InspiredMe: One word… Scrumptious!

One HUGE THANK-YOU to my amazing mother who found this recipe years ago… because and it is still an all time favorite. Picky eaters beware…. this is amazing.

Quiche is a known comfort food.. but with the added power greens you don’t feel too bad about eating the whole pie plate! (cause you just might)

Enjoy!

Power Green Spinach Quiche

Ingredients

9 inch pie shell (partially cooked)

1 1/4 cups half and half

3 cage free eggs

1 tsp. salt

2 TBPS power green mix (optional for added greens)

10 oz frozen spinach (or use fresh baby spinach and lightly steam it, about 4-6 cups)

1/2- 1 cup grated Swiss cheese

2 TBSP butter

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350. Partially cook pie shell for about 3-5 min. Beat eggs, cream, power greens and salt together in a blender. Spread 3/4 cheese on the bottom of pie shell. Put all of the spinach on top of the cheese. Pour egg mixture on top of spinach. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and dot with butter. Cook for about 35-45 minutes.

Make it. You’ll thank me later.

InspiredMe: 10 ways to go from “ok” to GREAT!

                                               image found on Google search

Don’t you wish every day could be a great day? Well, this list might just help it get there… Here are my top 10 things that make my day go from “ok,” to “wow, what a great day!”

# 1. Wake up early. Preferably before the sun rises. There is something magical that happens in the early morning when most of the world is still sleeping. If you sleep in you miss it.

# 2. Limit your sugar consumption for breakfast. Put the Lucky Charms away and have a whole grain, protien-rich meal instead. Try an egg with whole wheat bread toasted with a bit of olive oil and cinnamon or a power green shake. Or better yet have one of these.

# 3. Work out first thing. Working out in the morning will give you more energy for the rest of the day.

# 4. Spend a half hour or more reading an inspirational book. And fill your day with good music that helps you feel motivated and happy.

# 5. Take a walk. If it’s sunny or snowy, walking always helps clear your mind and give you energy. Breathing fresh air is good for the soul.

# 6. Make your bed. My mom always told me if your bed is made, your life is made. In other words, your day will feel more at ease.

#7. Clean/organize something. Anything. There is a peace and feeling of accomplishment that comes when you make something cleaner or more organized.

# 8. Limit TV time and don’t watch it right before bed. You’ll sleep and dream better if you don’t bombard your brain with TV right before bedtime. Watching the news can especially create unwanted “sleep stress.”

# 9. Don’t ever go to bed with a dirty kitchen… it makes for an awful morning the next day!

# 10. Breathe a lot. Breath has the power to disperse tension and emotions. If you feel frustration or anger coming on, take a big breath and breathe it all out. It works much better than yelling or getting upset. Also, if you take a few minutes in your day to concentrate on your breathing, in and out, in and out, it can give you a burst of energy and concentration. Breath is powerful! Use it.

And there you have it, my top 10 things. I’m sure there are about a hundred more… but it’s a good start. The next time you lay in bed thinking “wow, what a great a day it was,” think of what you did different and start incorporating it into your future days… so everyday can truly be a GREAT day!

InspiredMe: Better Than Mc-D’s Egg McMuffin!

Parmesan Spinach Egg Muffin

I’ll be honest, this is not your typical egg and turkey english muffin. Not only will this blow any “McMuffin” out of the water… but it doesn’t even belong in the same category… that is, because it is PACKED with delicious and healthy herbs, spices and spinach!

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’ve been on this “spice thing” for the last month or so, (ie: post about turmeric and the other one about three other spices.) I’ve been using them in just about everything I can… and this morning I tried them with my favorite Spinach Parmesan English Muffin Masterpiece!  It has a little kick from the crushed red pepper and an herbal hint from the turmeric, oregano and parsley! Here’s the recipe… you will LOVE this delicious twist on the classic egg and cheese muffin!

Parmesan Spinach Egg Muffin

1 whole wheat English Muffin, sliced in two and toasted

1 tsp. oil

Handful of baby spinach

1 cage-free egg

Dash of dried oregano

Dash of dried crushed red pepper

Dash of turmeric

Dash of dried parsley

Dash of salt

Sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese

1 slice of turkey or ham

1/2 TBSP cream cheese

Directions:

Slice the English muffin and toast it.

