Those of you who know me know I have a sweet tooth, I love to bake, and like to have fast food around the house to grab and eat as I go. Just before we went to Portugal I was seriously craving chocolate chip dried cranberry scones based on this recipe by the American Cupcake in London. They are delicious, but I was trying to be healthy and looked for a different option. Though I had seen oatmeal bakes on pinterest in several different forms, but none of them seemed quite right. I wanted something portable (to take to the airport in the morning with us). I also wanted something low in fat and sugar, that I would not feel guilty about eating but also to hit my sweet tooth cravings. After surfing numerous recipes, I came up with my own:
2 cups oats
2 bananas mashed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1/2 cup whole wheate flour
2 Tablespoons ground almonds
1 cup milk (semi-skimmed/2%)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons applebutter
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup walnuts
This was a TOTAL experiment and they turned out really goood. I started with bananas and eggs then added other ingredients in as I went. I was so surprised the worked (mostly). After mixing everything together, I placed in cupcake liners and baked them for about 25 minutes at 350 F (170 C), check them at approximately 18-22 minutes to see if they are done by placing a toothpick in and making sure it comes out clean, you don't want an under or over cooked muffin.
They tasted great, they were not too dense, hit my sweet tooth with just enough chocolate and dried cranberries, there was only one problem. There was so little fat in them that they stuck in the paper liners. They tasted so good though, we peeled off as much as we could and figured a little extra ruffage wouldn't hurt us. Next time I make them I will try them in a silicone baking tray with no liners.
I can't believe I don't have any pictures of the finished product! That is so not like me, between the iPad and my camera, I have pictures of everything in my life lol.
I hope you try them anyway, send in your pictures if you do!
Showing posts with label healthy cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy cooking. Show all posts
Monday, 11 March 2013
Friday, 22 June 2012
AmSub Grub! Tropical Flavors
One of the things I had been looking forward to in Florida was lighter food. Even though I make salads for supper several days a week at home in England, we still have a couple of meals where comfort food seems to rule. When it is cold and wet outside, mashed potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, and homemade baked goods seem to make it more bearable.
I learned some great new recipes from a friend of mine while she visited us on the island. I hope to repeat them at home if it ever stops raining or I am just a bit homesick for Florida!
One of the great things about these recipes is how easy they are. My friend R who spotted the injured hawk, not only shared them, but prepared them for us during her visit. Now for those of you who know R, she has not been known for her culinary skills. She works multiple jobs, has long hours, and racks up a ton of miles driving all around Florida in the aid of sick and injured sea turtles. Convenience used to be the most important factor, so fast food drive throughs would win out over home cooked meals. They would for most of us when driving 10+ hours in a day. Knowing even someone with that kind of schedule can make great tasting and healthy food gives hope to us all!
Our supper consisted of chicken with citrus and avocado salsa and mango salsa with whole grain tortilla chips for "dessert". Now we didn't have exactly what the recipes called for, but it didn't matter, they still tasted great.
She started by making the mango salsa and enlisted me to assist with some of the chopping. I think she said the recipe came from simply food, but I am not positive. We chopped everything and let it sit in the bowl for the flavors to combine while we were out on our bikes.
After the bike ride, I made some brown rice while R poached some chicken and did some more chopping and dinner was served! So easy, I could even handle it on vacation.
MANGO SALSA RECIPE:
One ripe mango
Tomato
(we used some plum tomatoes, but
what ever you have in your garden
would work I'm sure)
Cucumber
Onion
(we used a but of vidalia onion I had
in the fridge but I think the recipe
called for red onion)
Cilantro
(fresh coriander for my English
friends!)
Chop all the ingredients into a small dice. Remember you will be scooping it out with tortilla chips, so small is good in this case. I would add nearly equal amounts tomato to mango. The other flavors are up to you. If you like onion add lots, if you hate onion, skip it!
