Vegetarian Egg White Frittata

This is your new power meal. Let me break down the stats for you:
Calories: 170
Fat: 2.8 grams
Protein: 27

I mean, this meal is not playing around. I wanted to have something that was filling and satisfying, without a lot of fat and low calories. This is truly filling and won't leave you hungry. The eggs give it a breakfast feel, but it's really a dish that can be eaten for lunch or dinner. If you need to have some carbs with it, stick to a whole grain toast or maybe a wheat tortilla. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS: (makes 1 serving)
6 eggs white
1 cup spinach
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/8 cup cheese (I used a mozzarella/asiago mix)
salsa (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a bowl, mix together the first three ingredients, until the egg whites are evenly distributed
3. Pour egg mixture into a baking dish, top with cheese and salt/pepper
4. Bake for 20 minutes, or until egg white are white throughout
5. Top with salsa

Chocolate Pancakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter sauce

I don't even need an explanation for this one. Chocolate AND pancakes??? What more could you ask for?

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

For the pancakes:
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup all purpose flour2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp melted butter
1. Combine the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. Whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla and melted butter. Slowly add in the dry ingredients until JUST COMBINED. Don't overmix unless you want chewy, tough pancakes.

3. Cook on a medium-high griddle or pan with 1 tsp of oil or butter. About 1 minutes on each side.

For the sauce:
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (or whatever kind of chocolate you have)
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp butter

Heat ingredients over low in a saucepan until melted and smooth. Lick the spoon, and then apply to pancakes. : )

Cranberry Granola

Contrary to popular belief, granola is actually not very good for you. It's full of sugar, but people think "Oh granola! That's good for me! I will eat 3 cups of it!" It's not meant to be eaten like cereal, bowl after bowl. It's meant to be used in MODERATION (a key word I'm trying to apply to every day life...) to give you some essential fats and complex carbs. Otherwise you're going to load up on the calories and sugars without even knowing it. I mixed this with plain, organic yogurt, just enough to give it texture, and it was something I could feel good about.

Now, on a lighter note, it's delicious! Granola is nice because you can utilize just about anything you have laying around, be it fruit, nuts, grains, etc. I made cranberry because we had a big bag of dried cranberries and a bottle of cranberry juice, but you can really mix it up to use up whatever you have. It's easy and will last. Put it in a ziploc and freeze extras which will last for weeks. Or, as I like to do, share it! Bring it to work, or put it in a nice jar and give it as a gift.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups rolled oats (NOT the silly instant kind, the old fashioned ones)
1 cup sunflower seeds ( I didn't have raw, so I used roasted, salted)
1/2 cup almonds (or any other nut you have)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup canola oil (and extra to coat the pan)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup juice (I used cranberry)
1 tbsp honey

1. Preheat oven to 400 and grease a large cake pan with canola oil.

2. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl (ingredients 1-7) and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the final 4 wet ingredients.

4. Pour the dry ingredients into the pan. It should be about 1 inch thick.

5. Pour wet ingredients over the dry and mix slightly.

6. Bake for 45-60 minutes, mixing every 15 minutes. Be sure to scrape the sides into the middle to avoid burning.

Ultimate low-fat high-protein omelette

Usually omelets are used for breakfast, but I would recommend this particular one for lunch or dinner. I'll admit, I've eaten it two days in a row because (a) it's not too heavy so I can eat it after a long run and (b) it's full of protein and just enough fat to satisfy me. Because of that, I thought it might be worth sharing! There are no egg yolks (gasp!), but you won't miss them! I put them on some toast to get some good carbs in, but it would be filling as is. The whole recipe is less than 200 calories and loaded with protein!

Super fast, super easy! (Who am I, Rachel Ray?) :)

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1/3 cup shredded chicken
1 plum tomato, sliced thin
2 tbsp shredded asiago cheese
fresh cracked black pepper
sea salt
(optional) red pepper flakes (I decided to add a little spice!)

1. Heat a small pan to medium and put either 1/2 tbsp of olive oil or butter on the pan to heat, or use a non-stick spray (I used the non-stick to cut back on unnecessary fat)
2. Crack eggs and separate whites. Layer whites, tomatoes, chicken, cheese and seasonings and cover. Let cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on temperature of the pan, until whites have become opaque.

Bacon Gravy: naughty southern goodness

Most people have noticed by now that bacon has gotten trendy. I see bacon in everything: cupcakes, ice cream, coffee...it's crazy! However, this recipe is anything but trendy. This is a southern tradition. If you order biscuits and gravy at a restaurant, you will most likely get a sausage gravy. Although I like it, there's no comparison to that bacon flavor, saturating your buttery biscuit! (That's right, forget that diet for today! )

I've always been happy with the bisquick biscuit mix, but there are unlimited choices for how to make your own from-scratch biscuits. This is really very simple, if you've never made a gravy before. Only 4 ingredients. Also, use your salt liberally, because there are few things more disappointing than a floury, watery gravy.

You won't be finding this in any hoity toity restaurant anytime soon, but for now you can enjoy an unpretentious, soulful southern treat.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: (makes 2 ample servings!)
-10 strips bacon
-1/2 cup flour
-1 1/4 cup milk
-salt and pepper to taste.

1. Heat pan to medium high heat, and let bacon cook for 8-10 minutes, making sure each strip gets crispy.









2. Remove bacon from pan, reduce pan with grease heat to low. Place bacon on a paper towel, to soak up extra grease.








3. Once grease has cooled 2-3 minutes, add in flour to create a roux. The finished product should have a pasty texture.

4. Slowly add in milk, until the milk and roux is well incorporated. Add in salt and pepper to taste.

5. Coarsely cut the darker portion of 5 strips of bacon, and add in the gravy.

6. Generously add to biscuits and enjoy!