautéed till translucent (in a skillet with about 1 tablespoon of oil) Shredded low-fat cheddar cheese (from an 8 ounce bag, you won't use the whole thing)
Preheat the oven to 375. In the meantime, lightly grease your muffin pan with either a spray or a little oil on a paper towel. Into the greased muffin cups, add about 2-4 leaves of spinach, depending on their size. Top the spinach with about a teaspoon of sautéed onions. Top the onions with about 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese. I also add some broiled, sliced turkey bacon. Then using a soup ladle, add enough egg mixture to fill the muffin tin, about 2/3 full.
Bake your little breakfast quiches for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your muffin tin cups. They should browned nicely on the top, but be careful not to overcook. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick in the middle of one of the muffin cups. If the toothpick comes out clean, then your quiches are done! Let them cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan. Using a dinner knife, carefully run the blade around the perimeter of each little quiche and plop them carefully onto a plate to finish cooling.

Walking Program

I guess it's time to start walking or doing some sort of exercise again. With just a few weeks left until the 5K run/walk on August 18, maybe I should pull out these instructions for the suggested walking program that was shared with us and try it out. 20 minutes huh? Maybe I'll start tomorrow:).

I know the kids and the dogs would enjoy it, but would I enjoy it again? Oh, can't take them since we're supposed to walk fast enough that, it's hard to carry on a full conversation. Yikes, we've got to warm up and cool down and it's 60 minutes altogether. Well here it is below, if you want to do it. I'm not even opening the Running Program she sent.

Walking program
Based on time
Weeks 1-2
Day 1- Walk 20 min
Day 2- Walk 25 min
Day 3- Walk 30 min
Day 4- Walk 35 min
Weeks 3-5
Day 1- Walk 30 min
Day 2- Walk 25 min *intervals +
Day 3- Walk 40 min
Day 4- Walk 25 min *intervals +
Weeks 6-8
Day 1- Walk 40 min
Day 2- Walk 30 min *intervals +
Day 3- Walk 50 min
Day 4- Walk 30 min *intervals +
Week 9-11
Day 1- Walk 50 min
Day 2- Walk 35 min *intervals +
Day 3- Walk 50 min
Day 4- Walk 35 min *intervals+
Race Week
Day 1- Walk 60 min
Day 2- Walk 50 min
Day 3- Off
Day 4- Race Day
All days except interval days should include a 5 minute warm-up, followed by a constant, sustained effort. You should walk at a pace where you can talk, but it would be hard to carry on a full conversation. This should be followed by an adequate cool-down and some stretches for your legs.
*On interval days, start out with a 5 minute warm-up, and then repeat a 5 minute hard effort followed by a 5 minute recovery for the specified time. The hard effort should be harder than your normal days, and the recovery period should be easier than your normal
days. Incorporating hills or increasing speed are two ways to increase your effort for intervals. End with a cool-down and leg stretches.
+Do your walking workout plus weights on these days. The total workout time will still be one hour.

Basic Smoothie Recipe

Weekly health tip:

If you're looking for a healthy summer snack for you and the kids,
try this basic smoothie recipe:·

16 oz. liquid (soy milk, milk, juice, coconut milk, etc.)·
8 oz. plain yogurt·
1 ripe banana (If you have ripe bananas, peel and cut them into chunks, then freeze them for later.)·
1 ½-2 C. frozen fruit·
I Tbs. honey if needed-most fruit combinations don't need any extra sugar. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Get creative. When you feel brave, here are some other things you could add: peanut butter, fresh mint, nuts, seeds, granola. For a naughty twist, try chocolate syrup with cherries. Yum!

Easy Potluck Salad

If you need to make a quick salad for dinner or a potluck, try this one. We found out on the first day of orchestra camp that we'd be having a potluck with the families that same night. I hadn't been grocery shopping for awhile, so didn't have a lot of extra things on hand and found I was missing this or that item for most salads our child wanted to make. I was talking with my sister-in-law who gave us a quick one to do. And although I didn't have Italian Salad Dressing on hand, I did have oil, vinegar and the packet of seasoning to make it, so we did.

Potluck Pasta Salad
any pasta, boil and let cool
add Italian salad dressing
stir in sliced or diced tomatoes

Voila! and yummy! Of course you can add lots of other things like you do with any pasta salad like olives, cheese, etc.

Two Grillin' Recipes

We had a fun evening as RS Sisters, listening to a former ward member share his love and secrets of grilling. He says in the 4 years he's been married, he's cooked all but a handful of meals. All the sisters sighed with jealousy. He said he used to really dislike school lunch and would come home everyday and he and his Mother would experiment with different tastes. He got really good at it and has been cooking ever since 3rd or 4th grade. I have one who also really dislikes school lunches and can hardly find anything he wants to make for home lunch, so likes to come home for "hot" lunch, so I was intrigued with his story.

It's the seasoning that makes it. We got to sample everything he grilled that night. Yummy! Here are two of the recipes that he shared:

Chicken:
Combine Italian Dressing,
Cilantro,
and Lemons and marinate for 2-3 hours.

Steak:
Combine Kosher salt,
rubbed sage,
Lawry's Seasoned Salt,
Garlic Salt
and rub on Steaks, Tri-tip, or Lamb before putting on the grill.

He buys his cuts in bulk and freezes them . He says they are so much cheaper that way.

Calculate your own family size's food storage needs

Prompted by Sunday's RS lesson on self-reliance, here is a link to a calculatorhttp://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm where you can instantly calculate your own family size's food storage needs.

Another good site is http://www.providentliving.org/content/list/0,11664,2003-1,00.html where you can learn about Three-Month Supply, Drinking Water,Financial Reserve and Longer-Term Supply.

Are we prepared? The blessing of a supply of food, drinking water, money, clothing, etc. comes in handy not only in a disaster (unless it's destroyed), but in times of illness or unemployment, in otherwards when cash flow is interrupted, but needs to eat drink and pay bills are not.