Monday, February 20, 2012

Snow Day!

Well, I have the day off for president's day, but Mr. PT's classes are canceled because of the 5 inches of snow we have outside!


Beautiful.

A snow this fantastic deserved a fantastic breakfast.  I bought some buckwheat groats at our local natural foods grocery last week and have been waiting to use them!  I found this delicious-looking recipe on Pinterest which led me to this blog!  Thanks for the great idea!


Spinach and Groats Egg Bake

What are buckwheat groats?
They are basically a buckwheat seed that has been hulled and nothing else.  The hard, outer covering is removed and you have a groat!  Consider it a gluten-free, protein packed grain.  And this stuff is truly whole grain.

For the egg bake, you will need:
-1/2 cup buckwheat groats
-1.5 cups water
-1/4 cup oats
-pinch of salt

-1/8 cup chopped onion (more if you want)
-1-2 handfuls of baby spinach
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
-1 handful of toasted nuts (your preference...I used cashews, soynuts, and sesame seeds)
-2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375.

Bring the water and salt to a boil.  Add the groats and oats and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the grains are soft and most of the liquid is gone.  

While waiting, saute the onions until soft.  Add the spinach and cook until wilted.  Set aside.  Combine cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, nutmeg, and toasted nuts.  Add spinach and onions.

Divide cooked grains into 2 oven safe bowls.  Top with cheese mixture and cracked egg.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until egg has set.


After they bake for 15 minutes, pull one bowl out and see how the egg is doing.  I cooked mine 10 minutes too long because the egg looked like it was still runny.  In reality, it was done and the rest of the dish was getting quite crispy.  The egg will be slightly rubbery, but it is still a wonderful addition to the dish.

Mmmm...the nutmeg, onions, and spinach were such a lovely combination.  And this dish will seriously fill you up.  I ate this at 8:30.  It is now 12:30.  I am still full.  

Combine with a goal.  Having trouble motivating yourself to exercise?  Give yourself a goal for the day.  Write it down if necessary!  "I will go to the gym and do squats until I can't feel my butt."  "I will do as many sets of 10 push-ups I can until my arms are burning."  "I will sprint the last 1/2 mile of my run."  Then tell yourself, "I CAN do this.  I WILL do this."

What are your fitness goals?  Leave a comment!!!

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