Mason Jar Breakfasts
Thanks to The Yummy Life Chris and I are now enjoying delicious breakfasts in mason jars. On the left is a Greek yogurt parfait with flax-seed granola, raspberries, mango, and blackberries. I usually eat Greek yogurt in the morning, and I’ve tried all sorts of brands and flavors with different fruits, jams, and granola. A recipe in my new favorite pink cookbook inspired me to buy plain Greek yogurt and add my fruit or granola on my own. I started out making them in bowls or cups, but moved on to the mason jar after starting the overnight oats as well. The various parfait were delicious, but I grew tired of eating the same thing every day. To spice up our breakfast, I looked around online for more recipes particularly ones that involved oats. That’s when I found the Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal recipes on The Yummy Life blog. I recently made the Almond Mango version from the blog (pictured on the right), and it was fantastic. I take some liberties: I typically use almond milk instead of skim milk (unless Chris requests otherwise), and I haven’t tried it with chia seed yet. I also prefer more than 1/4 cup of oats, as listed in the recipes, but this is likely due to the missing chia seeds). I’ve made a few of the flavor suggestions from the site, and now I’m trying a few of my own creations. Right now I have a Maple Peach Blackberry Twist soaking in my fridge for breakfast tomorrow. I can’t wait!
Bento Box Lunches
For a long time now, I’ve had this horrible habit of forgetting to eat all day and then making up for it at dinner. Granted this has a lot to do with the nature of my job. All day I’m bouncing around from a school to a house to park and so on. The point is I go where my clients are, and I drive a lot. During the work day, my car is the only home base that I know. Unfortunately, this means I don’t get to bring my lunch and stick it in the fridge at the office. I’ve tried packing lunches with ice packs for my car, but the boring sandwich and chips thing never really stuck. I recently bought this Lock&Lock bento-style lunch box from Amazon. It’s awesome because now I can pack a variety of dishes, keep everything separate, and prevent sogginess. I’m using tuna salad, egg salad, and roasted nut recipes from the Flat Belly Diet Cookbook, along with hummus, dried fruit and veggies. I make the tuna or egg salad at night twice a week (they last 2-3 days in the fridge), and I chop the veggies the night before. Chris and I both loved the Dilled Egg Salad – the fresh herbs and spices were perfectly balanced, and the Dark Chocolate Roasted Nut Mix – cocoa, brown sugar, pecans, and hazelnuts. Chris gets the same lunch as me, but he’s using a Zojirushi lunch jar. It’s really a neat, modern-looking way to pack lunch, and I love that it doesn’t need an ice pack.
I believe this is one of those “you know you’re an adult when…” moments. You know you’re an adult when you get super excited about packing lunch in a bento box, making breakfast in a mason jar, and eating healthier! I’ll update the post with better pictures soon!
C Squared Culinary Adventures 