Healthy Protein Smoothies

A healthy breakfast smoothie that tastes like dessert, I will take one of each flavor please. I'm a firm believer that healthy foods don't need to taste like cardboard, indeed they can be just as delicious as their unhealthy competitors. I don't know if I've mentioned before but I always like to have a healthy, low calorie breakfast and lunch, then at dinner I splurge a little and always have dessert. I exercise 6 days a week because I think it's a good balance for me. I watch Food Network while I run on the treadmill, it always keeps me going =). For breakfast I try to keep it around 300-400 calories 6 days a week (every Sunday I make a big brunch and splurge), so I like to have banana oatmeal, whole grain cream of wheat, whole grain cereal with almond milk or these smoothies with almond milk. Yes, I've made the change over to almond milk. I didn't believe it when I heard some random fact of how many people prefer the taste of almond milk to milk until I tried it myself. I always buy the Vanilla or Original flavor that's 60-70 calories per serving (I always check the label because some have tons of added sugar therefor a lot more calories. I never buy unsweetened). Don't get me wrong though I still love milk, I just prefer almond milk a little more and the fact that has less calories than milk is a definite bonus. The almond milk goes great in these smoothies. 
I love how these are healthy AND delicious! They are packed with protein and antioxidants and they are a good source of fiber. Thanks to that protein and fiber these smoothies will fill you up and keep you going. Pictured is 1/2 serving sizes, so yes, you get two of those glasses per serving listed! Enjoy these smoothies and share! Pass along a nutritious treat.

Banana Berry Oat Smoothie
Yields 1 large smoothie


Ingredients:
1 cup Almond Milk Plus Protein, divided (I used So Delicious brand with 5g added protein)
1/4 cup quick oats
1 (5.3) oz Strawberry or Blueberry Nonfat Greek Yogurt
1/2 overripe banana, chilled
1/2 cup fresh blueberries, chilled
5-6 ice cubes


Directions:
In a large microwave safe bowl, combine 1/2 cup Almond Milk with 1/4 cup quick oats. Microwave on high power 2 1/2 minutes. Pour cooked oat mixture into a blender along with remaining 1/2 cup almond milk, Greek yogurt, banana and blueberries. Blend mixture on low speed for 2 minutes or high speed for 1 minute. Add in ice cubes and puree until well blended. Serve immediately.


Nutrition:
366 calories per serving, 21 grams of protein 


Note: if you want an even colder smoothie, stir the oatmeal after microwaving and allow to cool at least 5 minutes before blending into smoothie.


Pina Colada Smoothie
Yields 1 large smoothie


Ingredients:
1 cup Almond Milk Plus Protein, divided
1/4 cup quick oats
1 (5.3) oz Vanilla or Strawberry Nonfat Greek Yogurt
1/2 overripe banana, chilled
1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple, chilled
1/4 tsp coconut extract
5-6 ice cubes


Directions:
In a large microwave safe bowl, combine 1/2 cup Almond Milk with 1/4 cup quick oats. Microwave on high power 2 1/2 minutes. Pour cooked oat mixture into a blender along with remaining 1/2 cup almond milk, Greek yogurt, banana, pineapple and coconut extract. Blend mixture on low speed for 2 minutes or high speed for 1 minute. Add in ice cubes and puree until well blended. Serve immediately.


Nutrition:
364 calories per serving, 21 grams of protein


Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets that are still perfectly golden, full of flavor and deliciously crisp without being fried, say what!? These chicken nuggets are utterly amazing. They are the best chicken nuggets I've ever had, and I couldn't believe they were healthy! I love how healthier things can actually taste better than their less healthy opponent. This recipe is true proof of that. This is another Pinterest find (I did change up a few things), it is one of my new favorite recipes. It's quick, it's incredibly easy and it's a crowd pleaser. Chicken nuggets aren't just for kids, adults and kids alike will immediately fall in love with these baked chicken nuggets after just one bite. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Nuggets
Yields about 2 - 3 servings


Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 medium), diced into bite size pieces
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, white or wheat (I used white)
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
3 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese*
1/2 tsp dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Olive Oil Spray


Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a shallow 13 x 9 baking dish (I used a small cookie sheet) generously with olive oil spray. Pour 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil into a small mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together Italian seasoned bread crumbs, Panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Place chicken pieces into olive oil and toss chicken to evenly coat. Drop oil coated chicken, working with about 5 pieces at a time, into bread crumb mixture and coat each side (I kind of pressed the pieces into the bread crumbs to get more to stick). Place all of the coated chicken pieces onto oil coated baking sheet then sprinkle remaining bread crumb mixture over chicken pieces. Spray top of chicken pieces with olive oil spray. Bake in center of preheated oven for 10 minutes, then remove from oven, rotate chicken pieces to opposite side and bake an additional 5 minutes (I moved the oven rack up a few and broiled mine during the last about 1.5 minutes to get a more golden crust, if doing this DO NOT walk away from the oven, keep a very close eye on it). Serve warm with ketchup, barbecue sauce or honey mustard for dipping, if desired. 


*this is one recipe I pulled out the Kraft pre-grated Parmesan cheese in the shaker bottle. Just be sure to break up any clumps before whisking it in. They add an ingredient to keep the cheese from caking but mine always ends up caking together into little clumps anyway. You could use freshly grated Parmesan as well. Update 6/7/12: someone mentioned in a comment below that the freshly grated Parmesan was better than the pre-grated Parmesan, I trust that opinion because fresh is always better but if you're in a rush the pre-grated powdered stuff works okay too.


Recipe Source: adapted from skinnytaste.com

Perfect Breakfast Potatoes

If you've been following my blog you've probably noticed by now breakfast is kind of my thang. I love a delicious breakfast meal served up any time of day. I mentioned before how I've posted all these main entrees for breakfast but I've never posted the sides I serve with them. 
I've been making these potatoes for many years, so I'd hope I can say I've perfected the recipe. I've tried different cooking methods, different oils, played with seasonings and now here are the exact results I was looking for. Perfectly tender interior, with a gorgeously browned exterior, slightly moist, with just the right amount of flavor and seasoning. You can use plain old salt and pepper (if you want to be boring =) or you can add some pizzazz with the delicious seasoning blend listed. Below are a few things I wanted to list, that in my opinion, make the perfect breakfast potatoes:


1. Pre-bake the potatoes. If they are cooked halfway before you fry them then they don't end up under cooked in the middle.
7. Leave the skins on when dicing. Less work (no peeling necessary), more taste and more vitamins. With that said why wouldn't you?
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil was my favorite oil for frying. I've tried butter, bacon fat and vegetable oil and EVOO is where it's at. Not only do the potatoes taste better fried with EVOO but they are much better for you.
3. Season generously. I'm not saying over salt your potatoes, I'm saying a little flavor goes a long way. I love the flavors that garlic and onion powder add to these. Alternately if you love Potatoes O'Brian you could add diced onion, and diced green and red bell pepper.
4. Cover potatoes with a lid while frying, this helps the potatoes maintain some of the moisture as well as helping them evenly cook through.
5. Don't over-stir. If you stir too often you won't get the perfectly golden edges. Just think of flipping a pancake, you don't want to flip it before it's golden, it's the same with breakfast potatoes, you shouldn't "flip" them until they are golden.
6. Serve immediately. Potatoes get soggy after sitting too long after cooking. It's a silly thing but I always get frustrated when people are late for a breakfast meal I'm serving. Breakfast meals/sides aren't nearly as good cold or reheated. This includes breakfast potatoes.


All the above are my personal opinion. I'm not a professional chef (just wannabe =). They are tips I've found through personal experience through trial and error. I hope you love these potatoes and maybe even make them as often as I do (I make them at least once a week, sometimes even three).

