Frozen Green Beans - Coronavirus Cooking

Have both kids tonight, so split a rotisserie chicken with a bag of frozen green beans and frozen sweet potato frites.

Ingredients:
-bag of frozen green beans (supposed to thaw, but I didn’t)
-1 Tbsp of butter
-Spices I used: garlic powder, minced garlic, onion powder, Italian, salt, pepper, cayenne

Directions:
1. Melt butter in pan
2. Add bag of frozen green beans
3. Add spices
4. Stir until hot (takes a bit of time if frozen)

Was pretty good, so would do again.

*American

*Sides

French Toast....a work in progress

So, I stopped eating sandwiches and have a lot of bread right now.  Over the weekend, I decided to make French Toast for dinner for Eric, Thomas, and me.  Used a few different websites including addapinch.com and the Almond Breeze website.

The problem was that I wanted to use 12 slices of bread (4 each). In the first batch of 4 slices, I was quick with the dipping.  The 2nd batch, I was more generous with soaking the bread.  The 3rd batch, I ran out of mixture for the last piece of bread.

Overall, I thought it was dry and definitely needed the maple syrup.  But I like more eggy tasting, Eric does not.
I think the below mixture would be good for 9 slices of bread with good soaking, so 1 egg and 1/3 cup of milk per 3 slices of bread. So if I needed to do 12 slices again, would do 4 eggs + 1 1/3 cup of milk.  Add in a little extra of everything else.

Ingredients:
-3 eggs 
-1 cup of almond milk 
-1 tablespoon of coconut sugar (alt. honey, maple syrup, monk fruit)
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract (consider doing a full 1 tsp)
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1 pinch of salt
-1 T butter (melted in bowl and used to grease pan before each batch)
-above mixture good for 9 slices of bread

Directions:
1. Leave bread out for a couple of hours to get dry
2. Whisk ingredients in dish (used the 9x9 glass dish)
3. Use butter to grease pan
4. Dip bread on both sides
5. Cook in pan - seemed to take a while, so make sure pan is hot around 7 setting
6. Put finished pieces in the oven at 200 to keep warm - recipe also considered baking for 15 min at 400 afterwards to prevent soggy centers

*Breakfast

Hawaiian Turkey Burger

Taken from various, but mainly Spidesinmydna.com

Ingredients:
-1 lb lean ground turkey
-2 scallions, thinly sliced
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 tsp ginger (used ground bc didn't have time for fresh)
-1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (maybe use 1/2 cup)
-1 egg (maybe don't use next time)
-2 T soy sauce (next time use 1 T)
-2 T hoisin sauce
-pinch of salt
-1/2 tsp ground black pepper
-red pepper flakes'
-1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)

Toppings:
-pineapple - grilled the slices
-red onion, sliced
-green bell pepper, sliced
-avocado - didn't use this time bc didn't have time

Directions:
-Mix turkey in bowl and make patties


Note: Used 99% lean and always will I don't care.  None of the recipes called for an egg, but I felt that that other burger recipes did, so I added it in anyways. The mixture was super sticky.  Probably needed some more bread crumbs/panko.

I also used the cast iron griddle pan. Cleaning it is super painful.  Not sure if it is worth it.

Steps to clean it.
-water and salt paste
-use brush
-can heat on stove to get bits off
-no soap
-completely dry

-clean right after cooking - blah

*Burger

*American

*Hawaiian

*Pineapple

Overnight oats - Bulking series

Because I read a post on how healthy oatmeal is, I did try it a few months ago, but didn't take.  However, now that I got almond milk, I think it is definitely tastier.  I did think about almond milk using too much water, but technically, so do cows. 
Also, last week I stopped doing intermittent fasting.  Basically, I would just skip breakfast and not eat until 12:30.  However, I want to try and gain weight to build muscle, see if I can do a lean bulk or "body recomposition" because I don't want to do the classic bulk and cut.  I'm no body builder, but I just want to get stronger.  My goal is to do a 50 lb weighted pull up.  Currently, I'm at 48 lbs. 
Anyways, I have also been using myfitnesspal to count calories, and I have been consistently over 2000 (3000 yesterday).  And now, I have had oatmeal 2 days in a row now this weekend for breakfast. :)

Original recipe referenced from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup rolled oats
-1/2 cup of milk
-1 tsp chia seeds
-frozen blueberries

Extra add ons: bananas, other fruit, peanut butter, nuts, vanilla extract
Hmm - try protein powder?
Hmm - try greek yogurt? (1/2 cup per recipe)

Directions:
1. Add oats, milk, chia seeds, (yogurt) and stir
2. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 5 hours
3. Add the add-ons if needed

Will last for 4 days supposedly.