We didn't have any fresh cilantro on hand and the island grocery store was out as well, but it tasted fine. I loved the mango salsa but my husband found it a bit sweet (English taste buds). I thought adding some jalapeño peppers might add a nice contrast of heat to the other flavors. I'll let you know how it turns out!
CHICKEN WITH CITRUS AVOCADO SALSA:
1 grapefruit section and chopped
1 avocado chopped
Serve over chicken
I have attached a photo of the original recipe out of an old issue prevention magazine, one of those walking fit guides you find at the checkout. We once again did not follow the recipe exactly. That is the great thing about good foods, you can adapt to fit your situation, and as long as you have the basics it's pretty good.
We served over brown rice instead of salad as we had eaten salad several days in a row earlier that week. We also did not have fresh basil. The island grocery store had it, we just forgot to buy it (I think some chocolate took presidence lol). This would be great just with salad or rice as a vegetarian meal. Or try it with grilled chicken or fish.
A tip: I would always cut the grapefruit first for 2 reasons, first it takes more time, second the citric acid (grapefruit juice) prevents your avocado from going brown.
I learned some great new recipes from a friend of mine while she visited us on the island. I hope to repeat them at home if it ever stops raining or I am just a bit homesick for Florida!
One of the great things about these recipes is how easy they are. My friend R who spotted the injured hawk, not only shared them, but prepared them for us during her visit. Now for those of you who know R, she has not been known for her culinary skills. She works multiple jobs, has long hours, and racks up a ton of miles driving all around Florida in the aid of sick and injured sea turtles. Convenience used to be the most important factor, so fast food drive throughs would win out over home cooked meals. They would for most of us when driving 10+ hours in a day. Knowing even someone with that kind of schedule can make great tasting and healthy food gives hope to us all!
Our supper consisted of chicken with citrus and avocado salsa and mango salsa with whole grain tortilla chips for "dessert". Now we didn't have exactly what the recipes called for, but it didn't matter, they still tasted great.
She started by making the mango salsa and enlisted me to assist with some of the chopping. I think she said the recipe came from simply food, but I am not positive. We chopped everything and let it sit in the bowl for the flavors to combine while we were out on our bikes.
After the bike ride, I made some brown rice while R poached some chicken and did some more chopping and dinner was served! So easy, I could even handle it on vacation.
MANGO SALSA RECIPE:
One ripe mango
Tomato
(we used some plum tomatoes, but
what ever you have in your garden
would work I'm sure)
Cucumber
Onion
(we used a but of vidalia onion I had
in the fridge but I think the recipe
called for red onion)
Cilantro
(fresh coriander for my English
friends!)
Chop all the ingredients into a small dice. Remember you will be scooping it out with tortilla chips, so small is good in this case. I would add nearly equal amounts tomato to mango. The other flavors are up to you. If you like onion add lots, if you hate onion, skip it!
We didn't have any fresh cilantro on hand and the island grocery store was out as well, but it tasted fine. I loved the mango salsa but my husband found it a bit sweet (English taste buds). I thought adding some jalapeño peppers might add a nice contrast of heat to the other flavors. I'll let you know how it turns out!
CHICKEN WITH CITRUS AVOCADO SALSA:
1 grapefruit section and chopped
1 avocado chopped
Serve over chicken
I have attached a photo of the original recipe out of an old issue prevention magazine, one of those walking fit guides you find at the checkout. We once again did not follow the recipe exactly. That is the great thing about good foods, you can adapt to fit your situation, and as long as you have the basics it's pretty good.
We served over brown rice instead of salad as we had eaten salad several days in a row earlier that week. We also did not have fresh basil. The island grocery store had it, we just forgot to buy it (I think some chocolate took presidence lol). This would be great just with salad or rice as a vegetarian meal. Or try it with grilled chicken or fish.
A tip: I would always cut the grapefruit first for 2 reasons, first it takes more time, second the citric acid (grapefruit juice) prevents your avocado from going brown.
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