Natural Protein Pancake with Peanut Butter and "Banana Jelly"

OMG have I been a busy bee!  I'm looking through my pictures to see what I want to blog about next, and I realize that I have about a dozen recipes that need some blog love.  Summer always seems to distract me from my side projects and manages to keep me focused on my healthy tan (which is going very well in case you're interested).  With that in mind, and bikini season in full effect, I'm always looking for fresh breakfast ideas that aren't my usual egg white omelette, or my oatmeal with fresh fruit, but which also aren't going to require me to stand over the stove for 30 minutes.  I came across this recipe in Oxygen Magazine's latest issue, and decided to jazz it up a bit with some banana on top since peanut butter and banana are the bestest of friends.

This recipe really interested me primarily because I have now completely given up protein powder, and since doing so, have not had the opportunity to have my morning breakfast protein pancakes.  With this recipe, I get the protein from the egg whites, cottage cheese, and peanut butter, without all the unnatural ingredients of a man made protein powder.  I can honestly say that I was hesitant at first, but after my first bite I was sold, not only on flavor, but the fluffiness compared to the density of the regular protein pancake.  Give it a shot, and you may give up your protein powder all together!

Ingredients:

1/2 C. Rolled oats
3 large Egg whites
1/3 C. Fat-free cottage cheese
1/2 tbsp.  All natural smooth peanut butter
1/2 Medium banana
1 tsp. Stevia
2 tsp. Cinnamon, divided
1 tsp. Water

In a blender (I use a hand-held, individual size because it's easier to blend and clean), place oats, egg whites, cottage cheese, peanut butter and 1 tsp. of cinnamon.  Blend until smooth (you may need to scrape down the sides to get all the oatmeal mixed in).

Pour the batter into a pan heated on medium and cook until brown on both sides (about 3-4 minutes on each side).

While the pancake is cooking, in a small bowl slice the banana, and add the Stevia, 1 tsp. of cinnamon and the water.  Mash everything together until you get a nice jelly consistency.  

Remove the pancake from the pan, and top with the banana jelly.  I promise, you will not be disappointed, and if you're a morning sweets person like myself, this will fulfill your sweet pancake cravings, and your morning protein requirements! 

Grilled Peaches with Yogurt Walnut Topping

Grilled fruit?!?!  YUP!  If you ask me, people don't grill enough different types of foods.  I grill meats, fruits, pizzas.  I'd grill pasta if I could, but much like the Tater-tot incident with my friend Mandy in our youth, turns out the pasta falls through the grates.  

The great thing about grilling fruit, is that it has all the natural sugars that are needed to caramelize the outside.  Add those with a titch of cinnamon and a sprinkle of Stevia, and all of a sudden you're tasting something that you would have sworn was way too decadent to be healthy.

Ingredients:
2 Peaches, ripened
1 tbsp. Canola oil
2 tsp. Cinnamon, divided
2 tsp. Stevia, divided
4 tbsp. Fat-free Greek Yogurt
1 splash of Vanilla extract
2 tbsp. Walnuts, toasted

Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits.  It should be noted here that if you get under-ripened peaches you'll have a heck of a time trying to get them in half and remove the pit.  You have been warned.  Brush the cut side of the peach with canola oil (or any oil that can withstand high temperatures) and sprinkle all four pieces with 1 tsp. of cinnamon and 1 tsp. of Stevia.  Place the peaches, cut side down, on a grill heated to medium high.

Give the fruit about 5-7 minutes to caramelize on the cut side, checking regularly to make sure that it is not burning, and flip.  Allow to cook on the other side for an additional 5-7 minutes.  You'll know the peaches are done when both sides are browned, and they squish easily when you grab them with tongs.  

To make the yogurt topping, place the yogurt, 1 tsp. of cinnamon, tsp. of Stevia, and a splash of vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk.  Garnish each peach with 1 tbsp. of the yogurt topping, and sprinkle on the toasted walnuts.  

Appreciate this dish because so often in the summer season in New England we are surrounded by cookies, and brownies, and everything else that is full of fillers.  Choose fruit salad, or better yet, choose grilled fruit salad.  It tastes better, and who doesn't love the smokey flavor of Cowboy charcoal on everything from meats to fruits?

