Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken

For the past couple of years we have celebrated New Years Eve with our traditional Chinese buffet at home. This healthy version is just as good or even better than what I have had at Chinese restaurants. The best part is, it is healthy, not deep fried, and not dripping with grease.

 Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour, more if needed

1 1/2 cup whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs, more if needed

2 large egg whites

3 skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

Sauce:

2/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar

2 tablespoon ketchup

2 teaspoon soy sauce

4 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 8 teaspoons water

1 green bell pepper, cut into chunks

1 small can pineapple, chunks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 F. 

Place a wire rack (like a cookie cooling rack) on a foil-lined baking sheet, and set aside.

Put the flour in a shallow dish.  Place the panko in another shallow dish.  In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with a whisk until they are extremely foamy but not quite holding peaks. 

Working in batches, dredge the chicken in the flour (shaking off excess), add the chicken to the egg whites and toss to coat completely.  Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, to the panko and toss to coat.  Make sure they are completely coated.

Spread the chicken out on the wire rack, in a single layer.  Bake chicken until the breading is golden and crispy and then chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking....

Mix the rice wine vinegar, sucanat, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water, add to the other ingredients and stir to thicken.

Add bell peppers, and as many chunks of pineapple as you want to the sauce. When the chicken is done add the chicken to the sauce. Stir to coat and serve over brown rice.

(Serve 3-4)

If you like extra sauce, double the sauce recipe.

 Did you know studies show that eating whole grains instead of refined grains lowers the risk of many chronic diseases?!

The benefits of whole grains most documented by repeated studies include:

• stroke risk reduced 30-36%
• type 2 diabetes risk reduced 21-30%
• heart disease risk reduced 25-28%
• better weight maintenance

Other benefits indicated by recent studies include:

• reduced risk of asthma
• healthier carotid arteries
• reduction of inflammatory disease risk
• lower risk of colorectal cancer
• healthier blood pressure levels
• less gum disease and tooth loss

Source: http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/what-are-the-health-benefits 

Stuffed Strawberry Chocolate French Toast

I love stuffed french toast at ihop, but I know they are super unhealthy and tons of calories so here is my healthy, delicious version!

Stuffed Strawberry Chocolate French Toast

Ingredients:

8 slices of whole wheat bread

filling:

1/2 cup ricotta cheese*

2 teaspoon stevia

4 teaspoon grain sweetened chocolate chips

8 ounces of fresh strawberries, hulled & sliced

french toast batter:

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Mix french toast batter together; set aside. 

Mix ricotta cheese and stevia. 

Spread filling in between two slices of bread (2 tablespoons of ricotta mixture, 2 ounces of strawberries and 1 teaspoon grain sweetened chocolate chips). Dip in french toast batter and cook on skillet over medium heat until both sides are browned. 

Top with:

healthy chocolate syrup, whipped cream, syrup, etc.

Serves 4

*Substitutions for ricotta~ cottage cheese, greek yogurt, vanilla greek yogurt, or greek yogurt sweeten with vanilla stevia.

Apple Chips!

This recipe was posted by my sister in law Erin!

I came up with this idea because I had a few apples that were starting to get old and "meely" (is that a word for anyone else??). So I didn't necessarily want to just eat them, and I found a post on pintrest (oh how I love thee) about homemade apple chips! They turned out great, but let me forewarn you, this is not a great last minute treat, it takes some planning ahead!

What you'll need:

as many thinly sliced apples as you want or need (I used two whole apples)

Cinnamon

An oven preheated to 200 degrees

So, I sliced my apples as thin as I could. I have one of those handy apple slicer/corers so I initially sliced them with that, which gave me 8 apple slices. I then sliced each wedge into 4 more slices. That was about as thin as I could go! Then I placed them on a cookie sheet that was sprayed with Pam, sprinkled cinnamon on them and then sprayed the apples again with cooking spray.  Place your trays in the oven and set your timer to about an hour and a half. Check your apples at that point, turn them, and remove any that look like they are crisp enough to your liking. Keep the remaining apples in the oven about another hour, checking frequently, for apples that are crisp. Once your apples are cooled they crisp up even more. However, I only at a few that were completely cooled... they were too tempting right out of the oven! Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Bananas

This recipe was posted by my sister in law Erin!

