Rise and Shine Breakfast Bakes

I’ve never been a big breakfast eater, but in the past year I’ve redoubled my efforts in that department. With longer days as a mom and business owner of sorts, I find my energy fizzling out on those days I don’t start with some morning fuel. And in my never-ending quest to eat more protein, eggs have become a recent staple in my diet, which makes breakfast food a no-brainer for some of our go-to dishes. But in my mind, “breakfast food” doesn’t mean that it can only be eaten in the morning. For years I’ve incorporated what my husband and I call “BFD” (Breakfast for Dinner) nights into our weekly rotating menu.

One thing I absolutely love about this recipe is that it’s a single serving. You can easily make one for your solo days, or a set of ten for a special occasion brunch, or even a larger one to share if you’re doing dinner-for-two. For meat-eaters, vegetarians, spicy-lovers, and cheese-lovers, too, you can customize each one to their liking.

August 22, 2016August 10, 2016

Vegetarian Cauliflower Stir-Fry

I’m by no means a chef, nor is Model Behaviors a food site. I remember when I first started the website, I got a lot of flak about not having a niche. You’re a model but you don’t want to write about fashion? You have degrees in writing but you want to share recipes and DIY projects? “It sounds like you’re all over the place,” I was told. But I kept saying, “I don’t like to be put in a box. WOMEN don’t like to be put in a box!”

Maybe it’s because I’m claustrophobic, but I hate the idea that I can only do one thing when I’m passionate about so many things. And that’s what I love about cooking (notice that I didn’t say baking)! I like to experiment with textures and flavors, and when I make a mistake, I just add Sriracha or call my mom—depending on how much time I have. Now that I’m running around after a dog-terrorizing toddler (see this post from earlier this month if you want to know what I’m talking about), I’ve set up twenty-minute stations throughout the house, and that includes the kitchen.

July 4, 2016June 30, 2016

Fourth of July CarrHot Dog

“HOT DOG! GET YER HAWWWT DAWWWWG!!!”

I can still hear my favorite vendor with the handlebar mustache tempting us fans back in those days when I was a Wrigley Field regular. I’ve traced my love of hot dogs back to that particular time in my life. Before that, I was never a hot dog fan, but neither was I a hater. However, the traditional Chicago dog , Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, a mom-and-pop hot dog shop around the corner from my place, the street vendors downtown, and all those Cubs games hooked me. I became, not only a fan, but a superfan.

June 28, 2016June 22, 2016

Courtney’s One-Month Vegetarian Challenge

I’m at a period of my life where I want to try stuff—partly for the fun of challenging myself, but partly because I’m the kind of person who gets restless and grouchy if I don’t do something completely new and strange every so often. One of my hardest challenges so far this year was becoming vegetarian for a month.

I decided to undertake this challenge for a couple of reasons. The biggest was for the health benefits. It was the last month of the Mommy Makeover Contest. Plus, Holly had written a post about becoming vegetarian, and despite some major setbacks, she felt healthier and better for the transition. Also, in my interview with Marzia Prince when she was Woman of the Month, she mentioned how amazing she felt after transitioning to a vegan diet. Both women mentioned their skin clearing up, getting better sleep, and just having all around higher energy.

All of those benefits sounded great to me, but both women mentioning their skin improvements got my attention. Over the past couple of years, my skin has been getting redder and redder until finally I thought I might have rosacea. I probably should’ve listened to everyone when they told me to wear sunblock! Recently I went to the doctor, and sure enough the doc thought I had rosacea due to sun exposure and prescribed some gel to help with the redness. However, I wanted to try a plant-based diet to see if that would help, too.

June 20, 2016June 22, 2016

Let’s Talk about Tofu!

Raise your hand if you run screaming at the mention of tofu. Or if you just threw up a little bit in your mouth.

Now tell me, why the tofu-phobia? Have you had a bad experience with tofu? Did tofu steal your boyfriend? Did tofu key your car?

Have you ever tried tofu?

Or does tofu just scare the living bajeezus out of you?

For most of us, I think that’s exactly it. Tofu is unfamiliar territory. It’s not on every menu. The appearance and texture are rather alien. The packaging is strange. And most of all…how the hell you do cook it?

Read More “Let’s Talk about Tofu!” >