Morning Munchies

Happy Monday!

Are you ready for an awesome week of healthy living? I know I am! :)

Now I know I promised to share pictures of my September breakfasts with you, so I am really sorry for missing two days. On Saturday I slept too late for breakfast, and I had lunch instead. :) On Sunday, I was rushing to get my breakfast (oatmeal) and completely forgot to take a picture. Sorry, guys.

Well, I'm starting off this week right. Today I'm sharing my Friday breakfast and today's breakfast. This morning for breakfast, I had an egg & turkey sandwich. I had planned on having oatmeal with egg whites, but it was not meant to be. We are out of oatmeal, and I just feel like it's wasteful to throw out the yokes of my eggs. I couldn't make myself egg-whites without feeling guilty. I don't mind throwing out one yolk, but anything more than that just doesn't seem right.

Instead, I made myself scrambled eggs with 1 whole egg, and 1 egg white. We are currently very low on veggies, so rather than making a veggie egg scramble, I decided I would just eat my eggs in a sandwich. I added 3 slices of turkey for extra protein. Yesterday, I helped my dad make some bread, so that's what I used for this sandwich. 

Egg & Turkey Sandwich

• 2 slices of bread
• 1 egg, 1 egg white
• 3 slices turkey
• 2 tsp. mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. mustard
• 1 tsp. ketchup

We made bread patties yesterday, so I used this for my sandwich. They are about the size of an English muffin. You can use an English muffin to make this if you so desire. You can also use sliced whole-wheat bread. Toast the bread and then spread the condiments on it. Cook the eggs to your preference. I like mine a bit dry. Place the eggs on the bread, then cover with the turkey slices. Close the sandwich, and enjoy!

Now this is the breakfast I had Friday morning. I took some pictures, I just never got to upload them. I wasn't too hungry that day, and I wanted just a little something. I made myself a cup of chai tea, and grabbed a banana. That was good, but something was missing. Then I remembered about the Cliff bar I won the other day at the library. (We have the nicest librarian, and she always has something going on.)

That bar made this breakfast perfect. 

The Cliff crunch bar was such a treat. It was granola with white chocolate.Yum!

The bar was 190 calories, the banana was about 105 calories, and the tea probably had about 25 calories (from 1 tsp. of sugar - 15 cal. & 2 tbsp. almond milk - ? cal.)

The lighting inside was horrible! I couldn't get a decent picture in there. I took these pictures in our driveway on our wooden cutting board. I love using this cutting board to take food pictures. It adds such a nice touch to the photos. :)

Well, that's all! I'll try to take at least one picture of my breakfast each day. I've got to get more consistent and creative. Do you have any ideas for a healthy, simple breakfast?

Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Have an awesome day everyone! May God bless you in all that you do. Stay healthy, fit, happy, and strong!

Lots of Love,

Mariah

Just Add Eggs

Okay, here's a quick post about transforming your salads.

Today I had a salad for lunch. Yesterday I had a salad for lunch and dinner. The day before that I had another salad for lunch. You would think that I might be getting tired of salad by now. 

Nope. 

I could go for another bowl of that goodness right now. :)

I love salads, and I never tire of eating them. However, if you are someone that finds salads a bit boring, or not too flavorful, then this simple trick is for you.

I have found the secret ingredient to a taste-sensation salad. And that is... hard boiled eggs. That's all it takes. Of course you want a good dressing, but I've already discussed that. I've even given you the recipe for the very best balsamic dressing known to man.

Anyway, if you add a hard boiled egg (or two) to your salad, it instantly becomes incredible. The other day I was eating a bowl of chopped lettuce with dressing. I added a hard boiled egg and it was a whole new experience. Hard boiled eggs provide a creamy goodness in every bite. I cannot adequately describe how delicious this is, so just trust me and go make yourself a salad with hard boiled eggs. If you top it off with my balsamic dressing, it's a guaranteed success.

Please let me know if you try this. Have you already tried salad with hard boiled eggs? Do you like it? Do you love it? Let me know in the comments below. I love hearing form you.

Also, if you want to see more tips on spicing up your salads, just let me know. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, so please don't hesitate to ask.

Have a lovely day and may God bless you! :)

Lots of Love,

Mariah

Baked Oatmeal Bites

Did you know that September is Better Breakfast Month?

I had no clue until today. Upon discovering such a delightful piece of knowledge, I made it my goal to share with you a recipe & photo of my breakfast each morning. We'll see how long I can keep it up, but I'll do my best. ;)

This morning I was craving something warm, delicious, a tad bit sweet, and something resembling a muffin. I had wanted to make these baked oatmeal muffins from Chocolate Covered Katie, but the yield was greater than I wanted. I just wanted a simple, quick, single-serving oatmeal creation.

