Mini Omelets (Soufflés?)

My goal was to make Mini Omelets using this recipe as a base and doing my own thing with the veggies.  What I got were more akin to mini soufflés...

I'm not sure what went wrong.

What started out as a humble mixture of eggs, egg whites, some lightly sautéed veggies, a bit of cheese and seasoning seemed straightforward enough.

The mixture was portioned into nine wells of a greased muffin tin and baked for 20 minutes at 350°.  As you saw in the in-oven photo above, somewhere along the line these guys decided to leave the omelet life behind and become high-rising soufflés.

Straight out of the oven, these little guys still had a lot of height.

But, as soufflés tend to do, they quickly began to deflate.  However, they never looked quite like I was expecting.

Don't get me wrong, these little guys still tasted great, they just weren't quite as picture-perfect as the inspiration.  I gave mine a little kick with the hot sauce from my July Taste Trunk, and they were mighty tasty.  For those who are interested, I'll share the recipe as I made it below, but perhaps you should refer to Gina's original post and expect the unexpected.

Mini Omelets (Soufflés?)
adapted from Skinny Taste
makes 9 mini omelets

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup spinach, chopped
4 whole eggs
1 cup egg whites
1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
salt, pepper, to taste
hot sauce, to taste (optional)
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.  Spray a regular non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a nonstick pan, add oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Once pan is hot, add in the bell peppers and onion and lightly sauté for a couple of minutes, then add in the garlic and spinach and sauté for another minute, or until the spinach is wilted.  Remove from the heat to cool down.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg whites, cheese, salt, pepper, and hot sauce (if using).  Whisk in the cooled vegetables.

Portion the omelet mixture into 9 wells of the prepared muffin pan, filling each a little more than 3/4 full.  Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Serve immediately.  Wrap any leftovers in plastic and refrigerate or freeze.

Green Monster Smoothies

I love the bright, fresh flavor of an ice cold smoothie in the morning.  Large smoothies are a great stand alone breakfast, but smaller portions are fantastic served along with eggs or muffins or whatever your heart desires.  In an effort to get better about actually eating breakfast (and a nutritional one at that), I'm experimenting with freezing smoothies this week.  I'm whipping up a few different smoothies to keep on hand in the freezer that I can pull out at night to thaw in the fridge to be ready by breakfast.  I'm also working on a few other healthy meals to stock my freezer (mini egg white omelets and a few soups), so keep an eye out for those recipes over the next week or two.

I'm not stranger to adding a hefty handful or two of spinach to my smoothies, but my typical smoothie is usually one with a variety of frozen mixed berries thrown in so the green of the spinach blends away to a deep purple.  I've had my eye on this Green Monster Smoothie recipe from Annie's Eats for quite a while and decided that I'd finally make it this week.  While the smoothie definitely doesn't disguise the color of the spinach, you still can't taste it among the sweetness of the fruit in this recipe.  If you're new to the green smoothie scene, or simply want a new recipe to try, I highly recommend this vibrant concoction.

Green Monster Smoothies
adapted slightly from Annie's Eats
serves 2-3 (makes approximately 4 cups)

1 1/2 cups orange juice (I used tangerine juice)
2 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
1 banana (fresh or frozen), cut into chunks
1 cup chopped frozen pineapple
1 pear, coarsely chopped
1-2 tablespoons honey (optional)

Combine juice, spinach, fruit, and honey (if desired) in a blender and puree until completely smooth.  Taste and adjust sweetness with additional honey, if needed.  Serve immediately or freeze, if desired.

July 2013 Glam Bag

This month Ipsy put together a "Beach Beauty" Glam Bag to get you "prepped and ready to be the hottest babe on the beach!  Whether you're laying out or catching some waves with your July "Beach Beauty" Glam Bag, we have you covered for this season's hot weather!"

This month's bag was a clear, hot pink plastic number.  Not my favorite bag I've received, though I will say the material is practical for carrying a few beauty essentials in your beach bag (not that my pasty skin as ever seen the beach).

In my July Glam Bag, I received the following items:

 BH Cosmetics - California Collection Eyeshadow Sample ($17.95/palette)
This BH Cosmetics makeup palette includes a sample from each of the California Collection palettes: Hollywood, San Francisco, and Malibu.

Sample size: 3 shadows
Sample value: ~$2.50

{Swatches of the BH Cosmetics California Collection Eyeshadows}

Unfortunately, I'm not really impressed with these eyeshadows.  The shades Hollywood and Malibu aren't ones I'd ever normally wear and none of the shadows have great pigmentation.  The packaging is nice and these would be great for traveling or taking on the go, but I'm just not digging the colors and quality.

 COOLA - Unscented Mineral Sunscreen SPF 20 ($36.00/1.7 oz)
Keep the sun and environment at bay with this SPF 20 broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen; a clear, Titanium Dioxide based formula (for those who are Zinc sensitive) made with 98% natural ingredients. This sunscreen is hypoallergenic, paraben-free, ultra sheer, anti-aging, and water resistent for 40 minutes.

Sample size: 0.23 oz
Sample value: $4.87

I'm pleased to have received this sunscreen.  A sample of the COOLA Classic Face Cucumber Moisturizer with SPF 30 was in my June Birchbox and I absolutely loved that product and am considering purchasing it after I run out of another SPF moisturizer I have and am trying to use up.  I'm curious to try out this unscented version to see how it compares.  I do wish the SPF were higher, but this will be good for days that I only plan to be out in the sun briefly.

 Sexy Hair - Soy Renewal Beach Spray ($19.95/5.1 oz)
Creates beachy undone texture that looks and feels like you've spent a day at the beach.  Contains argan oil which helps nourish, protect and heal damage.

Sample size: 1.7 oz
Sample value: $6.65

I haven't been a fan of the beach sprays I've tried in the past.  My hair is very fine and these tend to make my hair look more greasy than textured.  I do love a good beachy, mess hairstyle on others though.  I'll definitely give this a shot.  I've enjoyed the other Healthy Sexy Hair products I've tried, so I have hopes this might work for me.  The sample size is great and I love the spray nozzle.

Nailtini - Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer in Mai Tai ($13.00/0.5 oz)
Beach-ready doesn't have to stop at your coverup!  It goes all the way down to your toes!  Nailtini is making sure your toes are nothing less than intoxicating this summer with our seasonal favorite shade, Mai Tai.  This rich creamy tangerine sunrise is the perfect complement to sandals and sun-kissed skin.

Sample size: 0.5 oz
Sample value: $13.00

This shade screams summer and I'm due for a pedicure, so I'm sure this will be on my toes any day now!

POP Beauty - Pouty Pop Crayon ($25.00/six crayons)

POP's Pouty Pop Crayon nourishes, treats, and adds that perfectly-plumped pop to lips.  These extra-nourishing balms gently bounce onto lips creating a plumed & pillowy pout leaving them with luscious, long-lasting colour with a super-smooth texture.

Sample size: (1) 0.1 oz crayon

Sample value: $4.17

{A swatch of the POP Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in Coral Crush}

I received the shade Coral Crush which is a beautiful pinky coral.  These have a slight minty smell and feel on the lips.  Because these are plumping, they do tingle a bit, but the sensation isn't uncomfortable like some plumping lip products I've tried.  The color is creamy (no shimmer) and slightly matte.

Total bag value: approximately $31.19

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the July "Beach Beauty" Glam Bag.  The BH Cosmetics shadows were a miss for me, but everything else is a "thumbs up!"  I think this products were a great collection for a summer beauty bag.