Breakfast-to-go!

Since become a family of three, meal-prepping has been key. Matt works full-time and I am a full-time student- bulking classes into a few days a week so that I can be home with W for the other days. Needless to say, our weekday mornings consist of getting ready for work, commuting to drawing class, and scrambling to get ready for W's library classes and play dates. Because of our schedules, breakfast is always prepped and left ready the night before.

I was raised by my mother who never let a soul leave her kitchen with out being fed, even if they weren't hungry at the time...  I'm proud to say,  I have become that same woman. Luckily, I've been blessed with two boys who love to eat as much as I love to cook. Although I'm not always able to spend daily time in the kitchen, I quickly learned how to prep-ahead so that I don't have to sacrifice my love for cooking for my family. 

When crammed for time, breakfast is usually compromised and pushed aside. Because this is our favorite meal of the day, I try to make staple recipes that I can keep ready for my fam-  and these are a few of them...

Carrot Zucchini Mini Muffins

These mini muffins are a yummy and fiber-filled breakfast option... especially when on the go. They are portable, easy to pack in a diaper bag, don't require refrigeration, and fit perfectly in little toddler hands. Muffins are great for sneaking in extra veggies and I love being able to make them in advance so they last us for a few days. When morning comes, there is literally no prep but to take off the liner and enjoy!  

^^ Instead of using oils, the muffins get their moisture from the carrots and zucchini. This recipe also uses applesauce instead of butter and maple syrup as a sweetener instead of sugar. 

^^ Use the finer/smaller holes on your vegetable/cheese grater to shred the carrots and zucchini. Do not squeeze out the water from the veggies- it's what keeps the muffins moist!

^^ Mix the dry ingredients.

^^ Mix wet ingredients.

^^ Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. 

^^ Fold in the veggies & raisins. I didn't use raisins this time around, but they add a great texture and sweetness to this recipe.

 ^^ I use a 1 inch cookie scoop to fill each muffin cup evenly. Fill each cup just to the top of the liner. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup applesauce 
• ½ cup pure maple syrup 
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely grated zucchini
• ½ cup finely grated carrot
• ½ cup raisins

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F  and coat a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with mini muffin liners.
• Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the applesauce, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract.
• Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir together until just barely combined.
• Add the zucchini, carrot and raisins and fold in gently until just comnbined.
• Fill each cup in the mini muffin pan just to the top (I use a 1 in. cookie scoop slightly overfilled).
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Turkey, Spinach, & Cheese Omelet-to-go

^^ These omelets-to-go are my favorite grab-n-go breakfast! Making eggs in the morning requires pots, pans, cook-time, and clean up. We generally save eggs for slow weekend mornings, but since making these pre-made omelets, we can enjoy them during the week! 

Most quick breakfast options contain empty calories (bars, cereal) that don't keep me full until lunchtime.  When I make a batch of these omelets, I know we will have a protein-packed breakfast option in the fridge, without all the clean-up.  

^^ You can use any sausage for this recipe. I love the Applegate brand, and the savory turkey breakfast sausage is the perfect compliment to the spinach and white cheddar. 

^^ Combine the milk & eggs.

^^ Cook the sausage and cube into 1/2 inch pieces. 

^^ Add cheese, chopped spinach, and sausage to the egg mixture.

^^ I used a small ladle to fill each cup. It is VITAL to use foil cupcake liners!! Paper liners will stick to the eggs- I learned the hard way. 

^^ Two words: bottomless pit

^^ Matt & I love to top these with Sriracha sauce!

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
• 1 cup fresh chopped spinach
• 4 turkey sausages, cooked & cubed
• 12 foiled cupcake liners

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 325 & line a cupcake pan with 12 foiled liners.
• Cook the turkey sausages on a skillet over medium heat (3 minutes each side), then set aside.
• Using a whisk, beat together the eggs and milk.
• Cube the turkey sausages (1/2 inch), and add to the egg mixture along with the spinach and cheese. Mix until combined.
• Fill each foil-lined cup with the egg mixture, just to the top of the liner. 
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the egg is firm.
• Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove foil, and enjoy!

***If storing for the following day, let the omelets cool completely on a cooling rack. Then transfer and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Remove foil, and reheat in the microwave ( I like them cold, too). Keeps for 3 days.

^^ Both the Omelet-to-go and Mini Carrot Zucchini Muffin fit perfectly in 4 oz mason jars. I use these to pack W's lunch box for when he goes to his Abuela's house. 

Classic Cinnamon Crunch Granola & Yogurt Parfait 

Matt & I are granola obsessed. We went on a cruise a few years ago where there was a yogurt parfait bar and it contained literally any fruit and topping you could dream of. When we got home, it's all he wanted for breakfast. I went to the store to find packaged granola and I could not bring myself to purchase any of them because of the refined sugar content. When I did find one with wholesome ingredients and no added sugar, it was about $20 for a couple handfuls of granola...

