energy muffins

i'm trying to put a healthier spin on everything i eat lately...i love a good muffin - straight out of the oven and melt-in-your-mouth perfection. who said they can't be delicious and nutritious?

energy muffins

ingredients

2 cups egg whites

1 1/2 cups oats or 1 cup instant oatmeal or 1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup 1% cottage cheese

1/2 cup whey protein powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

25 almonds

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp or pinch of salt

1 cup strawberries 

instructions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. pour ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth

3. mix in fruit by hand, if desired, or include in blender

4. pour into regular-sized stick-free muffin cups

5. cook until toothpick comes out clean (about 40 minutes)

nutrients per muffin:

calories: 120, total fat: 2 g, sat. fat: 0 g, cholesterol: 5 mg, sodium: 125 mg, carbs: 17g, fiber: 3 g, sugars: 3 g, protein: 9g, iron: 1.20 mg

makes 16 muffins

banana foster by lacey

this scrumptious dessert comes from my good friend, Lacey, who shared it with us last weekend as a superbowl treat. it was oh-so-delicious, melt-in-your-mouth kind of good....give it a try, it's so easy, it's worth it - you won't be disappointed....

banana foster

ingredients:

1 stick butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 bananas peeled and sliced

1/2 tbsp vanilla (replacing the usual rum)

directions:

1. melt butter in a large skillet

2. add brown sugar and stir together

3. add vanilla

4. add the bananas and cook until caramelized over medium-high heat.

5. 1 tsp cinnamon **is what Lacey uses**

5. serve over vanilla ice cream and/or crepes

thanks lacey!

oreo truffles

i'm testing these sweet things out on my loved one's this valentines day...

oreo truffles

ingredients:

1 package oreo cookies (use whole cookie, including cream center)

1 8 oz. package cream cheese (softened)

white chocolate bark (i couldn't fine the "bark coating", so I used hershey's white chocolate, or any baking white chocolate will do just fine)

directions:

1. finely crush 7 cookies in a food processor or place them in ziploc bag and crush into a fine consistency. reserve for later.

2. crush remaining cookies and stir in softened cream cheese. use the back of a large baking spoon to help mash the two together.

3. roll the mixture into 1" balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.

4. melt chocolate as directed on package and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.

5. you can sprinkle the tops with the 7 crushed cookies for decoration.

6. once dry, refrigerate and enjoy!

notes: you can use a small cookie cutter to push the mixture through for heart shaped, v-day truffles. also, it helps to freeze the uncoated balls for a few minutes to keep the mixture from starting to fall apart in the melted chocolate. 

••get creative, use milk chocolate, mint oreos, etc...a fun valentine, or everyday treat!!

blueberry and almond smoothie

as a part of my "2009 healthy living" campaign, i have been looking for tasty, easy recipes that are also great for the bod. this smoothie is used as a part of a detox diet i found, but I think it is great for an everyday snack.

this could easily be made with any fruit - raspberries, peaches, mango, etc. - also, feel free to substitute rice or coconut milk for almond milk (i prefer rice milk myself).

serves: 1

time: 5 minutes

ingredients:

1 scoop of complete nutritional, whey protein fortified powder (not soy protein)

1/2 cup blueberries

1 scoop of a ProGreens type of powder (preferably with probiotics)

1 1/2 cups almond milk

blend everything together. enjoy!

send me to the milky way cookies

I made these this weekend and they went pretty quickly. They are great if you have leftover Halloween candy, or if you are like me, and it is impossible to keep candy in the home for more than a day, go buy some extra.

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks softened butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

35 mini milky way and 3 musketeer candy bars, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand or electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined, scraping edges with a spatula. In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add wet ingredients along with the chopped candy bars.

2. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until cooked to your preference. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to cooking rack.

Apple Turnovers

I'm going through a green apple phase, and this seems appropriate for the holidays....

INGREDIENTS

Vegetable oil cooking spray

2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced

3 tbsp apple juice concentrate

2 tsp whole-wheat flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon (plus extra for sprinkling)

4 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

1 tbsp confectioners' sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Toss apples, apple juice concentrate, whole-wheat flour and cinnamon in a bowl. Stack 2 phyllo sheets at a time and cut them in half, lengthwise. Place 3/4 cup of apple mixture across the end of one half. Roll up and place on cookie sheet. Repeat until you've used up all the apples. Brush top of each roll with juice from apple mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake until browned, 15-20 minutes. Let cool. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Cut each roll in half.

Serves 8

This is surprisingly low-calorie (50 calories per turnover) and seems pretty healthy!

Veggie Cassoulet

I've been looking for more vegetarian meals, and this one looked good - also great for fall.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 zucchini, chopped

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

3 cups drained cannellini beans, liquid reserved

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 dried bay leaves

4 slices crusty whole-wheat toast 

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook zucchini, celery, onion, salt and pepper until soft, about 8 minutes. Mix garlic and cook, stirring, another minute. Combine veggies, tomatoes, beans, 1/4 cup of the bean liquid, thyme and bay leaves in a 2 quart baking dish. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve warm with toast on the side.

Serves 4, and pretty healthy:

382 calories per serving

7.8 g fat

66 g carbs

15.5 g fiber

19.6 g protein

**I wasn't feeling great last night, and Cort made this for me - it's my new favorite dish! Delicious!!!