Celebrate the Holidays with a Delicious and Healthy Holiday Breakfast!

Basil, walnuts, extra virgin olive oil, whole wheat flour…now this is a breakfast of champions. For a light and fantastic way to spend Christmas Day, try this week’s super-healthy, super-easy and irresistibly delicious breakfast of holiday pesto crepes.

Recipe: Savory Holiday Crepes with Pesto

Serves: 4-6 (Yield: 13 crepes)

INGREDIENTS:

For the Pesto:

  2 oz fresh basil leaves (about 1 cup)

  1 cup walnut halves

  ½ cup olive oil

  3 large garlic cloves

For the Savory Crepe Batter:

·        1 cup egg substitute

·        1 cup fat-free milk

·        Pinch of salt

·        1/2 cup all-purpose flour

·        1/2 cup whole wheat flour

·        1/4 cup buckwheat flour

DIRECTIONS:

For the Pesto: Place all pesto ingredients into a food processor and blend pesto until a spreadable consistency. Set aside.

To make the crepes: Add all crepe batter ingredients into a blender and process until combined. Refrigerate at least a few hours, or refrigerate overnight.

For each crepe, lightly spray a crepe pan with non-stick Pam butter spray and heat pan until hot. Pour ¼ cup of batter into pan. Rotate pan so that the crepe is thin and even and flip once the crepe is golden brown in color. When the other side is golden brown, the crepe is done. Cook crepes and keep warm. Add filling to the center of a savory crepe and roll. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Nutrition:

Food weight: 4.0, Calories: 390, Fat: 30 g, Protein: 11 g, Sodium: 180 mg, Carbohydrates: 23 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 3 g

Holiday comfort food that's healthy for you!

The holiday season is in full swing, and baby its cold out there. The perfect time to snuggle up with a warm beverage and winter scone to kick off your holiday morning! Why not make your own healthy scone by using heart healthy canola oil (or olive oil) instead of butter, raw honey and fresh squeezed orange juice instead of sugar, and egg whites instead of whole eggs. Fill your home with a cozy aroma by trying this week’s featured recipe, Whole Wheat Orange Cranberry Scone with the substitutions stated above.

Recipe: Whole Wheat Orange Cranberry Scones

The pairing of orange zest and dried cranberries create a colorful and flavorful baked good for the winter season. 

Food weight: 1.0

INGREDIENTS:

Yield: 16 servings (1 serving = ¼ cup of scone batter)

Ingredients:

·       2 cups whole wheat flour

·       1Tablespoon of baking powder

·       1 tsp of salt

·       2 Tablespoons orange zest

·       2 Tablespoons of honey

·       ½ cup reduced fat buttermilk

·       ¼ cup canola oil

·       4 egg whites

·       ¼ cup orange juice (squeeze from orange used to for orange zest)

·       ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat the oven to 400 ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease lightly with canola oil. In a large bowl, add and mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. In another bowl, crack the eggs and remove the egg yolks. Beat the egg whites and mix in the other wet ingredients to the eggs (buttermilk, canola oil, orange juice, and honey). Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together. Stir in the dried cranberries. Make ¼ cup sized scones and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes until scones are golden brown.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Food weight: 1.0, Calories: 111 kcal, Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Carbohydrate: 18 g, Dietary Fiber: 2 g, Protein: 3 g, Sodium: 169 mg

Recipe: HOLIDAY COCOA TRUFFLES

A gluten free and dairy free chocolate dessert made with raw ingredients.

Yield: 24 balls (1 Tablespoon per ball)

INGREDIENTS: 

·       1 cup of cashews (can substitute with walnuts and/or almonds)

·       12 pitted dates

·       ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

·       4 Tablespoons canola oil

·       ¼ cup of pure maple syrup

·       1 tsp of vanilla

·       1 pinch of salt

·       Optional coatings: shredded unsweetened coconut, unsweetened cocoa powder, chopped pistachios, chopped dried cherries

DIRECTIONS:

