Meg's Meal Planning

Breakfast

Homemade granola 

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This was my first time making homemade granola, and I couldn’t believe how simple it was! Granola is one of those seemingly “healthy” and nutritious foods, but can be full of added sugars and too much fat. By making your own, you can keep track of the added sugars and calories. 

Homemade granola


Ingredients 

  • 2 cups oats
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/4 sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup dried fruit – I used plums
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/8 cup honey 
  • 1/8 cup coconut oil 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
  2. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl, stir, set aside.
  3. Combine wet ingredients in medium bowl, stir.
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stir.
  5. Spread on a baking tray and bake until ingredients seem toasted, about 20-30 minutes
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Whole Wheat Pancakes 

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Who doesn’t love making pancakes on the weekend?! I’m always changing up which recipe I use, this week it’s whole wheat pancakes from the Food Network. Instead of adding apple to the batter, I topped it with fresh strawberries and bananas. 


Whole Wheat Pancakes

Ingredients  

  • 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup nonfat milk
  • 2 large eggs
  •  1 tablespoon honey
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Sliced strawberries and bananas 

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, milk, eggs, honey, and then slowly add the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
  3. Heat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat. Spoon 1/4 cup batter onto skillet. Cook until the tops are bubbly and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown.
  4. Keep pancakes warm on a baking sheet in the oven.
  5. Serve with sliced strawberries and bananas

Fried Chicken and Waffles

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Fried chicken and waffles – some people love it, some people hate it. But don’t knock it ’til you try it! The first time I had it was in Nashville at The Southern. If you ever find yourself in Country City, you’ll want to check this place out!  I ordered it once at a restaurant in Connecticut hoping it’d be as delicious as my Nashville dish; let’s just say the South is definitely better at their fried chicken. 

Still dreaming about the crunchy and tasty dish I had, I wanted to attempt to recreate it.  I don’t normally eat fried foods, yet alone cook them in my house. If I had used a deep frier, I’m convinced the chicken would have looked like a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial…..right? But I do not own a deep frier, so instead I used hot oil in a pan. Although I didn’t achieve the “look” I pictured in my mind, the chicken still came out pretty scrumptious. 

The trick I learned to tell the tempature of the oil is dip a wooden spoon into the oil; once it starts bubbling around the spoon, the oil has reached the right tempature. 


Fried Chicken and Waffles

Ingredients for the chicken

  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken tenders
  • 4 cups vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • For the waffles, I didn’t get fancy, just used a box mix and followed directions 

Steps 

  1. In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon salt, lemon zest, and paprika. Sprinkle the chicken tenders evenly with the mixture on both sides. Place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the top so air can circulate. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
  2. Remove chicken from the fridge and allow to sit out for 20 minutes prior to cooking. 
  3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. You need enough oil to submerge the chicken. Place a wooden spoon into the oil to test if it is hot enough; you will see bubbles rise. If you have a deep fry thermometer, tempature needs to be 325 degrees
  4. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Place each chicken tender piece into the mixture, making sure to coat well. Place chicken carefully into hot oil a few pieces at a time.  Fry chicken until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Remove chicken from the oil and place on a paper towel lined plate. 

For the waffles

  1. Follow box according to directions. Make sure to spray the waffle iron in between each use.
  2. Serve chicken and waffles warm with butter and syrup.
 

Chocolate chip banana bread

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As I near the end of my third trimester, I often get asked “did you have any crazy cravings?”  And I can honestly say I never experienced any bizarre cravings.  If I watched a food commerical, I would get a craving, like McDonald’s fries or Sprite, but as soon as the commerical ended, the craving would pass.  One thing I did experience is my sweet tooth went into overdrive! To help satisfy my insane sweet tooth, I started making banana/chocolate chip muffins, cookies, and bread, etc. This is one of my favorite recipes I made. The soft gooey chocolate chips blend perfectly with the moist bread. Some homemade breads can be dry, but this is soft and extra good warmed up with melted butter!  Are you drooling yet? 

