What I Eat - Breakfast Edition

You've probably heard the saying "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" and it's honestly true.

That being said, I don't always feel like eating breakfast but I've been trying to! When I wake up I'm not hungry at all. In fact, I don't get hungry until like 2 hours after getting up! So that can be tricky depending on what my plans are for the day.

I also have a bit of an egg intolerance so I try to stay way from eggs as much as possible. Which is why all my breakfasts are usually fruit based.

If I'm going to work I like to stick to something light since I'll eat a snack a little bit later in the day. I also try to stay away from dairy so if I mention a diary product I'm using then it's a dairy alternative! (i.e. coconut milk yogurt, earth balance butter, almond milk)

My go to is toast! The cool thing about toast is you can dress it up so many different ways.

this looks so gross lol but it tastes good I swear 

You can do peanut butter ad bananas, cream cheese and avocado, just cream cheese, or you can be weird and put butter, tomato and parmesan on it like me! I remember looking through the fridge trying to find something to eat one day and just thinking "ok I can do tomato.. that's healthy.. maybe I'll throw a lil balsamic on there." But then, I saw the parmesan and decided to give it a go. It's really not that strange of a combo but it just makes me laugh whenever I make it! You also don't have to have this on just bread. You can have a bagel, English muffin, rice cake.. literally anything.

Another breakfast staple is granola! I like to eat it on top of cereal, on a smoothie bowl, in some yogurt, or as a base with some fruit and almond milk! It's so yummy. My favorite is the honey almond one from Open Nature.

granola, blueberries, banana, almond milk

smoothie bowl I made with frozen tropical fruit mix, almond milk and I think a banana. topped with granola

My last easy breakfast is fruit! I eat fruit almost every morning. Fruit digests quicker than most foods so I try to have fruit be the first thing I eat in the day. Throw this stuff on cereal, oatmeal, toast, a smoothie, or eat it alone! It's always refreshing and tasty. I love berry smoothies (blueberries are my favorite fruit) and it's easy to just pick up some frozen berry mixes at the grocery store. The frozen ones last longer obviously, and they make the smoothie thicker. Which also comes in handy when you want to have a smoothie bowl cause otherwise you'd be having fruit soup. Trust me, you don't want that.

 peaches, a nectarine, and a banana

Eat ya fruit kids!

Garlic Dip Perfect for Potatoes!

I know, I know. Before you even say anything. I know. I've been absent from the blog yet again. But you know what? That's ok.

I'll get better at posting more frequently. In like 2 weeks I will have a more open schedule and will be able to get posts up with more ease. So just be patient with me while I get through some scheduling issues and me being completely exhausted!

But for now, here's a recipe that I find myself making quite often. Its from the Center Cut Cook!

I've used this recipe for both the potato wedges and the dipping sauce and they are both really yummy! I typically don't measure anything out when I make it, simply because I'm lazy and it will taste good no matter what.

Though I will warn that it may be a tad bit garlic-y for some! Which is an easy fix.. don't use as much garlic! But I love garlic and will even add more than the recipe calls for. My boyfriend wasn't a huge fan (because the garlic was too overpowering) but I think he would like it if I made it for him again!

The potatoes that go along with this isn't much so I find that I have more dip than potatoes to go around. That isn't a problem for me of course because it also tastes incredible with potato chips! Which may seem obvious because its a potato but it's not a very chip worthy dip.. but try it. It's good, I promise. It also goes well with carrots and other crunchy vegetables!

Here's the recipe

• 1/3 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

Is this post totally boring because I don't have a picture? I agree. But you know what. Thats life sometimes. Sometimes all your photos get deleted. Sometimes you don't want to make food you aren''t in the mood for just to take a photo. Nobody's perfect y'all! 

But you can expect a photo filled post soon. Very soon. Don't you worry. 

Cheesy Chicken + Spinach Pasta

Howdy y'all!

Welcome to another installation of Cooking with Sammi!!! Today we're making pasta! Who doesn't love pasta? It's actually one of the best things on earth.

I'd first like to start out by saying I only took one picture from the actual cooking process because the chicken for some reason was giving me so much trouble and I was just frustrated and totally over taking any photos. So you get one picture of the cooking and then a picture of the final product!

Oh and btw this pasta is actually incredible. I'm beyond proud of myself for making something that tastes this good (without using a recipe). Like I just made this up.. Amazing.