Breakfast Potatoes
Yields about 5 servings 


Ingredients:
5 small Russet Potatoes (total weight should be about 1.5 lbs)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
1 1/2 - 2 tsp Herb Seasoning, to taste (recipe can be found here)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile rinse and scrub potatoes then pierce each potato several times with a fork. Bake potatoes in preheat oven for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool 30 minutes then chill overnight (alternately you could dice and cook potatoes immediately, I've just found it's more convenient to bake them ahead of time when I'm already making baked potatoes for dinner or baking another dish. Also, potatoes seem to cut cleaner if they've been chilled). 
Dice chilled potatoes into 1/2" cubes. Pour extra virgin olive oil into a 10" non-stick skillet and heat over medium high heat. Once oil barely begins to smoke, carefully pour diced potatoes into hot oil. Immediately sprinkle with Herb Seasoning then toss potatoes with a heat proof spatula. Cover pan with lid and cook potatoes, stirring every few minutes as they begin to lightly brown on bottom, about 8 - 12 minutes until potatoes have reached desired tenderness. Serve immediately. 
Note: sometimes I like to sprinkle them with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese after frying (cheese is good over nearly everything). Also, they are delish drizzled with ketchup, yep I'm all American with my side of Ketchup =). It's like french fries without ketchup, it just shouldn't be done.

Chewy Almond Poppy Seed Granola Bars (Lemon Poppy Seed variation too)

Time to ditch that almond poppy seed muffin your having every other morning for breakfast and reaching for this healthier, equally as delicious almond poppy seed granola bar instead! I'm ecstatic about this recipe that I came across from Rachel Ray. You can make a full batch of better tasting (and better for you) than store bought granola bars at home in about 5 minutes. I now have no excuse for buying the preservative filled granola bars at the store =), but after trying these I no longer have the desire to buy the store bought ones either. The possibilities with the recipe are endless! I can't wait for all the variations I'm going to try on these in the future. Here are some ideas ahead of time because I can't resist sharing =):

• Chocolate chunks, freeze dried raspberries and chopped almonds
• Dried apples, chopped, baking caramel pieces (I'd freeze them first then add to oat mixture or press into the top) and cinnamon/nutmeg
• White chocolate chunks, dried cranberries and macadamia nuts
• Lime zest/juice, coconut, coconut extract and chopped macadamia nuts
• Toasted coconut, candied pineapple, chopped macadamia nuts and dried bananas 
• Dried blueberries, chopped almonds, white chocolate chips and almond extract
• White chocolate chips, orange zest and orange juice
• Pretzels, peanut butter and chocolate chips
• Peanuts, peanut butter and freeze dried raspberries (I love the flavors of a PBJ)

That's just a random list, I haven't tested them yet but they are combinations I can't wait to try in the future. If you try them let me know how you like them or let me know of any variations you come up with and love. Have a great day! 

Chewy Almond Poppy Seed Granola Bars
Yields 12 bars


Ingredients:

2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup Rice Krispies Cereal
1/3 cup (heaping) dry roasted almonds, chopped
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp almond extract


Directions:
In a mixing bowl combine quick oats, Rice Krispies Cereal, chopped almonds and poppy seeds, set aside. Melt butter in a medium saucepan then stir in brown sugar, honey and salt. Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat stirring constantly, then reduce temperature to medium low and simmer 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in almond extract. Pour sugar mixture over oat mixture and toss mixture until evenly coated. With buttered hands, firmly press mixture into a buttered 11 x 7 baking dish. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes. Cut granola into bars and store in an airtight container at room temperature.


Lemon Poppy Seed Variation


Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup Rice Krispies Cereal
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup light-brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/8 tsp salt


Directions:
In a mixing bowl combine quick oats, Rice Krispies Cereal and poppy seeds, set aside. Melt butter in a medium saucepan then stir in brown sugar, honey, salt, lemon juice and lemon zest. Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat stirring constantly, then reduce temperature to medium low and simmer 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour sugar mixture over oat mixture and toss mixture until evenly coated. With buttered hands, firmly press mixture into a buttered 11 x 7 baking dish. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes. Cut granola into bars and store in an airtight container at room temperature.


Note: I also tested these with lemon extract and didn't like them as much. The lemon juice did make a softer bar vs. extract so be sure to press them in the pan firmly.


Recipe Source: Inspired by Rachel Ray