*Breakfast

*Snack

*Lunch

Vanilla Cocoa Almond Milk Popsicles - Eric's series

Because I bought almond milk last week, I had been using in overnight oats, but Eric thought about making them into cocoa popsicles!
He referenced this recipe from nutritiouslife.com, but looked at some others to make his own.

Ingredients:
-1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 T honey (or to taste)
-1 tsp monkfruit sweetener (1 packet)
-1 T cocoa powder 
-other: he made another set with peanut butter - yuumm

Directions:
1. Blend all ingredients until smooth
2. Spoon into mold
3. Freeze

Eric did his own thing when making, but they were sooooo good.  Will definitely be a new dessert staple in the house.

*Dessert

Oven roasted chickpeas - Coronavirus Cooking Series

So, I have notoriously done a bad job at making oven roasted chickpeas.  Either burning them or not cooking them enough.  Last night was another attempt, but they were not crispy enough.
NEXT TIME USE AIR FRYER RECIPE

Ingredients:
-1 can of chickpeas
-olive oil
-seasonings of your choice (Eric seasoned them last night)

Directions:
1. Rinse chickpeas
2. Let them dry - so I had them on paper towel pretty much half a day
3. Coat well with olive oil (used  just the spray olive oil and shook them on the foil
4. Bake at 400 degrees for ______ min --> 15 min, then shake --> 10 min, then shake --> check every 2-3 min or so?

The time in the oven is what gets me.  Also, I semi-preheated the oven.  I ran it for at least 15 min, and then shook it, then probably another 5 min, then I turned off the oven (bad idea), kept checking every 2 min, put the oven back to 350 at some point  Probably added another 10 min after that.
NEXT TIME, after shaking at the 15 min mark, leave it in the oven for another 10 min, then check every 2 min or so?  Likely will need to be in oven for total 30 min.  Will have to update next time I make.

Have not made yet, but posting for future reference from sweetpeasandsaffron.com

Directions:
1. Heat air fryer to 390 F
2. Drain and rinse chickpeas (no need to dry).  Toss with olive oil and spices.
3. Dump in air fryer.  Cook for 12-15 min shaking a couple of times

*Snack

Gin Fizz Cocktail - Coronavirus Cooking Series

Saturday nights also means making new cocktails.  Last weekend, Eric made a super tasty Tequila Sage Smash.  Last night, I made a Gin Fizz Cocktail from ketogasm.com because we got some monkfruit sweetener recently, and it was refreshing.

Ingredients (doubled for 2 drinks):
-2 oz gin extra dry (only had the strawberry rhubarb gin that Ian got us)
-1/2 oz lime juice (only had key limes and need to remember to use less)
-1 tsp monkfruit sweetener (1 packet)
-1 egg white (procure over a bowl first!)
-4 oz club soda

Directions:
1. In a shaker, combine gin, lime juice, sweetener, and egg white.  Shake for 2 minutes, then pour into a chilled glass
2. Pour club soda into the glass directly down the middle until the foam reaches the top of the glass.
3. Garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy.

Ok, so I messed up a little while making.  I added ice to the shaker, which makes it very cold and I think difficult to take the top off.  So, no ice to shake next time.
Also, try getting egg white over a BOWL first and not the shaker because it is more difficult to do things if the yolk falls in the shaker. SMH.
So, it was tasty refreshing, but a little too limey in my opinion, so if using key limes, remember to add less.

*Drinks

Dalgona whipped coffee - Coronavirus Cooking Series

Our weekends now involve making new food/drink things and watching TV.
And so I did the thing that everyone is doing on social media last week. Because it takes a fair amount of sugar, I tried searching for a "healthier version" and found one with eatingbirdfood.com

Ingredients
-2 T instant coffee (used like 4 packets of the Starbucks)
-1 1/2 T coconut sugar
-2 T boiling water
-1-2 cups of almond milk
-ice

Directions:
1. Whisk coffee, sugar, and boiling water together using a stand mixer until foamy (about 10 min or more)
2. Add ice to a cup, pour in milk, and then top with whipped coffee mixture.

So, it wasn't exactly like an iced cafe mocha. I wanted to use a coffee I knew tasted good, so that's why I spent a little more on the Starbucks brand.  I only had coconut sugar on hand, and I think I used more than the 1 1/2 T it called for just because I had a feeling, but need to go all the way to 2 T for sure because it wasn't sweet enough.  Next time, should look up one with monk fruit because we just got that.

*Drinks