Blueberry Oat Pancakes With Maple Yogurt

I absolutely LOVE breakfast foods.  Whether it is a big bowl of Cheerios with bananas, a crispy waffle with strawberries and cream or a plate of eggs, toast and hash browns, I love it all.  A lot of breakfast foods are decadent and aren't the best things to eat when you are trying to eat healthier.  I have been trying out a lot of healthier recipes or altering recipes that I love to make them healthier.  These pancakes taste decadent and you won't believe how good they are for you!  A delicious and healthy breakfast that will keep you full for hours is on the way.

Blueberry Oat Pancakes With Maple Yogurt
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2; each serving is 3 (3-inch) pancakes and about 1/2 cup yogurt mixture

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup blueberries (can be fresh or frozen)
3/4 cup Greek style low fat yogurt
1 T maple syrup

Combine oats, cottage cheese, eggs and vanilla in a blender and mix until smooth. Gently stir in blueberries.

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon about 2 T batter per pancake into pan. Cook about 3 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and the edges look set. Carefully flip pancakes over and cook other 3 minutes or until golden brown.

Combine yogurt and maple syrup and serve over pancakes.

Per serving: 410 calories; 12g fat; 26g protein; 6g fiber

Source: Health.com

Fresh Fruit Frozen Yogurt Pops

Yum, creamy and fruit on a stick? How could you say no to that?  You will love these, your children will love these and the possibilities are endless. 3 ingredients, some chopped up fruit and yogurt; it doesn't get much easier than this. 


Fresh Fruit Frozen Yogurt Pops
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes (freezing time)
Servings: 6

2 containers (6 oz each) of fat free french vanilla yogurt

2 cups cut-up fresh fruit (blueberries, bananas, cherries, grapes, papaya, peaches, oranges or raspberries)

1 tablespoon honey

 

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. 

 

Divide mixture among 6 (5-oz) paper cups. Cover cups with foil; insert craft stick into center of each pop. (Or fill ice pop molds according to manufacturer’s directions.) Freeze about 6 hours or until frozen.  

 

There are so many possibilities with these. You can try different flavors of yogurt with all sorts of combinations of fruit. And if you want little chunks of your fruit in the popsicle, just don't blend them together as long.  As a kid we would make popsicles in ice cube trays with toothpicks, perfect kid size!

 

Source: Live Better America

 

Microwave Potato Chips

I don't know about you but I am always looking for the next great recipe.  I read many food blogs and am obsessed with Pinterest!  I have seen microwave potato chips popping up all over the place.  People are using regular or sweet potatoes, slicing them thin and microwaving them and then claiming that they make great potato chips.  Well you know what they were right, they are pretty tasty and super easy to make.Give them a shot, you will be happy with this healthy indulgence. I know I love some salty potato chips and these will definitely be made often in my house.

Microwave Potato Chips
Servings: 4
12-14 chips each

1 1/3 pounds potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Cooking Spray

Slice potatoes into 1/8 inch slices for thicker chips and if you would like thinner ones then slice them thin on a mandolin. Toss all slices in a bowl with oil and salt and toss to coat evenly.

Coat a microwave safe plate with cooking spray. Arrange potatoes slices in a single layer on the plate (you will have to do more than one batch). Microwave them uncovered, on high, until some of the slices begin to brown around the edges, about 2-3 minutes.  Turn the slices over, be careful they are hot! Continue microwaving them until they start to crisp and brown around the edges.  About 30 seconds for very think slices and 2-4 minutes for thicker slices.  Check them frequently and rearrange slices as needed to prevent scorching.  Transfer the chips to another plate and allow them to cool completely. They will crisp up more as they cool.  Repeat this process with the remaining slices.

Store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days, but I bet they won't last that long!

You can also add different seasonings and spices to the bowl when you toss the slices with the oil and salt, the possibilities are endless on the flavor combinations you can come up with!

Key Lime Yogurt Pie

Spring brings an array of delicious fruits and vegetables. I am always excited for the produce spring brings because it means the cold of winter is over and better weather is coming.  Just because you are trying to be healthier doesn't mean you have to give up some of those sweets that you love, you just need to find a healthier way to enjoy them and as always it is about portion control. Make your desserts healthier and enjoy a small serving and you will still be right on track!  This pie is simple and delicious, give it a try!