Put the oil and spinach in a pan and saute for one minute on medium heat.

Crack the egg on the spinach.

Sprinkle with salt, oregano, crushed red pepper, parsley, and parmesan cheese.

Cook for about two minutes, then flip spinach and egg over to cook on other side. Cook until done.

Spread the cream cheese on the English muffins.

Put the turkey and egg/spinach on the muffin like a sandwich… and enjoy!

InspiredMe: Chocolate + Raspberries = Heaven

One of my friends inspired me this last weekend when she told me about these little morsels of heavenly goodness. Now I know Valentine’s day has come and gone and we are all moving on to St. Patty’s day and Easter… but when I heard about these I just had to make them…  you and I both know that chocolate dipped ANYTHING is ALWAYS in season. And for a bonus, organic raspberries were on sale this week!

My favorite part is not only are these delicious, but they are just the right size to “pop” in your mouth. You know how the chocolate kinda breaks and falls off of a strawberry when you bit into it… and you can’t stick the whole strawberry in your mouth to avoid this…  so it just ends up being a little bit of a mess to eat… well, no problem here with the raspberries!

Perfect size, perfect combination of tang and richness, and quite frankly, just about the best thing to ever happen. Love it.

And just for fun, here’s some good health facts about raspberries: Raspberries have close to 50% higher antioxidant power than strawberries, three times that of kiwis, and ten times the antioxidant activity of tomatoes. They are also full of vitamin C, A, E, magnesium, and fiber! (found this info here)

InspiredMe: 3 Spices for a Supreme Body

These 3 spices are not only delicious in just about anything, but they are packed with nutrients that will boost your metabolism, immune, and digestive health!

Today’s Highlighted Spices: Dried Red Peppers, Oregano, and Ginger

I found this great article, “7 Super Spices for Super Health” read the whole article here. Here is a little excerpt from that article from Michele Borboa, MS.

1. Dried Red Peppers

Spices derived from red peppers include cayenne, crushed red pepper and paprika. Dr. Bazilian says, “Red pepper in its various forms is showing promise for enhancing metabolism, increasing satiety and potentially stimulating fat burning, too.”

She recommends using cayenne, crushed red pepper and paprika to spice up hummus, guacamole, cottage cheese and even mashed potatoes. She adds, “Give marinades or dressings a kick with a little cayenne or sprinkle paprika onto fish for a tasty and pretty change.”

2. Oregano

“I call oregano a ‘mini salad,’ says Dr. Bazilian, “one teaspoon has as much antioxidant power as three cups of chopped broccoli (but don’t ditch the broccoli – have both!).”

Oregano is among the highest in antioxidants of the dried herbs and it goes seamlessly and flavorfully into familiar, everyday foods as well as new recipes. Dr. Bazilian recommends adding oregano to commercial or homemade pasta or pizza sauce or even sprinkle oregano onto a grilled cheese sandwich.

She adds, “Sliced tomatoes become exceptionally pretty and tasty with a sprinkle of oregano, a grind of pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.”

3. Ginger

It may surprise you but one teaspoon of ginger has similar antioxidant levels as one cup of spinach! And ground ginger can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.

To satisfy a sweet tooth, Dr. Bazilian recommends this pungent spice be sprinkled onto fresh fruit slices or stirred into frozen yogurt or ice cream.

For savory fare, ground ginger can be mixed with honey and heated to provide a sweet gingery glaze on steamed carrots or broiled salmon fillets. Ginger also livens up marinades and sauces.

In addition, Dr. Bazilian says, “Scientists are looking at the role compounds in ginger for digestive issues (nausea and others) along with its role in reducing pain.

InspiredMe: Orange Dream Muffins

The name says it all… these muffins really are a dream! A dream come true that is! I made these today to bring some summer sunshine into our cold snowy day. They might just take you back to childhood days running through the sprinklers, laying out on the warm sidewalk eating a popsicle. Enjoy a little taste of summer!

(You can eat these plain, or top them with a tangy orange cream cheese spread!)

