Recipe: BibimBap

Sunday, September 27, 2026

Excuse the night-time photo. This BiBimBap from Ivy's Kitchen was a ton of work. But it is absolutely delicious. I should have tripled the recipe, instead of doing a single batch. What was I thinking?

Ingredients

For the beef bulgogi:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp mirin
• 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp neutral oil for the pan

For the veggies:

• 1 bag shredded carrots
• 2 zucchini, julienned
• 10 oz fresh spinach
• 12 oz bean sprouts
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil (divided)
• Salt to taste
• Toasted sesame seeds

For the bibimbap sauce:

• 6 Tbsp gochujang
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp sweetener
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 2-3 Tbsp water to thin

Everything else:

• 4 cups uncooked short grain rice (about 6 cups cooked)
• 6 eggs

Directions

1. Cook the rice with slightly less water than usual. Let it cool while cooking everything else.
2. Make the sauce: Whisk the [gochujang], rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, and grated garlic in a jar. Add water a tablespoon at a time until it's pourable but still clings to a spoon. It keeps up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
3. Make the jammy eggs. Lower 6 eggs into boiling water, boil for 7 minutes, then shock in ice water. Peel once cool and keep them whole.
4. Blanch the bean sprouts in salted boiling water for 1-2 minutes, drain, and squeeze out the excess water. Toss with 1 tbsp sesame oil, a minced garlic clove, salt, and sesame seeds.
5. Blanch the spinach in the same pot for 30s, shock in cold water, and squeeze it dry. Toss with 1 tbsp sesame oil, a minced garlic clove, salt, and sesame seeds.
6. Sauté the carrots in a drizzle of oil for 2-3 minutes with a pinch of salt, until just softened. Remove, then do the same with the zucchini and the last garlic clove, about 3 minutes. Crisp/tender is the goal.
7. Make the beef bulgogi. Mix the ground beef with the mushrooms, soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and pepper. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high, sauté the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes, then add the beef. Spread it flat and lcrisp it for 3-4 minutes so the bottom caramelizes, then break it up and cook until the liquid is mostly gone and the beef is glossy, about 5 more minutes.
8. Assemble. Rice in each container, then arrange the beef and veggies on top. Pack the eggs whole and the sauce in little containers on the side.

Recipe: Sheet Pan Breakfast Burritos

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

These Sheet Pan Breakfast Burritos have been on repeat for awhile. Someone I know also appreciates them

Ingredients

Veggies

• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Meat

• 1 pound ground turkey or lean ground beef
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Cottage Cheese Egg Mixture

• 6 large eggs
• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Other

• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 12 high fiber tortillas
• 1 cup store bought mild salsa
• cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a non-stick rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray.
2. Place the vegetables onto the pan and toss together. Spread in an even layer and roast for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mix all the meat ingredients in a bowl with your hands until well combined.
4. Mix the roasted veggies and spread back out into an even layer. Sprinkle the beef (or turkey) mixture in small clumps on top.
5. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the meat is crispy. Keep the oven on after baking for later.
6. While the beef mixture bakes, blend the cottage cheese egg mixture in a blender until smooth.
7. Pour the liquid mixture over the sheet pan, sprinkle with shredded cheese, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the egg is mostly set.
8. Let cool for 10 minutes, then cut the egg mixture into 12 rectangles.
9. Fill each tortilla (12 total) with 1 heaping Tbsp (optional), baked egg rectangle and spinach. Roll the tortilla up, tucking the sides inwards and rolling tightly.
10. Optional: Place each burrito onto the now-empty pan, spray with avocado oil (or drizzle with a bit of avocado oil) and bake for 5-7 minutes, until crisp and lightly golden.
11. Wrap in parchment paper and freeze! Reheat in microwave for 2 minutes.

Success: White Chicken Chili

Sunday, September 20, 2026

Is it the most exciting look dish? No. But it does taste pretty good, and is a fine meal-prep addition to the rest of the line-up. This one is from iFoodReal.

Success: Marinated White Beans

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

I was in the mood to make these Marinated White Beans from VeganRicha. Don't know why, but it was good, and gave me lunch for a few days!

Recipe: High Protein Marry Me Beans

Sunday, September 13, 2026

I've made these High Protein Marry Me Butter Beans from FoodWithFeeling a few times. I add in spinach and use either cannellini beans or chickpeas, as I can never seem to find canned butter beans. But it works.

