Greek Yogurt

This yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt with a slight tang to it. It is packed full of calcium and protein, nearly twice as much as regular yogurt.

Make sure when you pick out a Greek yogurt that you check the nutrition label. Some are definitely more like dessert and are loaded with fat, calories and tons and tons of sugar. I try to pick ones that have 100-130 calories per serving and 8-10 grams of sugar. Your safest bet is to just pick a plain one and jazz it up. That is my favorite way to do it because then I am not stuck with just one flavor, I can flavor it for what ever mood I am in.

Here is one of my favorite breakfasts:

1 cup Greek yogurt
drizzle of honey
couple shakes of cinnamon
fresh strawberries/raspberries/blueberries if I have them
2 T Craisins, dried blueberries or dried cherries
1 T Pecans/almonds/walnuts chopped up

Mix together the Greek yogurt, honey and cinnamon and then sprinkle the other ingredients on top. If I have some granola I like to sprinkle 1/4 cup on top instead of the nuts!

It's so good and tasty and filling!

Don't Ever Skip Breakfast!!

Breakfast is sooooo important. I had a nutrition teacher in college that every day would ask us if we had fed our brain. It is so important to eat in the morning and to eat something good for your body so that your brain and the rest of your body can function properly and have the energy it needs to attack the day ahead of it. Skipping breakfast can also set you up for over eating the rest of the day. Now is you are trying to be healthier and lose weight, skipping breakfast will just undo all of your hard work!

"You want to aim for a breakfast that combines good carbs and fiber with some protein," says Erica Giovinazzo, MS, RD.

I will be posting some great, easy breakfasts over the next couple of weeks along with some tips to make them even healthier. If you already are a breakfast eater like me then great, try out some of these new ideas. And if you aren't a breakfast eater, try eating a healthy breakfast every day for a week. I bet you will be surprised with how great you feel and how much more energy you have!

Cranberry Walnut Breakfast Cookies

Cranberry Walnut Breakfast Cookies

Makes 6 Cookies

¾ cup old fashioned oats
½ cup shredded coconut flakes
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup cranberries
1½ bananas, mashed
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.

Combine the oats, coconut, salt, walnuts, and cranberries in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together mashed banana, honey, vanilla, and coconut oil. Add to dry ingredients and stir until completely combined.

Line the lid of a quart size mason jar with saran wrap to use as a cookie mold. Fill with the cookie dough and flip over onto the prepared baking sheet. Lift off the mason jar lid, then the saran wrap. Repeat steps with remaining cookie dough to make 6 cookies. If you don't have a mason jar lid, you can form the cookies by hand. The mason jar lid will give you cookies that are all the same shape and size.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. If you aren't using a silicon baking mat, keep an eye on the bottom of the cookies. Cool on baking sheet. Store loosely covered.

Breakfast Cookies

A very popular thing right now is breakfast cookies. Take all of the yummy ingredients you might typically find in your bowl of oatmeal and make it into a healthy, delicious cookie. And let's be honest, who doesn't want an excuse to eat cookies for breakfast? They are full of fiber and good fats to keep you full. The best part, other than how delicious they are, is that they are portable. For those crazy mornings when there just isn't time to sit down and eat breakfast, you can grab one as you run out the door or give them to your kids to eat on the way to school. Tummies will be happy and you will feel good about what you just ate! Besides, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, so why not make it delicious!


Blueberry Coconut Pecan Breakfast Cookies
Makes about 15 cookies

1½ cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tablespoon golden flaxmeal
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cups coarsely chopped pecans
½ cup dried blueberries
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
¼ cup coconut oil, warm enough to be liquid
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey or real maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine oats, coconut, flaxmeal, salt, pecans, and blueberries. Stir in bananas, oil, agave nectar and vanilla until well combined.
Press 2 tablespoons of mixture into a 2½-inch round cookie cutter onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Continue with remaining mixture.
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until fragrant and golden. Cool on pan.

Feel free to mix it up with dried fruits and nuts that your family enjoys. Just keep the amounts the same so that the cookies don't become to crumbly.

You can sub canola oil if you don't have or don't like coconut oil.

Recipe adapted from: kumquatblog.com

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

English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!  If you are thinking "I am not a breakfast eater" then you need to change your thinking!  Your brain badly needs that nourishment first thing in the morning, so it is time to start feeding your brain!  These breakfast pizzas are really easy and delicious and completely customizable.  Throw whatever ingredients you have in your fridge on them. They can even be made in advance and thrown in the freezer, just pull one out and heat it in the microwave and you have a fast breakfast on the go!

English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

1 cup fat-free egg product or 4 eggs

1/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk

Dash of salt  

Dash of pepper

2 teaspoons canola or soybean oil

2 tablespoons chopped onion

2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper

2 tablespoons chopped cooked ham

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (2 oz)

2 whole wheat English muffins, split, toasted 

 

In small bowl, beat egg product, milk, salt and pepper with wire whisk or fork until well blended. 

 

In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, bell pepper and ham in oil 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Pour egg mixture into skillet. As eggs begin to set at bottom and side, gently lift cooked portions with spatula so that uncooked egg can flow to bottom. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until eggs are thickened throughout but still moist; stir cheese into eggs. 

 

Spoon egg mixture evenly over muffin halves.