I turned to Taralynn to see what she might have for me. She had plenty of options, but sadly, nothing which I had the ingredients for (these looked so good though). I had almost given up hope when I saw that Sharee - that fancy lady - had made oatmeal breakfast cookies. She had posted a picture and a super simple recipe. Well, I modified mine a bit, but these were inspired by her. Actually, you could say that these baked oatmeal bites were a combination of inspiration from all these lovely ladies. Thank you, girls! :)

Well, without further ado, here are my baked oatmeal bites. :)

BAKED OATMEAL BITES

• 1 large over-ripe banana
• 1/2 c. dry oatmeal (slightly heaping)
• 2 tbsp. coconut flakes
• 2 tbsp. sliced almonds
• 2 tbsp. raisins
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. almond extract
• 1-2 tsp. cinnamon

With a fork, mash your banana in a bowl. Then, add your oatmeal, coconut, raisins, vanilla, and all those other ingredients. Mix well. Then, form into five little balls and place on a sprayed baking sheet. Slightly press the cookies down, then place in the oven to bake. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until slightly firm and set. I baked these in my toaster oven at 450 degrees, since that was the highest temperature setting. I wanted these ASAP. :)

When they were done, I let them cool a bit while I prepared myself a lovely cup of tea. It was a delicious, steaming mug full of Chai. Yum! This breakfast was so perfectly satisfying and absolutely delicious.

If you want them to be a bit sweeter, you could add sugar, chocolate chips, or any other type of sweetener you like. If you add chocolate or sugar, these are probably a great dessert. Please let me know if you make them this way. I would love to hear how they are as little desserts. :)

Well, thanks for reading! I hope you have a marvelous Thursday. May God bless you beyond anything you could ever imagine. Remember, He has plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Lots of Love,

Mariah

Balancing My Meals

Lately, I have been trying to eat balanced healthy meals. I am focusing on eating clean and controlling my portion sizes. Last night, I wanted a light dinner that I could put together quickly. We were really low on fruit and veggies, so I tried to get creative with what we had. The healthiest choices I saw were black beans, eggs, and the cucumber or carrots that were in the fridge. Carrots didn't sound too appealing, but that cucumber looked pretty good. I decided I would cook a couple hard boiled eggs, throw together some cucumber salad, and have some black beans. That way, I got my protein, carbs, and veggies.

It was such a perfect dinner, and I was really pleased with how simple it was. If you have hard boiled eggs already prepared, this dinner should take you maybe five minutes to put together. I didn't mind waiting the fifteen minutes for my eggs, but it would've been a lot faster if they had already been made.

I made myself two eggs, but I ended up eating only one and giving the other one two my sister. Just a little side note - this was inspired by Taralynn Mcnitt over at Undressed Skeleton. She is an awesome healthy living blogger, and is super motivational. Check her out! I love her laptop lunches, they are so cute! This was the closest I could get to a laptop lunch. Mine looks more like this one.

This meal is so simple you don't even need a recipe. However, if you've never heard of this salad, I just posted the cucumber salad recipe, so check that out! 

After dinner I was craving something sweet. Well, it's sweet-free September for me, so I some frozen walnuts and raisins instead. It was completely satisfying and a great way to end the night.

Well, I'm off to bed now! I hope you get to try the cucumber salad recipe soon. It is one of my very favorites! If you happen to try it, please let me know how you like it. Also, please comment below and share your thoughts about eating clean, balanced meals, this meal, or whatever you fancy. I love hearing from you guys! Thanks for reading and may God bless you exceedingly and abundantly!

Lots of Love,

Mariah

Cool Cucumber Salad

Are you ready to taste one of the most amazing salads on earth?

Prepare yourself, because this, my friends, is pure goodness. It is refreshing, crunchy, light, and oh - so - good. It's too good. It is practically unbelievable how scrumptious this salad is. Do you know what is one of the most unbelievable things about it? It's only two ingredients. Yup - two.

This simple combination should not be underestimated though. These two ingredients are  all you need for instant deliciousness. And they are (drumroll...) cucumbers and mayonnaise!

That is all! How simple is that? It couldn't get any easier! (Well, maybe you could just eat a cucumber...) But this is revolutionary! A simple salad of cucumbers and mayo.

My mom made this a few weeks ago and it was one of the best things I have ever tasted. Wow! I told my mom that I wanted cucumber salad for my birthday, and wedding. This would be a perfect dish to serve at a small backyard wedding, or a simple tea.

If you've ever had tomato & mayo, this is ten times better. Okay, now for the simple recipe. You can adjust it to your liking, but this is how I prefer mine.

Cucumber Salad

• 1 large cucumber
• 1 tbsp.  light mayonnaise

Isn't this complicated? ;)

Okay, this should take you about five minutes to throw together. First, peel your cucumber.

 Next, cut it in half and then slice and chop each of the halves.

 Pour your cucumber into a bowl and add a heaping scoop of mayonnaise. 

Now stir this up and devour!

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Please comment and let me know if you loved it! I really appreciate your feedback and love hearing from you guys. Thank you so much! I hope that your Wednesday is fabulous, and may God bless you in all that you do.

Lots of Love,

Mariah