Another Breakfast Suggestion

French toast is absolutely one of the most delicious breakfast innovations out there.  I searched and found THIS RECIPE and modified it a bit.... The light, whole wheat hot dog buns seem strange for french toast, but they actually make a great substitute for the usual thick, calorie-dense bread.  You can use 4 slices of (light) whole wheat bread if you don't have any on hand.  You can top the toast with strawberries and whipped cream, but unfortunately I didn't have either one =( . Basically, this is fun recipe if you have a few extra minutes in the morning and crave something other than your boring cereal routine!

180 CALORiES: 3g fat/35g carbs/4g fiber/10g protein

(RECiPE SERVES 2)

* 2 Egg Whites or 4 TBSP Egg Beaters

* 1/2 Banana, mashed

* 2 tsp Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Creamer powder

* 4 tsp hot water

* 1 tsp Vanilla

* 1/4 tsp Cinnamon

* 1/4 tsp Salt

* 1 Splenda packet

* 2 Hot Dog Buns (Nature's Own Whole Grain Sugar-Free)

* 4 TBSP Maple Syrup (Mrs. Buttersworth's Sugar-Free)

1. Drop all ingredients (except for the bread and syrup) in a blender + combine for 30 seconds, or until smooth. Or, just beat the mixture with an electric mixer on the highest setting. Pour into a shallow bowl.

2. Grease a medium griddle pan lightly with cooking spray and set between medium or medium-low heat. If using a hot dog bun, tear the bun in half and cut into 8 pieces.  Otherwise, cut each bread slice into quarters (16 pieces total).

3. Dip and soak each piece evenly in the shallow bowl and then the pan to cook for 2 minutes on each side. Serve immediately with 2 TBSP. syrup each!

Breakfast Dilemmas Resolved

McDonald's Egg McMuffin: 300 calories

12g fat, 30g carbs, 2g fiber, 18g protein.

VS.

Your OWN Egg McMuffin: 250 calories

9g fat, 27g carbs, 8g fiber, 19g protein.

* 1 Thomas Light Multi-Grain English Muffin (CLiCK HERE)

* 1 Large Egg

* 1 Canadian Bacon slice, Oscar Mayer (CLiCK HERE)

* 1 Bacon slice, Hormel (CLiCK HERE)

* 1 TBSP. Kraft Fat-Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese (CLiCK HERE)

* 1 TBSP. Salsa or Hot Sauce

1. Set oven to broil on 500 degrees. Spray a small griddle pan lightly with cooking spray, heat to medium and start cooking the egg, fry-style (I add some salt/pepper for more flavor).

2. Cut muffin in half, sprinkle the cheese on one side, then place both halves plus the canadian bacon on a small baking sheet and into the oven for no more than 2-3 minutes.

3. Microwave bacon for 10 seconds (but if it's raw, then start cooking it earlier in the process).

4. Once egg is done, muffin is slightly toasted, and cheese melted, put it all together with some salsa/hot sauce for a kick and voila!

IHOP's Breakfast Sampler: 1,180 calories
74g fat, 82g carbs, 6g fiber, 49g protein.

VS.

Your OWN Breakfast Sampler (sortof...): 230 calories
11g fat, 26g carbs, 4g fiber, 20g protein.

* Pancakes! These are very low-carb, high protein pancakes... the ingredients may sound weird, but I promise they're good!

~Makes 1 big pancake or 2 mini ones for a little under 100 calories:

- 1 Egg White

- 2 TBSP + 2 tsp. Cottage Cheese, 1%
- 2 TBSP + 2 tsp. Rolled Oats

- 1/8 tsp. Salt

- 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

- 1/2 packet of Splenda

* 4 Strawberries, cut up small

* 2 TBSP. Maple Syrup, sugar-free (CLiCK HERE)

* 1 Large Egg, (cooked exactly the same as above)

* 1 Bacon Strip (torn in half)

1. Blend the oats in a blender or food processor until the texture is finely crumbled.  Pour out into a small bowl and add the salt, cinnamon, and splenda in.

