breakfast for dinner all week 🥞
tropical chia pudding, strawberry protein pancakes & the *best* breakfast burrito
hello and happy sunday! hope everyone has been enjoying the extra hour of light.
we have decided to curb our screen time after a winter of wayyyyy too much of it. that means no scrolling in the bedroom, no tv after dinner to decompress. it’s been kind of hard to let go of that security blanket but also nice to find other things to do!
I started listening to this audiobook, baked a batch of my favorite blueberry muffins, called and made more plans with friends, went on walks (dragged out the old fitbit), joined a gym, and worked on organizing our house with renewed focus.
joe and I also checked out the new non-alcoholic cocktail bar in town where I had the best margarita I’ve had ever (and it didn’t have alcohol?? I need to know how).
anyway onto food! breakfast foods are my fave so I could have them for dinner pretty much 100% of the time—and this week my own wishes were granted (by me). scroll on for a hearty new mexican staple, light-but-filling tropical chia pudding, green take on a middle eastern classic, and tv-famous omelet.
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monday
green shakshuka w/ avocado + lime
think shakshuka but replace the tomato with kale or swiss chard. not gonna lie, it does lack the acidity from the tomato base, but the hot sauce and jalapeño bring enough oomph to make you forget about that. also like let’s be real it’s hard to improve classic shakshuka, so maybe think of it as a completely diff dish or you’ll be disappointed.
the best part? this takes about ten mins start to finish and you feel real healthy after eating it. overall, def an easy spring meal worth trying.
if you’d rather have a more traditional shakshuka you can find that here too!
gather your ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion (peeled + chopped)
2 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
1½ lb. swiss chard or dino kale stems (buy pre-chopped if possible otherwise chop)
½ tsp kosher salt (plus more as needed)
⅓ cup heavy cream
4 large eggs
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper (plus more as needed)
3 oz (~¾ cup) crumbled feta
1 small jalapeño (thinly sliced, for serving)
chopped cilantro (for serving)
hot sauce (for serving)
sourdough bread (toasted, for serving)
1 lime (cut into wedges, for serving)
let’s get cooking
heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. add onion and cook until softening (5 mins). add the garlic and cook until fragrant, (~ 3-5 mins).
raise the heat to medium-high, add the kale or chard in batches, adding more as they wilt, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until completely wilted )5-8 mins). season with ½ tsp salt, pour in the cream and stir loosely together.
make four small hollows in the cooked chard with the back of a spoon. gently crack an egg into each hollow. cover with a lid or foil and cook on medium-low until the eggs are just set, but still soft (~7 to 9 mins). remove the lid, sprinkle with salt, pepper, feta, avocado, jalapeño and cilantro. serve with hot sauce, toasted sourdough bread, and lime wedges.
original recipe from here
tuesday
tropical chia pudding
meet my hyper-fixation meal as of late. I’ve been enjoying it for breakfast but the other night I was on my own for dinner and all I wanted was another batch of this.
a note on the yogurt choice: I recently discovered stonyfield grass-fed greek yogurt which is not only the creamiest one I’ve ever tried but has 16 grams of protein (!) in every serving. which it better because it’s literally $9 (!) you don’t have to buy this but I think it makes a diff, particularly for dinner.
the below makes 2 servings, if you’re making for yourself you have automatic breakfast built in. if you’re making it for two and want breakfast for tomorrow then double this! it only gets better overnight.
gather your ingredients
1 cup grass-fed greek yogurt (regular works too but the stonyfield farms one is amazing)
1 cup milk (any kind! we did ripple almond milk)
⅓ cup chia seeds
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp maple syrup (to taste)
generous dash cinnamon
pink of pink salt
sprinkle of hemp seeds
fruit + nuts to top (we did mango, strawberries, sliced almonds + coconut flakes)
let’s get cooking
whisk together the yogurt, milk, chia seeds, vanilla extract, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt until well-blended. set in fridge for 10 mins.
slice fruit you’re using
whisk mixture again and set back in fridge for 10-20 more mins, until well-set (can take up to an hour)
top with your toppings of choice and enjoy!
recipe from this instagram
wednesday
the best new mexican breakfast burrito
I’m gonna say something and it’s gonna cause some feelings (mainly skepticism) but: I really do make the best breakfast burritos—*including* restaurants in new mexico (here come those feelings). but I swear! it’s not hyperbole or baseless self-congratulation. come over, I will make you one and you will see.
we perfected this ability while living in seattle where there is an understandable-but-depressing absence of new mexican food (though I hear now there are a few restaurants maybe?? how are they?). our fix was to have our families send us chile/tortillas and we’d make our own at home.
my no-so secrets to achieving the perfect breakfast burrito are high-quality eggs (cooked slowly), crispy potatoes (boiled before baking at a high temp), an actually good tortilla (like frontier iykyk), not to mention good chile (I like monroe’s and duran’s the best personally), and the right proportions.
no access to chile? if you don’t have a new mexico hook-up to send it to you, think again because you have me. you can also order from amazon, whole foods, etc. I’ve also seen 505 green chile at costco in seattle!
