Southwestern Bfast Sandwiches

Our weekend mornings are EARLY and we need something filling and quick to eat -- these sammies worked great for that!!!

Recipe from: Makayla Thomas Fit - Makes 6 sandwiches

Ingredients:

Low cal English muffin, toasted

1 cup egg whites (or real eggs)

Pico / veggies

Fajita seasoning / S&P

Thin slice of cheese

bacon, cooked

avocado

BW3 Southwestern Ranch

Toast the English muffin

Pour 1 cup eggs into 9x13 pan -- top with pico (or veggies) and fajita seasoning.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Use glass to "cut" circle of eggs to fit on english muffins -- put on top of muffins!!  (Use scraps morning of to eat!)

Then top with piece sliced cheese, cooked bacon, avocado, and drizzle SW Ranch on top.

Cover with parchment paper till ready to eat - stores in fridge easily!!

To reheat, put in microwave for 1-2 minutes!!

Chocolate Protein Crunch Cups

Always love finding high protein snacks for the boys -- this was super easy to make and makes a lot!!!

Make 18 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup nut butter (I used PB)

1 cup maple syrup or honey

3 cups rice puffed cereal

1/2 cup dark chocolate

3 scoops chocolate protein powder

In a bowl, mix nut butter with syrup and protein powder until combined.  Add cereal and mix well, transfer to a silicone muffin pan (or an 8x8 lined pan and press firmly down to create an even layer).

Melt chocolate and pour over the cereal mixture.

Pop into the freezer for 30-45 minutes till firm.

Store in a sealed container in the fridge for 1 - 2 weeks.

Green Bean Casserole Crunch Bowls

Found this when I was looking for easy meals for lunch!!  This is single serving so prep as many bowls as you would like!!

Serves 1

Ingredients:

4oz rotisseries chicken

light laughing cow

1/3 cup green beans

1 Tablespoon parmesan cheese

1/2 cup blended cottage cheese

2 teaspoon onion soup mix

Fried onions

Put in a oven safe bowl - rotisserie chicken, laughing cow, green beans parmesan, cottage cheese, and soup mix.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Sprinkle with fried onions and serve!!

Fiesta Chicken Power Salad

B man doesn't like school lunch so I'm always on the hunt for high protein meals I can make him!!  This was quick and delicious!!  He loved it!!

Recipe from: Makayla Thomas Fit - Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 Potatoes, diced

1lb Ground chicken

Fajita seasoning

Lettuce, shredded

1 cup corn, cooked

2 roma tomatoes, cut

1/4 cup red onion, diced

Cilantro

Jalapeno, diced

Greek yogurt

Chic Filet Creamy Salsa Dressing

Cojita cheese

Dice, season potato in air fry at 400 degrees for 10 min - then shake - then 10 more min.

Cook ground chicken with fajita seasoning.

Make Pico de Gallo - tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno.

Mix potato, chicken, pico, lettuce and corn.

Combine yogurt and Chic Filet sauce together and top.  

Top with cojita cheese and enjoy!!

Sheet Pan Greek Chicken and Vegetables

This was super good AND it was easy to make for a week night!!!  You could put on a pita too!!!  Boys liked just making it bowl style!!

OBB - Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper cut into 1" squares
• 1 medium onion red or yellow, cut into 1/2"-1" squares
• 1 small-medium zucchini sliced into 1/3" pieces
• 1 cup cherry/grape tomatoes sliced in half, optional- see instructions
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs about 6 thighs
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon lemon pepper or sub 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon freshly minced rosemary leaves, optional
• 1 lemon
• ⅓ cup feta cheese

Topping options

• additional feta Cheese
• Chopped Parsley
• Tzatziki, recommended
• Hummus
• Greek Salsa