2. Combine with the egg white and cottage cheese, then pour back into the blender and mix until the batter is smooth (and the cottage cheese is less lumpy).

3. Heat a lightly greased small pan over medium-low for a few minutes, pour batter into pan and cook for a couple minutes until small bubbles form at the top, then flip and cook a minute or two more. Enjoy with syrup and topped strawberries (or other fruit), and an egg + bacon!

With Love,

Camille

FOR THE SNACK SAAVY

So, I had some extra cottage cheese in my fridge that was about to go bad and so I made up a couple snack ideas to use it with this past week that were surprisingly pretty filling.

FRUiTY APPLE CHEESE SALAD:

- 1 thinly sliced small apple

- 1/4 cup nonfat or 1% cottage cheese

- 1 or 2 TBSP raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing (click HERE for the one i have, which tastes DELICIOUS with only 5 calories in 2 TBSP!)

- 1 packet Splenda (optional)

ZESTY CELERY SALAD:

- 1 medium celery stalk

- 1/4 cup nonfat or 1% cottage cheese

- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

- 1/2 tsp dried chives (or fresh... way better!)

- 1/4 tsp dill weed, paprika

- 1/8 tsp lemon pepper, garlic powder

ALSO, I recently made a list of several snack ideas all under 100 calories. I eat about half of them on a regular basis. Enjoy!

* 1/2 toasted English muffin with 1/4 cup sliced banana and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 99 calories.

* Hershey’s kisses, 26 calories each

* 1/2 apple with 1 tsp peanut butter and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 95 calories.

* 1 egg fried in a little cooking spray and tony's cajun seasoning + black pepper , 75 calories.

* 1/2 sweet potato with 1/2 tsp. butter and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 99 calories.

* 1/4 small avocado, 40 calories.

* 1 60-calorie string cheese stick with 5 wheat thins, 95 calories.

* 8 baby carrots and 1 TBSP hummus, 80 calories.

* 1 apple or pear, 82 calories.

* 1 pistachio, 4 calories.

* 1 peanut, 6 calories.

* 1 almond, 7 calories.

* 1 cashew, 8 calories.

* 1 hazelnut, 9 calories.

* 1 Jell-0 sugar-free gelatin snack, 10 calories.

* 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 50 calories.

* 1/2 can of tuna with 1 chopped baby pickle, 1 tsp. dijon mustard, 1 TBSP miracle whip, 99 calories.

* Air-popped popcorn, just 33 calories per cup.

* 27 frozen grapes, 97 calories.

* 1/3 cup (dry) oatmeal with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. salt, and 1-2 packets Splenda + water, 93 calories.

* 1/2 sliced bell pepper with 1 TBSP light ranch dressing, 70 calories.

* 1 cup strawberries, topped with 2 TBSP Cool Whip, 58 calories.

* 1 medium celery stick, sliced with 1 TBSP peanut butter, 99 calories.

Flatbread Wrap "Pizza"

It all starts with a "Flatout" bread wrap. I found these at Walmart the last time I went grocery shopping. I bought the Light Italian Herb flavor, which has only 90 calories per wrap, 9g protein =), 9g fiber, AND only 6g net carbs. I knew that most flatbread tends to be thin, but this was just a little bit thinner than I'd expected. Still, it was a pretty hefty size of flatbread for such a low calorie content (usually wraps/tortillas contain 120-130 calories a piece). Anyways, after seeing a recipe on their website, I decided to use THIS RECIPE for dinner, modifying a few ingredients and steps. I came to find out that this was one of the easiest, tastiest, and lowest calorie pizzas I have ever made! P.S.. Your kitchen will smell better than Italy in heaven... =)

iNGREDiENTS:

* 1 Flatout Light Italian Herb Flatbread

* 1/4 tsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

* 1/4 cup Red Onion, thinly sliced

* 6 Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half

* 1/3 cup Fresh Mushrooms, sliced (I just had the canned kind, which I think would taste nasty in this recipe, so I didn’t usemushrooms, boo) =(

* 1/2 cup Fresh Spinach (I actually used “Spring Mix” pre-washed lettuce with baby arugula, which has a great flavor I think)

* 1 TBSP. Balsamic Vinegar

* 1/4 cup Barilla Marinara Sauce

* 1/4 cup Reduced-Fat Mozzarella Cheese (I didn’t have any, so I just grated a light mozzarella string cheese stick)

* 1 tsp. Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated tastes better!)

