Berry Breakfast Smoothie

Saturdays are the day that the hubs and I run around town, getting all of our errands taken care of. We try to get everything done in the morning so that we can spend the afternoon either doing fun things or projects around the house. So that we can get those errands ran in a timely manner, we often make breakfast smoothies that are quick, filling, yummy and require little clean up in the kitchen. This particular morning, we made berry smoothies but have tried everything from chocolate and peanut butter to "Orange Julius" style.

Berry Breakfast Smoothies

4 servings

1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt

2 cups mixed berries (I used raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries)

1/2 cup skim milk

1 scoop protein powder

2 cups ice

Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth.

This recipe makes four servings, so we just put the leftovers in either the refrigerator or freezer and grab for breakfast before work during the week.

Simple Saturday Breakfast

During the week, my breakfast staple is pretty much oatmeal out of a pouch. I actually never leave myself enough time in the morning to make breakfast at home, so oatmeal is the easiest thing that I can make right when I get into the office. So when it comes to the weekend, I try to make something that's a bit more flavorful but still is easy to prepare and clean up. Eggs are usually our go-to, but we try to make them a bit different each weekend so that it's not the same old, same old. This weekend I added an Italian flair by combining scrambled eggs with pancetta, parmesan cheese and fresh thyme.

Eggs with Pancetta, Parmesan and Thyme

Serves 2

1/2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T diced pancetta (or more to your liking)

4 eggs

1/4 c. milk

2 T parmesan cheese

Salt

Pepper

1/2 T fresh thyme

In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and bring to temperature. Add pancetta to pan and saute until crispy. While pancetta is crisping, add eggs, milk and cheese to a bowl and whisk to combine. Once combined, add egg mixture to skillet and cook with pancetta until eggs are properly scrambled. Remove from skillet and sprinkle with thyme. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Restaurant Review: Georgie Porgie's

I usually try to have a positive attitude before judging any sort of restaurant that we decide to try. From the beginning, I had a bad impression of Georgie Porgie's and upon our arrival and dining at the place it just went downhill from there.

In order to save some money, I bought an Entertainment Book last spring. I originally noticed that there was a coupon for Georgie Porgie's and on Saturday when we were trying to decide on where to go for breakfast, I thought we could take advantage of the savings opportunity. When we got to the restaurant and I went to pull out the coupon, it said it was only valid for Lunch or Dinner. The place doesn't even serve dinner! Regardless of the fact, we still decided to give it a try. I wish we would have just turned around.

Upon our arrival, we stood in the non-existent waiting area and were told to pick a table. Once seated, we perused the menu and decided on a order of biscuits and gravy for me while Dave chose the Breakfast Special that included pancakes, two eggs, hashbrowns and bacon. While waiting for our orders, people came and went. But not all of those that arrived were served in a prompt manner. For a Saturday morning, the place was moderately busy but there were plenty of open tables. A party of three arrived and waited to be seated...the hostess greeted and informed them they would have to wait for a table because all that were available were those for large parties. What does it matter if there are only tables for large parties! Three people at a six-person table is not unreasonable. Not only did I feel bad for those people, but I was appauled by the way the hostess/waitress treated these people!

While not everything about the place is bad (they do have a good menu and reasonable prices), the food was just another thing that added to our poor experience at Georgie Porgie's. While nothing looks wrong with what we were served:

The taste of the food was another story. The eggs and hashbrowns were poorly seasoned and the pancakes were just so-so. The biscuits were a whole other story. Do you notice how first off, you can't even see the biscuits? They were also solid as a rock. The worst part was the gravy. It.tasted.like.fish. FISH! It was almost like they had made clam chowder in the same pot the day before and it wasn't cleaned. EW. DISGUSTING. GROSS.

Needless to say, we won't be frequenting Georgie Porgie's ever again.

Restaurant Review: Mama's 39th Street Diner

After waking up early on Saturday morning, Dave decided that he wanted pancakes. Not just any pancakes (including those that I could make in the kitchen). He wanted real, fluffy, big pancakes. Pancakes that can only be found at greasy spoon cafes. And that's how we ended up at Mama's 39th Street Diner.

We had heard about the establishment from friends, acquaintances and even Guy Fieri. Mama's was featured in an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives back in March 2008 and ever since seeing the show late last year, we've been dying to try it out. Well, a year or so later, we finally made it. On the episode, Guy features two things: the Corned Beef Hash and the giant selection of omelets. Since Dave's mind was already set on pancakes, we agreed that it would be best if I tried a combination of both that Guy recommended. I perused the menu of 66 different omelets and finally decided on the Corned Beef, Bacon and Cheddar omelet that came complete with a side of browns and toast.

While waiting for our food, we enjoyed taking in all that is the unique about Mama's. From the brightly colored walls and booths, to the vibrant and hurried staff, and the giant pieces of cake rotating around in the dessert display, there was plenty to observe. Because the menu was so large and a bit overwhelming when we were ordering, I went back up to the hostess stand so that we could further examine what Mama's offers. And let me tell you--they have everything. Dave can't wait to go back so that he can try the 37,000 other things they have on the menu. Specifically, he is interested in the Chicken Fried Steak Omelet and the Italian Beef Sandwich. I'm dying to try the omelet with lox and cream cheese.

Upon the arrival of our food, we were both astonished. Dave was immediately pulled in by the gravitational pull of the pancakes...these things were seriously close to the diameter of a basketball. After pouring a substantial amount of syrup on these two behemoth discs, he dove into the soft, fluffy goodness. Ten minutes later, they were only halfway gone. As far as the omelet goes, it was everything we expected it to be. There was cheese. Bacon. And Corned Beef. What more could you ask for? And the hash browns. Oh, the hash browns. I am a potato fanatic and savored every bit. They were a perfect combination of crispy and soft. You seriously got a bit of each in every bite.

Will we go back to Mama's again? I imagine there is a good chance that Dave will wake me up tomorrow morning, craving the savory goodness that Mama's 39th Street Diner has to offer.