So, I decided to make my own granola. After testing out a few batches, I landed on this final recipe and we've been enjoying it for a couple years now! It's sweet and simple and we love it! 

^^ Combine all dry ingredients.

^^ Directly add the wet ingredients to the dry, and combine until evenly distributed. 

^^ Divide the granola between two baking dishes. Arrange it in a thin layer so that the granola can bake evenly.

^^ Stir the granola after 20 minutes of baking, then allow to bake for another 5 minutes. 

^^ These are my favorite yogurt/dairy brands. I prefer plain and Matt and W prefer vanilla. Both of these brands have lots of flavors.

^^ Plain & pure.

^^ Straight forward & simple ingredients.

^^ The granola is ready once it begins to turn golden brown. It will become crunchy as it cools. 

^^ When we're home I like to arrange fruit, granola, and yogurt in clear glasses or bowls so you can see the layers. Yes... I am visually driven, an artist even when it comes to my food and I'm eating at home alone with no one to see it. 

W's is in a much less "pretty" shatterproof bowl ;-)

^^ I LOVE these Sistema containers. I use these to pack granola-yogurt parfaits to-go because it keeps the granola perfectly separate from the yogurt. If you pack them together, the granola will become soft and lose it's "crunch". These containers also come with a re-usable spoon! I bought these at Target, but they can also be found online at Amazon- link here. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raw slivered almonds
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions:

• Combine the oats, almonds, flax, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and maple syrup to the dry mixture and mix until combined.
• Divide the granola between two 8x11 baking dishes. No need to oil the pans. Spread the granola into a thin layer to ensure even baking.
• Bake for 20 minutes, stir the granola, and allow to bake another 5 minutes. 
• Let cool completely, about 20 minutes, then enjoy on top of yogurt or milk.

**Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

These grab-n-go breakfast recipes have made my mornings so much easier - I hope they do they same for you! 

xo- Monica 

The Art of Lithography

Lithography is a method of print making that has been around for thousands of years. The term "lithography" comes from Ancient Greek; lithos, meaning stone, and graphein, meaning to write. This is a multistep process that requires patience and intricacy. This printing is done from a stone "plate", but new methods use plastic or metal ones as well. 

This original ancient technique was done by drawing an image on a cut of limestone using wax or fat. Once the drawing is complete, the stone is treated with a mixture of acid and gum arabic. This process is called "etching". The acid mixture etches portions of the stone that are not protected by the grease image. This causes the image to "sink" into the pores of the stone. When the stone is moistened, the etched areas retain water, and an oil-based ink can be applied and stick only to the drawn areas. The inked image can then be transferred to a blank cotton fibered sheet of paper producing a print. 

^^ I began my first lithograph by rendering my image in my sketch book. Once I finished my drawing, I traced the image onto a transparent sheet of paper. 

^^ I taped the tracing paper on top of my limestone plate with a piece of chalk paper place in-between them. I retraced my image to transfer the chalk dust to my stone. 

^^ Using a grease (fat) pencil, I traced the chalk dust which easily wipes away once I'm finished. 

^^ I used a small piece of sand paper to blend the grease for a more gradient texture. 

 ^^ My finished grease image. This is a solid slab of limestone and weighs 30 pounds. 

 ^^ Once my grease drawing was complete, I applied a talc powder as a primer, then a liquid mixture of acid and gum arabic. I spent ten minutes "massaging" the mixture into the stone, a process called etching. This essentially makes my image a part of the stone, rather than a surface drawing. It will make the non-drawn part of the stone accept water, and the drawn part of the stone repellant to water and acceptant of the oil-based ink. Once the etching is complete, I used a cloth to wipe off the mixture and my stone is now ready to print!

^^ The paper used in oil-based ink printing is made of 100% woven cotton fibers. It is extremely soft and pliable. I prepped this paper by dipping it in water to "awaken" the fibers. 

^^ Next I laid ink down on the rolling table.  

^^ Leather rollers are used on limestone plates. 

 ^^ Next, I loaded the leather roller with ink and rolled the stone until it achieved the level of darkness I wanted. 

^^ Between each ink roll, I had to remoisten the stone with water to ensure that it would receive ink in the right areas. 

 ^^ Next, I laid my water saturated paper onto my stone, laid a greased press plate on top, and rolled it through the press! 

^^ And the moment of truth...

  ^^ It is so rewarding following through these steps that have been used for thousands of years and seeing the final product! What I find most amazing about this process is that these limestone slabs can be used hundreds of times. After I am finished printing editions of this image, I will grind the stone down using sand grit and another stone. It will then be ready to be used for another work of art! 

"The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." Proverbs 28:1

This image is a drawing of The Lion of Judah, the Root of David. This is my first print of a series of four; animals featured in parables from the Bible. I'm so looking forward to the planning process of creating the next three images! More to come...