* 8 slices Hormel Turkey Pepperoni

OPTiONAL HERBS TO SPiCE UP THE FLAVOR:

* 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning (or oregano, basil, sage, thyme)

* 1/4 tsp. Fennel Seed (optional.. i think this gives it a great meaty, italian flavor... fennel seed it also great in homemade meatballs with italian sausage, fyi)

* 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub oil evenly over the wrap on both sides. Place wrap by itself on the oven rack and cook for 5 minutes.

2. While waiting for the wrap to toast, saute the onions, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes over in a small greased pan over medium heat for 3 minutes. The last minute or so, turn off the heat and pour the balsamic vinegar evenly over the veggies.

3. Take the wrap out of the oven and spread marinara sauce over it evenly. Add the herbs if you are using them. Sprinkle the cheeses on next, then the pepperoni. Lastly, place the sauteed veggies evenly over the cheese and pepperoni. Season the whole thing with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Place back on oven rack (350) for 6 or 7 more minutes. Take out and slice (or fold in half) and enjoy!

** YUMMY FACTS: 1 pizza serving contains 260 calories, 13g fat, 25g carbs, 23g protein, 13g fiber, with lots of Vitamin A, C, Calcium, and Iron

Chipotle Chicken with Sautéed Brussel Sprouts

This recipe serves just one, so double/triple the ingredients if you need to..

iNGREDiENTS:

* 1/4 tsp. oregano, thyme, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper.

* 1/2-1 tsp. chipotle chile pepper powder

* 1/2 tsp. canola oil

* 1 4-oz. chicken breast, thawed, cut into 3-4 strips

---------------------------------------------------------------------

* 1/2 tsp. canola oil

* 1 garlic clove, minced

* 1/4 cup red onion, sliced

* 6 brussel sprouts, frozen and thawed

* 1/4 cup water

* 1 TBSP. ketchup, apple cider vinegar, and worcestershire sauce

* 1 tsp. brown sugar, dijon mustard

1. Combine the oregano, thyme, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper, and chipotle powder in a small bowl. Pat the chicken dry, then rub canola oil over each piece. Put them all in the small spice bowl and mix, covering evenly. Set aside.

2. Heat 1/2 tsp. canola oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. After a few minutes, add the garlic and onion, sautéing for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the brussel sprouts and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the rest of the wet ingredients one by one, cooking for a few more minutes. Turn down heat to simmer.

3. Heat a separate, small-medium fry pan lightly greased with cooking spray over medium heat. In a few minutes, add the chicken pieces and thoroughly cook until edges are golden brown and chicken is mostly done (about 5-7 minutes). Throw the chicken into the large sauce pan, and turn heat to medium, stirring everything to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Take off heat & serve!

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies.. Christmas Style ;)

I have a work Christmas party tonight, and everyone is supposed to bring something they made, such as a treat or holiday dish, etc. I have alot of peanut butter that I rarely use and so I thought peanut butter cookies would be convenient. I also only have whole wheat flour, which I didn't want to use because I'm not too sure people at my work would care for the taste.. so I searched for a recipe that doesn't require flour. I found THIS ONE on myrecipes.com, and I also added a couple more things, such as salt, brown sugar, baking soda, and mini m&ms to make the cookie rise more, taste more chewy, and look more christmas-y.

