Coconut Caramel Smoothie

This smoothie was for breakfast, but definitely suggested dessert. The coconut was light and the caramel felt like a treat. Whenever bananas are on their way out I chop them into chunks and freeze them. They make smoothies so creamy. I kept it as simple as possible for a breakfast, but would also love this with a touch of chocolate or coffee.

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie

Coconut Caramel Smoothie

Ingredients: 1 serving

1 frozen banana
1 1/4 cup coconut almond milk
1 cup ice cubes
6 oz coconut Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons caramel ice cream topping + 1 teaspoon for garnish

Directions:

In a blender, add in the banana, coconut almond milk, ice, and yogurt.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie
Add in the caramel sauce. Blend again. Pour in another drizzle of milk, if needed.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie
Pour into a cup, and drizzle with caramel. Enjoy!IMG_6135

SO good! It was sweet, but so delicious. The banana, the yogurt and the almond milk made it filling while the caramel made it delightfully special. And if we’re being real, sometimes that’s exactly what a Tuesday needs.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie

Blueberry & Cream Cheese Pastry

I pretty much always want savory for breakfast but on the eve of a snow day, I flipped to the other side and made this super easy breakfast pastry. I saw this lemon-cherry one on Pinterest and thought: sign me up, I’m no baker, I do not need to make pastry dough. Puff pastry sheets for the win! I also had a ginourmous bag of frozen blueberries, so it seemed a great use for the frozen ones.

The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry

Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry (for 4-6 servings)

adapted from Peas & Peonies
Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted to room temperature
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 teaspoon water
6 oz cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice (or orange juice)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees, and bring cream cheese and puff pastry to room temperature. (I put my cream cheese on defrost in the microwave for a minute to speed it up).
In a medium pot, heat the blueberries, honey, and a splash of water (about 1/4 cup) to a simmer. Then add in the cornstarch and water mixture. Cook for a few minutes until thick, then remove from the heat.
The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry
In a mixer or with a hand mixer, whip the cream cheese and sugar together. Scrape the sides down and ensure it is well combined.
Roll the puff pastry a bit so it is 1/4 inch thick, or a little less and lay it onto a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray, or onto parchment paper. Spread the cream cheese onto the middle of the pastry. Mine had been folded in 3rds and I used the lines as a reference.
The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry
Make cuts into the puff pastry on either side of the cream cheese. I made mine about 1″ wide from the exterior edge towards the filling. Spoon the berry filling on top of the cream cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry
Fold the puff pastry cuts across the filling, alternating sides at an angle.
The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry
When you’ve gotten almost to the other end, repeat for the 4 end-most pastry “tabs” then resume from the other direction to overlap and close it all. This means that 3/4 way down the pastry there will be some overlap, but otherwise it won’t be closed.
The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry
Bake for 25-minutes, or until fully golden brown. Let it cool before icing.
While it cools, mix confectioners sugar, milk, and lemon juice with a fork for the glaze.
When the pastry is cool, drizzle the glaze over the top. The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry
Slice & enjoy!

I loved this! I only took a few liberties from the other recipe. I made my filling partly to have it less sweet, a bit less sugar, and because it felt easy-enough. I used a little less cream cheese filling as I wanted the ratio to be more 3:1, fruity with a touch of creamy. Also, I have no idea what crescent dough sheets are. It sounds delightful but I’ve never seen that in the store before.

Let’s chat microwaves. Do you have a good defrost function? My current microwave has an excellent one called “inverter turbo defrost” (said with a deep, deep voice). It was great to gent-ly soften the cream cheese. Otherwise, breakfast might have taken forever! I’d whip this up again. It was quite easy and looks cute. I could have made the berry filling, cream cheese mixture, and glaze in advance for an even quicker assembly, but slow and un-rushed is what snow days are for, right?

Hashbrown Bake

This weekend was another family holiday get together and the food was endless. I mixed up these hashbrowns so I could prep ’em in advance, and pop ’em it into the oven when we got breakfast going. These are ideal before hosting breakfast or brunch! It was perfect to be out of the way while Mr. J whipped up eggs for our party of 5 adults and 3 kiddos.
The Three Bite Rule - Hashbrown Bake
I made one in a 12″ circular pan and another 9×9 for the freezer. A 9×13 would work too!

