Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars

While summer has been busy with many fun, leisurely activities, I haven't had much occasion to try new recipes - I also haven't wanted to use the oven too often on these hot days! However, with fall quickly approaching, I will certainly be trying out new recipes.  This is one of those "comfort food" dessert recipes, but it's light on calories, low in sugar, and full of clean ingredients.  For my fellow runners, I'd think these bars would be great pre-workout fuel because they're made of all the things often eaten before long runs and are not heavy.  The sugar in this recipe is optional as you may prefer more or less to taste; you can also substitute brown sugar.

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients

1.5 c oats

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 T organic turbinado sugar

1 medium, ripe banana

1 egg

1/2 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/4 c natural peanut butter 

1 t vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray an 8x8 pan lightly with cooking spray.  Mix wet ingredients; add dry ingredients. Mix until combined.  Spread into pan and bake for 22-24 minutes. Cut into 16 squares.

Nutrition (based on a 2x2 inch square piece)

Calories: 68

Fat: 3g

Carbs: 13.2g

Fiber: 2.1g

Sugars: 1.7g

Protein: 2.4g

Lime Cheesecake Squares (Low Sugar)

Looking for a light, summery dessert? Look no further! These lime cheesecake squares have no added sugar, are low carb, and are full of protein thanks to the cottage cheese. If you're not a fan of lime, I'm sure you could substitute any flavor of sugar-free jello that suits your tastebuds!

Lime Cheesecake Squares (Low Sugar)

Ingredients

6 low-fat honey graham crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)

2 T unsalted butter, melted

1 package of sugar-free lime jello

3/4 c boiling water

16 oz. nonfat cottage cheese

8 oz. neufchatel cheese (fat free cream cheese), softened

4 oz. lite cool whip, thawed

Directions

Combine graham crackers and margarine; press crumb mixture into an 8x8 baking dish.  Place in refrigerator while making the filling.  Dissolve jello in the boiling water and set aside.  Using a food processor, blend cottage cheese and cream cheese until smooth.  Add cheese mixture to jello and whisk until smooth (start with 1/2 cup first, then add the rest).  Fold in cool whip.  Spread filling over the crust and refrigerate until filling is firm (about 8 to 12 hours).  

Nutrition (based on 16 2-inch squares):

Calories:  121

Fat: 6g

Total Carbs: 8.7g

Fiber: .2 g

Sugar: 3 g

Protein: 8g

Stay healthy!

 

Pumpkin Blondies

Pumpkin isn't just for fall! It's a great source of anti-oxidants, vitamins A, C, & E, and has no saturated fat or cholesterol. This is a recipe I tried for the first time and lightened up a bit; next time, I'm going to try some more substitutions. This recipe would be great with spelt flour since it is lighter than wheat but has more nutritional value than white. The sugar content in these is a little higher than I like, so that needs a tweak too (amazing, considering I cut the sugar called for by 2/3). Quick and easy, delicious, and not nearly as heavy as a traditional blondie or brownie!

Pumpkin Blondies

Ingredients

2/3 cup + 2 T all-purpose flour

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 T pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1 stick unsalted butter

7.5 oz pumpkin puree 

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 T sugar (sub stevia, sun crystals, etc)

2 T liquid egg substitute 

1 t vanilla

Optional: chocolate/carob chips, walnuts, almonds

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease a 8x8 pan with non-stick spray.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla - mix well.  Combine all dry ingredients; add to wet ingredients and mix until blended.  (If you're adding any optional ingredients, stir them in now or sprinkle them on top.) Pour into pan and spread evenly.  Bake for about 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Nutrition (makes 16 2-inch pieces)

Calories: 107

Fat: 5.9 g

Carbs: 14.5

Sugar: 6.9 

Protein: 1.4g

 

Stay healthy!

Potato Salad

So, with summertime comes all of those great picnic foods that can be loaded with fat and calories from heavy dressings and sugary sauces.  Here's my take on a lighter potato salad that still has lots of flavor! 

Light(er) Potato Salad

Salad Ingredients

6 eggs, hard boiled

5-6 medium sized red potatoes

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup carrots, finely chopped

fresh parsley (to taste) 

Dressing Ingredients

1 T white vinegar

1 T spicy brown mustard

2-3 T miracle whip

Directions

Boil potatoes until soft.  Hard boil eggs (place eggs in cold water, bring to a boil, turn off heat and let stand for 12-15 minutes in hot water. Place in a bowl of ice water to cool - it also makes them easier to peel!).  Chop veggies - a food processor makes it so easy! Remove the skins from the potatoes and dice (skin will peel off easily after boiling).  Peel the eggs and chop 4.  Add eggs and potatoes to veggies.

Prepare the dressing in a separate bowl by mixing all ingredients together.  Pour dressing over the potato mixture and stir carefully.  Slice the remaining 2 eggs and place on top of salad; sprinkle with paprika and refrigerate.