Place the cashews in a small bowl and add enough water to the bowl to just cover the cashews. Let the cashew soak for at least 2 hours. Once the cashews have soaked, microwave the dates for 1 minute. Add all the ingredients into a food processor/blender and mix until a smooth consistency. Form 1 Tablespoon size balls and cover each ball in a coating of your choice. Put the coated balls onto a baking sheet and place into the freezer. Remove balls 30 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:
Food weight: 1.0, Calories: 78 kcals, Fat: 5 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Carbohydrate: 8 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Protein: 1 g, Sodium: 13 mg

Cheers to the holidays and a healthy heart

The most anticipated holiday month is finally here, bringing social gatherings with delicious treats and cocktails that are hard to resist. You deserve to relax and enjoy the company of your coworkers, friends, and family… just don’t forget to eat and drink in moderation! The general recommendation from health authorities is to indulge in a maximum of 1 alcoholic beverage per day (women) and up to 2 alcoholic beverages for men. If you do choose to imbibe, why not skip the sugary, calorie-laden holiday drinks and celebrate your health with a festive fruit-laden red wine? Red wine is packed with heart-healthy antioxidants and has been proven to boost your “good” cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) and lower your blood pressure--which will improve your cardiovascular health. Now that’s a holiday celebration!

Recipe: Holiday Sangria

Liven up your typical red table wine into a holiday sangria with seasonal ingredients such as cranberries, pears, apples, oranges, and cinnamon sticks!

INGREDIENTS:

Yield: 8 servings (5 fl oz per serving) – not including the optional seltzer water—which adds 0 calories

Ingredients:

·       1 bottle of red wine

·       1 cup of 100% orange juice

·       1 pear, chopped

·       1 apple, chopped

·       1 orange sliced

·       1 cup of fresh cranberries

·       2 cinnamon sticks

·       Optional: flavored seltzer water (cranberry, grapefruit, pear, etc.)

DIRECTIONS:

Directions:

In a pitcher, mix all the ingredients together (except the optional flavored seltzer water). Let sangria sit in the fridge at least 4 hours or overnight. The longer the mixture sits, the more the wine will absorb the flavors from the fruit! Pour sangria into glasses and top each glass with an optional ¼ cup of seltzer water.

Nutrition Per Serving:

Food weight: 2.0, Calories: 167 kcal, Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Carbohydrate: 18 g, Dietary Fiber: 2 g, Protein: 1 g, Sodium: 5 mg 

Recipe: Holiday Redux: Skinny Sweet Potato Casserole

Garnish your sweet potato casserole or other Thanksgiving dishes with pomegranate seeds for a pop of color, a dose of antioxidants and a juicy crunch.

INGREDIENTS:

Yield: 12 servings (1/2 cup per serving)

Ingredients:

·         6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed

·         ½ cup of almond milk

·         3 egg whites

·         ½ Tablespoon of cinnamon

·         ¼ cup of pure maple syrup

·         1 pomegranate, seeded

·         Optional: chopped walnuts (or nut of your choice)

DIRECTIONS:

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread out the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Place baked sweet potatoes, almond milk, egg whites, cinnamon, and maple syrup into a blender. Blend sweet potato mixture until a smooth consistency. Pour the sweet potatoes mixture into a 9”x9” pan and spread out to the pan’s edges. Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with pomegranate seeds and optional chopped nuts. Bake sweet potato casserole for 50 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Food weight: 1.0, Calories: 101 kcal, Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Carbohydrate: 23 g, Dietary Fiber: 3 g, Protein: 2g, Sodium 42 mg

Q: What is one of the most popular Thanksgiving dinner side dishes?

Answer: Green Bean Casserole!

Green bean casserole has become a staple at most everyone’s traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, the traditional version tends to be loaded with bad fat, salt and calories and is often far from a light and healthy dish. Why not lighten up this Thanksgiving classic and save your calories for the yummier desserts or sweet potato casserole? Substituting reduced fat and light versions of sour cream, heavy cream, and cream cheese or 0% Greek yogurt will still give you a great taste but for a fraction of the calories.

HOLIDAY RECIPE REDUX: Green Bean Casserole

There is no need to buy breadcrumbs! Make your own high fiber breadcrumbs by blending Fiber One Original Cereal or a piece of whole grain bread\ in a food processor/blender until a breadcrumb consistency.

