Gluten & Lactose Free Blueberry Banana Coffeecake

Mini Post: Banana Blue Corn Muffins

A quick and easy muffin recipe. Great for Sunday brunch, or weekday breakfast on the go. 


Banana Blue Corn Muffins
(makes 12 servings)
(130 calories per serving)

1 package Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk (or soy milk)
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1 tbs honey
1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix all ingredients. Pour into paper-lined and greased muffin-tin. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.

2. Enjoy!

Sweets: Chocolate Mousse

Lately, one of my favorite ingredients is 2% Greek Yogurt!! I love the tangy taste. It's a little sweeter than sour cream. It's low fat, low calories. I use it in a lot of cooking and things have been turning out well. The latest and greatest substitution is for heavy cream. Granted, this Chocolate Mousse would not be indistinguishable if tasted next to the real deal. But this isn't a taste test. It's an idea to literally let you have your cake and eat it too... without feeling quite as guilty.

I love this mousse, especially when combined with the raspberry jam and Chocolate Bread. This recipe makes enough to serve as a spread for the Chocolate Bread. However, you can enjoy it without the bread. Eat it plain or top with fruit!

I must warn that techniques and equipment used are not basic, but certainly not advanced. Have fun!

Sweets: Chocolate Bread topped with Raspberry Jam and Chocolate Mousse

As I mentioned, earlier this week, I'm on a mission to bake a healthier cookie. I mean a classic chocolate chip ooey gooey classic made healthy.... Still working on it.... Along the way, I've created some other great eats like the Apple Butter Pork Chops that I made earlier this week. I also made this amazing Chocolate Bread and topped it with Raspberry Jam and Chocolate Mousse! I'm loving this Apple Butter. This recipe comes out to about 265 calories per serving. If I had used the appropriate amount of actual butter, it would have been 425 calories per serving!! That's 160 calories that you can spend on something else. And you won't miss the butter, I promise.

So what's Chocolate Bread? Well, its something that was meant to be a cake but came out more like banana bread. Whoops! I'm calling it "bread" to set expectations here. If you think bread on that first bite, it's really delicious. This is husband approved!

Sweets: Cran-Apple Quinoa Cake

I recently joined FoodBuzz and am now connected to tons of great people with fantastic food blogs of their own. I found a recipe for Apple Quinoa Cake and just had to try it. My husband and I love quinoa in savory dishes but have never tried it in something sweet. I didn't have all the ingredients on hand, so this is my adaptation. I love the texture. It's very hearty. Something similar to a dense banana bread. Enjoy!

Adapted from Anjas Food 4 Thought

Snacks: Chocolate Brownies

Now I have your attention. Mmmm Chocolate. This one is an idea inspired by my mom-in-law (Thanks!). There's tons of ways to make a standard box cake mix lower in fat and calories. My favorite substitute.... Greek Yogurt! Surprised?

In this photo, I used No Pudge Fat Free Brownie Mix. You can also use any brand of Devil's Food Cake mix. Both recipes are shown below.

Mom-in-law shared this website:
http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1543
It lists a few other things to add to cake mixes. All are interesting ideas that I'd like to try. The pumpkin idea sounds like a spot hitter, especially around Thanksgiving.

Snacks: Pita Chips

There's lots of different kinds of pita breads out there. I found one that's delicious and nutritious (and only 60 calories per pita!). Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran, and Whole Wheat pitas. Sounds like it should taste like and have similar texture to cardboard, but it's quite soft and tastes great. The ideas of things to make with pita bread are just endless. Last night we watched a movie and were craving chips. Hubby wanted something salty, and I wanted something sweet. Neither wanted oily, greasy, deep-fried chips. Don't be fooled by the pita chips you can buy in the grocery store. Compare the label to regular chips. They're all deep-fried or are dipped in oil before baking, so they are still about 130+ calories for a handful.

Pita Chips
(makes 1 serving)
(60 -70 calories per serving)

1. Cut a pita bread in half the skinny way. You should end up with two circles.

2. Then cut each circle into 8 triangles (should have 16 total triangles).

3. Top with whatever spices suit your mood. (see below)

4. Place on a tin-foil-lined cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

5. Bake for about 4 -5 minutes at 350 degrees

6. Enjoy!

Spice Ideas

If you're in the mood for sweets, try 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar and a dash of cinnamon. (the sugar adds about 10 calories)

If you're in the mood for savory try:
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of italian seasoning, or
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of taco seasoning, or
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of chilli powder, or
keep it simple and go with salt and pepper.

Marathon Cookies

This recipe is from a coworker who is a marathon runner. One day he brought in these things that he called cookies. They are hearty and so packed with stuff that they barely resemble 'cookies', but they are delicious and they are good for you. They are packed with good fats and proteins and grains and all kinds of other stuff. I figured I'd make them for my hubby, who is also a marathon runner. He loves them!

I must disclaim that these are NOT low fat. They are instead, good fat. They are great for a quick fix to a sweet tooth, or to tide you over until dinner is ready post-run. Just don't think that you can sit down and eat an entire batch with no consequence.

Here's a good article about good and bad fats:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/skinny-fat-good-fats-bad-fats

Here's the recipe already!!!

1.5 cups whole wheat flour
0.5 tbsp baking soda
dash of cinnamon
dash of cardamom
1 cups apple sauce
0.5 cup organic sugar
0.5 cup organic brown sugar
2 ripe bananas
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
3.5 cups oats
0.5 cups steel cut oats
2 or 3 handfuls chocolate chips
1 handful almonds
0.25cups flax seeds
1 small handful walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Mix flour, baking soda and spices in small bowl. Use whatever spices you like and have at hand. If it's fall, go for some pumpkin pie spice.

2. In a mixer, beat/cream the bananas with the sugars. Add the applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. The bananas are used to sweeten the cookies. Use ripe bananas (almost black peels). Add more bananas to use less sugar.

3. Combine the dry ingredients with the banana mix. Once a sticky dough is formed, add the oats, nuts, chocolate chips and seeds until they are well incorporated. It's a pretty chunky batter.

4. Plop tablespoon-sized mounds onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 - 15 minutes (depending on how many sheets of cookies you put in at once).

5. This recipe makes about 3 dozen. These are delicious right out of the oven. Or you can let the cookies cool completely. Wrap some with wax paper and stuff into a ziplock bag. They freeze very well. Then you can take out just enough for the week so you're not tempted to eat all 36 before they spoil. :)

Enjoy!