So one of my biggest weaknesses when it comes to eating healthy is my late night sweet tooth! Actually,  my mid morning and late afternoon sweet teeth are big culprits too! I saw this idea on neverhomemaker and then adapted it to be my own. 

These little bit of heaven are so good! If you ask anyone I know, who eats treats with me, they would confirm that my favorite flavor combinations are chocolate, peanut butter, and banana! So you can imagine my joy when I found this idea! These are so perfect and guiltless I could cry! I am so in love with them! Here is what you need to make them yourself!

Chocolate Covered Bananas

3 bananas

2 teaspoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons all natural peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup grain sweetened chocolate chips

unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)

First slice your bananas to your perfect bite size. I had about 9-10 slices per banana. I like them kind of small.  Place on a plate and freeze. Meanwhile, get out your double broiler (in my case it is a small pyrex bowl and a sauce pan) heat the water on medium low heat for a few minutes, until it starts to steam. Add the coconut oil, peanut butter, and vanilla. Stir ingredients together until it is a smooth liquid. Add your chocolate chips. Make sure that your have your heat on medium low and that you are watching your chocolate carefully. I burned mine the first time. :) Stir your mixture constantly until all the chocolate is melted and you have a smooth creamy mixture. 

Now it's time to dip your bananas! By this time your bananas should be pretty frozen on the outside, this makes it easier for dipping. I just got a toothpick to pick the bananas up and dipped them directly into the double broiler, then set them on wax paper in a cookie sheet or cutting board. You are going to want to move these so make sure they are on something transportable.  While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with coconut flakes.  The amount of chocolate is perfect for this amount of bananas. I ended up scrapping chocolate from the bowl to top the last few bananas. 

Once your bananas are all dipped, put back in the freezer for about an hour. 

Then you can taste the yummy deliciousness you just made! These will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth! And there is no sugar in them and you can feed your body all the wonderful nutrients found in cacoa and bananas!! These are 100% nutritional! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!

*As a side note, IF you have any left over, store in an air tight container in the freezer. You may have to let them sit out for a few minutes before you can just bit into them... However, I am not patient so I just popped on in my mouth and sucked on it until I could bit it! That was good too! :)

Low Calorie Blueberry Muffins

My hubby was craving some blueberry muffins, so of course I had to make them healthy!! The only problem was we weren't digging the whole wheat muffin flavor. So out of many batches of trial and error, here is what I came up with to meet the health factor as well as the flavor factor and to my surprise they ended up being low in calories too!

Low Calorie Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup oat flour (blend oatmeal)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar*

1/4 cup stevia

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 egg whites

1 cup vanilla yogurt (I used plain non fat yogurt with 20 drops of vanilla stevia or to taste)
1 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil (or oil of choice)

1 cup blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line muffin tins with liners. Spray muffin liners with nonstick cooking spray so the muffins come out of the paper easily. Combine vanilla, egg whites, and yogurt in bowl. Combine the rest of the ingredients (dry ingredients) except blueberries in a seperate bowl; stir yogurt mixture just until blended. (The batter may be a little runnier than most muffin batters, but it bakes just fine.) Gently stir in blueberries. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin liners and bake 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.

 Yields: 12 muffins
Calories for one muffin- 100 calories**

 * I have also reduced the sucanat or brown sugar to 1/4 cup (making it only 85 calories per muffin) and I still thought they were great! My husband likes them a little sweeter!
**The calorie calculations were based off of the 1 cup of yogurt being 100 calories.

Did you know blueberries are repeatedly ranked in the U.S. diet as having one of the highest antioxidant capacities among all fruits, vegetables, spices and seasonings?!
Antioxidants are essential to optimizing health by helping to combat the free radicals that can damage cellular structures as well as DNA.

Read more: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=8&tname=foodspice

Hot Dogs for Breakfast!

How do I always end up with extra hot dog buns?! Here is a great way to use up extra hot dog buns! Have them for breakfast.