Yield: 8 servings (1 cup per serving) 

INGREDIENTS:

Ingredients

·         2 lb green beans, steamed

·         1 onion, sliced

·         1 tsp of olive oil

·         1 cup of light sour cream

·         1 tsp of garlic powder

·         ¼ cup of asiago shredded cheese.  

·         ½ cup Fiber One Original cereal 

DIRECTIONS:

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 º F. Grease a 13’’ x 9’’ glass or aluminum pan with olive oil. Spread out the steamed green beans in the pan. In a small saucepan, heat 1 tsp of olive oil and sauté the sliced onions until they are slightly brown. Spread out the onions on top of the green beans. In a small pot, heat the light sour cream, asiago cheese, and garlic powder for 3-5 minutes until the mixture gets thin. Pour the sour cream mixture over the green beans and onions. In a food processor or blender, mix the fiber one cereal until a breadcrumb consistency. Sprinkle the casserole with the breadcrumbs. Place pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Food weight: 1.0, Calories: 89 kcal, Fat 3g, Cholesterol: 9 mg, Carbohydrate: 15g, Dietary Fiber: 6g, Protein: 4g, Sodium: 41 mg

Low Carbohydrate Pasta

Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta, not only to reduce the calories and carbohydrates of a pasta meal, but also you will be adding a vegetable to your dish.

How to cook spaghetti squash?

Pre-heat oven to 350º F. Cut the spaghetti squash in half  (either cook the squash with the seeds or scoop them out). In a baking pan, place the squash halves with the flesh facing down and add 1/4 inch of water in the pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes. Remove the spaghetti squash from the oven, flip halves over and let them cool for 10 minutes. Grab a fork and fork out the spaghetti!

Spaghetti Squash vs. Spaghetti Pasta Noodles

1 cup of spaghetti pasta noodles, cooked= Calories: 220 kcal, Carbohydrate: 43 g

1 cup of cooked Spaghetti Squash, cooked = Calories: 42 kcal Carbohydrate: 10 g

Experiment with spaghetti squash by making this week’s featured recipe, Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp Scampi and Edamame.

* spaghetti squash is gluten free for those that have a gluten intolerance

Recipe: Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp Scampi and Edamame

A Low Carbohydrate Pasta Night!

INGREDIENTS:

Yield: 12 servings (1 serving = 1 cup)

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash

2 cups of edamame, shelled 

Shrimp Scampi:

·       1 lb of raw shrimp, peeled

·       1 Tablespoon of olive oil

·       4 garlic cloves, minced

·       2 shallots, minced

·       ½ cup of low sodium chicken broth

·       ½ cup of dry white wine

·       ¼ cup of lemon juice

·       ¼ tsp of black pepper

Heart Healthy Walnut Pesto:

·       2 oz of fresh basil leaves

·       1/2 of walnut halves

·       1/8 cup of olive oil

·       3 garlic cloves

DIRECTIONS:

Spaghetti Squash Prep:

Pre-heat oven to 350º F. Cut the spaghetti squash in half (either cook the squash with the seeds or scoop them out). In a baking pan, place the squash halves with the flesh facing down and add 1/4 inch of water in the pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes. Remove the spaghetti squash from the oven, flip halves over and let them cool for 10 minutes. Grab a fork and fork out the spaghetti!

Shrimp Scampi and Edamame Prep:

In a saucepan, add the olive oil, garlic, and shallots and cook on medium heat until the shallots are translucent. Add the remaining shrimp scampi ingredients and edamame to the saucepan. Cook the shrimp scampi and edamame mixture until the shrimp are white and light pink in color.

Heart Healthy Walnut Pesto Prep:

Place all pesto ingredients into a food processor and blend pesto until a spreadable consistency.

Assemble Your Pasta Dish:

Mix together the spaghetti squash, shrimp scampi, edamame, and pesto and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Food weight: 2.0, Calories: 186 kcal, Fat: 9 g, Cholesterol: 57 mg, Carbohydrate: 13 g, Dietary Fiber: 4 g, Protein: 13 g, Sodium: 229 mg

Try a Healthier Caramel Apple!

Say goodbye to hard, sticky and super-sugary caramel apples and hello to a sweet and delicious healthy faux-caramel apple.

