Beyond Ramen, or How Healthy Eating & NaNoWriMo Can Coexist

During NaNoWriMo, it’s easy to forget how to eat anything that a) can’t be nuked in 3 minutes or less, b) can’t be ingested from a mug, or c) can’t be purchased from a franchise restaurant.

My younger NaNoWriMo days were filled with ramen soup, Diet Coke and fast food.  While there will still be an occasional Diet Coke, ramen soup and fast food do not a healthy lifestyle make.  And you know what?  Those things don’t make brains happy either.  So, while I could feasibly eat at Chipotle every night and still accomplish my weight loss goals, my bank account might not be super happy with that approach.

As I prepared my notes, outlines and character info for November, I also made an effort to stock my freezer and refrigerator with items that I knew would make good brain & body fuel whilst being as quick and effortless as possible to make ingestion-ready.  Here’s one of the things I came up with.

CHICKEN-CHEDDAR-CHIVE QUICHE TARTLETTES
Yield: Six individual tartlettes

Ingredients
base
1 pie crust
4 eggs
1/2 cup fat-free half & half
salt & pepper

for chicken-cheddar-chive quiche
1/2 cup chives
1/2 cup shredded 2% sharp cheddar cheese
6 oz. cooked chicken, chopped (Hormel’s all-natural line is good)

Special equipment
Tartlette pans (I used these, & they worked like a charm. If you don’t have tartlette pans, you can always make one big quiche & slice it into six individual pieces.)

Directions

1. Divide pie crust into six individual tart pans. I used a store-bought pie crust & cut out circles to fill the tart pans, filling any thin places with the scraps. Refrigerate.
2. Whisk together the eggs, half & half, and salt & pepper until frothy & smooth.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Chop chives & chicken. Place in equal portions in tartlette shells. Top with cheddar.
5. Pour egg mixture in equal portions over chicken-chive-cheese mixture in shells. (FYI, I had exactly enough to fill all the shells. When in doubt, fill less, & then go back & add more accordingly.)
6. 6) Bake 25 to 35 minutes until puffed, set, and golden.
7. Let cool completely. Remove from pans & serve, or…
8. Freeze uncovered on trays.  When completely frozen, wrap in foil, sealing edges. Wrap again in parchment or place in an airtight container or ziplock bag(s). Label with content & date prepared.
9. To prepare from frozen, loosen foil & place in refrigerator to thaw for several hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit & bake 20-30 minutes ’til heated through.

Take note that I’ve subdivided the ingredients because you can hypothetically add anything you want.  For this version, you’re looking at 266 calories per quiche tartlette, which makes it a perfect option for adding a salad or even some soup to make a complete, low-cal meal.

The base ingredients come out to 207 calories per tartlette, so start there and add whatever you like.