Key Lime Yogurt Pie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8

2 T cold water
1 T fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
4 oz fat-free cream cheese softened
3 containers (6 oz) Yoplait Light thick and creamy key lime pie yogurt
1/2 cup frozen (thawed) reduced-fat whipped topping
2 tsp grated lime peel
1 reduced-fat graham cracker pie crust

In 1 quart sauce pan, mix water and lime juice; sprinkle gelatin over top and let it stand for 1 minute. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly for 1 minute until gelatin is dissolved. Cool slightly, about 2 minutes.

In medium bowl whip cream cheese with an electric mixture until smooth. Add yogurt and lime juice and beat on low speed until well blended.

Fold in whipped topping and lime peel. Pour into crust and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Source: Live Better America

Super Skinny Pizza Pinwheels

These tasty little bites are great alongside a salad for dinner or with a bowl of soup. Or they make a great appetizer for a party or while you are watching the big game. And the best part is they take hardly any effort and are ready in no time!

Super Skinny Pizza Pinwheels
1 package reduced fat crescent roll dough
1/2 cup pizza or spaghetti sauce
1 tsp Italian Seasoning or basil/oregano mix
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup turkey pepperonis sliced into quarters
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or a Silpat and spray with cooking spray. Spread the dough out on the baking sheet and lightly stretch it so it reaches all 4 corners.

In a small bowl mix together the sauce, seasonings, Parmesan and Mozzarella. Spread mixture out over dough evenly with a spatula.

Starting at the long end, start rolling it into a log (like you would cinnamon rolls) and roll until the dough is a long skinny log. Cut into 8 even rolls.

Arrange the rolls swirl side up on the baking sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with pizza sauce for dipping!

Source: Dashing Dish

Delicious Superfoods For Spring

I love spring and the produce that it brings along with it. It is such a great way to come out of a cold winter to have so many delicious fruits and veggies at our fingertips just waiting to be eaten! I find myself going a little crazy at the store, buying enough to feed a large family and then coming home to remember it is just my husband and I and having to get very creative to eat all of that produce before it goes bad!

If you make the effort to eat better you will feel better, look better and have the energy to be able to perform well in everything in your life. "Food, if it's chosen well, can reshape our medical destinies for the better," says David Katz, MD, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center. "It can also improve our mood, focus, energy, skin, and metabolism."

You don't have to force yourself to choke down your veggies, with very minimal effort you can have a plate full of healthy things that will taste delicious.  Try incorporating some of these into your meals every week, you won't be sorry that you did.

Asparagus: These spears are one of the best veggie sources of folate, a B vitamin that could help keep you out of a slump. "Folate is important for the synthesis of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine," says David Mischoulon, MD, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School. All of these are crucial for mood.

A cup of cooked asparagus has 268 micrograms (mcg)—two-thirds of the 400 mcg RDA for women. Add a cup of enriched pasta—which is fortified with folic acid, the synthetic form of folate—and you'll have a feel-good meal indeed.

Walnuts: Walnuts are packed with tryptophan, an amino acid your body needs to create the feel-great chemical serotonin. (In fact, Spanish researchers found that walnut eaters have higher levels of this natural mood-regulator.) Another perk: "They're digested slowly," Dr. Katz says. "This contributes to mood stability and can help you tolerate stress."

Spinach: These tasty leaves are a great source of iron (especially if you don't eat meat), which is a key component in red blood cells that fuel our muscles with oxygen for energy.

Researchers in Sweden recently identified another way in which these greens might keep you charged: Compounds found in spinach actually increase the efficiency of our mitochondria, the energy-producing factories inside our cells. That means eating a cup of cooked spinach a day may give you more lasting power on the elliptical machine, or chasing after your children all day.

Artichokes: If you've been huffing and puffing up the stairs, try these spiky-leafed vegetables. They're loaded with magnesium, a mineral vital for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body—including generating energy, says Forrest Nielsen, PhD, a U.S. Department of Agriculture research nutritionist. "If you're not getting enough magnesium, your muscles have to work harder to react and you tire more quickly."

