Satisfying Real Food at Home

Since I've been back home I've had the pleasure of being able to cook again. It has been so nice just to putter around in the kitchen and create simple dishes from scratch. My mother loves it when I come home, too. We have a special arrangement. When I am home, I cook, and she does the dishes. For me, a girl who doesn't particularly care for doing dishes, this works out perfectly. And Mom agrees.

I've also been busy adjusting to my new schedule at the bakery. Re-teaching my body to an earlier than early wake up schedule has not been easy. 4:30 AM comes really quick, no matter if you take a hour and a half nap the day before and go to bed at 8:30 PM. It's getting easier though, and things are looking up.

I thought I would share with you two meals that I recently made which were quite delicious, full of nourishing real food, and satisfying. Meals are simply aren't worth it if they are not satisfying. This is something I've been discovering lately. And most importantly of all, real food is satisfying. Eat something nutritious, loaded with proteins, fat, vitamins and minerals. Listen to your body. Our bodies are very smart, and will tell you what they need.

Simple Baked Eggs

1 ramekin

olive oil

1 large handful spinach

1 real egg

s + p

manchego and parmesan cheese

To make your simple baked egg:

1. Brush the sides of the ramekin lightly with olive oil.

2. Take the spinach and squish into the ramekin, making a hole in the middle for the egg.

3. Crack the egg inside the space and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Grate cheeses on top.

5. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, and then turn the broiler on and bake for about 5 minutes or until egg white is cooked and tops are bubbling and golden brown with cheese.

I ate my egg with some guacamole and ketchup on the side, along with roasted carrots and asparagus, while my mom ate hers with cauliflower mash (her favorite) and roasted carrots and asparagus. It was so satisfying!

When making gluten free pizza, I simply use Namaste pizza crust mix (it's so easy) and top with a variety of toppings. The pizza always has two halves (the girl side for me and Mom, and the boy side, for Dad and my brother G if he is home). This particular pizza showcased several lovely toppings. Our half had: baby spinach, vadalia onion, brussel sprouts, pineapple chunks, feta, parmesan, mozzarella and raw cheddar cheese, while Dad's half had: mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan and a little bit of feta cheese, bacon, grassfed ground beef, and pineapple chunks.

I hope you enjoy these real food ideas!

-Update 2/23/10-

I almost forgot to share the fish tacos I made! See the photo at the top. These are made with organic sprouted corn tortillas filled with baked wild Chilean seabass (soo buttery), peppers, onions and feta cheese, with guacamole and fresh cut pineapple on the side. It was a wonderful California mexican lunch!