Category Archives: Vegetarian

Homemade Mocha Coffee Creamer


This recipe makes 24 ounces of coffee creamer.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup fat free half and half
1 can sweetened condensed fat free (14 oz)
2 oz of your favorite chocolate (I used the one we recently made on our trip to Hawaii)
1 tb pure vanilla extract
1 tsp finely ground espresso powder

Directions:

Place all the ingredients (except for the vanilla extract) in a 2 quart sauce pan on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, do not allow this to come to a boil, simmer is optimal.  Stir the mixture often with a whisk.  Remove from heat, allow the liquid to cool slightly and whisk in vanilla extract.  Set aside, it is also essential to allow the liquid to cool prior to pouring the creamer into a glass container. I recommend using a funnel for this step. Keep the vessel sealed in refrigerator. Make sure to shake the creamer well prior to each use. Since this coffee creamer is homemade and no preservatives it does tend to separate.

Classic Coffeecake Remake

 

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My mom growing up always made coffeecake on the weekends. I love the smell of the cake baking in the oven. I find it ironic years later to learn there is no coffee in the actual cake (how disappointing!!). The baked good just pairs so nicely with a strong cup of coffee, is where I am sure the name stemmed from.

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Today is an eventful day,  we are finally planting our garden.  My grandfather provided us with a lot of starter plants this past week. We just recently came back from vacation and have not had time to put in a garden.  He is visiting us for a father’s day picnic next week. I want to make sure we get everything planted before he reviews our garden. My husband tried to start the rototiller Friday and  it would not budge. Luckily our neighbors are going to let us borrow their tracker rototiller attachment. As a jester of gratitude, I baked this breakfast treat for them.

This cake is fairly large and I baked the coffeecake in my pampered chef stoneware bunt pan. I love, love stoneware for baking. Stoneware makes all baked goods cook so much more evenly. I also cut the sugar down significantly and swapped out the sour cream for nonfat greek yogurt. I did decrease the butter by half as well and used unsweetened applesauce in it’s place, which adds moisture and sweetness but also helps cut down on the saturated fat.

This recipe yields 16 to 20 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 cups AP flour

1 3/4 cup of sugar, push 1/4 cup later for cinnamon and sugar swirl

2 TB of ground Vietnamese Cinnamon

4 Eggs

2 cups of plain greek non fat yogurt

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup); softened to room temperature

1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp of high quality pure vanilla extract

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously cooking spray a large bunt pan and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl mix together thoroughly the flours, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
  3. Place in a stand mixer bowl the butter, & 1 & 3/4 of the sugar, using paddle attachment cream the two together. Add in applesauce and vanilla and continue to mix to incorporate the ingredients together. On low speed, add in the egg one at a time. Allow for each egg to incorporate into the batter before adding another egg.
  4. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg batter, continue the mixer speed on low. Once incorporated add 1/3 of the greek yogurt, repeat until flour and yogurt are gone.
  5. In a small bowl take the cinnamon and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and mix together, set aside.
  6. Take 1/3 of the batter and spread with rubber spatula on the bottom of the greased bunt pan. Sprinkle evenly with 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar blend. Repeat the steps two more times, until no batter and cinnamon blend remain. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 60 -65 minutes or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Place the bunt pan on a wire rack, allow the cake to remain in the hot pan for 15 minutes to cool slightly. After the 15 minutes have elapsed, remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool on wire rack until you are ready to serve the cake.

Enjoy!

 

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Mocha Shake

Coffee, Cafe’ Du Monde Chicory and Chocolate are just a few of my favorite flavors. 

My husband and I love Café Du Monde, we fell in love with the taste  a few years back when we went to New Orleans.  Now we look for the chicory everywhere we go. We are lucky on occasion my husband’s Aunt Cindy & Uncle Larry from Louisiana bring it to us when they come to visit us up north.

We use to order the chicory on Amazon but now we found the liquid gold at an Asian Market in the strip district for a good price so we purchase it there (in bulk)! 

