Do You Know the Muffin Man?

vOn the run in the morning and need to grab a quick and filling breakfast? You could grab a muffin from Tim's... at the expense of 300+ calories! (ahh!) OR you could make your own!
I made two different types of muffins! Banana Chip Bran Muffins, and Whole Wheat Blueberry Bran Muffins! 

Banana Chip Bran Muffins:

 

Ingredients (makes 6):
- 1/2 banana
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup Whey protein
- 1/2 cup bran (if you don't have this, grind up All-Bran cereal)
- 1/2 tbsp baking soda
- 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/8 cup sugar
- chocolate chips and/or nuts of your choice


Instructions:
1. Preheat to 350
2. Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately (excluding chocolate chips and nuts)
3. Combine the two mixtures, mix well.
4. Add in the chocolate/nuts
5. Fill a muffin tray with the mixtures.
6. Bake for about 20 mins (or until a toothpick comes out clean)
7. ENJOY!


Nutrition Facts (per muffin):
85 cals, 1.3g fat, 15g carbs (most is fibre!), 6g protein


How's that as a treat for breakfast? Much better than Tim's loaded-with-fat muffins!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Bran Muffins

Ingredients:
- 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup bran (or ground All-Bran cereal)
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1/2 banana
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed






Instructions:
1. Preheat to 400
2. Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately (excluding the blueberries).
3. Combine the two mixtures, and mix well.
4. Add the blueberries.
5. Fill 6 muffin trays with the mixture.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Enjoy a very good-for-you muffin!


Nutritional Info (per muffin):
170 cals, 2.6 g fat, 34g carbs, 6g protein

So try out these alternatives to the traditional muffin!

Peanut Butter Paradise

As everyone knows, I am a PB addict! So it's never a surprise when I decide to experiment with my favourite food. I made Skinny Peanut Butter Cookies and Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies. Read on to learn to make these delectable goodies!

Skinny Peanut Butter Cookies

Perfect for a PB addict ♥

What you'll need (Makes about 25 cookies):
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt

What you need to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350
2. Mix together the PB, applesauce, and sugars.
3. Beat in the egg and milk
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
5. Mix the two mixtures together.
6. Spoon the mixture onto a cookie sheet. Bake for about 14 mins

and THERE YA GO. The bestest PB cookies you'll ever have :)


NUTRITION INFO (per cookie):
48 cals, 2g of fat, 6.7g of carbs, 1.3g of protein

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

What you're gonna need (makes 16):

- 1/2 cup of the goods (PB)

Not only do they taste amazing - they look pretty too!

- 3/4 cup yogurt

- 1/4 cup milk

- 1 egg

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup cocoa

- 1/2 cup oatmeal

What you gotta do:

1. Preheat to 350

2. Mix everything except the PB in a food processor (I used my handy Magic Bullet)

3. Spray a 8x8 pan with cooking spray, and put the mixture in the pan.

4. Melt the PB in the microwave for 30 seconds.

5. Drizzle the PB on the batter, and make a marble design by dragging a knife through the batter.

5. Bake for about 25 minutes.

6. Let the batter cool before cutting it into squares.

Yuuuuuummmy!

NUTRITIONAL INFO (per brownie):

71 cals, 2.5g of fat, 10g carbs, 3.25g protein.

So there ya have it folks. Peanut butter treats that are sure to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth! Try 'em out!

Apple Cinnamon Spice, and Everything Nice.

Wanna try making a low-cal HEALTHY cookie that's still sweet and satisfying? Look no further! These Apple-Cinnamon-Oat cookies are the perfect fit :)

What You Need:

- 1/2 cup Sugar

- 1/2 cup Applesauce 

- 1/2 cup egg whites 

- 1 tsp baking powder 

- 1 tsp Cinnamon 

- 1/2 tsp Salt 

- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg 

- 2 cups Oats 

- 1 cup chopped apples

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350

2. Mix together the sugar and applesauce. Then beat in the egg whites.

3. Mix together the dry ingredients. Then add to the applesauce mixture.

4. Mix the apples into the mixture.

5. Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto a cookie sheet.

