Guest Post: Nicole's Healthy Make Ahead (Healthy) Breakfasts

I am so happy to introduce all of you to one of my new foodie buddies Nicole from A Healthy Way to Cook. Her blog has an unlimited amount of healthy recipes, tips, and articles that can help you live a happy and healthy life.When she had an idea for make ahead healthy breakfasts I was so excited because I am such a grab and go breakfast eater. If it is already made( and healthy) I will gladly eat it!

Cinnamon Spiced Zucchini Muffins

This time of year makes me crave  cinnamon and pumpkin spiced everything. I'm pretty sure everyone and their mother has some large surplus of zucchini either from their own garden or a family member pawning zucchini off on them. I love having zucchini on hand because you can make sweet and savory recipes. Does it get any better?

20 Minute Meals:Spicy Chickpea & Quinoa Bowls

I love meals that come together quickly! I started kickboxing recently ( what's up I <3 Kickboxing!!!) and my body is so exhausted when I get home I need a meal that is nutritious and easy. This meal actually reminds me of a meal I had in Paris with my sister in law Marjorie in her apartment. I remembered how delicious and easy it was so I decided to share it with you.

Cookies & Cream Bark

I could have entitled this post easiest dessert that you will be addicted to for the rest of your life. Or simply, food crack. My husband is in love with cookies and cream anything so when I saw a recipe for this I got some inspiration. After tasting it, I know why he loves it so much. It was amazing. What makes this even better? It has two ingredients! Yup, two. You can even use this as a base recipe and put your family's favorite toppings in it.

Quinoa & Pineapple Fried Rice

So my pineapple filled dishes lives on in this quinoa fried rice! I love fried rice ( and most fatty, greasy Chinese food for that matter.) I've been making healthier versions of Chinese food at home for some time now like sticky orange chicken. Fried rice is something I have not tackled before, so what better time than the present?I used a recipe from Cooking Light. My favorite go to for light recipes!

Spicy Turkey & Pineapple Tacos with a Lime Crema

Mexican lovers rejoice! I have found the taco that tickles all the taste buds! Hot,sweet,crunchy and tart. This taco has it all! As a lover of Mexican food, I could not help, but make a summer twist on the usual taco. To brighten up the flavor I used chopped pineapple! Sounds weird? Fruit in a taco? Trust me, it's delicious! It actually gives the turkey some caramelization and balances out the spiciness of the jalapeno and chipotle powder.

Less is More: Cacio e Pepe

I am starting to realize sometimes less is more. It is a rare event that I will actually make a recipe that has more than 10 ingredients so when I heard about this recipe from my friend Darci, I was ready to cook it immediately. She ate this when we went to  Eataly in NYC and once I saw ( and tasted) this simple dish I was hooked! I figured what better recipe to follow than Mario Batali's!

Zucchini & Feta Latkes

Hello easy and delicious breakfast,lunch or dinner! I suppose this is what Rachael Ray would call a BLD      ( Breakfast Lunch or Dinner) meal.  A really yummy restaurant in RI ( Crazy Burger !!!) makes amazing zucchini latkes, which they serve at breakfast and they are absolutely delicious! I think you can have these for any meal you want because I ate them for dinner and they were so good! They hit the spot! So whenever you want to cook these up, go for it!We won't judge what time you eat them at.

Portabello Mushroom Parmesan

I am so excited to tell you all about this recipe! I had 2 large portabello mushroom caps in my fridge and I wasn't sure what to do with them. Since I have been on an oven kick lately, I decided to use it again to cook this amazingly easy dinner- Portabello Parmesan.Enjoy chicken or veal parmesan? If you like those classic Italian dishes, you will certainly dig the meaty portabello baked until the panko is crunchy and the mozzarella is stringy and creamy. Hello delicious.