Baked French Toast (hot dog style)

Ingredients:

4 whole wheat hot dog buns

2 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon stevia, sugar free syrup, or sweetener of choice

2-4 bananas (depending if you want a whole banana or half banana)

condiments

Directions: 

Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish. Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, & sweetener in a bowl; mixing well. Place hot dog buns in baking dish and pour french toast batter over the hot dog buns and in the creases of the buns, making sure the bun will soak up all the liquid. 

Cover and refrigerate over night.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Take your hot dog bun and place your hot dog (aka banana) inside the bun. 

Top with desired condiments:

sugar free maple syrup

healthy jam

healthy chocolate syrup

nuts

peanut butter

whip cream

etc.

Or have 'the works' like I did!

 

 

Did you know hot dogs are good for you?! aka bananas

Bananas are one of our best sources of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. Since the average banana contains a whopping 467 mg of potassium and only 1 mg of sodium, a banana a day may help to prevent high blood pressure and protect against atherosclerosis. 

Source: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=7

Deliciously Healthy Banana Bread

This recipe was posted by my sister in law Erin!

This banana bread is so yummy and moist! I adapted this recipe from a great friend's that was loaded with buttermilk and sugar! So here is the healthier version!

Banana Bread

COMBINE: 1/2 Tbls. vinegar or lemon juice in a 1/2 cup measure, fill rest of cup with low fat milk. (This makes buttermilk! Cheap and low fat!) Let sit for 5 min.

CREAM: 3/4c. applesauce

1 1/2c. xylitol or other favorite sugar alternative

2 eggs

ADD: 1t. vanilla

11/2c. mashed bananas

vinegar and milk mixture

STIR IN: 2c. oat flour or w.w. pastry flour

1t. baking soda

Divide batter into two well greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes. 

This seriously is divine! Just keep in mind that it is a healthier version of banana bread, but because of all the fruit, the sugar content is quite high. So even though you may be tempted, do not eat whole loaf by yourself!!

Yes, I know you want to know the health benefits of bananas, so here they are!! Bananas protect you from cardiovascular disease, calms ulcers (who knew?!), protects your eyesight, strengthens your bones, and promotes kidney health! 

Read more about bananas here http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=7

Pineapple Delight

This is one of my favorite desserts my mom makes, except I cleaned it up to make it a little healthier. It is so light & REFRESHING!

Pineapple Delight

Ingredients:

1 (20 ounce) can of pineapple
½ cup honey
2 cups of nonfat plain greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 bananas, sliced
12 ounces of raspberries (if using frozen, slightly thaw)

Directions:

Drain pineapple reserving 1/3 cup of juice. Puree pineapple with 1/3 cup of juice. Add the honey, yogurt, and vanilla and mix well. Stir in bananas & raspberries. Pour mixture into the freezer bowl of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

ENJOY!

Did you know Greek yogurt is lower in sugar than unsweetened American-style yogurt?!

Greek yogurt is made by straining the whey off yogurt repeatedly to create its thick texture. Much of the natural sugar is removed during this process. According to Hobson, Greek yogurt has one-half the sugar of unsweetened, non-fat American-style yogurt.

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/233450-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-greek-yogurt/#ixzz1ZwhBXBKZ

Recipe adapted from: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Honey-Pineapple-Sherbet

Jamba Juice Chunky Strawberry Topper

I love, love, love jamba juice. My hubby use to work there when we were dating in high school. Oh how I loved to visit him there!! Too bad they didn't have this one then. This is one of my new favorites there! So much cheaper to make at home!

Jamba Juice's Chuncky Strawberry Topper!

Ingredients:

½ cup of vanilla coconut milk (not canned)* (I used Vanilla Sugar Free So Delicious)

¼ cup plain yogurt

1 ripe frozen banana

1 heaping cup frozen strawberries

2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

1/3 cup granola

top with fresh banana slices (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in blender except granola & additional bananas.

After blended stir in granola & top with banana slices.

ENJOY!

* You can also use vanilla soy milk, vanilla almond milk, milk with a dash of vanilla, etc. I know Jamba juice uses soy milk, but I usually don't use soy milk.

Did you know strawberries are well known to fight against the onset of many differet forms of cancer due to the combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents?!

Source: http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/8-health-benefits-of-strawberries.html

Peach Sunrise Smoothie

This recipe was posted by my sister in law Erin! 