6. Bake for about 14 minutes!

and VOILA. A yummy treat :)

NUTRITION FACTS (per cookie):

52 calories, .5g of fat, 6.5g of carbs, 1.2g of protein

Chillin' in No Time

Being a student, I have a stash of canned beans and other veggies stowed in my closet. One way to get rid of them in a nutritious and delicious way? Chili.


So easy to make, and loaded with protein!
Here's whatchya need (Makes about 4 1-1/2 cup servings):


1/2 can chickpeas (drained, rinsed)
3/4 can black beans (drained, rinsed)
1 can kidney beans (drained, rinsed)
1 can corn (drained, rinsed)
1 can sliced mushrooms (drained, rinsed)
2 onions, diced
Salsa
Ketchup (optional)
BBQ sauce (optional)
Additional sauce of your choice
Spices of your choice (I chose garlic powder, cayenne pepper, & black pepper)
1 tbsp olive oil
And if you're a meat-eater, 1 lb extra lean ground beef/chicken/turkey (whatever your preference is)


Here's whatchya gotta do:
1. Heat up that olive oil on medium heat. Add in the meat if you've chosen to use some. Mix in the onion.
2. Drain and rinse all the beans, corn, and mushrooms (getting rid of extra and unnecessary sodium that you don't need!). Add them to the pot.
3. Add in the salsa, and other sauces you may decide to use. Mix in ketchup and BBQ sauce (these add sweetness, but not necessary ingredients)
4. Also the chili to simmer on low heat for about 50 mins. 
5. Stir in additional spices to your preference.


VOILA! You're done!

A few notes:
- feel free to add veggies such as peppers, carrots, and celery
- cayenne pepper adds a nice kick! And also boosts your metabolism. But remember - the longer cayenne heats, the spicier it gets. So keep that in mind when deciding when to mix it in.
- feel free to use whatever beans you prefer! The ones listed above just happened to be the ones in my stash.


The calories in this chili mostly come from protein and healthy carbs. BE CAREFUL though - depending on what sauces you choose to use may hike up that calorie count! Try to use ones with relatively low sugar content.


My food critic was a pretty big fan of my rendition of the chili.

Golden Cookies

So remember how I said I love peanut butter? I got a craving for it tonight (what else is new), so I whipped up these delicious peanut butter-oatmeal cookies!

They only took about 15 minutes to make, and even that was too long for me to wait to eat them!

What you're gonna need:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup oatmeal

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1 egg

3 tbsp applesauce

cinnamon (optional, to your preference)

What you need to do:

1. preheat the oven to 375

2. combine the flour, oatmeal salt, cinnamon and baking soda in one bowl.

3. Beat the peanut butter, honey, applesauce, and egg in another.

4. Mix the 2 bowls, and beat them together.

5. On a cookie sheet, scoop the mixture into about 1 tbsp balls.

6. Bake 'em for about 12 minutes

This recipe made me 26 cookies

By the time I took this picture (about 3 min after coming out of the oven), I had already eaten three of them!

These tasty little bunches of goodness came out to about 86 cal each!

I know what I'm eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner tomorrow!

:)

A Colourful Meal

To put it blatantly, I was bored tonight and looking for a new and bold-tasting meal. And I definitely created one!

"What is this delicious looking creation?" you ask. Well, it's stuffed zucchini, honey mustard-glazed veggies, and spicy shrimp teriyaki. It's pretty low-cal considering the mass amounts of flavour you get. I'll post the nutrition info as I go on.

To make this marvelous meal, continue reading...

Note that all these ingredients are for one serving. So add as you need them.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI (make this first so it can bake while you prep the other dishes):

You will need:

1 zucchini

1/4 red pepper, diced

1 green onion, chopped

1 tbsp pesto

3 tbsp Ricotta Cheese Light

1 tbsp of bacon bits

1. Preheat the over to 375

2. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds to make a trench.

