YogaNola

Throw a yogurt container in your breakfast rut.

All you need to whip up this healthy, filling breakfast is a handful of fruit, a container of low-fat yogurt, and a granola bar. I learned this week that a granola bar is granola, only in a bar shape. And you can crumble it up and use it just like you would the fancier, more expensive stuff.

Ingredients:

1 yogurt (I love Wallaby Organic lowfat yogurt)

Handful of fruit (ex: sliced apples, banana, or pear; blueberries, strawberries, raspberries)

1 granola bar, crumbled into the yogurt (rec: Kashi TLC trail mix granola bar)

Mix and Eat!

Veggie Burger

This chickpea-based veggie dinner is both burger and bun. While you can stuff it with whatever vegetables you want, I chose to go with, well, everything. Sauteed mushrooms and vidalia onion, brocco sprouts, tomato slices, and avocado. The veggie burger is moist, but firm enough to sandwich the fillers.

If you have leftovers (and unless you live with 6 people, you will), freeze them and defrost for a quick, healthy dinner another night.

Veggie Burger (adapted from 101cookbooks.com)

Ingredients for Burger:
2 1/2 cups (1.5 cans) canned chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 onion, chopped
Grated zest of one large lemon
1 cup toasted (whole-grain) bread crumbs
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Toppings/Stuffers:
Avocado slices
Tomato slices
Brocco sprouts, rinsed well and dried
White mushrooms, sliced
Vidalia onion (it's sweet), sliced

Recipe:
STEP 1: Combine chickpeas, eggs, and salt in a food processor. I of course used my immersion blender instead - works just as well but requires a little more tricep effort. Puree until mixture looks like thick, textured hummus.

STEP 2: Stir in the parsley, onion, and zest.

STEP 3: Stir in the breadcrumbs

STEP 4: If the mix looks too wet, add some more breadcrumbs. But don't be too quick to dry it out because it will just make a dry burger. If it looks too dry, you could use some more water or eggs to moisten the mix.

STEP 5: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add sliced mushrooms and viadlia onion and saute until soft and and brown. Remove from heat. (feel free to taste test multiple times while the patties cook)

STEP 6: While the mushrooms and onions saute, heat the remaining oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown

STEP 7: Flip the patties, cover again, and cook for 7 minutes, or until golden.

STEP 8: Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Carefully cut each patty in half (don't try to be perfect), insert the fillings, and EAT (or devour, whichever comes first).

Spaghetti Squash Swap

I love pasta sauce, but I don't always feel like eating a carb-heavy meal at night to get my fix. Enter, spaghetti squash. It looks like spaghetti, and you can smother it with your favorite tomato sauce and dust with freshly grated parmesean cheese. A lot of people cutting back on carbs feel like they have to give up their favorite foods, or switch to slimy shirataki noodles. Not true!

How does 1 cup of spaghetti squash stack up against 1 cup of enriched white pasta?
(note: the serving size of pasta is normally 1/2 cup, but since hardly anyone sticks to that, I did my analysis on 1 cup of each)

The Good: Spaghetti Squash is...
1) Lower in calories: 42cals v. 221 cals
2) Lower in carbs: 10 g v. 43.2 g
3) Higher in Calcium, Vitamin K Vitamin C, Choline, beta-Carotene, and Vitamin A

The Bad: Spaghetti Squash is...
1) Lower in protein: 1g v. 8g
2) Lower in folate: 12 micrograms v. 102 micrograms

The bottom line: Don't stop eating pasta if you love it. It's high in protein and folate, which is important for women of child-bearing age or who are pregnant (thank you fortification). BUT, try swapping a few pasta dinners with spaghetti squash. It's a low-cal, low-carb alternative that's high in the vitamins and minerals you may not be getting enough of every day.

The Recipe (step-by-step):
1 spaghetti squash, sliced in half (half will serve 2 people)
2. your favorite pasta sauce (mine is Raos Marinara)
3. Freshly grated parmesean
4. cherry tomatoes

STEP 1: Clean the outside of your squash

STEP 2: Cut the squash in half. This is not easy, but you can do it with a sharp knife and some wonky moves to help guide the knife through. (just be careful!)

STEP 3: Fill a microwave safe dish (that fits the squash) with water so it just covers the bottom. Place the squash flesh side down in the water

STEP 4: Microwave on high for 13 minutes

STEP 5: Using a fork, run the tines across the squash widthwise to make spaghetti

STEP 6: put in a colander to allow excess water out. Then place in dish, cover with warm sauce and garnish with freshly chopped cherry tomatoes and grated parmesean

Fried Egg Breakfast Sandwich

You can whip up an egg breakfast sandwich on your foreman or panini grill in the time it takes to say "reduced fat turkey bacon sandwich with low-cholesterol egg substitute." (Bonus: it's much less expensive and you can stay in your pajamas a little longer in the morning)

Here's what you need:

1 whole wheat english muffins

3-4 thin slices of sharp Vermont cheddar cheese

1 handful of fresh spinach, rinsed and patted dry

1 Egg

1 Tomato

Here's what you do:

Spray a little olive oil on a non-stick pan and warm on medium heat. Crack an egg in a bowl (remove shell bits) and add to pan. Cover and cook until whites change from clear to opaque white. Then flip for a minute until the yolk cooks through.

