Women’s Retreat Recipes

Name: Breakfast Bowl
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 3 ounces pork carnitas (or 3 ounces of meat of choice); 1/2 cup Heinz Beans in tomato sauce; 1/4 cup bell pepper, diced; 2 eggs; 1/2 cup Simply potatoes diced (or fresh diced cooked potatoes); optional: tortilla chips for dipping

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend a women’s retreat, and not only attend, but speak for 90 minutes. When Rose, who coordinated the event, asked me last fall if I’d be willing to do it, I didn’t hesitate. I said yes immediately. Did I ask how long I’d be speaking? No. Did I ask if there would be a kitchen for me to cook in? Also no. But here’s the thing I’ve learned over the years: everything is figureoutable. And sure enough, I figured it out.

Because a kitchen wasn’t available, I decided to approach my segment more like a storytelling experience, weaving together moments of my life with food that represented each chapter. Rose had asked me to talk about healthy eating, but for me, healthy eating has never been just about the food. It’s about the life behind it.

I started with becoming a mom at 23. At the time, some people may have thought that was the moment my life fell apart. Looking back, it was actually the moment everything started to come together. We were on a tight budget, and I talked about how something as simple as a breakfast bowl can be nourishing, affordable way to start your day. It wasn’t fancy, but it was real life. And sometimes that’s exactly what we need.

Breakfast Bowl

Yield: 1 bowl

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

This breakfast bowl keeps me full for hours. Feel free to add your favorite veggies/meat to your bowl.

Ingredients

3 ounces pork carnitas (or 3 ounces of meat of choice)
1/2 cup Heinz Beans in tomato sauce
1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
2 eggs
1/2 cup Simply potatoes diced (or fresh diced cooked potatoes)
optional: tortilla chips for dipping

Instructions

Reheat the meat:
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pork carnitas (or your meat of choice) and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Cook the potatoes and peppers:
In the same skillet, add the diced potatoes and bell peppers. Cook over medium heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are golden and the peppers are tender.

Scramble the eggs:
While the potatoes cook, scramble the eggs in a separate pan (or push the potatoes to one side if your skillet is large enough). Cook until just set.

Heat the beans:
Warm the Heinz beans in tomato sauce in the microwave according to package directions.

Assemble the bowl:
Add the cooked potatoes and peppers to a bowl. Top with the reheated carnitas, scrambled eggs, and warm beans.

Optional:
Serve with tortilla chips on the side for dipping into the beans and scooping up the meat.

Notes

If you are on Weight Watchers, this bowl is 6 WW points. If you count calories or macros: 433 calories, 17 fat, 34 carbs, 8 fiber and 36 grams protein.

From there, I shared the story of meeting my husband online. We had a whirlwind romance and were married just six months later. You can ready the story of how we met here. Life felt fast, exciting and full. But as many of you know, that chapter also came with deep challenges when he became sick. I wrote about it on my blog, and so many people reached out asking how they could help. I didn’t have a clear answer, but I remember mentioning how someone had given me a $20 gift card to Starbucks, and how much that it meant to be able to grab a protein box on the way to the hospital to visit my husband. That one small act turned into something much bigger. At one point, I had over $500 in gift cards from people who just wanted to make my days a little easier.

tony and biz grilling

When I started talking about the generosity of my community, about how people sent me Starbucks gift cards during one of the hardest seasons of my life, I immediately started to cry. It completely caught me off guard. It has been 12 years, and I thought I had tucked those emotions neatly away, but in that moment, they came rushing back like it had just happened yesterday.

Maybe it was the reminder of how seen and supported I felt during a time when I didn’t even know how I was going to get through the day. And as unexpected as those tears were, I think they created a moment of real connection with the audience, because it wasn’t polished or planned, it was just honest. Sometimes the stories that still make us emotional are the ones that remind us how deeply we’ve been loved.

That story led into my next dish: a DIY protein box with a simple garlic hummus. It was my way of showing that nourishment doesn’t have to be complicated, and that sometimes the smallest conveniences can make the biggest difference during hard seasons.

Garlicky Creamy Hummus

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 4 minutes

The base of this hummus recipe is from a YouTuber named Isabel Paige. I've added a crap ton of garlic, crushed red pepper and 1/2 cup of aquafaba. So good!