3. Chop up what you've removed from the zucchini. Mix it with the diced pepper and green onion.

4. Add the Ricotta, pesto, and bacon bits to the veggies.

5. Scoop this mixture into the trenches of the zucchini.

6. Bake for about 30 mins, or until the outer zucchini softens. 

Nutrition: 151 calories, 7.5g of fat, 10g of carbs, 6.5g of protein

HONEY MUSTARD-GLAZED VEGGIES:

You'll need:

About 15 baby carrots

1/2 red pepper

1/2 cup frozen cut green beans

3 tbsp honey mustard

What to do:

1. Boil the carrots and beans until tender.

2. Add in the pepper.

3. Stir in the honey mustard

(too easy)

Nutrition Info: 192 cals, 1g of fat, 35g of carbs, 3g of protein

SPICY SHRIMP TERIYAKI:

What you'll need:

3 oz shrimp (about 6 oz when frozen)

1 1/2 tbsp ketchup

1/4 tbsp honey

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1 green onion, chopped

cayenne pepper, to your preference

ginger, to your preference

black pepper, to your preference

Procedure:
1. Boil the shrimp until they turn pink. Remove the tails.
2. While they boil, mix the ketchup, honey, soy sauce, and any of the spices you chose to add.
3. Once the shrimp are boiled, strain them.
4. Toss them in a pan with the onions and garlic for about 10 mins
5. Remove from heat, and add the saucey mixture. Mix until coated.


Nutrition Info: 83cal, 1g of fat, 9.5g of carbs, 16g of protein




Total Nutrition info of the entire meal:
426 cal, 8.5g of fat, 54.5g of carbs, 25.5g of protein




Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me! Try making one, two, or all three of these deeeelicious dishes. Packed with flavour, good-for-you calories, and tons of nutrients! And as a bonus, it presents itself nicely with its abundance of colours!


:)

Not-So-Plain Yogurt

I absolutely love love LOVE yogurt! It's so diverse, and you can eat it in so many ways! Mixed with granola, berries, flax seed, nuts, as pancake spread, and in shakes. 
A few months ago, I began eating Source yogurt like there was no tomorrow. I always bought their single-sized serving packs - usually from the "Stirred" (Strawberry and Vanilla) collection, which I ate daily. Then I ventured off into their "Dessert" selection and fell even more in love (they're all delicious).
Just this month, though, I found and bought from their "Exotik" selection (Pineapple-Coconut-Banana). UNBELIEVABLE.
This yogurt is TO DIE FOR. And best of all - it's GOOD FOR YOU.


Per 1/3 cup serving:
35 cals
NO fat
5 g of carbs
4 g of protein
10% of daily calcium (which is great for me because I don't drink milk often)
ASPARTAME-FREE


This is what my current collection looks like:

Pineapple-Coconut Banana, Lemon Meringue Parfait, and Vanilla

As you can see, I upgraded to the 650g tubs since I go through this stuff so quickly!

Mmm, honestly if you're a yogurt-lover like myself (or even if you're not), BUY THESE. They're so full of flavour, you forget it's yogurt! Tastes more like dessert - and you can eat it GUILTLESSLY.


Go go go go go and buy buy buy buy buy! Try all the flavours, you will NOT regret it!


Click here for the full list of flavours: http://www.yoplait.ca/source/en/source.aspx

A Sweet, Light, and Satisfying Snack

If you're anything like me,  you spend your last hours awake rummaging through your cupboards - looking for ANYTHING to quench that hard-to-satisfy craving.


I just made this discovery tonight, and it's only 5 calories (ya, you heard me right!)
Snack Pack's gelatin snacks.

These sweet and satisfying treats are naturally fat-free. There is only one gram of carbs, and it comes from fibre! And since the body doesn't digest fibre, you can think of it has virtually calorie-free!

This is definitely one of the best ways to scratch my late-night sweet craving.

A serious must-have for me from now on!

Cupcake Delight

Who doesn't love cupcakes?
I wanted to made some for a friend's birthday the other day, but I didn't have many of the ingredients I needed and the rain wasn't pleasant to go run errands in. So... I modified the recipe in order to make it work. Take a look at these sweet-looking cupcakes and tell me how irresistible they look...

These are wonderfully delicious strawberry-raspberry-cocoa cupcakes! I didn't have any whipped topping mix, so I invented a cream cheese frosting. Read on for the recipe!

