I think yesterday was my perfect temperature day – it was 64 degrees when I woke up, it didn’t get hotter than 73 degrees. Last night we had a cool breeze coming through the window requiring just a light blanket. Now if I can only find a place that stays like that I’d be a happy camper!
Right now it’s 51 degrees – by Thursday afternoon we will have 100 degrees – it just boggles my mind that we can live in a place that can vary by 50 degrees in just a matter of days.
So over the weekend when I was cleaning out my fridge, I noticed I had some refrigerator biscuits. I thought of making savory breakfast muffins for the week. The idea actually came from Kim of Mo’Betta – she made bubble up pizza for her kids and they loved it!
Savory Breakfast Muffins
makes 12 – each one is 95 caloires, 4.4 fat, 6.7 carbs, .2 fiber and 7 protein
Ingredients:
- 1 cup liquid egg whites
- 3 slices thin sliced Swiss cheese, chopped
- 3 ounces deli ham, chopped
- 1 cup baby spinach, chopped
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup skim milk
- salt and pepper
- dashes of hot sauce
- 10 refrigerator biscuits
I cut up my refrigerator biscuits and divided them into my muffin tin. Then added the chopped spinach, ham and cheese. I mixed the egg whites, eggs, milk, salt, pepper and hot sauce and using my 1/4 cup measuring cup – divided the egg mixture between the muffin tins. They baked at 375 for 17 minutes.
My breakfast:
Well, my dough didn’t bubble up as much as I thought it would – so next time I would just put the biscuits on the bottom of the muffin tin and skip the step of quartering them. Super tasty – it tastes like a breakfast casserole in a muffin!
I couldn’t wait to get outside at lunch. I ended up being gone 55 minutes! I did my usual walk a song, run a song – my legs wanted to go super fast yesterday (for me) for some reason – felt good! My only problem was that I forgot my hat and my hair was all in my face.
I declared last week that this week was going to be the week of the salad! I bought a six pack of romaine lettuce and a big package of cole slaw mix. I grilled a chicken over the weekend. My dressing? A 100 calorie pack of Wholly Guacamole mixed with Trader Joe’s light champagne dressing – delicious!
The problem with this salad? Um, raw cole slaw mix kind of tastes like ass. I even let the dressing sit for a while, but I couldn’t eat it – so I ate the romaine, carrots, cucumber and chicken. I’ll have to kick today’s salad up!
Like any food whore, I get my share of food magazines. One I love to read cover to cover is La Cucina. When I saw their recipe for Spaghetti con Crema di Peperone, I knew I wanted to make it, but I wasn’t sure Tony would be on board with a red pepper based sauce.
I did alter the recipe a bit because I didn’t add the proscuitto or arugala, but subbed in baby spinach and shrimp to ours. This really is a great week night recipe because it was ready in exactly 30 minutes.
Spaghetti Con Crème di Peperone
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound red peppers (three large)
- 1/2 pound roma tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried)
- salt and pepper
- I also added crushed red pepper to my plate
While you bring your pot of water to boil for the pasta, heat the olive oil in a stock pot. Thinly slice the peppers and cook them for 5 minutes over medium high heat. Add water, tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper and oregano, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 15 minutes.
Using your stick blender, blend the sauce. Once the pasta is cooked, toss the pasta into the sauce and let it sit for a couple minutes. This is a rather thin sauce but it did stick to the pasta – I ended up spooning a bit more of the sauce in our plates.
Here is the picture from the magazine:
My plate:
We both loved it – it was very light – perfect summer night pasta. The best part is that the whole sauce recipe comes in at 195 calories, 6 fat, 35 carbs, 11 fiber and 6.3 protein – or about 50 calories per serving.
A couple of things I found on Pinterest over the weekend – I love this one!
And this one made me laugh – maybe because I have a twin sister and I am the older one by 30 minutes! And not kidding, when I was six I remember crying my eyes out. My Mom asked me why I was crying I told her I thought I only got to celebrate my birthday for 30 minutes and Jennifer got the rest of the day!
Off to do 30 minute stretch before work and hoping today’s salad doesn’t taste like ass. Make it a great day!
I second the roasted red pepper idea for the sauce! I wonder how it would taste over spaghetti noodles?
Loved your twin story. And, speaking of twins, how is it that our northern Virginia weather seems to be the twin of your Chicago weather. We’re expecting the hot and humid days back again day after tomorrow. No fair. I LOVE running in the 50s and 60s, in the hot humid 90s, not so much!
Great idea with the salad week! I can’t wait to see what you come up with! And i hear you about the weather, that’s what its been like here lately.
Those savory muffins look amazing!!!
Im so glad you shared this quote! It is so true. I waste so much time waiting for Friday!! I need to be more present in the moment.
We are in the brutal days of summer where it is always over 100 and doesn’t get below 80 at all, even at 4am. BUT I will take it over snow any day 🙂
That pasta looks delicious and if I left out the shrimp my husband might even try it.
Brilliant dressing idea. Thanks Vat! Hope today is a great one too!!!!
The pasta sounds good! I bet it would taste even better if you used roasted red peppers…mmmmmm.
I would never think to mix guacamole with salad dressing – great idea!
Have a great day – the weather is amazing today!
I love your idea for the dressing! I guess it will be even better on an ass-free salad! The pasta looks great too–I love shrimp in pasta 🙂
sounds like a perfect weater day! and those muffins are so adorable! love it!
So how’s getting up in the morning? You’re not hitting snooze, are you?? 🙂
I am not hitting the snooze button – well, I did this morning, because it was cold in the house – we had all the windows open and it was 50 degrees! I did my 30 minute stretch though. 😀 Thanks for the nudge Debbi!
Those breakfast muffins look really good. I’m going to have to try that. Your shrimp pasta looks way better than the magazine picture. Love the two babies…too funny! 😉
I think it was over 90 degree yesterday here in west NC! Your Mid-West weather sounds perfect right now.
That dressing looks amazing on your salad. Cole slaw needs to sit a bit for it to taste good, in my opinion. Too much cabbage and it’s too crunchy.
Those breakfast muffins look good.
And that weather? Well, Santa Barbara comes pretty close year round.
I get my share of food magazines too and love them. Although I ended a subscription to one of them because it costs a lot of money too. La Cucina is sold here in the Dutch version too but I never really bought it. Maybe I’ll buy it someday to see what it’s like.
You can definitely overdo the veggies in a salad – I’ve discovered that the hard way, too. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with for today’s salad!
That twin picture and your birthday story are both too funny!
I always see the Wholly Guacamole 100 calories packs, but have been too afraid to try them…maybe I’ll pick some up.
Love that first quote from pinterest…I found a bunch of pictures from high school last night where I was so happy and just didn’t get an eff…I need to get back to being like that!
hahahha- that last picture is hilarious. And your story reminded me of my sister…who is older than me by three years. However, my birthday is September 2 and hers is the 14, so she thought that made me older. ;). Those breakfast muffins=amazeballs
OMG I made such a bad mistake with coleslaw mix. I bought some when it was on sale for $1 a bag. I thought I’d make a salad with it and yeah, it tasted just like you said! haha Lesson learned!
Yeah, I don’t care for coleslaw or broccoli slaw mixes raw in a green salad. I do, however like to buy several types of lettuce and mix those up. Than add in peppers and cukes and tomatoes and then either go fruit and cheese based or savory with olives and some sort of protein. If I was going to make a guacamole based salad I’d do chicken and beans and a smidge of grated cheddar along with cukes, tomatoes, black olives and jalapeno slices. YUM.
haha! Love the twin picture! The muffins and pasta look fantastic!