Greek Yogurt Muffins

I had been wanting to try these muffins for a few days, and thought I had gathered all of the ingredients.  Clue one to this being an uphill battle should have been my insistence on getting the eggs at the gas station on the corner instead of waiting until my next shopping trip.  And.....as I write this I realize I forgot to add the eggs to the recipe.  Wow.  It's Friday, folks!  Either way, they turned out super yummy, and so I still have to share.

1c plain Greek yogurt

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

2 cups rolled oats (old fashioned or quick)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup chocolate chips, mini or regular

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF and prepare muffin pan by either spraying with cooking spray or lining with paper (because there is no oil in the recipe, it is best to also spray paper liners with cooking spray to avoid sticking).  

2. Blend all ingredients except the chocolate chips in a food processor (they also suggest a blender, but that was an EPIC fail, so go right for the big guns) on high until oats are broken down and batter is smooth.  Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan, filling each cavity about 3/4 full.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on top if desired (I only sprinkled my chips on top, didn't blend them, so it was a bit less cholatey).

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are set and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week (if they last that long!).

Yum!

While I was trying to get my food processor to work and losing the chopping blade amidst the gooey ingredients and transferring it out and back in and - to the point Joy - Quinn stealthily grabbed the PAAS egg decorating pens that came with a set a few years back.  We never even used them, but I put them in a bag to save for someday.  I thought they would likely be dried up, and fairly harmless.  WRONG.  They were quite healthy, and containing food coloring that of course is NOT easy to remove.  After scrubbing her face and hands with alcohol and likely removing a layer or two of skin, she still looks like a Smurf.  Awesome.

Perfect Pineapples

Pineapples are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese, and they just taste so darn good!  I never used to buy whole pineapples because I was intimidated by them - pathetic, but true.  Then my friend Hallie whipped out her pineapple corer one day and sliced some pineapple for the kiddos at lunch...in less than a minute.  My mom got me one for Christmas, and life hasn't been the same since.  Now when I see a stand of these prickly dudes, I confidently approach and grab one to add some variety to our fruit rotation.

Slice off the top and place the corer over the center of the "meat"

Twist the device until it reaches the bottom and then lift the fruit out of the skin

Mine comes with a slicer that can then be easily pushed down to cut the pineapple into bite-size pieces.  If you are uber creative, you can then use the empty skin as a funky fruit bowl, or even a vase.  Soooo Martha.

Substitutions

One of the easiest ways I have found to improve our eating habits has been incorporating small substitutions over time.  Most of the time I didn't even tell the crew what I was doing, and they almost never noticed (with the exception of whole wheat tortillas; Andy's reaction was as though I had asked him to eat his taco from a wool blanket).  Here are some of our standards:

2% plain greek yogurt (I like Fage) instead of sour cream (this was hard to even try, since I liked a little potato with my sour cream, but we made it!)

Olive oil for grilled sandwiches instead of butter

Multi-grain tortillas (I like Mission and LaTortilla Factory), sandwich thins (I like Arnold "Flax and Fiber"), whole wheat pita pockets, or Ezekiel bread (find it in your freezer section) instead of my standard mystery generic "wheat bread" that when I read the label I learned was actually made from white flour, not whole wheat flour

Pita chips and blue corn tortilla chips instead of potato chips (BIG conversion for Andy)

Brown rice, cous cous, or quinoa instead of white rice

Shakeology instead of a handful of candy

Chill Out

Often our hyper-focus on freshness causes us to bypass the frozen section of our grocery store.  However, you may be surprised to learn that frozen fruits and vegetables are sometimes more nutritious than what you will find in the produce section.  This is because they are picked when they most ripe and have their highest nutritional value, and are then flash-frozen to seal in as many of the nutrients as possible.  In contrast, most fresh produce is picked before ripening, and while its outward appearance may look ripe when you buy it, it is not as rich in vitamins and minerals as it would be if it were left to vine-ripen.

So what is one to do?  If a fruit or vegetable is in season, buy it fresh, preferably at a farmer's market.  Purchase off-season produce in frozen form.  For frozen, your best option is produce with the USDA's "U.S. Fancy" seal, indicating that it contains not only the best looking but also typically the most nutritious fruits and vegetables.  Also, you want to consume frozen options soon after you buy them because the nutrients still degrade over time.  And finally, the best way to cook frozen vegetables is by steaming them so they do not lose as many water-soluble vitamins as they do through boiling.

I happened to find a cool (pun intended) brand of frozen corn in the freezer section several weeks ago.  Husk sells only central Indiana sweet corn, and the label on each bag tells you exactly which farm grew your meal, including when it was harvested!  Whit thought it was pretty neat (well, I thought it was awesome, and he humored me and agreed).

Our bag of corn was from lovely Arcadia (well, never been there, but I imagine an idyllic setting in which to grow our tasty side dish).

Excellent Eggs

Like the lovely tortilla, eggs are another stellar delivery method for healthy ingredients. A low-calorie, high-nutrient food (including a punch of protein, choline, omega-3 fats, and anti-oxidants), eggs are the unsung heroes of the dairy case.

I whipped this together the other night to clean out the fridge before spring break. It included our remaining mushrooms, green onions, and shredded cheese. I then went spelunking in the freezer and found some hash browns from something my mother-in-law made last December when they visited. Yeah, my standards for frozen food storage are low, like subterranean. In general, I add 1c of skim milk for every 4 eggs. The outcome was ruled to be yummy!

Cottage-Cheddar Puff

My mom did Weight Watchers a handful of times when I was a wee lass.  While on her journey of finding new ways to make me not want to ask what was for dinner anymore, she actually came across some winners in the eyes of my dad and me.  One that I truly fell in love with and asked for years later was this tangy cheese puff.  It now graces my family cookbook as a tattered print-off that I return to when yearning for comfort food.  Because this is an ol' classic, you are stuck with a photo of my very own fluffy masterpiece.  You're welcome.

Note: My puff is slightly green because I used green onions.  Also, I only have 5-oz. ramekins, so you are looking at a half serving.  And, I like to make this the night before so the ingredients have time to mingle with one another and make the dish much tastier.  Plus, who in the world uses a hand mixer before 7 a.m.  Nothing beyond two ingredients is legal that early in the morning.

1/3 C cottage cheese (I recommend 2% - lower in fat, but not non-fat.  Remember, if they remove the fat, they are replacing it with something else to make it resemble the original fatty version, and that something else is typically not natural.)
1 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp. minced onion (if you are using dried, reconstitute in 2 tsp. warm water)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Dash of Worcestershire sauce

(Makes 2 servings)

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray two 10-oz. custard cups with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In blender, combine cheeses, egg yolks, onion, mustard, and Worcestershire and process until smooth, scraping sides as necessary.

In small mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.  Fold 1/3 of cheese mixture into whites, then fold in the remaining cheese mixture.  Spoon half into each sprayed custard cup; place cups on baking sheet and bake until puffs are golden brown (about 25 min.).