Category Archives: BETTER FOR YOU HACKS

BETTER-FOR-YOU HAM AND CHEESE OMELET

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1 egg

2 egg whites

1 oz lean ham, diced (about 2 slices, preferably reduced sodium)

2 tbs shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

Liberally coat a small skillet with nonstick cooking spray and warm over med heat.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and egg whites. Set aside.

Add the ham to the heated skillet and saute until browned, about 1 minute. Pour the eggs over the ham and allow them to cook until the bottom is set.

When the bottom of the omelet is cooked, gently flip and cook the other side.

When the eggs are no longer runny, add the cheese and fold the omelet in half, allowing the cheese to melt. To speed up the melting time, cover the pan for about 30 seconds. Transfer the omelet to a plate. Season with salt and pepper.

1 serving 180 calories

 

BETTER-FOR-YOU BACON, EGG, AND CHEESE SANDWICH

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1 whole-grain English muffin, halved

1 slice tomato

3 egg whites

ground black pepper, to taste

1 slice Canadian bacon

one 1/2 oz slice reduced-fat cheddar cheese

ketchup OR salsa (optional)

Toast the English muffin. Top with the tomato slice.

Coat a small skillet with nonstick cooking spray and warm over medium heat.

In a small bowl, whip together the egg whites and pepper. Set aside.

Add the Canadian bacon to the heated skillet and cook about 1 minute per side until it’s warmed. Place bacon on top of the tomato slice.

Add the eggs to the heated skillet and scramble. Continue to build your sandwich by placing the cooked eggs on the bacon, followed by the slice of cheese. Add a squirt of ketchup or salsa, if desired. Top the sandwich with the second half of the English muffin.

1 serving 258 calories

 

BETTER-FOR-YOU BANANA-BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

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4 tbs nonfat plain greek yogurt or fat-free sour cream

1/4 c low-fat buttermilk

2 eggs

1/2 c whole-wheat white flour OR whole-wheat pastry flour

1 c ground oat bran

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 ripe bananas

1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c chia seeds

1 c fresh OR frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a standard muffin tin with nonstick oil spray.

In a med bowl, whisk together the yogurt, buttermilk, and eggs.

In a second bowl, stir together the flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a third bowl, mash the bananas with a fork, potato masher, or your hands. Fold the brown sugar into the mashed banana. Add the buttermilk mixture and stir until well combined.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the banana mixture and gently fold to combine, being careful not to overmix. Gently fold in chia seeds and blueberries.

Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. The insides will be very moist when you take the muffins out of the oven, but they will firm up once cooled.

The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealed freezer bag, or individually wrapped for up to 2 months.

12 servings 125 calories per serving

BETTER-FOR-YOU BREAKFAST TOASTER TREAT

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1 whole grain pita

4 tsp natural nut butter

2 lg strawberries, sliced

Cut a slit in the edge of the pita and slice around to create two separate pieces. Lightly toast the two halves in an oven or toaster. Spread two tsp of nut butter on each pita half and top with sliced fruit. Enjoy open-faced.

1 serving 275 calories per serving

BETTER-FOR-YOU AVOCADO TOAST

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1/4 avocado, diced

1-2 tsp lime juice

pinch of kosher salt OR coarse sea salt

pinch of ground black pepper

1 slice reduced-calorie whole-grain bread (with no more than 50 calories per slice)

1 radish, thinly sliced

Mash the avocado with a fork until the texture is easily spreadable. Stir the lime juice, salt, and pepper into the avocado.

Toast the bread.

Spread the avocado mixture on the toast. Top with radish slices and enjoy.

1 serving 100 calories

BETTER-FOR-YOU CINNA-YUMS

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“BUNS”

1/2 c whole-wheat flour

1/2 c all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt OR coarse sea salt

1 tbs cinnamon

3 egg whites

3/4 c canned 100% pumpkin puree

3/4 c nonfat plain yogurt

2 tbs brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

ICING

4 oz light OR reduced-fat cream cheese at room temp

1/4 c maple syrup

1/4 c pecans, toasted and roughly chopped (optional)

cinnamon (optional)

TO MAKE THE “BUNS”:  Whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a lg bowl until well combined. Set aside.