CUPCAKES (makes 10):

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup cocoa

4 tbsp Becel (or about 1/3 cup of applesauce if you wanna be healthier)

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/8 cup milk

strawberries (optional)

raspberries (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350

2. Mix the flour, baking soda, cocoa, and salt.

3. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Add one egg into the butter/sugar mixture - beat it in completely. Then add the other egg, and beat it completely. Add the milk, and mix (low speed).

5. Add the flour mixture, beat thoroughly.

6. If you'd like, dice up strawberries and/or raspberries. Mix them into the mixture.

7. Place cupcake wrappers into a muffin tray, and fill the wrappers halfway with the batter.

8. Bake 20 mins

9. Frost them, and garnish them with strawberries/raspberries if you'd like

FROSTING:

1/4 cup becel

3 oz strawberry cream cheese (opt for light)

1/4 cup sugar

*3 tbsp strawberry jam (optional)

1. Mix all ingredients well.

* Because cream cheese has that "cheesy" flavour, adding the jam will add sweetness and take away that strong taste. You may decide to add more or less jam depending on your taste buds.

Try them out! So easy to make, and they turn out moist and yummy!

The Perfect Fall Dinner

As all us students know, 'tis the Midterm Season. This means that I PROCRASTINATE LIKE NO OTHER. The most productive method of procrastination? Cooking!


Tonight I decided to make a butternut squash soup and a tofu-broccoli crustless quiche!


BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP (SO SO easy!):
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
4 small onions
1 tsp ginger
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Spices of your choice


What to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Cut the squash in half. This is easiest if you make a 1 cm full length cut along one side, and then microwave the squash for about 5 mins. Then cut it all the way through.
3. Scoop out the seeds. If you want to use the squash skin as a bowl, scoop out the squash - leaving about a quarter inch around the edges for a thick, sturdy bowl.
4. Dice the onions, and mix them in a bowl with the scooped squash, olive oil, ginger, and salt.
5. Throw this mixture into an oven safe pan, and bake them for about 50 mins. Take 'em out, and cool for about 10 mins.
6. Mix the baked veggies with the chicken broth. Toss the mixture into a blender until it reaches your desired texture. I like mine a little thick and creamy.
7. Scoop the soup into a pot, and cook on medium heat for about 5 mins. You can add additional spices here if you wish. I used garlic powder and cayenne pepper.
8. Scoop the soup into the squash skin bowls that you made earlier (or regular bowls if you weren't feeling the squash bowls).
9. Garnish if you wish! I sprinkled black pepper and cut up green onion on mine.

I chose to serve this soup as a side dish to quiche. This was the first time I ever attempted making quiche, and let me assure you - it's too simple! I decided to to try making a crustless one to cut the carbs. Read on...


What you'll need:
1/3 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/8 cup margarine
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 block of firm tofu, crumbled
2 onions, diced
1/4 cup parmasean cheese
1 cup milk (opt for low-fat)
2 eggs
cooking spray


What to do:
1. Preheat the over to 400. Spray a round tray with the cooking spray. I used an 8-inch diameter tray.
2. Mix the broccoli, tofu, onions, and cheese together, and place them in the cooking dish. Flatten as best as you can.
3. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and margarine with your hands until it gets a crumb-like texture.
4. Then mix the flour mixture with the milk and eggs. Whisk well.
5. Pour the milky mixture on top of the broccoli/tofu/onion/cheese layer.
6. Bake for about 35min or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool for about 5 mins before serving.

I was very impressed by both how extremely easy this was to make, and how well it turned out.

The soup and quiche taste amazing together, and really make a super filling dinner! I teamed mine up with a hummus platter, and a mango-grape-pecan-spinach salad to make a complete and filling dinner.

So enjoy the fall, and expand your kitchen skills! This is a to-die-for meal that's both cheap and easy! Eat up! :)

Oh-So-Easy Orange Trifle

I just happen to ADORE orange-flavoured desserts (well, most desserts in general), so I HAD to try this one out. Again, it's made with Angel Food Cake - yay for low-fat desserts! Read on...