I am getting ready for a half marathon this weekend and I am logging my last few runs before the big day. This shake is quick, easy, and refreshing after a hot run and is also a great way to use leftover coffee. 

Serving size one

Ingredients:

2 cups of chilled leftover coffee made with chicory 

1 scoop (31 grams) of chocolate protein powder about 100-110 calories per scoop

6-7 ice cubes

A fun 16 oz drinking vessel with a straw

Directions:

1. Place coffee in the blender*. Add the powder and ice, pulse until you reach the desired consistency.

2. Pour into your vessel & enjoy! 

*Alternate: If you do not have a blender that is OK place the scoop of protein powder in your vessel and slowly pour in the coffee while whisking. You can also shake the ingredients together (after you secure the lid for shaking). Then add ice cubes. 


Tip when I make my coffee, I usually do 4 scoops of ground high quality coffee and one scoop of chicory for one pot of coffee. However I like weak coffee, I suggest for you to use one scoop less of your regular coffee and substitute the last scoop with chicory. 

Blueberry Oat Chai Greek Yogurt

 

Mason jar madness. My sister stayed the night on Thursday and we made some overnight yogurt for the morning the next day. I love Greek yogurt the possibilities are endless. Oatmeal or yogurt are my go to breakfast foods and when I can combine the two well you get the best of both worlds … Calcium …. Protein ….. Fiber…Add some frozen fruit and I am good to go until lunch. Nothing starts the day right like a good fulfilling breakfast. 
Servings One

Ingredients: 

1/2 tb vanilla unsweetened almond milk

1/2 tb chai seeds

1/2 tb old fashioned oats

1 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon ground 

1 packet true lime

1 tb vanilla protein powder

1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions:

1. Place first 7 ingredients in a 1 pint mason jar. Mix very thoroughly with a mini spatula. Pour frozen blueberries ontop of mixed yogurt.  Place jar seal on lid and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy! 

Strawberries, Oats & Greek yogurt

I created this concoction last year when we were in Florida leaving the hotel after the Disney Princess half Marathon. I was trying to clean out our mini fridge, and not waste one thing before we loaded up to head back home to the airport. This overnight yogurt oatmeal tastes like a strawberry cheesecake for breakfast! 

Ingredients:: 

One cup of Greek yogurt nonfat plain

1 teaspoon of ground Vietnamese cinnamon

1/8 cup of old fashion oats

Two packets of true lime which is equivalent to two slices of lime freshly squeezed

1 tablespoon of vanilla protein powder

Half a packet of truvia (optional)

1 cup of fresh diced strawberries or frozen if they are not in season

Directions:

1. Place the first six ingredients into a 1 pint mason jar. Mix with a small spatula very well. 

2. Top the yogurt mixture  with freshly cut strawberries.  Place the  seal of the mason jar on the lid and store the yogurt in the refrigerator overnight.

3. The next morning sprinkle with additional cinnamon swirl and enjoy!

Blueberry Almond Greek Yogurt

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Maybe because a large… Wait very large cup of coffee goes with it! No really all jokes aside I love breakfast foods and it is the most important meal of the day to get your motor running. 

One of my standard go-to breakfast meals is anything with Greek NonFat Plain Yogurt. The possibilities are endless with this basic standard staple.


Serving Size One! 

Ingredients :

One cup of Greek plain fat-free yogurt

1 tablespoon of vanilla protein powder (look for the type with about 100 cal per one scoop)

1/2 packet of truvia or stevia in the raw

1/2 tablespoon of Chia seeds

1 Tsp of Vietnamese ground cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon of slivered almonds

1 cup of frozen blueberries

Directions: 

1. Thoroughly mix the first four ingredients together in a 2 pint mason jar. 

2. Top with frozen blueberries & sprinkle with slivered almonds. Place the mason jar lid and seal on the glass, close tightly and place in refrigerator overnight. 

