My First WIAW: Current Favorites

Hey! I hope you week has been going well. It is already Wednesday! I know I say this every week but, man, these summer days are flying by. Not good, not good at all. I am really slacking on that Summer Bucket List I made. I think I am going to have to make it into a 2013 Bucket List instead. But we will see how the rest of August goes.

  So since it is Wednesday and I wanted to share some quick recipes of some of my recent eats, I decided to make this post into my first WIAW! I don't know what it is but the blogging community just loves food. We like reading about it, looking at it, and talking about it. I love getting inspiration from other bloggers for recipes and quick, fun, and innovative eats. So why not contribute!

So first up Breakfast! Breakfast it the best meal of the day, is it not? Ever since I found out I couldn't eat oats anymore, I was on a mission to find something to replace that craving. Behold: Quinoa Flakes! Amazing, that's all I can say. I can make crazy flavor combos just like I did with my oats. The only thing is I cant make an overnight version. It only works hot. But that's okay, I am getting used to that. They are also so satisfying and leave me feeling energized!

Hot Chocolate Quinoa Flakes

Ingredients:

- ⅓ Cup of Quinoa Flakes

- 1 to 2 TBS of Chocolate Protein Powder (I use Plant Fusion)

- 1 TBS of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

- 1 Cup of Water (or ½ cup of non-dairy milk and ½ cup of water)

Directions:

- Add all the dry ingredients in a microwave safe bowl (large because the quinoa expands!)

- Add the water, mix, and pop in the microwave for 2 minutes on high.

- Take it out, mix, add more liquid if you would like, and done! You can add fruit or nuts or some nut butter to top it off. So good and so easy for the morning!

Next time I am going to experiment with adding Peanut Flour for some chocolate peanutty goodness! What I have used my peanut flour for is smoothies! I made the greatest blueberry chocolate peanut smoothie the other day and was mmm-ing the whole time I was sipping! So I must share.

Blueberry Chocolate Peanut Protein Smoothie

Ingredients:

- ½ Cup of Almond Milk (or other milk of choice)

- ¾ Cup of Frozen Blueberries

- 2 Massive handfuls of Spinach

- 1 TBS of Chocolate Protein Powder

- 1 TBS of Cocoa Powder

- 2 TBS of Peanut Flour

- 3 Ice Cubes

Directions:

- Put all the ingredients (in order) in a blender.

-Blend, baby, blend! You may need to add some more liquid to get it moving. I use a drop of water sometimes because my old Oster blender is about 20 years old, but has still not failed me! Then, that's it, drink up!

Now I have kind of a random "recipe". Instead of eating my veggies at dinner I usually have them beforehand as a snack. I love making big veggie bowls and then topping it with seeds or nuts! Perfect pre-dinner "snack". So I bought an eggplant the other day and some zucchini. I know I was going to steam the Zucchini but really didn't have a plant for the eggplant...I was just craving it so I bout one. So I decided to just steam the eggplant with the Zucchini and see how it came out (steamed eggplant didn't sound very appealing, but I was wrong.) I love when things work out!

Steamed Basil Dill Zucchini and Eggplant

Ingredients:

- 1 medium Eggplant (sliced in rounds, then quartered)

- 2 medium Zucchini (sliced in to rounds)

- ½ a large onion (roughly chopped)

- ½ TBS Dill

- ½ TBS Dried Basil

- A few dashes of Black Pepper

- A few swipes of Garlic Powder

Directions:

- In a large pan place all the ingredients in and mix it around, then add about 1 cup of water to the pan.

- Cover the Pan with a lid and heat over medium/high heat for 5 minutes then lower to a simmer for 15 minutes or so. Stir occasionally.

- Once the Veggies are cooked through, not falling apart, but soft, remove form heat and serve. Easy and Delicious!

Now on to dinner. I just made this yesterday and I could not get it to my mouth fast enough! I love fish, my faves are Tilapia (below), Wild Salmon, Sardines, Tuna, Barramundi, and Flounder. I eat Tilapia at least once a week since it is always such a good price at the grocery. I love seasoning my fish with a different combo every time and the one I did last night was a winner! (When I was plating the Tilapia broke...so sad picture, but better then the other pictures in this post! Haha!)

Dijon Herb Baked Tilapia

Ingredients:

- 1 Tilapia Fillet

- About 2 tsp of Dijon Mustard

- 1 tsp Dried Basil

- 1 tsp Dried Tarragon

- Black Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a pan with foil and lightly coat with olive oil or non-stick spray.

- Place the Tilapia right on the pan and rub in the Dijon. Sprinkle the Basil, Tarragon, and pepper on top.

- Place in the oven for about 13-15 minutes (depending on the size of you fillet. It should flake apart very easily when done.)

- Done! Serve over rice or your favorite grain. I made Turmeric Rice with Lundberg's Countrywild Blend. (Simply cook the rice then pour in the Turmeric and add a little Parsley!)

So, there you have it. Some of my favorite eats from the week. O, and I almost forgot. You always have to end the night with a delicious snack. My favorite: A big Apple (this one was a Fuji) and a blob of Barney Butter's Crunchy Almond Butter!

Now tell me friends:

What have been some of you favorite eats this week?

Are you a fish person, or totally hate it?