Ingredients:
Angel Food Cake
1 pack of vanilla instant pudding (use for sugar-free if you'd like)
1 tbsp grated orange peel
4 oz whipped topping
6 tbsp orange juice
1/4 cup sliced almonds


What to do:
1. Prepare the Angel Food Cake as the box instructs
2. Once baked and cooled, cut the cake into 1-inch cubes
3. Prepare the pudding as the packing instructs 
4. Once the pudding is made, mix the orange peel and half of the whipped topping into it.
5. Place a third of the cake cubes into a deep serving dish
6. Sprinkle this layer with 2 tbsp of orange juice, and spread 1/3 of the pudding mixture over top of it. Repeat twice
7. Spread the leftover whipped topping over top. Garnish with the sliced almonds.

Voila! A yummy low-fat, low-cal dessert! 4g of fat and 175 cals per 2/3 cup serving. That's what I call magnificent :)

Strawberry Angel Food Cake

This cake is an absolute treat! And since it's made with angel food cake, it's super low-fat!


What you're gonna need to make this heavenly cake:
1 pack of strawberry Jell-o (opt for sugar free if you're watching those sugar levels)
1 pint of strawberries
1 package (8 oz) of whipped topping (I use Nutriwhip)
1 pack of Angel Food Cake


Follow these instructions:
1. Make the Angel Food Cake according to the box's instructions. Make sure the cake FULLY COOLS before you do anything with it. Angel Food Cake is extremely delicate.
2. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, and stir in the Jell-o until it's dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup of cold water, and refrigerate until THICKENED - not SET.
3. Slice strawberries, and save a few if you want to garnish the finished cake with them.
4. Mix the sliced strawberries into half of the whipped topping and refrigerate until THICKENED.
5. Cut the Angel Food Cake in half horizontally (you can do this once or twice, depending on how many layers you want).
6. Mix the strawberry/whipped topping mixture into the Jell-o. Spread it into the layers of the cake.
7. Assemble the cake layers.
8. Use the remaining whipped topping to cover the cake. Garnish with strawberries if you'd like.

Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have of mine. T'was deeelicious though!

Try it out :)

Simple Spinach Dip

Prepare yourself for the easiest appetizer ever! Spinach dip!
I am a huge dipper, and love anything I can scoop up onto a cracker. So I decided to try my tricks on spinach dip.


What you'll need:
About 1 cup of cottage cheese
3 tbsp herb & garlic cream cheese
1/2 cup frozen spinach
1/4 cup Ricotta (optional)
Garlic (I used 3 cloves since I LOOOOVE garlic. But use how ever much you like)


All you need to do is defrost the spinach, cut up the garlic, throw everything into a blender, and let the blender work its magic. Just be careful of the spinach, though - it tends to get tangled in the blades of the blender.
Add some pepper, onion powder, or chili powder if you'd like.
I really wish I had bacon bits to mix into mine. That woulda taken it to a whole new level.

Serve with pitas, crackers, pretzels, or even veggies!

This is a super healthy appetizer or snack, and it's high in protein from the cottage cheese!

Try it out - this recipe is fool-proof, and allows you the opportunity to add seasonings and make it your own!

:)

Must-Have Treats

I've decided to share some of my must-have treats with you. These are always stocked on my shelves, and are - of course - so delicious, and a real treat! As with everything on my blog, they are healthy options to common foods!

Read, and enjoy!

THE BEST GRANOLA EVER. Honestly. This stuff is insanely good. It comes in a bunch of flavours of mixed nuts/seeds and dried fruit, but this one is my fave - the blueberries add the perfect amount of sweetness. It's also a decent serving of fibre. "Where can I buy this?" you may be asking. The only place I've found this brand is at Winners/Homesense. I've tried looking online for other retailers, but I can't seem to find any others. If you can get your hands on this, take it and run!

I could never eat chips with a guiltless conscience until I found these! Another Winners/Homesense buy. These crispy chips are made of baked hummus - taking the carb count down to only 17g per serving! They also come in Roasted Red Pepper, Sesame Garlic, and Sea Salt. But these Olive Oil-Lemon-Feta ones have me hooked.

Good ol' oatmeal! What's so great about this one, you ask? Well, as you can see, I bought it for just $2 from Dollarama! That's a steal if I ever did see one. Also, the cal count is 130 per 1/3 cup vs the 150 per 1/4 cup of most popular brands! Bonus!

Hope you all enjoyed these little treats, and go off to buy 'n try them! Keep your eyes opened for more great products!