Valentine's tradition - Brinner

Karel and I had been dating for 9 months when our first Valentine's day occurred in 2007. There were cards, flowers and chocolates shared between the two of us but when it came time for dinner, neither of us wanted to deal with the hassle of eating out on this hallmark holiday. 

Although my cooking skills (and food passion) had yet to blossom, I still enjoyed real food....especially breakfast options. 

So, the tradition started. 

Every year since our first Valentine's day together, I have prepared breakfast for dinner. Pancakes, french toast, crepes...you name it, I've prepared it over the past 9 years. 

This year I made the most delicious pancakes with two extra ingredients to the standard easy pancake recipe and took a different spin on my omelet presentation by cutting a standard omelet into triangles for my a quesadilla-look. 

Even if I created two easy options for our Valentine's "brinner" they were both prepared with love and finished off with chocolate. 

Everyday is a great day to eat chocolate and to go that extra mile to show someone you care about that you love them. I hope that you had a wonderful Valentine's day and yummed a bit louder with those in your life who mean the most to you. 

Friends, family and furry ones.... Never let a day go by without showing and saying your love for others. And most of all, start that loving on yourself.

Pear-cream cheese, chocolate chip pancakes

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp whipped cream cheese
1 washed pear - shredded (with skin)
1 1/2 cup reduced fat organic milk
Chocolate chips (about 2 tbsp)
Olive oil or cooking spray for pancakes

1. Heat a large skillet to medium-low heat (to speed up cooking process, use two skillets). 

2. In a bowl mix together the first 5 dry ingredients (flour through  sugar) in large bowl.
3. In small bowl, mix together eggs, cream cheese, pear and milk until clumps are minimal. 

4. Add 1/2 liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk together. 

5. Then add the rest of the liquid mixture to the dry. Mix until evenly combined. If batter is too thick, add a little water until your whisk can easily move through batter. 

6. Now add chocolate chips and whisk one more time until combined.
7. Add ~1/3 cup of batter to skillet after drizzling a little olive oil (or use cooking spray)  before/after each pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side and then flip and cook for 1-2 minutes (or until golden brown). 

8. Serve with 100% maple syrup, 100% jam, fresh fruit or your choice of toppings. 

Serves 16-17 pancakes

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And any day worth remembering is best shared with a loved one, out in nature.
Karel knows how to make my heart happy.....even if my legs are suffering. 

3 hours and 40 minutes on our bikes, surrounded by beautiful tall trees, rolling hills, picturesque mountain views and plenty of farm animals to say hi to during our ride.
(yes, I verbally say hi to all animals when I see them during our rides. We even saw a Lama!)

After our ride, Campy took us for a 2 mile run and finished with a strong sprint on our street. No workout is complete without a Campy-mile!

Ramekin omelet and kale chips

I don't like diet fads. There's something special about having motivation (and not desperation) to focus on yourself, your own needs and your own goals. 

As a clinical RD, I have to lump people into categories all the time in the hospital based on a primary diagnosis - COPD, Diabetes, Renal Disease, Cancer, Stroke, Heart Attack, Small Bowel Obstruction, Pneumonia, etc. But after the diagnosis, everyone is different - everyone has his/her own past medical history, medication list and treatment plan which affects how the patient is treated. 

For whatever reason, there are far too many people who do not consider individual needs when modifying the diet or prescribing to an exercise routine. A mass marketed diet plan or exercise/training plan is hard to abide to especially if you are making life fit into your plan. Instead, I find joy in making sure a style of eating and exercising enhances life and that the plan fits into your life. 

It's a short-lived investment to follow a plan, marketed to the masses, which requires you to change your entire life (and habits) all at once. 

So regardless if you are a diabetic, cancer survivor or are obese or have an eating disorder, are at risk for cardiovascular disease or an elite athlete, you have to consider your quality life and own health needs if you are changing your lifestyle in order to be "healthy." First off, what is YOUR definition of healthy? 

Even with all the research in the world to prove or disprove a style of eating or exercise regime, we must not be extreme but we must focus on reducing risk factors for disease and quality of life. One of the best things that is often overlooked or forgotten in any change of habit journey is the adaption period that allows you to adjust to a new style of living. 

Whether you are training for your first marathon and struggle with the soreness after your longest run of 1 hour or fear that if you eat a bit more in the morning as suggested you won't still overeat in the evening, there will be a time of discomfort - with the body and/or thoughts. But that is OK and can be a good thing. 

Whenever I work with an athlete or fitness enthusiasts on training, daily nutrition or sport nutrition, I pick out a few KEY areas to focus on at a time. What I have learned in working with so many individuals is that when you only focus on a few areas, the rest just kinda seems to fall into place. Whereas late night snacking was always a problem, it's when an athlete begins to time nutrition better around morning workouts that the evening eating becomes less noticeable. Thus, a habit is broken without even trying....and that's a great feeling. 

Also, when you change a few habits at once and feel the effects, you are more likely going to keep on making more changes and maintaining the changes that you have made. There may be a few changes that take a while longer to adapt to and others that you may need to fine-tune. But the big picture is that you have goals in mind and your changes help you move closer to your goals. And the most important thing is that any changes you are making will enhance your life and are not short-lived. 

The other morning I made a delicious quick meal of an egg omelet (in a Ramekin), Kale Chips and served with a slice of bread (with a topping of your choice - nut butter, avocado, hummus or cheese). 

This is a perfect easy way to start your morning although I don't feel it is "enough" food for most athletes. Therefore, use it as a start if you are struggling to recover properly after a morning workout or if you need to start eating a more balanced breakfast or if you tend to rely on convenience/fast food in the morning hours. 

Because this is a simple way to recover from your morning workout or to start your day with a bit of protein to help you eat/crave less throughout the day, when you feel the need to eat again due to biological hunger, eat with a purpose. 

If you are using this as a recovery snack after a tough workout, how about a mini meal of 1/3 cup oats, dash of cinnamon + 1/2 cup berries and a few walnuts before your next meal (cooked with water)

If you are treating this as a meal, enjoy 1 or 2 omelets. But if you still need something small before you eat another meal, how about a piece of fruit and a few nuts or 1/2 cup 0% Fage greek yogurt.

Ramekin omelet and Kale Chips

Ingredients:
1 bunch kale

Red pepper
Onions
Tomatoes
Goat cheese
2 eggs
Milk
Choice of fresh bread
Salt
Olive oil

Start with your veggies:
Onions, Tomatoes and Red Bell Peppers

Scramble 2 eggs w/ a splash of milk and add in 1 tsp olive oil, divide into two ramekins. Top with a few crumbles of goat cheese (about 1 ounce total between two ramekins)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Toss washed kale (stems removed) in 1/2 - 1 tbsp olive oil (in large bowl) and a pinch of salt and then place on large pan. I used a pizza pan since that was my largest pan. 

Bake for 12-18 minutes or until brown on the edges. 

You can cook ramekin in oven but I used the microwave. Cook for 60 seconds and then if needed an additional 30-40 sec until eggs are fully cooked. 

Remove egg omelet from ramekin (or straight from the ramekin) and serve with a large handful kale chips and slice of fresh bread with your choice of topping (ex. hummus, cheese, whipped cream cheese, avocado, peanut butter). 

What small change are you going to make in your diet/exercise routine over the next few days that will make a big difference in your lifestyle?