Ingredients:

1 pound of hashbrowns (defrosted only for a few minutes, able to be broken apart a bit)
1 small white onion, diced
1 can cheese soup
8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups cornflakes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees (if serving immediately).
Saute onions in a little olive oil until translucent and cooked through.
Stir together the soup, sour cream, and 1/4 cup of the butter.
Add in the hashbrowns, cheddar, and onions. Then stir well.
The Three Bite Rule - Hashbrown Bake
Pour into a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Press down a little to make it even.
The Three Bite Rule - Hashbrown Bake

(If not serving right away, cover and refrigerate. To serve, add the topping and bake in the next few days, or cover and freeze.)

If baking and serving right away: melt the other 1/4 cup of butter, and mix in the cornflakes. Stir and spread over the top of the potatoes.
Bake for 40 minutes.
The Three Bite Rule - Hashbrown Bake
I liked this for the cheesy factor and the crunchy topping. I’m glad there’s one stashed away! This 12″ dish was more than enough for the 5 adults. This would be fun in a bunch of individual ramekins for each person.

Nutella & Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

This was pretty fun for a Friday breakfast. To be honest, I reallllly wanted to pick up a bagel on the way to work but ate this instead. It didn’t quite hit the spot since I was trying to make myself want this sweet breakfast. Nutella does a pretty good job at making me forget other ideas, but it just wasn’t a toasty everything bagel. I know, I know, this was a better choice so let’s meet it where it is: this is a healthy-ish breakfast with some fun toppings.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats with Nutella & PB

Ingredients: (for 2 servings)

1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup coconut almond milk
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons flax seeds
1-2 tablespoons peanut butter, melted
1 tablespoon nutella
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped

Directions:

Mix together the oatmeal, milk, yogurt, and flax seeds. Then divide into 2 bowls or containers with covers.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats
Slice banana and lay over the top.
Refrigerate overnight.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats with Nutella & PB
In the morning, top with melted peanut butter, nutella, and walnuts.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats with Nutella & PB
Enjoy!

I might not add the banana overnight again…that’s personal preference. The melted pb with the oats and the crunchy nuts was a good combo.

 

Overnight Oats with Blueberry Sauce

I’m jumping on board the over-night oats bandwagon- it might have been pulling out of the station but I caught it just in time. I saw some tips to make better overnight oats and was thinking I should give them a go. Who doesn’t need a fool-proof healthy breakfast? Also, this is all about the toppings which I can totally get on board with- despite never getting jazzed about oatmeal.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats

It has to be Old Fashioned Oats and you need 2x the liquid as the oats. I made 2 servings to see how it was. Spoiler: loved it. I foresee all the possibilities. I also might mix up some mini ones to be dessert for when I’m craving that sweet-treat.

Ingredients:

Serves 2
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 teaspoons flax seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 cup yogurt
1 cup coconut almond milk (or any milk you like)
1 cup blueberries (+more for topping)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Toppings: a few blueberries, chopped fresh pineapple, coconut, nuts, or whatever you like.

Directions:

Mix  together the oats, flax seeds, honey, brown sugar, yogurt, almond milk, and divide into 2 bowls/jars/containers and cover.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats
Let sit overnight.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats
In a small saucepan, cook blueberries, honey, and cornstarch over medium low heat for 5-10 minutes. Cool and store until serving.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats
Top with blueberry sauce, blueberries, pineapple & enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats

I loved these! I think 2 was a good start. I don’t always want a million servings to eat the same thing every day. I was very into the alternating textures of the oats vs the blueberry sauce vs the fresh blueberries vs the acidic pineapple. I think my next one might be more nut/toasted coconut/nutella.

I know mason jars are cute, but bowls or containers seem way easier to eat out of. I also fully endorse mixing it all up and then letting it sit. The mason jar & the layers would be more instagram-able but the ratio and texture is better when mixed.

See ya after vacay!