Caprese Eggs

Years ago my husband and I took an anniversary trip to Cancun and I had a caprese salad. It was amazing...tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil....ever since that I have been trying to recreate this concoction in as many different ways as possible. My latest creation of this was in dinner earlier this week.

I love eggs. I specifically love scrambled eggs! They are protein packed, cheap, and quick to prepare. I eat them at least twice a day.

Now this recipe is not exact measurements it is pretty much to taste.

Start off by melting a tablespoon or two of butter or coconut oil over medium-high heat. Mince one to two cloves of garlic into the butter as it melts. Once the butter starts to sizzle add a handful of red onion, to taste, let fry for a minute or two. Throw in a small diced tomato, let fry for another minute or two. 

While those are frying whisk eggs in a bowl, I did 6 eggs. Pour into hot pan and turn the temp down to medium low. Sprinkle some mozzarella in and let melt while you stir the eggs. In between stirring mince some fresh basil. Once the eggs are close to being done sprinkle in the fresh basil and cook until done. 

Once you are ready to serve, put on plates and sprinkle with more mozzarella.

I served my eggs with some potato wedges and fresh pumpkin! It was all so delicious and filling!

What is your favorite way to cook eggs?!

That Time I Learned to Drive...

I have a 14 year old...she is about to turn 15. Normally, in the US this would mean we are preparing for the driving permit. She would have a book and be studying just waiting for that 15th birthday when she can get that little permit in her hands. However, living in a foreign country where you cannot drive until 18 she knows this won't be happening. The subject comes up every now and again and so that got me thinking about when I learned to drive. It was all pretty comical really...

I didn't actually start driving until right after or right before my 17th birthday, I think...I don't remember exactly when I just know it took me a while. When I turned 15 I was gung-ho about driving and got my driving permit shortly after turning 15. However, the first time I went out with my mom she yelled at me for driving too close to the side of the road. The 3rd time my dad took me out he took me around so I had to drive up the only hill in all of Jacksonville, FL. Of course this was at like 6 or 7 in the evening so there was traffic, so I had to stop at the stop sign. Then someone rolled up behind me. Close. I was in a manual car...which I still stalled out...often. After much yelling, me almost hitting the woman behind me, my dad wound up driving home because I was so paralyzed by fear. I still hate hills to this day. 

After that I didn't drive again...for a while...like months and months. So, my 16th birthday comes and goes and I am still catching a ride from people. Well, summer  going into my 11th grade year a friend says I NEED to get my license. So, coming home from the mall he has me drive his car. I didn't want to but he insisted it would be fine and promised to tell me when to go at the horrible four way stop by the mall. Wouldn't you know he says, "GO" I go, next thing I hear, "STOP!" ...and we got hit....by a woman who was in a "rage" and had completely blacked out. Awful. I never wanted to drive again.

Well, a month or so later my 11th grade school year starts, my BFF is still driving me to school and I talked to my counselor and decided to graduate from high school a year early. This means I need to take classes at the local college. Mom was not happy about taking me to college. Kind of laughable right. I was told I had to get my license. Mom couldn't teach me, Dad couldn't teach me so that left my brother. He was very relaxed pretty much let me drive how I wanted and so I did it.

My 17th birthday comes around and my dad takes me to the DMV. I ran a red light on my way there. Dad was not happy. Not sure what all I did wrong but it had something to do with me not putting my seat belt on fast enough, not turning the lights on quick enough, and I could have possibly done a U-Turn after being told I missed a turn during the test. So, I failed. Miserably. Go to another DMV...I failed again. No license for me that day. 17 and couldn't drive.

A few weeks later I go take the test again...I finally passed. 

I drove around what my friends and I coined the "brown turd"-a 1986 Pontiac-T1000..Hatchback. Had a lot of fun in that old car...couldn't keep a stereo to save its life, but had a lot of fun..even when I used a battery operated mini boombox for my musical entertainment! ha! 

