Omelet On-the-Go Muffins

Whether it's back to school time for you and your family, or perhaps you just need some help with breakfast, this week's recipe has you covered.

Getting up, getting ready, helping kids or pets or spouses with their morning routine can be difficult enough, and squeezing in a nutritionally sound, delicious homemade breakfast can sound almost impossible.

Enter, the omelet muffin. This is a popular recipe because it cab be prepared ahead of time, using a variety of ingredients, and can be suitable for people who are trying to pack in extra protein, people who are trying to get more vegetables in their diet, or people who are just in a hurry and need something quick. 

This recipe is also awesome for road trips or appetizers. You are only limited by your imagination for the ingredient combinations, and it'll save precious snoozing time in the morning. 

Omelet Muffins

Ingredients:

Dozen Eggs (or about one egg per muffin cup)

Muffin Tin

Mix ins of your choice. (spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, pineapple, ham, chicken, cheese, mushrooms, etc)

Salt + Pepper

coconut oil

Optional: Muffin Liners

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350

Beat eggs to your preference, adding salt and pepper to taste. 

Generously grease the side and bottom of muffin tins with coconut oil, unless using liners. 

Beat eggs until mixed to your liking

Fill the individual muffin tins about 1/3 full of your chosen ingredients

Pour a little of the beaten egg mixture over the ingredients, and then stir gently to mix the egg, don't over do it.  (The muffins will puff as they bake, so make sure to leave room at the top of the tin)

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a fork stuck in the center comes out clean (or mostly clean)

Serve immediately or store in the fridge.

To re-heat: pop in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. They also freeze well.

Tips: -Finely chop any vegetables, it will make for better baking. 

-Add a splash of milk to egg mixture

That's it! You have breakfast on the go for the whole week! Some of out favorite flavor combinations are: Pineapple, Spinach, Cheddar and Black Bean, Red Pepper, Yellow Pepper, Kale and Swiss, and Bacon, Mushroom and (cooked) Potato.

Have fun with the flavors and get that breakfast in!

Watermelon + Feta Salad

Does anything say warm weather quite like watermelon? It's juicy and sweet and refreshing, the perfect dessert on its own on a hot summer day (especially down here in Houston!). This week's recipe goes beyond the sweetness of this red summer melon though, by combining it with the tang of feta cheese and the citrus flavors of a homemade, healthy vinaigrette. It's a mix of tastes that is fresh and satisfying; a salty, sweet, bitter, cool concoction that takes any August dinner up a notch. 

For the lettuce, we like arugula for the aforementioned 'bitter' taste, which seems to complement the other aspects of this salad so well. You could also use spinach, romaine, or massaged kale though, if you prefer. 

The interesting thing about meals like this one, is that combination of flavors we mentioned. The best way to be satisfied by food, is to choose something that has complex, varying tastes, because our bodies are programmed to find these foods satiating. So, in theory, you will take in less calories, because you are addressing all of your body's needs and cravings. 

Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad

for the vinaigrette:

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup minced shallots (1 large should do the trick)

1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

1/3 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

for the salad:

8 cups arugula, washed and dried

4 cups cubed watermelon (seedless preferred)

2 cups feta cheese

1 cup fresh mint

Method:

Mix together the lemon and orange juice, adding the shallots, honey, olive oil and salt and pepper. 

In a bowl, combine the arugula (or lettuce of choice) watermelon, feta and mint. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss well. Serve immediately.

Keep cool with this warm weather recipe, and eat well! Keep those cravings in check!

Summer Tostadas with Chicken and Vegetables

One of the best things about summer is the abundance and freshness of vegetables. The season is perfect for fresh, local cilantro, corn, zucchini, lettuces and many types of fruit. Creating recipes that use these seasonal ingredients is the perfect way to combine the tastes of summer with the healthy lifestyle we all crave. This week's recipe has all that, and is delicious to boot.

Norton Fitness is based just outside of Houston, Texas, and so we often have a hankering for spicy Tex-Mex flavors. We created this recipe in honor of our Texas heritage, and in homage to the freshness of this hot-weather produce. This recipe only takes about 15 minutes, but can be prepared even more quickly if you don't want to broil the tortillas for the tostada part of the recipe, instead leaving them soft for tacos. Your choice, either way is delicious!

Chicken + Summer Vegetable Tostadas

Ingredients:

1lb chicken breast, cut into strips

1 cup chopped red or sweet onion

1 cup fresh corn kernels (sliced from the cob)

1 cup zucchini, chopped

1/2 cup salsa of choice, (we like a fresh summer mango salsa, or vine ripened tomato salsa)

3 tbsp cilantro (or as much as you want)

4 flour tortillas ( or corn, but they won't crisp the same in the oven)

3 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

2 tsp olive oil

Method:

Preheat Broiler

Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. 

Combine cumin, pepper, and salt and then sprinkle spice mixture over chicken. 

Add chicken strips to pan and cook for 3 minutes. Add corn, zucchini and onion to pan, sauté for another 2 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. 

Stir in salsa and 2 tbsp of the cilantro. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until all liquid evaporates.

Arrange tortillas onto a single layer on a baking sheet, lightly coat tortillas with a little bit of oil or cooking spray.

Place tortillas in broiler for about 2 minutes, allow to lightly browned.

Pull tortillas out of broiler, and spoon about a cup of the chicken/veggie mixture in the center of each tortilla, and sprinkle with cheese.

Broil an additional 2 minutes, or until cheese melts. 

Serve immediately. 

Enjoy and make sure to relish the flavors of summer, because before you know it...they'll be gone! 

Be well!

recipe inspiration from Cooking Light, 2006.

Crunchy Garbanzos

We've all been there. It's not quite time for lunch, and you've already had breakfast. Your stomach is crying out to you, "feed me! I'm so hungry!" And you reach for your water, thinking it might just be thirst, because you don't want to mess up your careful dieting.

Nope. The water just doesn't quite do it, and those chips in the cupboard, or in the break room are just calling your name.

But, pause. Do you really want those salty, chemical filled potato chips? Do you really want orange covered dust from those Doritos covering your fingers and face all day, MOCKING you? 

Well, this week's recipe is a crunchy, spicy, healthy snack made from just a few ingredients. The prep is minimal and the satisfaction is massive. Basically, you need to make + pack these immediately because they are really, really, good.

Spicy Oven Roasted Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

Gather:

2-15oz cans of Chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

Method:

Heat oven to 450 and place a rack in the middle

Add all ingredients to a bowl and toss together until evenly coated

Spread chickpeas on a baking sheet with a rim around the sides

Bake until crisp, 30-45 minutes. Do not let chickpeas blacken.

Allow chickpeas to cool before placing them in an airtight sealable container or bag

They will keep for a few days...but they probably won't last that long!

Arm yourself with the right snacks to keep your hunger in check between meals, or pack these up for a day at the beach, or for a long ride in the car. Feel free to play with the spices used in this recipe, try rosemary and garlic, or tahini and turmeric, make it work for your cravings!