NOTE: I learned how to cook perfect eggs from my aunt kirsten and it’s her birthday today! hope you’re having a fun day and thank you for this wise gift (amongst many others.) 🫶🫶
gather your ingredients
1-2 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper to taste
4-6 eggs
2-3 large tortillas (1 per burrito)
¼ to ½ cup shredded cheese (personal preference)
2 potatoes (diced)
1-2 jars of green or red new mexican chile (you won’t need it all)
let’s get cooking
preheat oven to 425° F
boil water in a small/medium pot over high. once boiling, add diced potatoes. cook for 5-10 mins, until softened but not falling apart.
drain well and toss potatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper. spread on a baking sheet and bake for 30 mins, turning once mid-way through.
when there are about 10 mins left on the potatoes, gently whisk the eggs together (but not too much! the first key to creamy, fluffy eggs is to not to break up the whites.)
set a pan on medium-low and add a smidge of olive oil or butter if needed (our pans are a non-toxic, non-stick kind so we don’t). add eggs, top with salt and pepper plus cheese. cook low and slow, pushing them just once or twice and flipping over (the second key to fully eggs is to touch them as little as possible).
check on potatoes, if they are done turn the oven off and keep potatoes inside until you’re ready to use. add tortillas to the oven to warm.
heat chile in the microwave or on the stove
assemble! do I need to explain how to make a burrito? just in case: lay your tortilla flat on a plate, then add eggs and potatoes. do not overfill! gently roll it up and flip over, then pour chile over top. add more cheese and broil for a few mins if you’d like (I didn’t, joe did).
recipe from my brain/common knowledge
thursday
strawberry protein pancakes 🍓
another breakfast craving that made its way into our dinner rotation with rave reviews. honestly I don’t remember where I found this recipe, but these pancakes were so good and left us satisfied but not stuffed. just pleasantly full.
I was surprised by how robust and fluffy these were! we topped with strawberries and used chobani strawberry greek yogurt but could also use plain and top with whatever you’d like.
gather your ingredients
1¼ cup greek yogurt (you can use the same as for the chia pudding or if you’re feeling crazy, use 2 individual strawberry-flavored chobanis)
1 cup gluten-free flour (regular flour would work too!)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
generous dash of cinnamon
1 tsp butter (+ more for serving if desired)
maple syrup (to taste)
1 cup strawberries (sliced)
let’s get cooking
preheat oven to 250° F.
whisk together the yogurt, flour, vanilla extract, baking powder, eggs, and cinnamon.
heat 1 tsp butter over medium-high in a frying pan. when butter is starting to melt, spread using a spatula and pour batter into two small disks (2 should fit in the pan at a time with space).
let cook until upper side of the pancakes starts to bubble (1-2 mins). flip over and let cook on the other side another 1-2 mins or until both sides are golden brown.
as each batch of pancakes finishes, put them in the oven on a baking sheet to stay warm.
when batter is gone and pancakes are ready, top with strawberries, maple syrup, and butter if desired.
friday
the bear omelet
for those of you who didn’t watch chef sydney casually make this pillowy french omelet with a carefully piped line of herb-speckled boursin, chives, and crushed-up potato chips for a hangry, pregnant natalie—you need to stop reading this and binge watch the bear immediately.
for those of us who watched her do this in awe, you’ll be happy to know it lives up to the hype and you don’t even have to be a chef to make it.
the only kind of weird thing is it’s better right out of the pan so you can either use this as an opportunity to cook with someone else at the same time using 2 pans or you can stagger your dinner. as I was making mine, joe just kept exclaiming wow from the next room.
let it rip ❤️
gather your ingredients (for 2 omelets)
kosher salt to taste
2 tbsp butter (divided)
6 eggs (divided)
2-3 tbsp boursin
1 handful sour cream & onion ruffles
finely chopped chives (for garnish)
let’s get cooking
briskly whisk eggs (3 per omelet) and add a sprinkle of salt. if you’re feeling extra, you can strain them through a fine mesh sieve like our girl syndey but if you’re not a trained chef it’s totes fine to skip that.
then, heat a 10-inch *nonstick* skillet—v important—over medium-high and toss in a tbsp of butter. let that melt and just before it starts to bubble, pour in the eggs.
using a rubbery heat-resistant spatula, swirl them into a scramble, intermittently shaking the pan back and forth to ensure that the eggs don’t stick to the bottom or brown.
let cook 2-3 minutes until eggs have started to set but not too much. in the show, sydney uses a piping bag to deliver her boursin to the eggs but you can also just do a few generous dollops using a spoon and no one will ever know. whatever method you choose, add it to the center of the omelet.
okay now the intimidating part: the fold! I watched so many youtube videos before trying and will link the best one below. use your spatula to gently roll the right edge over itself. then do that one more time from the right. finally fold, the remaining flat piece over from the left to seal.
*tip* just watch this youtube it’s so much easier to understand.flip onto a plate, top with crunched ruffles and finely chopped chives.
used this casual approach to recreate
groceries
pantry staples
hopefully, you have some of these already so do a quick check before you shop. here’s what you’ll need this week:
kosher salt + black pepper
butter
olive oil
gluten-free flour (regular flour works too!)
vanilla extract
baking powder
cinnamon
maple syrup
chia seeds
hemp seeds
hot sauce
from the store (organized by section)
lime (1)
yellow onion (1)
garlic
potatoes (2)
chives
jalapeño (1)
cilantro
strawberries
1½ lb. swiss chard or dino kale stems (I recommend pre-chopped)
eggs (12)
plain greek yogurt (I like stonyfield grass-fed)
milk (any kind! we did ripple almond milk)
heavy cream
3 oz. crumbled feta
shredded cheese
boursin
large tortillas
sourdough bread (optional)
1-2 jars of green or red new mexican chile (you won’t need it all)
sour cream & onion ruffles
fruit + nuts of your choice (we did mango, strawberries, sliced almonds + coconut flakes)
plus, we rented this oscar nominee on saturday—what did everyone else think? thinking of watching this one next. I’ve been really into cozy mysteries lately to relax before bed (lol) and this one turned out SO insane.
