The Food | Balancing in the Kitchen

There are certain tools in the kitchen that make meal prepping simple and easy, and today I want to highlight one of my favorite tools…the muffin pan! I love making a big batch of muffins for the week because they are so easy to grab and go on busy days. And I’m not just talking about those pastry muffins. I also love to make egg muffins for the days when making eggs for breakfast is just out of the question.

Pastry Muffins: Now, if you are thinking muffins cannot be good for you, think again! There are tons of recipes out there for muffins made with natural and healthy ingredients, while keeping a great taste. I have made muffins with protein powder, mashed bananas, and my new favorite ingredient, chickpeas! My most recent batch of muffins were the Blondie Muffins from the Tone It Up Challenge.

I did make some modifications to the recipe to cater to ingredients I already had in my pantry. The recipe calls for almond butter in the batter, but instead I used 1/2 Sunflower butter and 1/2 Snickerdoodle flavored almond butter (Buffbake). I also made a glaze to put on top of the muffins made of coconut oil (melted) + agave + strawberry jam. I put a spoonful of each in a bowl and mixed it all together. When the muffins had 5 min left in the oven, I took them out and put some glaze over each muffin before returning the pan to the oven.

They came out so well! I had my doubts about the chickpeas in muffins, but you can’t even tell they are in there. I will definitely be making these again.

Egg Muffins: These are my fave. I usually make a big batch of hard boiled eggs to grab in the mornings or as a snack, but egg muffins are a great way to switch it up once in awhile. And they are super easy to make, since it only takes a few minutes to make a pan full of muffins for the entire week!

To make, start with a base of a combo of eggs and egg whites. I always like to use a portion of full eggs to keep those healthy fats and flavor, but also incorporate the egg whites to keep that calorie count low without losing the protein. I find that 8-9 eggs is sufficient to make 12 mini muffins (3 mini muffins = 1 serving). I usually do 6 eggs and 3 egg whites, but you can always split it out to have more egg whites (although I recommend at least 1/2 of the egg portion is whole eggs).

Next, add the ingredients! This is where it gets fun. Any variety of veggies (and proteins, such as ground turkey or ham) works! Some ideas are:

spinach
mushrooms
onion
tomatoes
asparagus
bell pepper
zucchini
broccoli

Mix the eggs and the veggies together in a bowl, and add salt, pepper, and any other spices you want (chives, scallions, dill, garlic- the options are endless!). Spray the muffin pan and add the egg mixture filling each cup about 3/4 of the way. Bake the muffins on 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Meal prepping can seem daunting and take hours, but if you utilize tools such as a muffin pan, it can cut down on that time and effort. And as always, practice makes perfect. My first batch of egg muffins turned out, well, not so great. You just have to experiment with the ingredients and methods that work for you.

It’s important to have that go-to meal to turn to when life gets busy or tries to knock you down. On a day when all you feel like doing is indulging in that comfort food, it doesn’t have to turn out all that bad. Why? Because there are “skinny” alternatives to your favorite dishes. I finally found mine. Thank you Gina Homolka, author of the Skinnytaste Cookbook.

Growing up, my favorite food was always pasta. Well, basically anything Italian. I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Italy, and it was all that I dreamed of. Pasta, Pizza, Gelato! I love ordering the Chicken Parmesan at my fave Italian restaurant because it also comes with a side dish of penne marinara- best of both worlds! Well now I’m all about the balance, meaning there must be a way to feel like I am enjoying my favorite restaurant dish while practicing healthy habits and portion control. The Skinnytaste Skinny Chicken Parmesan is my answer.

I deviate from the recipe in order to include my secret ingredient that I add to most meals that call for marinara sauce… Trader Joe’s Arrabiata Sauce! For this recipe, the chicken is first baked to perfection and then put in a skillet with the sauce and cheese. It tastes so delicious, and I don’t think I will ever get sick of this meal. I always change up the sides, too. Sometimes I make a portion of pasta, other times I serve it with veggies like asparagus. Either way, it always turns out amazing!

My point to this post is that I never feel like I’m “dieting” or giving up my favorite meals. Whether it is finding healthier alternatives or just indulging in the actual thing, just do you.