Chocolate-Cherry Breakfast Smoothie

Oh my, but this is good! This is sooo good I feel guilty having it for breakfast because it certainly is good enough to qualify for a dessert!

Chocolate-Cherry Breakfast Smoothie

From: The Biggest Loser Cookbook

Makes 1 serving

3/4 cup frozen, unsweetened sweet cherries (not thawed)
1/2 cup sugar free, fat free vanilla yogurt (I use organic)
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
4 ice cubes
1 teaspoon honey (optional)

My shortened directions: Put everything in a blender and blend for about 30-60 seconds, or until smooth.

160 calories

Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night Cake

This is the coolest cake!

http://www.geekologie.com/2010/01/sweet_literally_van_gogh_starr.php

Starry Night is my husband's favorite painting. I wonder if I could come up with an easier version for his birthday this year?

Vanilla Spice Oatmeal

This is some good oatmeal! I made it on the weekend and reheated the left overs during the week for a quick breakfast. I added the milk and nuts after microwaving the left over oatmeal mixture.

I think Ellie Krieger is one class act and adds a wonderful element to the Food Network line up. I wish there were more health-minded shows to watch. Also, more variety of cuisines represented would be nice. I would love to see an Indian and Asian cooking show.

I just purchased So Easy by Ellie Krieger and think this will be my go-to book this year as I try to eat better and watch my calorie intake.

Vanilla Spice Oatmeal

Ellie Krieger, So Easy

Makes 4 servings

Serving size: 1 1/4 cups, calories 370

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pecans

3 1/2 cups water

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of ground nutmeg (I grated some whole nutmeg)

2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar, can add more to taste

1 cup low-fat milk, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Chop them coarsely.

Combine the water, oats, raisins, and salt, if using, in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring a few times, until the oats are tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and nutmeg. Swirl in the brown sugar and place the oatmeal in serving bowls. Pour 1/4 cup of milk over each bowl, sprinkle with the toasted pecans and cinnamon, and serve.

Low-Fat Creme Brulee with Berries

I was contemplating giving up desserts. What? Am I out of my mind? Desserts are one of the best things in life! So, I am determined to find some healthy desserts that I can continue to enjoy and not compromise my diet goals. This turned out to be a very elegant dessert and at only around 100-150 calories, one I will make again!





I have never made creme brulee before. I love ordering it at restaurants. I have a very cool Williams Sonoma kitchen torch that has been collecting dust since my husband bought it for me several years ago. This was my first try and I think they turned out well. I may need to perfect my sugar broiling technique, but it sure was a lot of fun to use the torch for the first time! There is no picture (they were gorgeous) because I had no idea not to broil the sugar in advance on the ones we would eat later in the week and stored in the refrigerator. I thought I would take a photo later and the sugar turned to a brown liquid. Lesson learned: don't apply the sugar topping until you are ready to eat that day!
Low-Fat Creme Brulee with Raspberries

(Art Smith recipe as featured on Oprah)


Serves 6 (My ramekins must have been smaller than his as this filled 8 of mine)


1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I would suggest adding more extract)
2 cups 2% milk (I used 1 percent for additional calorie reduction)
1 cup low-fat egg substitute, like Egg Beaters
4 Tablesppons granulated sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar for topping
1/2 pint raspberries (there were no good raspberries to be found, we used blackberries)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. If using a vanilla bean, cut bean in half lenthwise and take knife and scrape out all of the seed. Set aside. In a bowl, combine the milk, vanilla bean seeds or extract,egg substitute and granulated sugar. Beat well. Pour the mixture through a sieve and strain well.


Divide the berries evenly amoung six 4-ounce broiler safe ramekins (mine are smaller so this recipe made 8 servings). Pour the custard mixture over the berries. Place the dishes in a large 13-by-9 inch pan. Carefully pour boiling water into the pan until halfway up the sides of the dishes. PLace in the oven and bake 40-45 minutes until the custard centers are set, but still soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow the costard to cool. PLace in the refrigerator and chill well, or even better, overnight.


Preheat the oven broiler to high (or use kitchen torch). Sprinkle sugar evenly over the tops of custards. Place the cups on a baking sheet and broil 1 to 2 minutes until the sugar ecarmelizes (melts and browns slightly). You may have to move the custards around to get even carmelization. Refrigerate about 15 minutes to set.

Weight Watchers Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

We were looking for a good appetiser for a night of watching football. I came across this recipe in one of my old Weight Watchers cookbooks, "Slim Ways Mexican". They went fast! I think I would add some crumbled hot sausage or bacon, or something for another texture when we make them again.

Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

Makes 8 servings

12 large jalapenos, halved lengthwise, and seeded and deveined. (Reserve 2 tsp of seeds)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/3 cup nonfat cream cheese, at room temp (we used Neufchatel cheese)

3 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated (we used 2% cheddar)

2 Tablespoons plain, dry bread crumbs

1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small skillet, toast reserved jalapeno seeds and cumin seeds over medium-low heat for about 2-5 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant and golden; transfer to a bowl.

Add cream cheese and cheddar to toasted seeds and mash all together with a fork until combined.

Stuff each pepper half with an equal amount of the cheese mixture.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and oregano. Dip the cheese side of the jalapenos into the bread crumb mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Approx. 74 calories for 3 halves.

New Years Resolution

Well, it is that time of year. Time for resolutions. I will try to post more and also continue with making healthy dishes for my family!

Clean Eating's Italian Wedding Soup

I am so in love with the new issue of Clean Eating magazine! I have made several recipes already that will be keepers! My husband loves Italian Wedding Soup, but we rarely seem to find it out in restaurants and the canned versions just don't cut it. So, I was really happy to come across this recipe and it is so delicious, we will be making it often!

Clean Eating's Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients:
4 slices of whole-wheat bread, cubed
1/2 lb lean ground chicken breast
1 medium carrot, grated
3/4 medium onion, grated
1 cup whole-wheat homemade bread crumbs, just put bread in food processor (or use 1/4 to 1/3 cup store bought)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBSP fresh basil, minced finely (I was out so used 1 tsp dried basil)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
4 egg whites
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
10 oz. fresh or frozen spinach (If using fresh, chop finely, if using frozen, thaw and drain)
Sea salt and peopper to taste
2 TBSP low-fat parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast bread cubes on large cookie sheet in oven for 15 minutes or until browned and crisp. Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, mix chicken, carrot, onion, bread crumbs, garlic, basil, oregano and 1 egg white. If mixture seems too wet, add 1 or 2 more TBSP bread crumbs. Use hands to form mixture into 55 to 60 meatballs, 1/2 to 3/4" in diameter. (I made mine double this size because I was too lazy to roll 60 meatballs!) Set aside.

3) In a medium stockpot, add broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Drop meatballs in, a few at a time. Simmer for 5 minutes or until cooked. (When they are cooked, they will turn opaque.) Add spinach and reduce heat to medium-low. Season with salt and pepper.

4) In a meduim bowl, whicsk remaining egg whites until frothy and mix in parmesan.

5) Pour egg white and cheese mixture directly into the stockpot of soup. Stir until egg whites are cooked, then remove from heat. (This will look a little like eggdrop soup.)

6) To serve, place 1/4 cup croutons in the bottom of a bowl and pour 1 cup soup overtop. Garnish with additional chopped basil, or cheese, if desired.

Rough nutritional info per serving: 210 calories, 9 grams fat, 29 gram carbs, 5 grams fiber, 3 grams sugars, 16 grams protein, 300 grams sodium