Ingredients

• 8-16oz pasta
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 15 oz block silken tofu
• A few handfuls fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/3 c sun-dried tomatoes chopped
• 2x 15oz cans butter beans or other white beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs for serving

Instructions

1. Prepare pasta according to directions on box.
2. In a blender, combine HALF a can of the beans, the silken tofu, nutritional yeast, and the broth. Blend until creamy.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil. Add in the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the tofu mixture and stir to combine.
4. Adjust the heat to medium-low, and add the beans to the skillet. Allow the sauce to come to a low simmer for 3 minutes, then add in the butter, chili flakes, thyme, and oregano.
5. Add the butter and sun-dried tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper and let the sauce simmer and thicken for a few more minutes.
6. Stir fresh spinach in immediately before ladling out onto pasta.

Recipe: Overnight Cookie Dough

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

This Overnight Cookie Dough from EatingHealthyGram is pretty good and pretty easy. It also freezes/thaws pretty well...but unlike actual cookie dough, it is not very good straight out of the freezer! Gotta let it defrost.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1.5 cups Greek yogurt
• 1 cup almond flour
• 3 scoops [vanilla] protein powder
• 1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp almond butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Chocolate chips (to taste)

Instructions

1. Blend cottage cheese until smooth.
2. Mix together cottage cheese, yogurt, sweetener, and almond butter.
3. Stir in almond flour, protein powder, and salt.
4. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Refrigerate at least 3 hours—or overnight.

Recipe: Protein Taco Bowls

Sunday, September 6, 2026

These Protein Taco Bowls from AndysEastCoastKitchen are a satisfying meal prep. I like to double the recipe and use half ground beef, half ground turkey.

Ingredients (Sweet Potatoes)

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Ingredients (Beef & Veggies)

• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1/2 white onion, sliced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tsp chili powder (I usually halve this since I don't like hot-spice)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 c diced canned tomatoes
• 1/4 c beef or vegetable stock
• 1/2 c mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Toss with olive oil, salt, paprika, and garlic powder.
3. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes or until golden and tender.
4. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add pepper and onion, cook for 3-4 minutes. Add black beans and stir.
6. Add ground beef and break it up as it browns.
7. Once cooked through, add seasonings, tomatoes, and stock. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Stir in mozzarella until melted and creamy.
9. Building the Bowl: Start with a base of roasted sweet potatoes, add your beef and veggies and drizzle generously with chipotle crema.

Recipe: Easy Protein Chocolate Cheesecake

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

This protein chocolate cheesecake from TheChefOutWest is easy, tasty, and not terribly addictive, which is great. My sweet tooth needs some assistance!

Ingredients

• 1 c cottage cheese
• 1 c Greek yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 c maple syrup / honey
• 1/2 c oat/almond flour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
2. Blend 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup yogurt, 2 eggs, 0.5 cup cocoa powder, 0.5 cup maple syrup / honey, 0.5 cup oat/almond flour, and 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, in a blender. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. Pour the batter into a parchment-lined 6-inch round baking dish and smooth the top.
4. Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 45-50 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly.
5. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, before serving.

Semi-Success: Coffee-Chocolate Cheesecake

Sunday, August 30, 2026

Maybe without the coffee, or half the coffee, this Coffee-Chocolate Cheesecake from TheChefOutWest wouldn't just taste like coffee to me? Who knows! We'll try the standard chocolate cheesecake next.

Semi-Success: Almond Croissant Baked Oats

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

These Almond Croissant Baked Oats would be alright without the almond extract or maybe with the almond extract halved? Otherwise, not so bad.

Recipe: Chicken Chorizo Pasta Bowls

Sunday, August 23, 2026

These Chicken and Chorizo Bowls from SarasHealthyKitchen are pretty good! Could imagine making them again.

Ingredients

• 100g diced chicken breast
• 50g uncooked orzo
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 80g chopped tomatoes
• 50ml chicken stock
• 20g diced chorizo (I suspect one could use pepperoni here)
• A few handfuls of fresh spinach
• 20g grated mozzarella
• Salt and Black pepper
• Paprika

Instructions

1. Add everything except the cheese and chorizo to an oven-proof bowl. Stir well.
2. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 375°F for 25–30 minutes, until the orzo is tender and the chicken is cooked through.
3. Remove from oven, sprinkle the mozzarella and chorizo over, then return to the oven for 10 minutes until melted and golden.
4. Allow to cool slightly before storing in airtight containers.

Success: Roasted Red Pepper Tofu Pasta

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

This Red Pepper Tofu Pasta from FoodWithFeeling is alright. But maybe I just don't like roasted pasta that much? Probably won't make again. 'Added a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, because most things are better with it.