 

Source: Live Better America 

 

Multi-Grain Waffles

I love Christmas morning and love eating a late breakfast in my jammies!  While breakfast food is so delicious, let's be honest, it isn't exactly good for you.  Traditional waffles are full of butter and are a high carb indulgence but lucky for you they transition to good fats and smart carbs so easily and still yield crisp, nutty-tasting waffles.  This batter also can be used for pancakes.  So try these out this Christmas morning and you won't have to feel quite as guilty as you smother them in syrup!

Multi-Grain Waffles
Servings: 8 servings, 2 waffles each
Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes

2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ or cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.

Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat germ or cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Stir eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8X8 inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

Tip:
MAKE AHEAD TIP:  Wrap any leftovers in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 month. Reheat in a toaster or toaster oven.

Healthified Oatmeal Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast really is the most important meal of your day.  When I was in college I took a nutrition class and the professor was talking about how important breakfast was and asked how many of us had eaten breakfast that morning.  I was one of the few people that raised my hand.  The teacher was not happy that so many had not eaten breakfast!  She taught us about how our brains need food first thing in the morning, that they do not function properly and at their full capacity if we do not give them much needed nutrients in the morning.  She challenged us to not think of it as eating breakfast but to think of it as feeding our brain.  Every class after that she would ask for a raise of hands to see who had "fed their brain" that morning.  That has always stuck with me, I know I feel so much better and can function so much better when I make sure to eat something healthy for breakfast even when I am short on time.  Studies have also shown that those people who eat breakfast eat less during the day, their total caloric intake for the day is lower than those who do not eat breakfast.  So if you are wanting to lose some weight then you need to eat breakfast! 

I know time is a major factor so whip up a batch of these cookies.  They are delicious and healthy and filling!  You can put them in individually wrapped in your freezer so you can grab one on your way out the door.  The will defrost as you drive to work or school.  Give them a try!

Healthified Oatmeal Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 large)

1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter (unsalted and unsweetened)

1/2 cup honey

1teaspoon vanilla

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dried cranberries or raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, milk powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir the oat mixture into the banana mixture until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.

Using a ¼-cup measure, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. With a thin metal or small plastic spatula dipped in water, flatten and spread each mound of dough to a 2¾-inch round, about ½ inch thick.

Bake, one sheet at a time, for 14 to 16 minutes or until browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months; thaw before serving.

 Serving Size: 1 Cookie
Calories: 220
Fat: 7g
Sodium: 35 mg
Sugars: 22g  

Yogurt and Healthy Toppings!

Greek yogurt is all the rage right now!  It is full of so much good protein and calcium and is a healthy and filling breakfast.  And as hard as I try to eat it because I know it is good for me, I just really struggle with plain old boring yogurt.  I need some crunch and some fruit, something in it to make it a little more interesting while still keeping it healthy.  Try out some of these ideas and you will never think the same of your plain old yogurt again!

• Peaches + Maple + Cardamom + Pecans
• Toss together pitted and quartered peaches with a pinch of cardamom and drizzle of maple syrup. Roast in 350°F oven until tender. Eat warm or at room temperature over yogurt with chopped pecans.

• Carrots + Cinnamon + Honey + Walnuts
• Coarsely grate carrots and toss with honey and cinnamon. Spoon over yogurt and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

• Lemon + Almond Extract + Poppy seeds
• Stir lemon juice and a dash of almond extract into yogurt. Sprinkle with poppy seeds.

•  Pistachios + Crystallized Ginger + Honey + Orange
• Whisk together honey, orange juice, and orange zest. Drizzle over yogurt, and sprinkle with chopped crystallized ginger and chopped pistachios.

• Honey + Almonds + Apricots
• Swirl honey into yogurt. Top with coarsely chopped almonds and apricots. Drizzle with additional honey.

• Sweet Potatoes + Maple Syrup + Hazelnuts
• Wrap whole sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and roast in a 375°F oven until tender. Peel and mash with a drizzle of maple syrup. Dollop on top of yogurt and sprinkle with hazelnuts.

• Raw Corn + Lime + Agave
• Whisk together lime juice, zest, and agave. Slice fresh sweet corn kernels off the cob. Toss with lime mixture and sprinkle over yogurt.

• Coconut + Shaved Dark Chocolate + Cocoa Powder
• Toast large flaked coconut in a 350°F oven until lightly browned and fragrant. Cool slightly. Stir cocoa powder into yogurt and top with the toasted coconut and chocolate shavings.  

• Blueberry + Lemon + Sugar
• In a bowl smash together half of the blueberries with fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of granulated sugar. Swirl gently into yogurt. Top with whole blueberries and lemon zest.

• Strawberries + Vanilla + Brown Sugar + Pecans
• Stir vanilla extract into yogurt. Top with diced fresh strawberries. Sprinkle brown sugar and coarsely chopped pecans over top and serve.

• Banana + Cinnamon + Peanuts
• Mash banana and cinnamon together with a fork until smooth. Swirl gently into yogurt and top with finely chopped peanuts.

• Strawberries + Maple + Balsamic Vinegar
• Whisk together balsamic vinegar and maple syrup in a bowl. Add the berries and set aside to macerate for 30 minutes. Spoon over yogurt.

Source: The Buzz Feed