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

Muffuletta Pizza


One of my husband and I’s favorite vacations we went on was New Orleans in 2011. The culture in NOLA is very unique and welcoming. The food is amazing and like no other. We even attending a one of a kind cooking class at the New Orleans Experience to advance our skill-set on Creole Cooking.When we stayed in NOLA, we stayed at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast called Ashtons.  In the morning we had an elegant breakfasts and the hostesses even prepared vegetarian entrees for me. For the rest of the day we would scout out local restaurants to eat. One of my husband’s favorite new foods he consumed on the trip was a muffuletta sandwich. The ingredients on a muffuletta vary from where you purchase one; however, one element says the same there is always a marinated olive salad spread topping off the sandwich.  There is also some type of pork (ham, prosciutto, mortadella), beef (salami), & a cheese (provolone, swiss, mozzarella) on the sandwich.

Fridays are generally Pizza day at our home (homemade). Growing up Pizza Friday Night was always something I looked forward to as a kid. My mom would get us our favorite pizza and we would go next door to First Row Video and return a movie. It was the only day of the week we were permitted to have pop (and the way it should be), eat in the living room and watch TV at the same time. My husband’s family had a similar tradition with Pizza on Fridays, several years later, my husband and I still practice the tradition and look forward to the occasion.

I have made several variations of muffuletta dishes from pasta to the traditional sandwich, maybe even some muffins. This is a new favorite and a way to honor the tradition of Pizza Friday and take my husband I back to NOLA without a plane ticket.

This pizza recipe yields six slices

Ingredients:

1 lb Pizza Dough, Fresh (link attached my our recipe) or store bought for $1-2 at the deli of the grocery store (If you are using frozen dough make sure to let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight). If using dough that has been in the refrigerator allow the dough to come to room temperature an hour before placing in the preheated oven.

2/3 cup of Jarred Muffuletta Mix

1 Cup of precooked diced ham

1/3 cup of Reduced Fat Feta Cheese, Crumbled

1/3 cup of Italian Blend Shredded Cheese

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
  2. Form the dough to fit a deep dish pizza stone. I like to roll my dough out and then press the dough into the dish. Once the dough is rolled out, gently place fork marks randomly to allow the steam to escape during the baking process. If you skip this step large bubbles may appear during the baking process.
  3. Once the dough is ready, place the muffuletta spread evenly on the dough leaving 3/4 of an inch boarder of the dough around the rim for the crust.
  4. Sporadically add the diced ham on top of the muffuletta spread. Place the pizza in the oven and allow it to bake at 500 degrees for 20 minutes.
  5. Remove the dish with oven mitts from the oven.  Sprinkle both of the cheeses on-top of the pizza evenly. Return the dish back into the oven to bake for 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from the pizza from the oven place on cutting board and cut pizza to your portion liking and serve.

 

 

Spring Pesto Pasta with Asparagus and Pine Nuts


If you are looking for a dinner that can be ready in 15 minutes than you have found the right recipe. Bonus you can make this entire dish in one pot! Whenever I’m in a hurry or in a pinch pasta is my go to for a quick and fast dinner. 

Asparagus is a spring vegetable packed with a lot of nutrition. Since this vegetable is in season right now you can get a pretty affordable deal at the market! I know our local farmers market has it fresh from the garden. 

Asparagus is rich in Vitamin K and also folate. Asparagus is also a good source of fiber. There are many colors of asparagus; however, the well know green asparagus is the most common variety, but you can also find white, & purple spears as well. 

Yields 4-6 servings 

Ingredients:

2 cups dry rotini (I used dreamfields)

1/2 tsp salt

3 oz of pesto ( I used my freezer stock from last season)

1 pound of fresh asparagus ( 2 inch segments)

1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to package. During the last minute of boiling add the cut asparagus. Strain the pasta and asparagus. 

2. Add the noodles and asparagus back into the pan and add the pesto, salt and pine nuts. Use a spatula to mix the ingredients together and enjoy!

Mini Brownies


Tomorrow is Administrative Professional’s Day and I wanted to honor our department’s secretary by baking her some brownies. One of her favorite sweets is chocolate. There is no better way to satisfy a sweet tooth for chocolate other than rich chocolate brownies.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp fine espresso powder

1 TB cornstarch

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3/4 dutch processed cocoa powder

1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup of chopped chocolate (I used leftover Easter Chocolate)

Yields: 12 mini brownies

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously spray with cooking spray an individual brownie pan ( I have the pampered chef product).
  2. In a large mixing bowl mix with whisk the applesauce, canola oil, vanilla, and espresso powder.  Add in the eggs, one at a time. Set aside.
  3. In a separate medium bowl sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda,  salt, and cocoa powder. Make sure to whisk everything together
  4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to fold and incorporate the ingredients. Lastly add the chucks of chocolate & fold to incorporate. 
  5. Portion out the batter into the individual cups and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Lemon Poppyseed Greek Yogurt Muffins

We are hostessing our second annual Mother’s Day Brunch in a few weeks. I have been searching and planning the menu to honor our moms. I think we are going to go with a refreshing mini muffin.

When my husband & I first started dating we would always go to this adorable one of a kind pastry cafes which served mini muffins. The restaurant would always plate the dishes with a surprise mini muffin. Lemon poppyseed was often the mini muffin that would accompany our entrees. This flavor also just happened to be one of our favorites. 

I thought I would trial these muffins in advance prior to our event. Spring is here even though temperatures dropped last night fairly low. My rhubarb is doing well with really big leaves. So recipes to come!!!!

 I plan on making mini muffins since we have quite the menu planned for our brunch; however, today I did bake a standard size muffin for breakfast.

 This recipe yields 15 standard muffins

Ingredients:

2 eggs 

2 TB poppyseeds

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup plain fat free greek yogurt

1/2 cup low fat buttermilk

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

2 TB lemon Juice, freshly squeezed

1 lemon, zested

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking powder

Directions: 

 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously coat with cooking spray a muffin tin. I did use my stoneware pan for this recipe which I highly recommend. 

2. Place the 1st 10 ingredients in a medium to large bowl. Whisk by hand the contents in the bowl to incorporate the ingredients together. Set aside.

3. In a seperate medium bowl mix the flour, salt, soda, & baking powder. 

3. Add the dry ingredients into the liquid batter. Be cautious not to over mix the batter. 

4. Using a size 16 scoop place one generous scoop in each of the muffin crevices. 

5. Bake the muffins in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 14-15 minutes. When the timer goes off check the muffins with a toothpick. If no wet residue comes out of the muffin on the toothpick remove them from the oven.

6. Allow the muffins to rest in the tin for 1-2 minutes. 

7. Remove the muffins on to wire rack to allow to cool or serve warm!  enjoy!

Overnight Berry Oats

 
 
I don’t know what it is about a mason jar but it makes preparing breakfast the night before a lot more enjoyable. I love using mason jars for storage, canning, snacks, and now overnight oats. 

What I enjoy most, the jars are a fun way to see your creations come to life as they blend and marry in the refrigerator over night. 

This overnight oat recipe is very quick and easy to make and your belly will thank you in the morning. 

Ingredients: 

2/3 cup unsweetened cashew milk 

3/8 cup old fashion oats

1 tsp ground  vietnamese cinnamon

1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp coconut extract

1 tb slivered almonds

1 cup mixed frozen berries

1 packet of non caloric sweetener (optional) 

Directions:

1. Place the milk, oats,  sweetener, extracts, & cinnamon in pint mason jar and stir. Add the frozen berries and slivered almonds. Secure the lid and place the jar in the refrigerator overnight. 

2. The next morning stir the contents of the jar thoroughly! Enjoy !