Green House Quiche

One of our favorite go to recipes is quiche!  It is the kind of dish that can be serves for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and it is a super simple dish to make.  Quiches are great to take to a pot luck and you can put pretty much any vegetables you have on hand in them.  We always make sure to have pie crusts in the fridge because when you are in a pinch, quiche is the perfect meal to make!  One of our favorites is this broccoli cheddar quiche because it is so delicious and full of hearty ingredients.

 Ingredients

• 1 homemade or store-bought single-crust pie dough
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tbs dijon mustard
• 2 cups medium diced yellow onion (from 1 large onion) 
• 1 1/2 cups of diced vegetables
• 3/4 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (4 ounces)

 Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface and roll out dough to a 12-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie plate, fold overhang under, and crimp edge. Place a sheet of parchment paper over dough and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edge is dry and light golden, about 20 minutes. Remove parchment and weights.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Add onion, bacon, and cheese and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Whisk to combine, pour into crust, and bake until center of quiche is just set, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

{recipe adapted from here}

Homemade Granola Bars

Having healthy snacks in the house is so important in maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle.  We love snack recipes that make big batches, and that we can throw in our purse, gym bag, lunch box, or briefcase.  These homemade simple 5 ingreient granola bars fit the bill and we make them all the time!  We love taking them with us on nature walks, and they are a great way to help your body stay fueled during the day.

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed dates, pitted (deglet nour or medjool)
• 1/4 cup honey (or sub maple syrup or agave for vegan option)
• 1/4 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter
• 1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten free for GF eaters)
• optional additions: chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, banana chips, vanilla, etc.

Instructions

1. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a "dough" like consistency. (mine rolled into a ball)
2. Optional step: Toast your oats in a 350 degree oven for 15-ish minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw - I just prefer the toasted flavor.
3. Place oats, almonds and dates in a bowl - set aside.
4. Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
5. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8x8 dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily. (A loaf pan might work, but will yield thicker bars.)
6. Press down until uniformly flattened. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let set in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.
7. Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. I kept mine in the freezer to keep them extra fresh, but it isn't necessary.

{recipe and image via}