Last year when I started back on Weight Watchers I missed baking, in a bad way. Luckily, Weight Watchers had several recipes on their website that involved flour, sugar, measuring, etc. I'm not a huge fan of some of their weight loss techniques (artificial sweeteners, fat-free, 'fake' foods, etc) but with a few modifications, this recipe turned out to be perfectly delicious and healthy. JP even asks for these often for her school snack! I keep them in the freezer and throw a few in her snack box in the morning and they are thawed out by snack time. If you want a chocolate fix right now and can't wait, just pop them in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Super easy and great to have on hand! Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
Makes about 36 mini muffins 1 cup plain, low-fat yogurt 1/2 cup 2% milk 1/2 cup uncooked, quick oats 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 large egg, beaten 1 large banana, mashed 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips Preheat oven to 375. Coat mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray. Combine yogurt, milk, oats, vanilla extract and egg. Set aside for 5 minutes for oats to soften. Stir in mashed banana. In a separate bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into yogurt mixture to moisten ingredients. Do not beat. Dough will be very thick. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared mini muffin tins. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Source Adapted from Weight Watchers
0 Comments
I’m back! What a crazy two weeks it’s been for me! I chaired the Book Fair at my daughter’s elementary school all last week. This is the third Book Fair for me in 11 months and each time I start the week out feeling pretty ok on Monday, but drag-my-feet-tired by Friday. Each time I have a Book Fair I start the week off so normally – keeping up with laundry & cleaning, staying on track with my running, keeping healthy and wholesome meals on the table. And each time I fail at each one of those things by Tuesday. This Book Fair was no different. I did manage to do my 4 ½ mile training run Tuesday night, but besides that, everything else fell to the wayside…including my beloved blog. In retrospect I would have loved to have shared something really cool with you yesterday to celebrate 3 years of being a stay-at-home-mom (hooray!) but it just didn’t happen. All that being said, I’m back! I’m excited to get back to my kitchen adventures and blogging! When I first saw this recipe I thought it looked refreshing and healthy. I had planned on making it Sunday morning for a nice, relaxing brunch at home, but with no groceries in the house, it had to stand in for a refreshing dessert. For those of you who have never used basil in a sweet dish I really encourage you to give it a try. Basil in anything just screams summer to me. I’ve had much success pairing it with strawberries and in this smoothie it works really nicely with the lemon simple syrup. Even though we had this as a dessert, this would make a fantastic breakfast smoothie or brunch accompaniment. To save time you can make the lemon simple syrup the night before and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Lemon Zest Simple Syrup
Makes 1 1/2 cups 1 cup sugar Zest of 1 lemon 1 cup water In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and lemon zest over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve lined with a cheesecloth or durable paper towel to remove lemon zest. If not using the same day, store in the refrigerator. Sweet Basil Smoothie Makes 4 6-ounce servings 1 1/4 cups plain non-fat Greek yogurt 1 cup packed basil leaves Lemon Zest Simple Syrup (entire recipe) 1 cup crushed ice Combine Greek yogurt, basil, Lemon Zest Simple Syrup and crushed ice in a blender. Puree until smooth and frothy. Pour into frosted glasses and serve immediately. Lately I've been trying to healthy-up my diet a bit. I haven't fully committed to Weight Watchers again (I just can't find the motivation) but I'm trying to add more fruits and veggies into my diet. This recipe is great because you can whip it up in about 5 minutes when you're rushing to get out of the house for work and school The crispy tartness of the apples and the creamy sharpness of the cheddar makes it feel like a very indulgent meal but when you're done eating it you feel really good about what you just ate - no guilt here! So, now that you have those flour tortillas in your fridge, you have no excuse not to enjoy a healthy start to your tomorrow! Apple Cheddar Quesadillas
Makes 4 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced 4 small tortillas - about 8-9 inches in diameter 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place one tortilla in the pan. Take 1/4 of the apple slices and fan out over one half of the tortilla. Sprinkle 1 ounce of cheese over the apples. Fold the tortilla in half over the cheese and apples. Weigh down the tortilla with a small heavy skillet or an ovenproof plate topped with a heavy can. Cook until the cheese melts and tortilla is golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Cut in half and serve warm. As promised, today I will bring you a non-cupcake recipe! This is a recipe I found a few years ago in some magazine. I don't have a clue which magazine it was because I tore the page out, trimmed it down and neatly taped it to an index card. Yes, I know, I'm a dork. The original recipe called for heavy cream and some dots of butter. Once I started Weight Watchers last year I omitted those two ingredients in favor of a healthier breakfast I can have any day of the week. This recipe is for one egg cup. If you are cooking more than one, keep a close eye on them after 15 minutes so your egg yolks don't overcook! Zesty Egg Cups
Makes 1 Egg Cup Nonstick cooking spray 1 tsp plain breadcrumbs 2 tsp salsa 1 egg salt & pepper to taste 1 stick of low-fat string cheese, shredded Preheat the oven to 350. Spray the inside of a 2 ounce ramekin with cooking spray. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs into the ramekin, turning to coat bottom and sides. Gently spread the salsa over the breadcrumbs. Crack the egg into a small bowl, being careful not to the break the egg. Slide the egg into the ramekin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the string cheese on top of the egg. Place the ramekin onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted. If you are baking more than one egg, check on them every minute or so after 15 minutes. Source Highly adapted from a recipe card found years ago :) |
AuthorPittsburgh area mom striving to provide clean, healthy, REAL food for her family! Categories
All
Archives
September 2014
|