In a second lg mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until blended. Add the pumpkin, yogurt, brown sugar, and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined and smooth (no dry streaks should remain), taking care not to overmix. If time allows, let the batter rest for 10 minutes.

Liberally coat a lg skillet or griddle with nonstick oil spray and warm over med heat. When the pan is nice and hot, ladle about 1 tbs of batter onto the skillet to form a mini pancake, making a total of about 24 mini pancakes. The batter will be thick, so spread it out with the back of a spoon to make a circle. Cook until the bottom of each mini pancake is golden brown and bubbles start to form in the batter, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the pancakes and push down with the back of a spatula to flatten them out a little bit. This will help cook the middle. Cook until the other side is golden brown, another 2-3 minutes. Recoat the skillet with nonstick oil spray periodically to prevent the pancakes from sticking.

TO MAKE THE ICING: In a small food processor, blend together the cream cheese and maple syrup until smooth.

TO SERVE: Spread about 1 tsp icing on a mini pancake, and then top with another pancake. Spread 1 tsp of icing on top of the second pancake before adding a last pancake on top. Finally, spread about 2 tsp of icing on the top and garnish with 1 tsp chopped and toasted pecans and a sprinkling of cinnamon, if desired.

8 servings (3 mini pancakes with icing per serving) 150 calories per serving

BETTER-FOR-YOU DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES

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1/2 c whole-grain flour

1/2  c all-purpose flour

1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 c sugar

2 tbs ground flaxseed

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 egg white

1 c skim milk

1 tbs canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips

1 dollop nonfat flavored yogurt (optional)

1 generous squirt whipped topping (optional)

dark chocolate shavings (optional)

Whisk together the flours, cocoa, sugar, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt in a lg bowl. Set aside.

In a med bowl, lightly beat the egg and egg white; then add the milk, oil, and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, and stir until the batter is just blended and no dry streaks remain.

Gently fold in the chocolate chips. Take care not to overmix, as this will cause the pancakes to be chewy. If time allows, let the batter rest for 10 minutes before cooking the pancakes.

Spray a griddle with nonstick oil spray and warm over med-high heat.

Ladle the batter onto the griddle to form about 12 medium pancakes (use 1/4 cup batter per pancake). Cook the pancakes until small bubbles form around the edges, 1-2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until the center is cooked, about 1 minutes. Recoat the skillet with nonstick oil spray between batches to prevent the pancakes from sticking.

Enjoy the pancakes plain, or add your desired toppings.

6 servings (2 pancakes per serving) 275 calories per serving

BETTER-FOR-YOU SILVER DOLLAR PANCAKES

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1 c quick-cooking oats

1/2 c fat-free cottage cheese

1 ripe banana

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tbs unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/4 c pecan halves, toasted and roughly chopped

Combine all ingredients, except pecans, in a blender and process until smooth.

Spray a griddle with nonstick oil spray and warm over med-high heat.

Carefully ladle butter onto the griddle to form about twenty 3″ pancakes (about 2 tbs batter per pancake). Sprinkle a few pecan pieces onto each and cook until bubbles form throughout the pancakes, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook until golden brown.

5 servings (4 pancakes per serving) 162 calories per serving

 

 

 

BETTER-FOR-YOU PROTEIN PANCAKES

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1/2 c quick-cooking oats

4 egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs sugar OR sugar substitute

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Generously coat a skillet with nonstick cooking spray and warm over med heat.

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Pour the mixture onto the skillet to make either 1 jumbo pancake or 5 small pancakes. Cook until you see small bubbles forming, 2-3 minutes for the jumbo pancake or 1-2 minutes for the small pancakes. Then flip the pancake(s) over and cook until golden brown, 1-2 minutes.

makes 1 serving (270 calories)