After reliving all these hysterical experiences it is no wonder I don't like to drive and much prefer my walking/biking/transit using lifestyle!

So, how do you get around? What was your first car?

Menu Plan Monday #54 +a peek at my morning routine

Happy Monday y'all! So, I have been riding my bike so much more lately and this is how I feel whenever I pass someone:



hahaha Yup, I'm all like:

Credit

I even hear the music and cackling in my head...when I told the teenager about that the first time I thought she'd fall off her bike. All in good fun though. Riding the bike for errands makes them doubly fun, though!

Routine

A few months back, I wrote a blog about my routines. Well, since moving I have adjusted my morning routine a bit to fit our new life! I no longer keep my check marks on my iPad, I have switched over to a written planner as I prefer that. So, here is a peek at my routine:

• 6:45, pop out of bed and get dressed, I usually dress in workout clothes so after everyone is gone I can immediately workout, but some days I dress regularly if I have a meeting at the school or with a friend.
• Next, one of the first things I do is brush my teeth. I was told by my dentist a while back that whatever saliva is produced first thing in the morning can really damage your enamel making you more prone to cavities so I take care of that immediately, if I have a meeting I do my make up and hair during this time too. Otherwise I pin it back and throw in a headband to get ready for my workouts.
• By 7:15 while the Nespresso machine is heating up I unload the dishwasher and take out the lunch items for the teenager to throw in her backpack and if she is lucky I refill her water bottle for her ;) I also throw in a load of laundry.
• When she finishes her make up and hair we sit down together and have coffee and breakfast, usually by 7:30 am, when we are done we each throw our dishes in the dishwasher.
• 7:45 I see the teenager out the door, then spend the next 30-45 minutes doing blog maintenance, checking social media, and applying for jobs.
• 8:30 hubby gets up for work and I get him breakfast (which usually consists of juice, tough job I know lol), then he gets in the shower and I see him out the door.
• 9:15 Workout, then shower and get dressed. 
• Mondays: 9:15 I go to the grocery store, then come home and unload groceries, start my meal prep, and then I clean all the bathrooms. Workout starts about 1:15 pm this day.

My mornings are really full but super productive. I find that making sure I get the dishwasher unloaded and a load of laundry in my laundry is {almost} never over flowing and the dishes never build up.

I'm linking up over at Org Junkie, come check out the other menus!

Now, for the meal plan! I have been making sure that Sunday night and/or Monday mornings I get my meal prep done. I find this is vital to me making proper choices in my nutrition and me having food to pack the kiddo for lunch.

Breakfast Options:

Cereal

Toast with coconut oil and pb or nutella

Fruit

Oatmeal

Lunch Options:

Teenager: Leftovers, Ham and Cheese Sandwich with cucumbers and fruit-X2, one day she will come home for lunch, PB and banana wrap with apple slices and cranberries-X2

Snacks: Apple Pie Spiced Trail mix and orange X2, hard boiled egg and steamed sweet potato X3

Me: Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake (I will make a few substitutions in the recipe), day kiddo comes home for lunch: Veggie loaded ramen, one day I am scheduled to have lunch out with a friend

Snacks:Almond-banana-cacao smoothie, orange-banana smoothie, cucumber-tomato salad

Afternoon Snacks

After school the kiddo and I love to have coffee and something sweet, I am going to make these Healthy No Bake Cookies or we will have some homemade bread with Nutella.

Dinner

Monday: Sausage and potatoes au gratin

Tuesday: Chicken and cheese crescent rolls with salad 

Wednesday: Baked spaghetti with salad

Thursday: Cheese panini's with soup

Friday: Pizza with salad (the kiddo has a friend sleeping over so I will probably have them make this it is so simple)

Saturday: Chicken Wings with macaroni and cheese and peas

Sunday: Homemade hamburger helper and salad and garlic rolls

What are you cooking up this week?