Meanwhile, rinse and dry a handful of fresh spinach. Slice a piece of tomato. Prepare the cheese.

Place bottom half of muffin on the grille and place the fried egg on top. Cover with spinach, slice of tomato, and cheddar. Top with the muffin top and clamp the griddle. Cook until cheese melts and top has griddle lines - about 3 minutes.

Sit and eat if you have time (who does?) or wrap it up in tinfoil and eat it on the road (my preferred option).

Bread Slippers

The perfect gift for a carb-loving friend or slipper-happy dog?
Try them on here

They are real slippers made of bread. They're designed for you to wear around the house!

(sorry folks in the US - these puppies are in euros - try buying a baguette and hollowing it out. But I wouldn't suggest wearing your version...)

Broccoli-Cheddar-Corn Chowder

When you have a nice afternoon ahead of you, try putting a big pot of soup on the stove. It requires very little - just some basic chopping, some time for it to bubble away on the stove, and a bit of blending at the end. You can eat it that week, and freeze some for a convenient meal another day. Wait for it to cool down, and then put it in individually portioned freezable containers. Label them with the soup and date, and you're good to go.

A few weeks later, you get home on a dark night and don't feel like cooking. You feel like eating. What's in your freezer? It'll be easy to bypass the pre-packaged, preservative-full, water-puffed, salty frozen entree (ick), for a bowl of homemade, creamy veggie soup. 3 minutes in the microwave, some crusty bread and a glass of wine, and you've got dinner on the table.

I based this meal on EatingWell's broccoli cheese chowder and 101cookbook's crouton recipe. While the soup was cooking, I whipped up some homemade pumpernickel croutons (honestly, it's one of the easiest things you can cook in the kitchen).

Broccoli-Cheddar-Corn Chowder
Ingredients

SOUP:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth
8 ounces broccoli crowns cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated (or buy a bag of pre-cut crowns)
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 can of corn, drained

CROUTONS:
About 3 cups of your favorite bread, cubed. (I had pumpernickel on hand)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Soup Recipe:
1. Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
2. Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more.
3. Using an immersion blender or blender, puree the soup.
4. Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through, about 2 minutes.
5. Mix in the canned corn
6. Season with salt
7. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese and a handful of croutons (see recipe below)

Crouton Recipe (make while the soup is cooking):
1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees
2. Put the bread cubes in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, mustard and salt until evenly covered.
3. Spread the cubes evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the croutons are golden and crunchy. (Mine took 20 minutes - it really depends on the type of bread and your oven). Toss them once or twice with a metal spatula along the way.

Giant Peanut Butter Cookies

If you're thinking about baking for the holidays, these giant cookies will make beautiful gifts. While they're not fall-flavored, they will make anyone feel like a kid on christmas morning again. For now, try a batch and see what you think.

If you want to make classic peanut butter cookies - no fancy tastes or flavors - than you've found your recipe.

My Notes:
A) You'll need to chill these for 30 minutes before baking so don't make them in a time crunch.
B) An ice cream scoop is a great way to get consistent sized cookies. They'll look professional and take the same time to bake so you don't risk burning or undercooking some.
C) Keep a cup of water next to you while you're scooping dough. Rest your ice cream scoop in the water during batches to prevent the pb from caking or in between scoops to keep the batter from sticking. Do the same with your fork.
D) Save yourself some cleanup time by covering your counter with tinfoil before starting to bake. When you're done, fold it up and throw it away. No stuck-on flour and pb mess!

Martha Stewart's Classic Peanut Butter Cookies.
Makes 24

Ingredients:
2 1/2-cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2-teaspoons baking soda
1/2-teaspoon salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs (cracked in a separate bowl)
1 1/2-cups smooth, creamy peanut butter (for best results, don't use all-natural pb)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Cut butter into pats and microwave for about 15 seconds to soften. Combine butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixture with paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy - about 2-3 minutes. Mix in eggs, and then peanut butter.
3. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
4. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough into baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Press cookies with fork tines (slightly pressing and dragging at the same time) to flatten and make a cross-hatch pattern.
5. Bake until golden brown, 14-18 minutes (depends on your oven). Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack until completely cool. You can store this in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature (if they last that long).

Mix in the peanut butter:


Rest your ice cream scoop in a cup of water to keep it from getting sticky:


Create the cross-hatch:

Check out these iPhone apps

I haven't personally investigated these yet, but I wanted to let you know they're out there.

Health magazine's November issue listed some iPhone apps for food people. These are all free, so might be worth checking out!

1. Seafood Guide: "This app helps you make eco-friendly choices when you're in the mood for fish--and it can also alert you to species that are high in mercury."

2. iLocavore: "Wondering what's in season right now where you live? iLocavore can tell you. This cool app also helps you find farmer's markets in your area."

3. GoodGuide: "This app makes it easy to do the right thing. It helps you build your shopping lists with goods rated for health, the environment, and social responsibility."