So my inspiration for this smoothie was to make a peaches and cream smoothie... well, that was a little bland, so I threw some strawberries in and voila! Peach Sunrise smoothie! Hope you enjoy it too! My kids love it, in fact, they love it anytime I make smoothies for breakfast! I think they think they get to have a treat, but really I am happy to fill their bellies with fruit and veggies with out them knowing any better! I've added spinach to this as well, and as long as you don't put too much in, it doesn't change the flavor. I would say start out with one handful of spinach if you decide to add it in. The recipe for this is really simple...

Peach Sunrise Smoothie

  

1c. Almond Breeze (or your favorite milk)

8-10 ice cubes, or about a cup of crushed ice

2 peaches, peeled and sliced

3 tsp. agave or your favorite sweetener

1 banana

6-8 fresh or frozen strawberries

blend until desired smoothness. Enjoy!! 

Did you know that peaches can prolong your life and prevent cataracts?!?! 

http://www.healthfood-guide.com/HealthBenefitsOfPeaches.aspx

Banana Split Pancakes

Mmmm, as Despicable Me would say BA-NA-NA!

Banana Split Pancakes

Grandma's Cleaned up Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 cups wheat pastry flour (wheat flour works as well)

2 cups buttermilk

½ cup plain yogurt

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

Toppings:

sliced bananas

sliced strawberries

healthy whip cream

healthy chocolate sauce

walnuts

Directions:

In a medium size bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; set aside. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients together, then add to the dry mixture. Mix ingredients until blended. Pour ¼ cup batter onto heated griddle and cook over medium heat. Makes 10 pancakes.

Top with toppings!

Did you know bananas help with bone health?!

Along with lowering blood pressure, potassium prevents the weakening of the body's bones.

high sodium intake, which is typical of many American diets, can cause excessive amount of calcium to be lost through the urine, which threatens not only the strength and general health of the bones, but also negatively affects blood clotting, proper muscle contraction, and normal nervous system function. The potassium found in bananas neutralizes the high amounts of sodium in one's diet, thus allowing for healthy amounts of calcium to remain within the body.

Source: http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/8-health-beneits-of-bananas.html

Peach Frozen Yogurt

One of my fondest childhood food memories was fresh peach ice cream in the summer time. Oh how I love fresh, ripe, juicy peaches! So I healthified my fond food memory and it definitely hit the spot and brought back wonderful childhood memories. I miss being a kid sometimes!

Healthy Peach Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:

2 ripe peaches
1 ½ cups plain greek yogurt
¼ cup honey (could use 1/8 cup honey & 1/8 cup of stevia to lessen calories)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Puree peaches in food processor or blender until smooth. Add in the remaining ingredients and blend until well-mixed. Chill mixture in the refrigerator until cold. 
Then freeze according to your ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions.
Yields four 1/2 cup servings.

Did you know the health benefits of peaches include healthy eyesight, cancer prevention and lung health?!
Rource: http://healthbenefits-of.org/2011/07/the-health-benefits-of-peaches.html

Recipe adapted from: tastykitchen

Not your average PB & J sandwich!

Okay this is not very complex, but it is very yummy and breaks up the routine from the typical pb & j.
Let's call it!!
PBBS
(Peanut Butter & Banana Strawberry Sandwich)
Ingredients:

2 slices of whole wheat bread

1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1/2 banana, sliced
2-3 strawberries, sliced
a couple daps of butter

Directions:
Okay you probably don't need directions, but here they are anyway! Butter both slices of bread, put ingredients between slices of bread & grill over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.

Meet his EVIL twin
CPBBS
(Chocolate Peanut Butter & Banana Strawberry Sandwich)
Replace peanut butter with chocolate peanut butter

Chocolate Peanut Butter recipe
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons raw cacao
2 teaspoons honey

This is a kid friendly sandwich that supplies fiber and essential vitamins and minerals.

Peanut butter builds metabolism-boosting muscles. Peanut butter contains 7 grams of protein per serving. Your body uses the amino acids found in protein to build and repair muscle tissue. In addition to building metabolism-boosting muscles, protein-rich foods like peanut butter keep you feeling fuller for longer

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/245438-health-benefits-of-peanut-butter/#ixzz1ZxPkx9YS