  

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 medium, ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup plain or vanilla greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a bread loaf pan
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir well until combined and set aside
  3. Lightly beat the eggs in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add mashed bananas, greek yogurt, maple syrup. Stir well until combined
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently. Fold in the chocolate chips
  5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
  6. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack
 

This recipe was inspired from here

Skillet Blueberry Pancake

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I made this recipe over the weekend for friends visiting for brunch. Let me tell you why I love it! Besides being tasty, it was cooked all at the same time in the oven. No standing over the stove and pouring 1 pancake at a time and no flipping. It allows you to socialize with your guests! I used a 12 inch skillet.

Blueberry Pancake

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • lemon zest
  • 1 cup greek yogurt – I used vanilla, but plain works too
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds – optional

Steps

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, spray a 12 inch cast iron skillet with non stick spray. Set aside
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and lemon zest
  3. In a separate medium bowl, stir together the greek yogurt, milk, egg, and vanilla extract
  4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until completely combined
  5. Fold all the blueberries and almonds into mixture
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean
  7. Serve with syrup and butter!

Breakfast Taco with eggs, blistered cherry tomatoes and avocado

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What a delight! You will believe you went out for breakfast with this taco! This recipe was inspired by the August copy of Self magazine. It doesn’t call for much heat, so next time I make it, I’ll definitely add more heat with some hot sauce or sriracha sauce.

Breakfast Tacos with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes and Avocado

 
  

Ingredients

  •  Four eggs, cracked in a small bowl and stirred
  •  ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced 
  •  1 avocado, sliced 
  •  Salt
  •  Fresh cilantro
  • Shredded Mexican cheese
  •  Four mini flour tortilla wraps

Steps
1. Heat skillet over medium heat, spray as needed

2. Cook tomatoes until start blistering, remove and set aside.

3. In same skillet, scramble eggs, add cheese and jalapeno pepper

4. Meanwhile, slice avocado and cook tortilla wraps according to the package

5. Evenly divide eggs between wraps, top with cherry tomatoes, avocado, and fresh cilantro

  

Egg muffins

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I had a bunch of left over veggies in my fridge. None were enough for a meal, so I decided to make egg muffins with them!  Sometimes I feel I get stuck in a breakfast rut. I tend to stick to the same foods for a few months and then eventually become sick of them. My go-to’s have been kashi cereal and english muffins with peanut butter.  When I’m lucky, my husband will wake up early and make me an egg sandwich….awww what a guy! Recently, I’ve started eating more oatmeal and now I’ll have to make these egg muffins again and again! What I love about them is: 1. TASTED GREAT!! 2. Are so easy to prepare in advance and reheat in the morning 3. They make a great snack 4. You can add any type of vegetable you have in the fridge! This recipe was inspired by the egg muffin recipe from skinneytaste found here. 

I used zucchini, cherry tomatoes, scallions, and spinach, and I got to use my spiralizer for the first time!!

Spiralize zucchini

Slice zucchini, scallions, tomatoes, garlic, and ham

Saute in pan until tender

Add spinach and saute until wilted

Mix together eggs, milk, flour, salt, pepper, and cheese

Add to sprayed muffin tin

Bake at 350 for28-30 mins. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • Olive oil spray
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, diced
  • 5-6 green scallions, diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
  • Zucchini, peeled, and either grated, sliced, or put it through spiralizer. I had about 1/3 zucchini left, so I used all of it
  • 3 slices of ham, diced
  • 2 cups of spinach
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 oz shredded cheddar cheese
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin pan with olive oil spray.
  2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic for 1 minute. Add scallions, tomatoes, zucchini, and ham and cook another 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Set aside.
  4. In large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Add the cheese and cooked veggie mixture to the bowl.
  5. Pour into prepared muffin pan and bake for 28-30 mintues.