Recipe: Fudgy Protein Brownies

Sunday, August 16, 2026

These Fudgy Protein Brownies from PrettyDeliciousLife came out pretty good! Once again, not amazing, but a great satisfying/filling chocolate snack. It's one of the many recipes that does not call itself "peanut butter + _insert_chocolate_option_here" that should call itself peanut butter brownies....but the peanut butter is at least not terribly overwhelming here.

Ingredients

• 16 oz cottage cheese
• 1 c natural peanut butter
• 1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 scoop protein powder (optional)
• 3 Tbsp chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Prepare to bake. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal and set aside.
2. Blend cottage cheese until smooth.
3. Transfer the cottage cheese to a mixing bowl and add peanut butter and the remaining dry ingredients (not the chocolate chips).
4. Using a fork or silicone spatula, mix the batter until combined. This batter will be very thick, much thicker than traditional brownie recipes.
5. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, smooshing down with the back of a spatula until it is evenly distributed in the pan.
6. Top the batter with chocolate chips and bake for 15-20 minutes for fudgy brownies or 25 minutes for cakey brownies.
7. Once finished baking, leave them in the pan to cool.

Fail: 3-Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Unsurprisingly, these 3-Ingredient Cookies from FoodieFromVT are weird and come out nothing like the video. Taste like peanut butter and protein powder. Not ideal. Never again.

Semi-Fail: Chicken Pesto Bake

Sunday, August 9, 2026

This Chicken Pesto Bake from StayFitMom doesn't look that appetizing, and it tastes fine...but not particularly exciting. Will not make this one again, but perhaps look for a different one?

Recipe: Baked Ziti Meal Prep

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

This High Protein Baked Ziti from TheBalanceNutritionist with some fresh spinach added in is pretty good. Could be worth making again!

Ingredients

• 16 oz ziti
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb Italian ground chicken sausage, raw with casing removed or chopped fully cooked sausage
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 c marinara sauce (tomato basil is good)
• A few handfuls of fresh spinach
• 1/2 c water
• 1/3 c basil, chopped small, more for topping
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt + black pepper to taste

Cheese Layer

• 2 c shredded mozzarella, divided in half
• 16 oz cottage cheese
• 1/2 c parmesan or nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• Pinch of black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large deep skillet, heat oil on medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 2 minutes until garlic is fragrant and onion begins to soften.
4. Add ground meat and sausage. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue cooking until meat is just cooked through.
5. Reduce heat to low and add sauce, water, basil and seasonings. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
6. While the sauce is cooking, make the cheese layer. Add cottage cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella, parmesan cheese and seasonings to a small bowl. Mix until combined.
7. Add pasta and spinach to the ground meat sauce and mix until combined.
8. Add half of the pasta mixture to the bottom of a baking dish. Next, add the cheese layer by adding dollops of cheese mixture and smooth to mostly cover the pasta. Add the rest of the pasta and then top with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
9. Bake for 25 minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Fail: Chicken Tikka Masala Meal Prep

Sunday, August 2, 2026

Meal prepped this Chicken Tikka Masala Meal Prep from DamnDelicious, but it doesn't taste much liek chicken tikka masala. It's good, I guess, and healthy. But I will not make again. Will look for a different recipe.

Recipe: Protein Pumpkin Loaf

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

While the Chickpea Pumpkin Loaf is pretty good, this protein pumpkin loaf is even better.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 c pumpkin purée
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c maple syrup
• 1/4 c Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp [Olive/Avocado/Coconut] oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 c oat/almond flour
• 1/4 c protein powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 c chocolate chips + more for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, whisk the pumpkin purée, eggs, maple syrup, Greek yogurt, oil, and vanilla.
3. Add the flour, protein powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix until combined, then add the chocolate chips.
4. Pour into loaf pan and sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top.
5. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan before serving.

Recipe: Chickpea Pumpkin Loaf

Sunday, July 26, 2026

This chickpea pumpkin loaf is pretty good. Satisfies the sweet tooth without making you want to eat half of it in one sitting! Chocolate and pumpkin pie spice is hard to beat...

INGREDIENTS

• ~1 c chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 c smooth almond butter
• 1/3 c pumpkin purée
• 1/3 c maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 c almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 c chocolate chips + more for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Blend the chickpeas until completely smooth.
3. Add the almond butter, pumpkin purée, maple syrup and vanilla and blend until smooth.
4. Add the almond flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Spread into your prepared pan and sprinkle with extra chocolate chips.
6. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, or until edges are set and the center is still slightly soft.
7. Let them cool completely before slicing.

Watercolor: Glazing

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

While many folks do not care for watercolor because it shows everything...that can be used to some nice effects.

These are just some initial practice, playing around with the technique. Learning, always learning.