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Prepare pan: If desired, line pan with foil for easy clean up. Note- I like to use an extra large sheet pan for this recipe, but you can also make it on a standard sheet pan (which is what I'm using in the photos). The more crowded your food, the more moisture in the pan so it tends to have a bit more liquid. Sometimes depending on the size of your vegetables, this can get a bit crowded on a single standard pan, but if that's what you've got, it will work great!
• Place cut vegetables on the prepared baking sheet. You can include your small tomatoes whole, or if you have the time, I like to cut them in half and press the seeds and pulp into the sink just to get rid of a little more liquid.
• Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Use a clean pair of kitchen sheers to trim off any excess pieces of large fat (no need to remove ALL fat). Slice chicken into ½-inch slices and add it to the vegetables on the pan.
• Drizzle with 4 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle on the salt, lemon pepper, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, and rosemary if using.
• Toss to evenly distribute all oil and spices over chicken and vegetables.  *I use food-safe gloves and do this with my hands massaging everything together.
• Place in oven and roast for 20 minutes.  Use a spatula to toss mixture and then return to oven for an additional 15 minutes. Finally, turn on the broiler and cook (watching carefully) until vegetables are slightly browned and caramelized and chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees or more. 
• Remove pan from oven and immediately toss with 1/3 cup feta cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Add additional salt if needed. Serve in a grain bowl or in a wrap with desired condiments.

Some topping options:

• Tzatziki - tzatziki is a simple condiment sauce made from yogurt, cucumber, and some spices. It's super easy to make at home, or you can find some ready-made versions. If you don't use any other condiment, I recommend at the very least having this one.
• Feta - crumbled feta adds both a creaminess and a tanginess
• Lemon wedges - squeeze on a little fresh lemon juice before serving.
• Hummus - I love a little smear of hummus on a flatbread or a dollop in a bowl.
• Greek Salsa - If you want something cold and crunchy, this greek inspired salsa is a great choice.

QR codes for Storage Boxes

So Rossy HATES holiday season because that means endless trips to the storage unit to bring up the boxes, and he always brings up the "wrong box" hahahah  SO this year - I found a solution!!!!

Supplies

Laptop / printer

Tape

Step 1: Create a Google Sheet to Track Box Contents

First, you need a place where you can store and organize the information about the contents of your storage boxes. The easiest way to do this is by using Google Sheets.

Instructions:

1. Open Google Sheets and create a new sheet.
2. In the sheet, create columns for each piece of information you want to track about your boxes. For example:
   • Box ID (a unique identifier for each box)
   • Contents (a description of what's inside the box)
   • Location (where the box is stored, e.g., shelf or room)
   • Date Packed
3. Fill in the details of each box in a row in your Google Sheet.

Step 2: Generate a Unique URL for Each Box (Linking to Your Google Sheet)

Next, you need a way to link each storage box to its information in Google Sheets. You can do this by creating a unique URL for each box that links directly to its details in the Google Sheet.

Instructions:

1. For Each Box: In your Google Sheet, create a unique identifier for each box (for example, Box #1, Box #2, etc.).

2. If you want a specific box to be highlighted when scanning a QR code, you can create a direct link to a specific row or cell in Google Sheets. This can be done by modifying the URL to reference a specific row or column.

   The URL to a Google Sheet looks like this: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/[YOUR_SHEET_ID]/edit#gid=0&range=A2

   Replace A2 with the specific row number where the box's contents are listed.

Step 3: Generate QR Codes for Each Box

Once you have the Google Sheet set up and URLs created for each box’s details, you can generate a QR code for each box. The QR code will link to the URL you generated in the previous step.

Instructions:

1. Copy the URL of the Google Sheet (or specific row for the box).
2. Go to a free QR code generator:
   • QR Code Generator
3. Paste the URL of your Google Sheet (or specific row) into the generator and click “Generate”.
4. Download the generated QR code.
5. Label your storage boxes with the QR codes. You can print out the QR codes and attach them to the boxes.

Step 4: Scan the QR Code to View Box Contents

Now, when you scan the QR code on any storage box using a smartphone or QR code scanner, it will take you directly to the Google Sheet (or the specific row for that box) where the details of the box’s contents are stored.