fighting the fat, one delicious meal at a time

Breakfast

Healthy Breakfast, Made Easy: Apple-Craisin Oatmeal with Maple Syrup

On January 5, 2013   /   Breakfast, Low-Fat, Vegetarian   /   Leave a comment

Apple Craisin Oatmeal with Maple Syrup
I love to cook. I live for it. When I’m stressed or feeling down, cooking is what makes me feel better. That being said, I am very rarely in the mood for an involved breakfast recipe. It’s just too early in the day to be dealing with a bunch of pots and pans. On a daily basis, my breakfast is something like this apple-craisin oatmeal.

Oatmeal is a fantastic way to start the day, especially on a bitterly cold January morning. Usually I go for old-fashioned oats, but quick-cooking oats definitely have their place too. They have basically identical nutritional stats; quick-cooking oats are just slightly more processed. They are cut smaller so that they take less time to prepare. Quick-cooking oats also have a different texture — they are much smoother than old-fashioned oats. That smoothness works really well in this recipe.

Oatmeal is always a simple dish, but I think this apple-craisin oatmeal is especially awesome because you get so much flavor after putting in so little effort. It’s the fresh apple that’s the key. As it cooks down, the apple softens and imparts its delicious sweetness to the oatmeal underneath. A touch of sugar-free maple syrup brings even more warmth to the dish, and the chewy, slightly tart craisins bring everything together.

This recipe yields an enormous bowl of food for just 275 calories. Simple, satisfying, and totally guilt-free — just how we like it, right? Here’s how to put this tasty apple-craisin oatmeal together Read more… →

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Birthday Cake Oatmeal

On November 3, 2012   /   Breakfast, Desserts, Low-Fat, Vegetarian   /   Leave a comment

I like sweet things in the morning: toast with jam and butter, pancakes, waffles, muffins… I just want sugar in my bloodstream, and I want it as soon as I can get it. So, for my birthday yesterday, I knew I had to treat myself to an extra sweet and delicious breakfast. I still had to go to work though, so I didn’t have time for some long elaborate recipe. What’s a girl-on-the-go to do?

Three words: birthday cake oatmeal. I can’t believe I never made this before! It was the perfect start to a magical birthday. The oatmeal is tasty of course, but it’s really the frosting that makes this breakfast so good. In fact, I’ve made myself no less than three bowls of JUST the frosting since yesterday. And you know what? I have absolutely no guilt about it. The frosting is actually super nutritious! Ready for the secret ingredient? Read more… →

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Healthy Baking: Low-Fat Cranberry-Pumpkin Bread

On October 18, 2012   /   Appetizers and Snacks, Breakfast, Desserts, Low-Fat, Vegetarian   /   Leave a comment

I’ve been meaning to make this pumpkin bread for a couple of weeks now, but I couldn’t get myself in the right mindset for some reason. I tend to think of myself as a “cook” and not a “baker”, so sometimes it’s hard for me to get motivated to pull out the flour and measuring cups. However, when I woke up this morning and walked to the office, I knew it was a pumpkin bread kind of day — sunny and crisp, and all those pretty leaves piling up on the sidewalk. I raced home after work and started baking straight away.

I cannot believe it took me so long to make this pumpkin bread. It is so, so good. You would never guess that this recipe is low-fat. It’s moist and dense, with the cranberries imparting just the right amount of tartness. The oats toast beautifully in the oven — they add textural diversity and make the bread look extra-special.

The most amazing thing about this recipe? The stats. One huge slice has less than 150 calories! Here’s how to put this delicious, guilt-free pumpkin bread together. Read more… →

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No-Cook Breakfast: Honeydew with Cinnamon-Raisin Cottage Cheese

On September 8, 2012   /   Appetizers and Snacks, Breakfast, Low-Fat, Vegetarian   /   Leave a comment

 

As much as I love it, it’s rare for me to actually cook anything for breakfast. Usually, I just have a lavash spread with cream cheese and some sort of jam with some fruit on the side. To change things up a bit, this morning I decided to forgo my usual (read: boring) breakfast and go for something a little different.

This no-cook breakfast is just as easy to prepare as a bowl of sugary cereal or a pop tart, but it’s so much better for you! Fresh honeydew, topped with cinnamony cottage cheese with raisins? What’s not to like? I was satisfied with just this bowl of deliciousness, but if you’re the kind of person that needs bread in the morning, just toast up a slice of light bread to have on the side. This breakfast would also be great on the go — throw it in a plastic container and you’re out the door. Read more… →

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No-Fuss, Lightened Up Banana Bread

On June 4, 2012   /   Appetizers and Snacks, Breakfast, Low-Fat   /   1 Comment

Banana bread is in the same category as pancakes for me — tasty for a few bites, but so heavy that it quickly becomes hard to enjoy. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), this banana bread sidesteps the stone-in-the-stomach curse. It still has the signature banana-y moistness of traditional banana bread, but it’s so much lighter.

I made this banana bread without any of the usual add-ins, so this recipe is easily adaptable to whatever kind of banana bread you want. For an added crunch, walnuts, almonds, or pistachios would all work wonderfully. For more sweetness and chewiness, toss in your favorite dried fruit — raisins, cherries, or cranberries, for example. You could even add in a handful of chocolate chips while no one is looking.

This banana bread is wonderful on its own, but it’s extra yummy with a thin layer of nutella spread on top. Serve it with a ton of fresh fruit for a nutritious breakfast or for an anytime snack. Here’s how to put this lightened up banana bread together. Read more… →

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