Nutrition (based on 8 servings):

Calories: 145

Fat: 5.2 g

Carbs: 18.4g

Sugars: .4g

Protein: 6.7 g

Stay healthy!

Light Coffee Cake

Unlike some of the other recipes I post, you probably have all of these ingredients on hand! I've added some substitutions in parentheses if you're looking for other ideas.  Just remember that any substitution changes the nutrition facts.  This recipe isn't as nutritionally sound as I'd like, but I've learned that sometimes too many substitutions results in a not-so-great final product! So, I'm going to chalk this one up to a once-in-awhile treat that includes things I don't normally like to bake with - white flour & white sugar - gasp!  As usual, I've made some healthy swaps from the original recipe and scaled back on the sugar.  I didn't use all of the topping that the recipe made, so next time I will use less ingredients in that part of the recipe.

Light Coffee Cake

Batter Ingredients

1/2 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk  (or any type of milk)

1/4 c unsweetened applesauce (or vegetable or canola oil)

1/4 c liquid egg substitute (or 1 egg)

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 c all-purpose flour

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1/4 c sugar (or another powdered sweetener like splenda or stevia)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt 

Topping Ingredients

1/4 c packed brown sugar (scant) (or evaporated cane sugar)

1/2 c chopped walnuts (or pecans)

1 T whole wheat flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp unsalted butter

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 375 and coat an 8x8 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine all wet ingredients for the batter; combine all dry ingredients for the batter.   Add wet ingredients to dry and combine (a spoon will do - no need for an electric mixer!).  Spread batter into prepared pan.

In a separate bowl, melt the butter; add all other topping ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle topping over batter.  Bake for 25-28 minutes.  Makes 16 2-inch pieces.

Nutrition (based on 16 servings):

Calories: 90

Fat: 2.5 g

Carbs: 12.4 g

Fiber: 1.3 g

Sugars: 6.8 g

Protein: 2.3 g 

Stay healthy!

 

Healthy No Bake Cookies (Vegan)

Today's venture was to make a no bake cookie that is low in calories, low in sugar, and has some nutritional value. And they were super quick to make- less than 10 minutes!  These cookies are not real sweet, so don't expect them to taste just like traditional no bake cookies.  However, you can adjust the sweetener to your taste.  You might also try mixing in some ground flax, chopped nuts, sunflower seeds, or raisins!

Healthy No Bake Cookies (Vegan)

Ingredients

1 small, overripe banana (mashed)

1/8 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/4 c natural peanut butter

1.5 T sun crystals (or experiment with stevia, honey, agave, etc.)

pinch of salt

1/2 t vanilla extract

1.5 c oats 

Directions

Mix all ingredients except vanilla and oats in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir continuously for about 1 minute or until all ingredients are combined. Remove from heat for a minute.  Add vanilla and oats; stir until combined.  Drop by 1/2 tablespoonfuls onto a piece of wax paper and allow to cool/set.  Makes about 29 cookies.

Nutrition (per cookie)

Calories: 36

Fat: 1.5g

Carbs: 7g

Fiber: 1.2g

Sugar: .6g

Protein: 1.1g

Stay healthy!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

If you're like most people, you probably love pizza. And like some people, you may feel guilty for indulging - not any more! When using cauliflower as the base for your crust rather than white flour, you add nutrition and subtract calories without sacrificing taste.  I adapted this recipe from an awesome foodie blog called Eat.Drink.Smile. 

The recipe was very easy to make and can be tweaked to suit your own personal tastes!  Most of the calories comes from the cheese, so feel free to substitute low fat/light cheese to lower the calories even more. This recipe is also low-carb and naturally gluten-free! 

Ingredients

2 cups of riced cauliflower

1 cup of part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 egg, beaten

2 cloves garlic, chopped

.5 teaspoon oregano

.25 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions

Ricing the cauliflower:  remove leaves and cut cauliflower into small florets. Pulse in a food processor until the cauliflower resembles grains - be careful not to pulse too long or you will puree the cauliflower! (Eat. Drink. Smile suggests using a cheese grater if you don't have a food processor.)  Place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 6-8 minutes.  This will soften and somewhat cook the cauliflower.  While the cauliflower is in the microwave, pre-heat the oven to 450.

After removing the cauliflower from the microwave, add the remaining ingredients and mix.  The heat from the cauliflower will help to melt the cheese.  

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Spread the cauliflower mixture onto the cookie sheet and pat down with the back of a spoon.  Cook the "crust" for 15 minutes.

Top with whatever you like and pop it back in the oven under the broiler for 3-4 minutes! So easy!

Nutrition (serves 2, information is for 1 serving; does not include sauce or other toppings)

Calories: 205

Fat: 12 g

Carbs: 6.2g

Fiber: 3g

Protein: 19g

Stay healthy!