Weekend Eats

For the record lying in your bed all day makes you VERY hungry.  I've had limited access to food, this combined with the internet (specifically tumblr) has helped me find recipes that once I can stand in my kitchen (and go buy food) I've decided I'm going to try to make.

1. Crockpot Turkey Meatballs

2. Extra Cheesy Breakfast Pitas with Bacon and Avocado (literally all of my favorite things in one recipe)

3. Skinny Brownie Batter Pretzel Bites

Recipe: Ten Minute Quesadillas / Soft Taco

As a college student, something I believe everyone struggles with food related is the tough decision between health, money and convenience.  I eat quick lunches and dinners most of the time, and don't want to sacrifice time to make something elaborate.  Combining this with living in a city (and directly across the street from Chipotle, Panera and down the street from two burger places...) leads to me wanting to spend more money eating out, rather than cooking healthier options for myself.   Well I've started to learn a couple quick and easy (and significantly healthier) options than the fast food chains near my apartment!  And here is one: The Ten Minute Microwave Quesadilla

Ingredients:
Tortillas
Mexican Blend Cheese
And any additional food for stuffing (i.e. beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, sour cream, guacamole ect.)

The ingredients I used today: Corn Tortillas, Lite Mexican Blend Cheese, Grape Tomatoes and not pictured: Melange Trois (Bell Pepper Mix) and Guacamole 

I purchased all my ingredients at Trader Joe's, but these items can be found at any local supermarket.

Directions

First prepare your filling items, cutting up any vegetables ect.  (Making the size of the veggies smaller helps reduce the amount of cheese you'll need in the end!).  Make sure that all the items you want to fill inside your quesadilla can be microwaved (I recommend not microwaving sour cream or guacamole).  Those items will go in at the very end!

Then cover the filling food with a layer of cheese

Leave open face and stick in the microwave for 15 second increments until the cheese is melted

Remove from microwave and add any last minute additions that shouldn't be microwaves (like Guacamole or Sour Cream).

Finally fold over your tortilla and enjoy!

Happy Cooking (and Tuesday y'all!)

Bonus Tip: To help keep your guacamole fresh longer add a bit of lemon juice!  Additionally if you buy the guacamole that comes in packages or bags make the opening on these as small as possible.  While it will take a bit of time and effort to remove the guacamole from, it preserves the rest of the package much longer (so you don't waste as much food!).

Recipe:Eggplant Pizza Bites

An easy and healthy recipe!  This particular one is great because it is also Gluten Free!

I don't have a link of the original (I'm 99% sure I saw it on tumblr one day and just memorized it because it's so simple!).  Though if you search Eggplant Pizza on google many recipes pop up!  All you need is:

-Eggplant
-Tomato Sauce
-Grated Cheese (I usually use either Parmesan or Mozzarella)
-Italian Spices (I usually use Basil and Oregano)
-Salt
-Olive Oil (optional)

Instructions:
1. Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2.Cut the Eggplant into thin disks.  Try to make the disks as uniform in width as possible so they all cook evenly.  I usually can get 8-12 disks out of one medium Eggplant.
3. Lay the disks out on a plate with a paper towel and throw a dash of salt on top.  The salt is used to remove excess water from the eggplant.  Place a paper towel over the Eggplant to absorb the water.  Leave for at least 10 minutes (though you can leave for longer if you need to run errands or something).
4. Take Eggplant off of plate, and lay out on either a non-stick cooking sheet or tin foil.  Make sure to pre-grease the cooking sheet with olive oil before baking.
5.Take a spoonful of tomato sauce for each disk, and spread evenly across.
6. Put cheese on top of each disk (use as much as you would like, though the more you use, the more likely it may slide off during the cooking process!  I recommend about 1 or 2 tablespoons for each disk.)
7. Top off with some italian seasonings for flavor.
8. Bake until the cheese melts full and starts to turn slightly brown.
9.  Let cool and enjoy!