So I’m not sure if you’ve heard… but my New Year’s resolution was to become a morning person. When I told Alex & my mom & my friends they all looked at me like I was an idiot & proceeded to tell me it was never going to happen. I like to sleep a lot more than the average individual. Prior to this little experiment I would have told you that I need at LEAST 8-9 hours of sleep to function as a contributing member of society. Now I would say it’s probably more like 7-8 hours. I have been extremely successful thus far & now have the time to not only make dinner on a more regular basis but also make it to the gym (which probably has something to do with me being energetic on 7-8 hours of sleep)! Here are the recipes I tried out last week. There is a good mixture of vegetarian & animal proteins, in my opinion.

Easy BBQ Tofu

Ingredients:

• 1 package firm tofu
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garlic powder to taste
• 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce (I used Kraft low calorie)

Instructions:

1. Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Slice tofu into rectangles.
2. Add oil to the skillet and then the tofu. Spread tofu out into a single layer, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and fry for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
3. Flip each piece of tofu and fry for another 5-6 minutes, or until golden all over.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the BBQ sauce to coat the tofu. Serve immediately with more sauce on the side if desired.

I served this with gourmet (kidding) minute rice (Alex’s favourite) & steamed broccoli with chipotle salt!

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Italian Bean Balls

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped and toasted

• 3/4 cup rolled oats, processed into a coarse flour
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp dried basil
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Toast the walnuts for 7-9 minutes until fragrant and golden.
2. Meanwhile, add the oats into the food processor and process until finely chopped. You want the texture to be like a coarse flour.
3. Add the grated carrot, chopped parsley, basil, garlic, walnuts, and oat flour into a large bowl. Stir to combine.
4. Add the drained and rinsed beans into the food processor and process until finely chopped. You want the mixture to be a coarse paste with some beans still intact, but don’t completely puree the mixture. Stir the processed beans & egg into the bowl with the vegetables & oat flour.
5. Stir the oil, oregano, salt, pepper, and paprika into the bowl.
6. Shape the mixture into 18-20 balls (the size of golf-balls), packing each ball tightly between your hands so it holds together well. Place each ball onto the prepared baking sheet an inch or two apart.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, then gently flip the balls and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden on both sides.
8. Serve with spaghetti squash & pasta sauce

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Roasted Tomato & Chicken Flatbread with Cashew Cheeze

Ingredients:

roasted tomatoes:

• 2 lb tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt & pepper to taste

basil cashew cheese:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil
• 1/4 cup roasted tomatoes (from above)
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• Salt to taste

Crust:

• Large tortillas

Instructions:

1. Place cashews in a bowl of water and soak for at least 1 hour. Rinse and drain before use. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Chop tomatoes and place in a bowl and mix with olive oil, vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Spread out on prepared pan and roast for about 30 minutes. Remove and reduce heat to 350F.
2. For the sauce: In a food processor, mince garlic cloves. Add the basil followed by the roasted tomatoes and drained and rinsed cashews. Stop to scrape down the side of the bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until super smooth. Season with salt.
3. Place your desired amount of tortillas on baking sheet. Spread sauce on each tortilla followed by a generous amount of roasted tomatoes. Bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes at 350F or until crisp and golden. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Pork Chops with Peppered Apples & Warm Chard Slaw

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless fast-fry pork chops
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil

Peppered Apples:

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3 sweet-tart apples, cubed
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 2 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp coarse pepper
• 1 pinch salt

Warm Chard Slaw:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions:

1. Peppered Apples: In skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat; cook apples, stirring often, until tender crisp, about 4 minutes. Stir in cider and honey; reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in pepper and salt. Set aside and keep warm.
2. Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook chops, in batches and turning once, until juices run clear when pork is pierced and just a hint of pink remains inside, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to plate; keep warm.
3. Warm Chard Slaw: In same skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook garlic, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in honey until melted. Stir in chard; cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve with pork chops, apples & starch of your choice.

Adapted from Canadian Living

Shrimp & Tomato Stew with Lemon Orzo

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp each smoked paprika, and ground cumin
• Pinch hot pepper flakes
• 1 can (796 mL) diced tomatoes
• 1 bag peeled & deveined shrimp, thawed
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Lemony Orzo:

• 1 cup orzo pasta
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

1. In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook leek, carrot and fennel, stirring occasionally, until softened and light golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, half each of the pepper and salt, the paprika, cumin and hot pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 cup water; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Sprinkle shrimp and scallops with remaining pepper and salt. Stir into tomato mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are pink and scallops are opaque, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in parsley.
4. Lemony Orzo: Meanwhile, cook orzo according to package directions; drain. Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice. Serve with stew.

Adapted from Canadian Living