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