3. Remove the mason jar from the refrigerator in the morning and give your yogurt a good stir to marry all the juices. 

Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Oat Bars

We had a special birthday in the office the other day and one of her favorite things to eat is pumpkin flavored treats . Luckily I still have a stock pile of puréed pumpkin in our freezer from our generous neighbors . I love using pumpkin purée in baked goods.

Sometimes I like to add it as a mystery ingredient for moisture and other times I like it to be the star of the show . Puréed pumpkin is a very moist and packed nutrients. It is a perfect substitute to swap out some unnecessary fat with oil or butter in a baked good. Pumpkin is high in vitamin A and bonus only 30 calories per 1 cup cubed. 

Ingredients:

1 cup pure puréed pumpkin

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup puffed wheat cereal

1 cup raw sugar

1 oz chocolate hazelnut spread

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1/2 cups dried craisins
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 9 baking dish with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Thoroughly mix together in a large bowl the first 7 ingredients and then fold in the dried cranberries. 
3. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Spread the batter evenly into the baking dish. 
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 
5. Allow to cool, cut into 16 bars, and enjoy!

Maple Granola in the Actifry

Our Mother’s Day Brunch is tomorrow and we are prepping for the festivity. This year we are having a yogurt bar. I cannot think of a better topping for the yogurt other than homemade granola (and fresh berries)!


Since I made this granola in the actifry, I was able to cut way down on the fat. Most granolas have high amounts of unwanted fat, but the actifry allows you to cook with minimal oil and have the same result in texture with the cooking process. 

Next time you go to the store take a peek at the label before you purchase “healthy granola”.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup puffed wheat cereal

1/6 cup dried cranberries 

1/6 cup raisins

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 TB canola oil

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 TB grounded Flaxseed

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in the Actifry and set the timer for 10 minutes. Allow the granola to cool prior to eating. Enjoy the granola on its own or on top of yogurt!

Super Protein Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter & Jelly Edition


Super Protein Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter & “Jelly” Edition

I must eat peanut butter at least 2 times a day, if not more. I find any excuse to add it to foods, such as grapes, waffles, banana bread, oatmeal, sandwiches, yogurt, ice cream….. The list goes on!  I love it, I once had a patient ask me if I worked for a Peanut Butter Company I pushed it so much in a counseling session (pretty bad I know). What is not to love, it is packed with protein, power, and nutrients. This here recipe is an adult Peanut Butter and Jelly Greek Yogurt concoction. The bonus is this recipe only takes a few minutes to throw together in the evening before you go to bed. Place it in the refrigerator overnight and in the morning give it a good stir and you will have a happy belly.

Ingredient:

One cup of fat free Greek yogurt plain

1 tablespoon of vanilla protein powder sweetened with Stevia

2 tablespoons of PB2 (powdered peanut butter)

One cup of frozen berries

1 teaspoon of truvia (optional)

Directions:

  1. Place the greek yogurt, PB2, protein powder, and truvia (if using) in a 2 cup mason jar, give it a good stir with a small plastic spatula.
  2. Top the yogurt blend with the frozen berries (my favorite berry mix I buy in bulk from Costco , but you can buy kind of berry you like). Place the seal on the mason jar. Place the container in the refrigerator overnight.
  3. In the morning give the yogurt a really good stir. Look at the outside of the jar and make sure all the ingredients married well and enjoy!

Banana Almond Milk Smoothie

 

I needed this smoothie after that Pittsburgh half marathon on Sunday! I was craving a chocolate banana combination and this is what I came up with! It is a super quick and easy recipe. Not to mention a resourceful way to utilize bananas that are too ripe to use but perfect to freeze for smoothies. 

Ingredients:

1 Cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk 

1 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa

Half a teaspoon of peanut butter extract

Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract

6-8 ice cubes

One frozen banana, sliced

1/2-1 packet of truvia 

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a high tech blender. Position the blender to smoothie mode, blend & Enjoy! 

Suggested serving one