Orange Dream Muffins

1 whole orange

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 cup Greek Gods Honey Yogurt

2 Tbps. milk

1/4 cup oil

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups flour

Cut the orange up in small pieces and remove seeds. Then process the whole orange (with peel) with sugar in a food processor until chopped fine. Mix all other ingredients except the flour. Fold in flour until just moist. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes.

Orange Cream Cheese Spread

1/2 cup cream cheese

3 tsp. orange juice

3 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together and use in place of butter.

InspiredMe: You Are Loved

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Make it a day full of LOVE… for others, for your special person, and for yourself.

Look in the mirror at least once today and say to yourself, “I love and accept myself exactly the way I am!” And really mean it.

Show patience for others on the road, at work, and everywhere else you might go.

Show extra love to your children and try to complement them as much as you can today.

Do something fun with your special someone tonight. We’ll be making m&m blizzards, cuddling on the couch, and playing our favorite card game, SkipBo.

Have a LOVELY day!

InspiredMe: Snow Day

It was one of those Saturday mornings where you’re exhausted because you stayed up WAY too late the night before… And your little boy runs in at the crack of dawn and says, “Mommy, Daddy, it’s winter, look… there is snow outside! Let’s go play!” And you think to yourself, “why me?!” Well, I had one of those mornings recently. My hubby, being the amazing man that he is, immediately says,”yeah, let’s go!” And I’m thinking, oh good…you guys go, that means I get to go back to sleep! So they get ready and I am laying there thinking I should probably join them in the fun. Debating… sleep… no sleep… sleep… no sleep…? And then my lovely conscience pokes in, “go play, you’ll be glad you did.” So, I drag myself out of my zombie state and throw my snow clothes on and head outside to join them. It is a bright, sunny, winter wonderland outside. We make a snowman, have a little snow ball fight, make snow angels, and laugh a lot. Yes, I was exhausted the whole rest of the day, and I didn’t get that extra hour of sleep, but I have the memories of a perfect snow day, and my conscience was right, I’m glad I did. Take the time to play, do the things that will make memories, you’ll be glad you did too.

InspiredMe: HEART ATTACK!

Grab your kiddos, some paper, crayons, scissors, and a pen and make a “heart attack” for someone special. It will be one of the most fun ways to say “I love you!”

Cut out a bunch of hearts, write one thing you love about your special person on each heart, and have your kids decorate them.

Then send them in the mail, or better yet, tape them all over the room/house so when daddy comes home he gets a great surprise! Have fun this weekend and do a heart attack!

InspiredMe: Spice Up Your Life!

I have recently learned some really amazing facts about some well used spices you probably have around your kitchen… don’t worry, it’s all good stuff… actually, REALLY good stuff. After hearing about this you might just start putting these spices in just about everything (I’ve started to!)

Today’s highlighted spice is Turmeric.

Turmeric is known for its bright yellow color and is the main ingredient in a lot of Indian foods like curry. I found this information on a wonderful website about the world’s healthiest foods… check it out! But if you are pressed for time, here’s the quick version…

It is a strong and completely safe anti-inflammatory (it has been tested to be just as good as Motrin and Hydrocordisone- yes, amazing! And with no toxic side effects, this is a winner!) So try some turmeric first the next time you have a head ache… it might just work.

It’s a powerful anti-oxidant, which not only helps with a multitude of great things listed below, but it does wonders for your immune system and brain.

The health benefits of this little wonder is incredible… it helps with/cures Crones disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Cystic Fibrosis, cancer prevention, inhibits cancer cell growth, prevents Colon Cancer and Prostate Cancer, reduces risk of childhood Leukemia, improved liver function, cardiovascular protection, lowers cholesterol, and protection against Alzheimer’s disease. Does that make you go “wow,” or what!?

So you want to incorporate this into your diet? Here’s some suggestions: You can buy turmeric in capsules and take them daily, or add the spice to your foods. This spice is usually used in curries, like I said earlier, but I’ve never made curry and I use this spice in almost everything. I add it to soups, chicken dishes, pasta dishes, potato dishes… you name it… I just pour a little bit in and if the dish still tastes fine, than I’ll add a little bit more. Just so you know, it does make everything a bright yellow… so if you’re having company over and the presentation of the food is an issue, maybe lay off the turmeric… but any other time, just put it in! The health benefits are worth it.