Lemon Chicken Soup with Spaghetti

I like spaghetti.  I will not stop eating spaghetti.  These are facts.  I suggest that you look at the facts of food in your life.  Maintaining a healthy life, and lifestyle should be about balance, and knowing where certain foods stand in your eating habits.  Like anything else, pasta is not bad for you, depending on the type that you buy, and the quantity that you eat it in.  I can honestly say that as a child, it seemed abnormal not to eat at least half of a box of pasta to my face.  And I wonder how I ended up overweight!!!


This recipe intrigued me because I love chicken noodle soup, and the citrus made it sound so light and refreshing.  Likewise, the small amount of pasta in the dish (remember, this is compared to the half of a box I would eat in one sitting), seemed like a great way to get the taste and texture of my pasta craving, but not in over abundance.  I know you'll all be shocked to find out that I found this recipe on Food Network while watching Giada at Home, and it only took about two days to experiment with it in the kitchen.


Ingredients:

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 (2-inch) piece Parmesan cheese rind, optional
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
• 2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken, preferably breast meat
• 1 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Kosher salt

In a large stockpot, bring the chicken broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind, if using, to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the carrots and simmer until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the broken pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and heat through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind and discard. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and the parsley. Season with salt, to taste. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

When choosing your pasta, read carefully.  You'll most likely find your best choices in the health food isle of your grocery store.  As much as Barilla pasta seems like a good choice because it's boasting "whole wheat grains" and "enriched" with something or other they're trying to sell the healthy shopper with, it's usually not much better than picking up a regular box of 99 cent store brand crap the next shelf over.  The pasta you choose should contain ingredients like: kamut, buckwheat, whole grains etc.  I spent about 10 minutes holding two different brands of pasta, reading ingredients and checking out nutritional facts.  Find the brand that fits the best into your diet.  Also, be aware that pasta will go bad if you only use part of the box and leave the remainder sitting in your cabinet,  especially the kind with all natural ingredients. If you don't have a pasta container that is air tight, I suggest cooking the remainder of the box, and freezing it until you need it for another recipe.  

In regards to the chicken in this recipe, I had roasted a chicken earlier in the day, and therefore had no problem with finding, or including fresh cooked chicken in the recipe.  If it's easier for you, I don't see why you couldn't add two chicken breasts in place of rotisserie chicken.  Although most grocery stores do have a section where they offer a "fresh cooked rotisserie chicken", be aware, that many of them use sugars in their rubs and marinades.  Only you can decide exactly how much control you want to have over the ingredients in your dishes.  

Blueberry Crisp 

As blueberries are a Superfood, and my husband loves them, and I love desserts, I'm always trying to find new ways to incorporate them in a new way.  This recipe came from my knowledge of crisps, combined with a crumble topping from another recipe I found in The Best Life Diet Cookbook. I was also craving a little treat for the topping, and so I made a quickie frozen yogurt, which fresh out of the freezer was great, but is still a recipe that I'm working on.  It worked out alright this time, but it's not something that I would try again without further research.

Ingredients:
Blueberry Base:
1 pint Blueberries, fresh
1/2 Lemon, zested
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1 tbsp. Stevia
Crumble Topping:
1/2 c. Oats
1 tbsp. Honey
2 tbsp. Walnuts
Pinch of Salt
1 tbsp. Unsweetened Soy milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the blueberry base.  Divide evenly among four ramekins.

In a food processor combine all ingredients for the crumble topping.  Divide the topping among the four ramekins. 

Place the ramekins on a baking sheets, and bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on browning of the topping. When the topping looks crisp, an blueberries are bubbling through, remove and let cool for 5 minutes.  Top blueberry crisp with Fat-free Greek yogurt, or a frozen yogurt of your choice.  

I promise that this treat will satiate any desire to have a sweet snack.  This is great as well because with dividing the mixture among four ramekins, you have two more servings for whenever you decide you want a sweet snack.  When I came up with this recipe, my husband exclaimed that this was, "The best dessert you've ever made", which is starting to hold less and less weight, since he says this with every new dessert that I create.  We'll see how it stands up as time progresses!