About 68% of us aren't getting enough of this mineral. For women, the goal is 320 milligrams (mg) per day. One medium artichoke provides 77 mg of magnesium (and just 60 calories!). Other top sources include nuts, legumes, and whole grains.

Strawberries: They may not have the smoothest complexion themselves, but strawberries can get you one. They're loaded with antioxidants that help your skin repair damage caused by environmental factors like pollution and UV rays. Plus, they're packed with vitamin C (less than a cup gets you your entire 75 mg RDA)—the vitamin associated with fewer wrinkles and less dryness, per research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Blueberries: Eat them regularly and you may reap big brain benefits. In a recent study, people with age-related memory decline who drank roughly two and a half cups of blueberry juice per day for 12 weeks (the equivalent of eating a cup of blueberries) made significant improvements on memory and learning tests compared with those who drank a placebo juice.

The secret component? A type of antioxidant called anthocyanins, says study co-author Robert Krikorian, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Cincinnati: "Anthocyanins have been shown in animal studies to increase signals among brain cells and improve their resilience, enhancing learning and memory."

Source: Health.com

My New Favorite Healthy Snack!

I have an obsession with apples right now.  I have always enjoyed a good apple but right now for some reason, I just can't seem to get enough of them!  The other day I was suddenly starving, and dinner wasn't for another couple of hours. I wanted an apple but knew that just an apple wasn't going to be enough for me that day, so I improvised and came up with a really tasty snack!  I cut my apple into round slices, topped each slice with a little bit of peanut butter and a couple of mini chocolate chips.  It was SO good!  It was a pretty healthy snack, had some protein to make it substantial and that little bit of chocolate curbed my sweet tooth.  So quick and so tasty, give them a try.

1 Apple (Pink Lady's are my fave right now!)
1 T peanut butter
1 T mini chocolate chips


Wash and core the apple and slice into round slices about 1/4" inch thick. If you don't have an apple corer you could also just cut your apple into 8 chunks, it will work just as well.  Spread a light layer of peanut butter on each slice and sprinkle with a couple of chocolate chips.  That's it!

You could also mix things up to whatever you are in the mood for or have in your pantry.  Instead of peanut butter, try almond butter or nutella.  For toppings you could use chopped almonds, pecans, peanuts or walnuts.  Sprinkle on some oats or coconut and maybe even some craisins or raisins.  The possibilities are endless.

Asian Chicken Tenders With Zesty Lemon Sauce

Usually when you think of chicken tenders you immediately think of the drive through at a fast food restaurant and their crispy yet completely unhealthy chicken tenders!  Sure, they may taste good but you don't always know what parts of the chicken have been formed into that shape and they are deep fried so they are loaded with fat.  Yuck, that doesn't sound so tasty to me.  But there are ways to make homemade chicken tenders in the oven that bake up crunch and super flavorful and the best part is they really are easy to make!  A trick I learned that makes them feel even a little more indulgent is when they are almost done cooking I pull them out and use a pastry brush or carefully toss them in a ziploc bag or bowl in a little bit of sauce and then finish baking them.  It creates this yummy, caramelized coating on top of the crispy panko exterior!

Asian Chicken Tenders
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 12

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup panko crispy bread crumbs

1/2 cup sweet-and-sour sauce

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel 

 

Cut each chicken breast across grain into 8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. In medium bowl, mix soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic powder. Add chicken; stir gently until coated. Let stand 20 minutes to marinate.
 

Heat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil; spray foil with cooking spray. You can also place a metal cooling rack on top of the pan and spray it with cooking spray.  This allows air to circulate on all sides and make them extra crispy! Place bread crumbs in shallow dish. Drain off any remaining soy sauce mixture from chicken. Toss chicken pieces in bread crumbs to coat; arrange in single layer in pan.
 

Bake 5 minutes. Turn chicken; bake 5 to 7 minutes longer or until golden brown and crisp.
 

In small bowl, stir together sweet-and-sour sauce and lemon peel. Serve chicken with sauce for dipping.