Ingredients

• jack cheese (grated) ((should be about 3 cups))
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup milk 
• chicken (I used chicken thighs but I recommend using chicken breasts instead) 
• a bag of spinach honestly
• pepper 
• garlic salt 
• thyme 
• salt
• pasta of your choice (I used penne) 

Directions

• I started off by cooking the pasta. (Boil water, add pasta, cook for 10 minutes).
• Then I cooked the chicken in a pan on the stove on medium high. I seasoned the thighs with garlic salt, pepper, ad thyme on both sides and cooked it until they were a little brown on each side. 
• Cook the spinach in some olive oil in a pan and add to pasta. Now I only had half a bag of spinach which obviously wasn't enough so I recommend using an entire bag if you plan on making this. 
• Cut up the chicken into small squares and throw into spinach/pasta mix. 
• For the sauce you will melt a tbsp of butter. Once it's melted, add the 2 tbsp of flour and stir util its smooth. 
• Add the milk and keep stirring until thick and creamy. Season to your liking. I put a bit of pepper and the tiniest pinch of salt. Like barely any salt. 
• Add the grated cheese bit by bit and stir until it's all melted. Once it's melted to your liking pour over the pasta mix and mix it up completely. 
• Voila! The cheesiest yummiest pasta to ever exist! 

Also sorry this post is a day late! Was a very busy hectic day yesterday! 

Thank you for reading! See ya next week 

Cinnamon Apple Topper Recipe

Now I'm a big breakfast fan. I don't necessarily like making breakfast, but I sure do like eating it. This recipe is one of my faves for a quick breakfast. It can be used for many different things, but my favorite way to eat them is on top of oatmeal.

You could also use it on top of pancakes or waffles, ice cream, hell even throw it on top of a pork chop for some savory sweet goodness!

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients

• 5 apples peeled and sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (you can just use nutmeg if you want)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Before you start, make sure you mix all of the dry ingredients before hand so your apples don't get too brown!

Next you're going to peel and slice the apples and put them in a ziploc bag (or a container) and toss them in the coating you made earlier. Make sure all of the apples are coated. 

They'll look like this after you toss them! After you finish coating them, fill a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of butter. Do this on medium heat. After the butter has melted a tiny bit I pour the apples in and stir. Cook them for about 10 minutes or until soft. You'll want to keep stirring every once in a while to make sure the apples cook evenly. 

Voila! Your cinnamon apples are cooked and ready to eat or ready to store for a treat later! I like to keep mine in a mason jar in the fridge. 

Now beware! Your house will smell INCREDIBLE while these are cooking. It smells like fall. They also are probably going to take more than 10 minutes btw. It's different every time I make them so 10 minutes it's just the minimum amount I would do. 

Making Instant Ramen Healthier and Tastier!!!

I've got a recipe coming your way in 3...
2...
1....

Now who doesn't like ramen? Honestly? Its so good and hello instant ramen is QUICK + and hits that salt craving head on. But if you're like me then you're probably like uhh hello there's too much sodium in this and it's kinda boring... So if you want to spice up some cheap noodles then this is the recipe for you!

This is actually my favorite way to eat ramen so I'm really excited to share this with you! And obviously real authentic ramen is going to be better but this is good for when you need a quick meal at home and you don't feel like doing too much.

Ingredients:

• Bag of ramen noodles
• 1-2 green onions
• Water
• Soy Sauce
• Sesame Oil
• Pre-cooked + shredded chicken (optional)
• Spinach
• Kale

Directions: 

• So first you are going to start out by cooking the noodles like you normally would. While these are cooking, go ahead and cut the green onion. 
• When the noodles are done, pour like 3-4 drops of sesame oil in. But be careful because it's very strong. Now throw some spinach and kale in there. The amount you use is up to you. I like a lot so I'll do a few handfuls of each (and they shrink up so even that isn't enough) 
• Once they've wilted a bit put in the onions and the chicken if you're using it. Then add the seasoning mix that comes with the noodles, but DON'T use the whole packet. Only use like 1/4 of it. Stir it all together. 
• Put it in a bowl, pour some soy sauce over and enjoy! 

If you want it to be little spicy you can pour some sriracha on top as well!

Thanks for reading and let me know if you like my recipe!!