Even though apples are a staple “super” fruit we eat all year around, caramel apples are considered a Fall sweet treat. One of the down sides of eating caramel apples is that the caramel tends to get stuck in our teeth. To solve this problem, you can make a healthier caramel by replacing brown sugar and butter with dates and tahini (ground sesame seeds), as feature in this week’s recipe, Natural Caramel Apples. You will be consuming natural caramel-like ingredients to make your faux caramel apple good for your entire body, in addition to preventing cavities!

Recipe: Natural Caramel Apples

Continue to keep the doctor away by spicing up your apple a day! 

INGREDIENTS:

Yield: 4 (1 small apple)

Ingredients:

·    2 cup pitted dates

·    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·    2 Tablespoons of tahini

·    1/8 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

·    4 small apples

·    Optional: 1 cup of a variety of nuts, chopped (hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc.)

DIRECTIONS:

Warm the dates in the microwave for 2 minutes (remember to use a microwave safe bowl). Put the warm dates in a food processor and add the vanilla extract, tahini, and almond milk to the dates. Process the caramel-like mixture for able about 30 seconds until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency that you can spread on an apple (To make a smoother consistency caramel, add 1 tbsp of almond milk at a time). Use a spatula to spread the caramel around the apple. Optional: roll the apple in chopped nuts (press the remaining nuts onto your apple).

Your caramel apple is complete! Refrigerate until ready to eat OR if you want the caramel to get harder. If there is leftover caramel, save it for a caramel dip! 

Nutrition Information Per Serving (without nuts):

Food weight: 2.0, Calories: 202 kcal, Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 0 mg. Carbohydrate: 43 g, Dietary Fiber: 5 g, Protein: 3 g, Sodium: 9 mg

Ode to the humble sweet potato

Don’t judge a vegetable by its cover. A sweet potato is a starchy root vegetable that grows in the ground and to be honest, it is not the most attractive vegetable, with its odd shape, imperfect skin, and dusting of dirt. But whatever you do, don’t let the appearance stop you from incorporating them in your meals. Sweet potatoes are true superfoods, filled with beneficial nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, beta carotene, potassium, folate, and manganese, which make them one of the healthiest complex carbs around.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Hummus

Are you in the mood for a sweet or spicy hummus? Change up your basic hummus by adding spices to create a unique flavor, depending on your taste preference.

 Food weight: 0.5

INGREDIENTS:

Yield: 16 servings (1 Serving = 2 Tablespoons)

Ingredients:

·         1 medium sweet potato, washed

·         1-15 oz of garbanzo beans, rinsed, drained

·         2 Tbsp of olive oil

·         1 Tbsp of tahani (optional)

·         Choose your spices: Sweet or Spicy

o   Sweet: 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of pumpkin spice

o   Spicy: 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp of paprika, 1 tsp of cumin 

DIRECTIONS:

Directions: Pre-heat oven to 400 ºF. With a fork, poke holes in the sweet potato all over (both sides). Place the sweet potato on a baking sweet and bake for 45-60 minutes until you can squeeze it. Once the baked potato is cooked, remove the skin and chop it into pieces. Add the chopped sweet potato and the other hummus ingredients into a blender and mix the hummus until it becomes a smooth consistency with no visible chopped pieces of sweet potato. Taste the hummus and add more spices as needed.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: Food weight: 0.5, Calories: 60 kcal, Fat 2: g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Carbohydrate: 8g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Protein: 2 g, Sodium: 85 mg

Trick or treat!

Holiday season is right around the corner; the time when working towards our health goals becomes a lot more challenging. The temptation to grab those yummy baked goods and holiday sweets as you walk through the office, local coffee shop, and countless social gatherings can be almost impossible to resist. 

One holiday tip that can help is to bake up your own healthy sweet treats. If you do have a craving for something pumpkiny and sweet, you can easily whip up a single serving in your favorite mug to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake

Food weight: 1.5

INGREDIENTS:

Did you know that you can create a faux egg for baking from flaxseeds? Use a flaxseed egg to substitute for eggs in baked goods to add fiber and omega 3 fatty acids and to reduce the cholesterol in your sweet treats. You won’t taste the difference, I promise! All you have to do is mix together ½ tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 1 tablespoon of water in a mug and let the mixture sit for 2 minutes. Voila, you got a vegan flaxseed egg!

