Spicy Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burritos

I love breakfast, it's one of my favorite meal of the day. Especially on the weekends when I get to make breakfast at home and don't have to prep breakfast ahead like I usually do on weekdays. Here is an easy to put together breakfast that you can easily enjoy with some hashbrowns on the side or some fresh fruit.

Spicy Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burritos - Serves 2

Ingredients:

* 2 medium sized tortillas (I used a medium sized, store brand high fiber tortilla that is 70 calories each.)
* 2 eggs
* 2 TBSP of sour cream (I used light sour cream)
* 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar or pepperjack cheese (I used reduced fat sharp cheddar)
* 1/8 tsp of black pepper
* 1/8 tsp of salt
* a few dashes of hot sauce, depending on how spicy you like things (jalapeno tabasco hot sauce is great here, but regular will work as well)
* a few sprigs of fresh cilantro (optional)
* 1/2 cup of black beans from a 15oz can, drained and rinsed
* Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Turn on stove and heat a non-stick pan on medium heat. Spray pan with cooking spray.
2. Crack eggs into a small bowl and add salt and pepper.
3. Whisk eggs with fork, reduce pan to low heat, and pour eggs to the pan.
4. Scramble eggs in pan and when eggs are halfway done, add black beans, hot sauce, and shredded cheese.
5. warm torillas in a large pan or microwave each tortilla for 10-15 seconds.
6. Grab two plates and smear 1 TBSP of sour cream onto each tortilla.
7. Put 1/2 of the egg mixture into each tortilla and add cilantro on top if desired.
8  Roll up tortillas and enjoy! Serve with hash browns and/or fresh fruit for a great, filling breakfast.

Other variations include salsa in place of hot sauce, cream cheese in place of sour cream, and sliced avocado to garnish burritos. I have made this quite a bit and enjoy various variations of this now and then for breakfast.

Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal Bars

The inspiration for this came from making baked oatmeal for the first time from this recipe using pumpkin puree in place of the applesauce:

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/09/09/cinnamon-roll-baked-oatmeal/

Was so good, that I knew I had to make more baked oatmeal for the upcoming week. I often make weekday breakfasts for at least the first 2-3 days of the week on Sundays as well as some lunches. Gets me set to start the week on the right foot, especially since I am not much of a morning person and have a very busy schedule between work, school, and other activities throughout the week. I also had a few bananas that were very spotty and needed to be used. Hence the inspiration for a banana bread baked oatmeal. Here is the recipe:

Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal Bars - Makes 12 medium sized bars

Ingredients:

* 3 very ripe medium sized bananas, mashed or pureed (a fork, immersion blender, or food processor will work)
* 2 large eggs
* 1 cup of milk (any kind of milk that you like should work)
* 3 cups of old fashioned rolled oats (do not use instant or steel cut oats)
* 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar, not packed (may need more sugar if bananas are not as ripe)
* 1/4 tsp of salt
* 1 tsp of baking powder
* 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
* 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
* Cooking spray (I used canola oil cooking spray)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients together (oatmeal, cinnamon, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt).
3. In a smaller bowl mix eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed banana together.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients together and mix well.

5. Spray 13 X 9 inch pan with cooking spray
6. Pour mixture into the pan and place the pan in the oven.
7. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown.

8. Let oatmeal cool for 5-10 minutes.

9. Slice and serve hot or cold with milk or on its own. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. Makes a great breakfast or healthy dessert. Enjoy!

Perfectly Peachy Overnight Oatmeal

This is an easy overnight oatmeal recipe I have made many times and enjoy. I often eat oatmeal for breakfast, especially in the winter. During those colder months I eat oatmeal about 4-5 times a week. I usually make my oatmeal the night before if I have work the next day. I am not naturally a morning person, even though I workout a few times a week in the morning.  Additionally I lead a very busy life as a student taking an average 2-3 classes a term and a full time working professional. Therefore I do everything I can to make sure I can easily eat healthy the majority of the time. I eat these overnight oats cold or heat them up in the microwave before eating them.

Feel free to substitute fresh peaches in place of the canned ones. I would only do so though if you can find ripe ones like the ones available this time of the year. I usually use canned ones and drain them, because they are widely available most of the year and are inexpensive.

Perfectly Peachy Overnight Oatmeal - Serves 3 (approximately 1 cup per person)

1 1/2 cups of old fashioned, rolled oats (not instant, quick, or steel cut oats)
1 1/2 cups of any kind of milk (I use Organic 1% milk or unsweetened almond milk most of the time, vanilla soy milk also works well here).
1  15 oz  can of sliced peaches canned in juice or splenda, drained or three fresh peaches, sliced
Sweetener or sugar to taste (I usually use 3 tsps of splenda or a small amount of stevia)
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract 
1/2 tsp of cinnamon (optional, I recommend adding this)

Add all ingredients except the peaches into a large sized container or bowl. Mix ingredients together and then mix the peach slices into the oat mixture. Portion oatmeal into three smaller containers or into one large container. Store oatmeal in the refrigerator or overnight.

Serve the next day cold or heated up. I normally microwave a portion for about 1-2 minutes if I want them warm. Keeps for a few days in the refrigerator. Sorry for the lack of pictures. This was a saved recipe I have made for myself several times in the last few months. I will make sure to include at least one picture in my next recipe. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.