Mediterranean Pita Pizzas

Could an amazing and easy meal get any better? I saw a recipe via Rachael Ray  for these amazing triangles of goodness and I was pumped because literally a meal cannot get any easier. Because of our hectic schedule, I am always trying to find meals that are delicious and satisfying, but don't take more than thirty minutes to make. There are just some nights I want to be sitting on the couch with a glass of wine, not slaving over a stove. Have you been there?Yeah, I thought so.

WIAW & Bacony Breakfast Pizza

Is" bacony" a word?Probably not, but basically I want you to know this pizza is covered in bacon.Magical, mapley (yup, not a word either) bacon. I was trying to think of what to have for dinner tonight and it came to me while I was spinning (hey at least I was exercising)- breakfast pizza. Breakfast pizza is a great meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.It would even be nice for a brunch. There are even so many ways you can prepare it. If you have alot of time you can make your own dough. If you are in a rush you can use refrigerate dough. But before I get to the recipe, let's see what I ate this week for WIAW!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burgers

WIAW is veggie themed this month, and what better way to celebrate than with Sweet Potato and black bean veggie burgers! I really enjoy making veggie burgers, but I find that I keep using the same ingredients. I found a recipe using sweet potato, which gave these great texture and just the right amount of sweetness! Here is a taste of what I have eaten since Monday. Don't judge my giant cupcake or cheese fries.

My New Favorite Snacks!

So since I have been running around so much lately, I thought I would share with you some of my new favorite snacks!Sometimes I find myself only having time for a snack before class or working out.  Both of these snacks are healthy and utterly genius and delicious. I have come to the conclusion I cannot go through the day without snacking in between meals. Actually, nutritionists say that healthy snacking throughout the day keeps you full and stop you from overeating later. So if you are running around all day like me , snack away!

WIAW & Spicy Black Bean Soup

It's that time of the week again! What I ate Wednesday! Since this month is veggie themed I of course have lots to share!! I took Valentine's Day off this year for a "mental health day." And boy, was it needed. Between getting my MBA, working full time, and blogging I am stressed to say the least. A day to myself where I could do whatever I wanted sounded amazing. I ended up getting a hot stone massage ( OMG) and got all of the knots I accumulated from the past few months kneaded out! Gosh, did that feel good. After that, I spent the whole day lounging, watching T.V and I even got an oil change. My awesome husband even came home early from work before he had class so we could hang out! SCORE!

Chicken Toastadas

Since starting up graduate school again this semester, my time in the kitchen( and in general) has been limited.Working full time, going to school two nights a week, working out, having a life. Phew, sometimes it is alot. Lucky for me, I have this blog and it helps me find ways to help combat this constant loss of time. I started getting really good at making meals with whatever I have on hand and making it work.... actually really well I might add.

Pepperoni & Cheese Monkey Bread

When I tell you.. "this is one of the most ingenious appetizer ever" I am not lying. I first saw this recipe on The food blog, The Sweets Life. You guys are familiar with monkey bread right? It is pieces of dough with cinnamon, sugar and a  yummy glaze. You get it. This is a savory twist on that and I swear to you, I will make this for every party we have. This is perfect party food and it is really inexpensive to make. You can assemble it before hand and then throw it in the oven before guests arrive. I borrowed my sister's bundt pan ( thanks Kel) since I didn't  have one. This is actually a great dish to make with kids too. It is really easy to make so they can easily help and I know they will like eating it. Who doesn't like pepperoni and cheese? Well, I guess if you don't you can fill them with whatever you want. Ham and cheese, veggies, steak and cheese, buffalo chicken and blue cheese. I just thought those up in five seconds. I'm sure you could think of more. You are creative.

Zucchini Feta & Onion Fritatta

When I tell you this is one of the easiest things I have ever made, I am not lying. I had some eggs, cheese and leftover veggies and I came across this wonderful recipe! Feel free to substitute any veggies you have on hand or if you like egg whites instead feel free to use those. I love goat cheese, but had feta on hand so I used that instead. I would call this meal a B-L-D meal, which in the words of Rachael Ray means you could eat this for breakfast,lunch, or dinner. I made it for lunch and although the serving size is just one, you can easily multiply this for a crowd.