The New Power Tool of the Kitchen

I am enjoying the last day of my Holiday break from work.  I traditionally work on Sundays so this is an extra special treat that I had the whole day off.  I will be honest and say that I am really nervous about going back to work tomorrow.  Mainly I am nervous just due to the fact that I am switching shifts.  If you know anything about me it is the fact that mornings and alarm clocks are not on my favorite list!  But, I digress as part of being an adult I will suck it up and endure!

I tried to enjoy my last lazy Sunday morning to the fullest!  It started with a morning of protein pancakes and coffee.

Heather's Protein pancakes with yogurt, flax, and fiber one on the side

• 3/4 c egg whites
• 30 grams soy protein
• 1/8 t baking soda
• 1/8 t baking powder
• 1/2 c pumpkin

I added my favorite, Naturally More Peanut Butter as my topping of choice!  YUM!  Holy YUM!

Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Coffee

First time trying this flavor and I loved it!  I added a bit of the coconut flavoring to the cup for an added touch of sweetness.  Favorite Sunday breakfast of all time!

After breakfast we put in some time into meal prep for the rest of the week.  We washed and chopped veggies!

Some of these will be steamed, added to recipes, or just eaten raw

This saves so much time!  I few minutes in advance feels like it makes weeknight prep a breeze!

I stuck to my training plan and went to the gym for my 2.5 mile run.  It was pretty quick, done in 28:08!  I also did some quick lifting.  Not that I always want to go to the gym, but having a training schedule makes it easy to know the “minimum” that I have to do day to day.

Quick lunch: Soup, clementines, veggies, and a turkey lettuce wrap

For dinner we broke out a new power tool.  Let me introduce the mandolin that I received for Christmas!

The V-Prep Mandolin

Which broke down a sweet potato for fries with no problem at all!

Sweet Potato Fries

• 1 large sweet potato sliced
• sprayed each side with olive oil
• sprinkled with sea salt and fresh black pepper
• put into 400 degree oven for 30 minutes (flip half way through)

While the sweet potatoes were baking I started making the sloppy joe’s.

• 1 lb 96% Laura’s Lean Beef
• 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 6 0z can of tomato paste
• 1 diced red onion
• 1 Tb brown sugar
• sprinkle of cumin
• sprinkle of white pepper and black pepper
• 3 Tb of A1 steak sauce

Just brown the meat with the onions until no pink remains and add the rest of the ingredients until it thickens and reduces.   I served mine on a toasted sandwich thin!

Sloppy Joe's and Sweet Potato Fries

This dinner was really good!  It was a perfect combination of sweet and savory!  I love sweet potato fries and see many more of these in our future now that we have the mandolin and it makes short work of the potato!  And yes, your eyes are seeing correctly.  I had mini pickles on the side!

Pickles!

Hope you had a lazy Sunday!  I am off to watch the Iron Chef Super Battle!  Have a good start to your week!