(MAKES ABOUT 18 COOKiES)

iNGREDiENTS:

1 cup Peanut Butter, Smooth

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 Egg

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/8 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Cream of Tarter

Optional: Mini Christmas M&Ms, 1.94 oz bottle

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

* Beat the Peanut butter and sugars together.

* Slowly beat the egg in.

* Add in the vanilla, baking soda, and salt, and cream of tarter, mixing evenly (the dough may be a little bit crumbly, but thats okay). Add in the M&Ms.

* Shape into small 1-inch balls about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet, or cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil (OR even better, parchment paper if you have some. Parchment paper helps more evenly brown the bottoms of the cookies while they bake).

* Lightly press a small fork over the tops of the cookies twice.

* Make sure the cookies are at least 2 inches apart, because they will spread while cooking and about double their size.

* Bake for 7-10 minutes, take them out and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.

Fish Tacos

Not the greatest picture, but these were pretty legit! =)

this recipe calls for just one taco, so just double or triple the ingredients for each person eating.

(about 280 calories)

iNGREDiENTS:

- 1 Tilapia Filet, thawed & patted dry (4 oz)

- 1/2 tsp. Olive Oil

- 1 tsp. Taco Seasoning

- 1/8-1/4 cup Red Onion, sliced thin

- 1/4 cup Black Beans

- 2 TBSP. Fresh Cilantro, minced (or 1 tsp. dry)

- 1/4 tsp. Cayenne (optional)

- 1-2 TBSP. Salsa

- 1 TBSP..or more.. shredded cheddar cheese (i get the kraft-free kind for half the calories)

- 1 tsp. Lime juice

- 1 Tortilla (i like the small carb-balance whole wheat kind for only 80 calories each)

- Lettuce

- Sour cream (optional)

1. In a small dish, combine the taco seasoning, 1 TBSP cilantro, and cayenne.

2. Rub the dry fish filet with the olive oil, then evenly sprinkle the spices over both sides.

3. Heat a small saute pan over medium heat for a few minutes, then grill the fish for 4 or 5 minutes on each side, or until it flakes with a fork.

4. In a separate small bowl, mix in the black beans, salsa, other TBSP. cilantro, and red onion. Microwave mixture for about 20-30 seconds.

5. Take fish off grill and put on the tortilla... immediately top the filet with cheddar cheese, then the bean/salsa mixture, and squeeze the lime juice over it all. Top it with lettuce and/or sour cream.

** Optional: Just before serving, you can heat the oven to broil and put the tortilla on a baking sheet to warm/toast it for no more than 1-2 minutes. This makes it taste more authentic I think!

Shrimp Alfredo!

A much lighter, 300-calorie-per-serving version. Still just as creamy and tasty!

(Makes about 4 servings)

iNGREDiENTS:

- 1 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 cans mushrooms, or 1 cup freshly sliced

- 2 cups broccoli, chopped

- 1 cup white cooking wine, or chicken broth

- 5 ounces fat-free cream cheese

- 4 TBSP. parmesan cheese

- 2 TBSP. whole wheat flour

- about 1 tsp. each of: oregano, parsley, salt, pepper

- about 40 large shrimp, thawed with tails peeled off (i like the frozen, pre-cooked kind for $5 at walmart.)

- 4-6 ounces whole wheat fettucini noodles

*******************************************************************

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Wait a few minutes, then add the garlic to saute. As soon as garlic changes to a golden yellow color, add the broccoli and mushrooms. One by one, add the cooking wine, cheeses, and whole wheat flour gradually. After everything is uniformly mixed, add the spices. Toss in the shrimp and turn heat down to medium-low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook fettucini noodles on the side. Drain noodles and serve immediately (the alfredo mixture cools off pretty fast). A side salad or caesar salad go great alongside the meal.