Yield: 1 serving (1 cup = 8 oz)

Ingredients:

▪    1/2 Tbsp ground flax seed

▪    1 Tbsp water

▪    2 Tbsp canned pumpkin puree

▪    1 Tbsp maple syrup

▪    1 Tbsp plain unsweetened almond milk

▪    1/4 tsp vanilla extract

▪    1/4 cup whole wheat flour

▪    1/4 tsp baking powder

▪    1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice and/or cinnamon

▪    Optional toppings: raw unsalted pumpkin seeds, cinnamon chips, pumpkin puree

DIRECTIONS:

Directions:

In a mug, mix together the ground flaxseed and water and let mixture sit for 2 minutes. In the same mug, add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla and stir to combine. Then stir in the flour, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon. Optional: mix in the cinnamon/chocolate chips and top with pumpkin seeds. Place the mug into the microwave and cook for 2 minutes. Your pumpkin spice cake is ready to be served! Eat your cake directly from the mug or scoop out the cake and place on a plate…yum.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Food weight: 1.5, Calories: 167 kcal, Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Carbohydrate: 33 g, Dietary Fiber: 6 g, Protein: 5 g, Sodium: 17 mg

Happiness=Homemade Apple Butter

Jams, jellies, and fruit butters are not just made with fruit. In fact, most of these fruity spreads are made with white sugar, in addition to the natural sugar (fructose) found naturally in fruit. Therefore, what you often think may be a single serving of fruit on your slice of warm toast is actually a small amount of fruit and a whole lot of table sugar. If you truly enjoy spreading your toast with a jam, jelly, or fruit butter, buy a low sugar or sugar free version, and/or make your own.

Recipe: HOMEMADE APPLE BUTTER

Select a mixture of sweet and sour apples to create a flavorful apple butter.

INGREDIENTS:

Ingredients:

·       4 lbs of apples, core and slice

·       2 Tablespoons of lemon juice

·       1 Tablespoons of ground cinnamon (add more to satisfy your taste)

DIRECTIONS:

Directions:

Place the sliced apples into a crockpot and cook for 4 hours on HIGH. Mash apples into an applesauce consistency. Cool the applesauce for 15 minutes before scooping into a blender. Blend applesauce into a smooth consistency like whipped butter! Pour apple butter back into the crockpot and cook for 1-2 hours on HIGH until you like the thickness of your apple butter. Mix in the cinnamon and lemon juice to the apple butter. Let the apple butter cool before putting into jars to be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

  

Nutrition Per Serving:

Food weight: 0.5, Calories: 20 kcal, Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Carbohydrate: 5 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Protein: 9 g, Sodium: 0 mg

Sweeten Your Life with Pears!

A medium pear is a perfect 100-calorie snack with 6 g of fiber and a high content of vitamin C and vitamin K. Pears are a versatile fruit, they can be eaten raw, baked, roasted, sautéed, and grilled. If you like your pears juicy and sweet, place them in brown paper bag and check daily until the neck of the pear gives to gentle pressure. The naturally sweet pears are the perfect ingredient to candy-coat your warm breakfast oatmeal, fruit crisp, or side dish without adding sugar or honey. Try this week’s sweet vegetable and fruit side dish, Roasted Cinnamon Butternut Squash and Pear.

Recipe: Roasted Cinnamon Butternut Squash and Pear

Sweeten your roasted vegetables with not only a juicy fruit, but cinnamon too!

INGREDIENTS:

Yield: 8 servings (4 oz per serving = ½ cup)

2 cups of butternut squash, chopped

2 pears, chopped

½ yellow onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

2 tsp of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 350 º F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well to coat the butternut squash, onion, and pear with the olive oil and cinnamon. Spread out mixture onto the baking sheet. Roast mixture for 45 minutes (stir every 15 minutes).

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Food weight: 0.5, Calories: 65 kcal, Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Carbohydrates: 13g, Dietary Fiber: 3g, Protein: 1g, Sodium:  3mg