Moroccan Chicken with Quinoa

Not sure if I've ever posted anything with quinoa in the past, but I love it. Quinoa is a good substitute for noodles or rice, but cooks way faster. It's considered a COMPLETE protein, a very good source of fiber, and it contains nutrients like manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. Anyways, I wanted to make something with quinoa and after looking in my fridge, I noticed that I always seem to have extra onion and bell peppers I don't want going bad. I also have tons of spices in my pantry that I haven't touched very often because I'm no expert with figuring out how to use them correctly. After reading on a website somewhere about which spices to use for different kinds of cuisines, I decided to put together this recipe, classified as Moroccan (not sure where the country is). But it sounded cool... and it ended up okay!

(Serves 4)

iNGREDiENTS:

4 Chicken Breasts/Thighs, thawed

1 tsp. Olive Oil

1 cup Red Onion, chopped (I used white, but I think red would've been a better fit for this recipe)

1-2 Garlic cloves, minced

2 TBSP Soy Sauce

1 cup Celery, chopped

1 cup Red or Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1 cup Carrots, chopped

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

2 tsp. Parsley, or 1/4 cup freshly chopped

1/2 tsp. Cumin

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom, Coriander, Mace

(if you don't happen to have the last 2 or 3 spices listed, substitute one with ground ginger.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 cup Uncooked Quinoa

1 Chicken Bouillon cube

* 1. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. (If you are using thighs with bones and you don't really know how to cut them into neat tiny pieces, CLiCK HERE FOR A WEBSiTE that has pictures showing how to trim and de-bone them effectively without losing any excess meat). After cutting them, set them aside.

* 2. Add the olive oil into a large sauté pan on medium heat. Wait a minute or two, and then scrape the minced garlic and chopped onion into the pan.

* 3. Meanwhile, place a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water on the stove over high heat. After it starts a rolling boil, add the quinoa and chicken bouillon cube, then turn down the heat to medium-low and cover for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

* 4. Going back to the sauté pan, add the soy sauce and chicken, then cook until the pieces look almost totally white and golden brown. Add the rest of the veggies (celery, bell pepper, carrots). After the veggies have cooked for a few minutes, pour in the lemon juice, mixing evenly. Lastly, stir in the spices and take off the heat.

* 5. Take the quinoa and drain any excess liquid from the saucepan. Spoon into a serving bowl (the quinoa should be much larger when cooked, with a light, fluffy texture). Serve the chicken/veggie mixture over the quinoa.

I ended up stirring and mixing mine together and I also added more salt and some pepper. It was very satisfying and filling! This recipe serves 4 at about 350 calories per person.

- CAMiLLE

Greek Yogurt

This stuff is awesome... It has a thick, custard-like texture, and sortof tastes like a mixture of plain yogurt and sour cream. Dannon's brand is the cheapest, about a $1.00 per container. It is now the ONLY yogurt I will buy from now on, and this is why: it contains ONLY 80 calories total, 0 grams of fat, 6g sugar, and a whopping 15g of PROTEiN! That's like mixing the protein from tuna and the calcium of dairy all-in-one. It's a good low-calorie snack if you're almost-hungry and have to run out the door. I get the plain kind (because of the low sugar content) and I'm a big fan of Splenda, so I sweeten it and it tastes just as good to me. There are other yummy flavors you can buy too, such as blueberry, strawberry, and honey.

** CLICK HERE FOR 14 THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH THIS ABOVE ITEM =)

Tonight I plan on making a recipe using alfredo sauce (not too sure yet what I'll do) but I DO need to use some of my yogurt! I will definitely write the recipe down/take a picture and post about it in the near future.. until then, go getcha some greek yogurt to fulfill your protein/dairy needs!

P.S.: Here are a few of my favorite snacks I have eaten in the past using Greek Yogurt:

* CINNAMON YOGURT: 1 pckt. Splenda + 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract + 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

* CHOCOLATE FRO-YO: 1 pckt. Splenda + 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract + 1 tsp. cocoa powder, then freeze for 2 hours. Instant dessert!

* REGULAR FRUIT YOGURT: 1 pckt. Splenda + 1 tsp. Vanilla extract + 2 TBPS. chopped fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, oranges, or clementines