High fiber breakfast: Crispy French Toast

I would like to share this yummy breakfast recipe we've been enjoying these days! Not only it tastes great, but it is also as healthy as it gets, full high fiber and protein. And if you add a fruit salad on a side, then it is even better!

The inspiration for this breakfast came from here. Only I gave it more fiber by changing the bread to a multi-grain toast, and using bran cereal instead of cornflakes.

I usually make 2 toasts, for myself and Santino (my husband is not a fan of French toasts, he is more eggs and bacon kind of guy).

• 2 multi-grain toast slices
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 1 tbs flour
• vanilla
• 1 cup of bran flakes

I warm up the oven to 400 F. I rub a baking dish with butter, so that it is covered, but not clumping too much.

I toast the bread slices. I usually set the toaster on 4, so that the would come out crispy, not just warm. Meanwhile, I beat up an egg with milk. I then beat in the flour and a few drops of vanilla and just a tiny bit of salt. I don't put any sugar.

I crush the bran flakes with my fingers and place them in a bowl. Take out the toast slices, cut in 4 pieces, soak a little bit in the egg mixture (not too long, so that they don't fall apart). Then dip the slices in the flakes and arrange in the baking dish.

Set the kitchen timer to 10 minutes, and bake on the middle rack. Then flip over and bake for 5 more minutes.

Serve with a few drops of maple syrup or honey with a fruit salad on a side.

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Making Healthy Choices!

I thought I would share a couple of sample menu’s of what I am eating on a regular basis to keep the baby weight off. Everyday people are asking me what my diet includes. What really helps is if I plan out my meals ahead of time so I’m not opening my cupboards and fridge repeatedly looking for something quick to make. I will write a couple of options for each mealtime and include some recipes that I love as well.

Breakfast: Always eat breakfast, always.

-          Plain Greek Yogurt with berries, (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries

-          Special K Cereal with Milk and cut up banana

-           Egg wrap with light chedder cheese and spinach on a whole wheat tortilla and half grapefruit

Lunch: I mostly eat wraps for lunch so here’s a couple ideas for wraps using small whole wheat tortilla’s

-          Low Fat sliced turkey, light mayo, Dijon mustard, feta cheese, lettuce, spinach, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, avocado. The good thing about wraps is that you can stuff as many veggies as you like in them.

-       Light Mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil (just a drizzle)

-          Tuna, chicken or egg salad mixed with light mayo and loaded with all the veggies you love

This is where an indoor grill comes in handy! If you want a gourmet feel then grill it up, or stick it in the oven on broil for a couple minutes!

One thing I like to have as a side with my lunch is my Quinoa salad. I’m sure you have heard of Quinoa as it seems to be popping up all over as a loved superfood! Known as a great source of protein it packs lots of nutrition, including being high in iron (also makes a great food for babies).  Here is how I make my Chickpea Quinoa Salad. I make a whole cup so that I can use it all week.

1 cup cooked Quinoa

1 can chickpeas

½ Cup of chopped Red Onions

1 cup of cherry tomatoes

Juice from 1 lemon

¼ cup of olive oil

Just mix it all together and put it in the fridge for a bit. Feel free to throw in any chopped veggies you may have. I have used red pepper, carrots, cucumber, and black beans and it has always been delicious. If you don’t have Quinoa I have also substituted whole wheat Couscous.

Dinner:

I find myself making a love of stir fry’s because I find I can maximize the use of vegetables in my dishes, which in our house is important because Jon doubles on at every meal and is a huge fan of anything cheesy 

and fried. Below is a couple of Weight Watchers recipes I make religiously that are delish!

Vegetable Stir Fry 

2 tsp's of peanut oil

2 cup of chopped onion

2 cups of chopped bok choy

2 cups of chopped carrots

1 med green pepper

1 med sweet red pepper

1 cup of chopped mushrooms

2 cups of brocolli florets

2 cups of asparagus

1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp of corn starch

1/4 cup chicken broth, low sodium

4 cups of brown rice

Heat oil in pan or wok, add vegetables still about 2 minutes, add soy sauce and cook untill veggies are crisp-tender. Whisk cornstarch into broth and add to pan. Simmer until sauce thinkens. Spoon stir fry onto rice and you can even sprinkle some peanuts on top for some more flavor. If you want to add chicken, shrimp or tofu for more protein, go for it! Don't worry if you don't have all the veggies it calls for, a lot of times I just throw in whatever I have in the fridge! That's the great thing about stir fry's, anything goes!

Cheese and Spinach Frittata

4 large eggs

2 large egg whites

1 cup of fresh chopped spinach

2 tsp of scallion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup of low fat chedder cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F, beat together eggs and egg whites in a bowl, stir in spinach, scallions, salt and pepper. Coat a pan with non stick skillet with cooking spray, heat over med heat, pour egg mixture into skillet and let partially cook for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake untill cheese softens and eggs firm up. What's great about this is that you can again throw in anything you have, and kids and babies love it!

I tend to skip dessert and I try not to eat fruit at night because of the sugar content, but if I really can't fight my sweet tooth I will break out my stash of dark chocolate, melt it, and drip fruit in it (only if I must...). It really doesn't take a whole lot to feel gourmet!

So that's about a typical day for me. Somedays I might forget or have to skip lunch, although I do try hard to include all meals. When I snack I try my best to make it count. Like veggies dipped in hummus, or a granola bar. If I do have to eat on the run I keep my choices healthy, which is easy these days because almost every restaurant has the options for you to do so! Happy Eating!

Please visit my blog at http://newmumontheblog.wordpress.com 

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Raspberries oatmeal breakfast

Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it not only needs to be nutritious, healthy, colorful and tasty, it also needs to somehow end up in the little tummy. Sometimes Santino doesn't want to have breakfast, more often than not he won't eat oatmeal or other porridge, and settles with just a cup of milk. Then we often go out, play in the park, and he gets hungry, snacking on apple slices or crackers.

So i try to come up with some healthy morning meals for him, something so yummy, that he wouldn't be able to resist.

I found, that Santino loves raspberry oatmeal. It is flavorful enough, healthy and easy to make in the morning!

1 cup of water, bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt, 1 tbs of sugar and about 1/2 cup of oat flakes. Cook for a few minutes in the boiling water, stirring often, so that it won't stick to the pan or spill on the stove. Add about 8-10 raspberries, stir, let it cook a little longer, apprx. 3-4 minutes on medium low heat. In the end, add about 1/4 cup of milk. Let it boil, and take off the heat.



It should be runny when hot, but it will stiffen up while it cools. If your toddler doesn't like his porridge too flaky, you can blend it in a small blender, to a smoother consistency.

Granted, raspberries can be replaced by apples and cinnamon, blueberries, or strawberries. Or whatever else you can think of, that has lots of flavor.

Enjoy with a great company!

Nataliya

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Green borsch

When I was a child this was one of my favorite soups. It is easy to make, and it tastes great.

I am not going to give exact proportions, just guesstimate according to the number of people eating and how much they eat. When I make it for my son, I take about a 1 cup of broth, cut up one potato and one small carrot in small cubes and boil them in this broth until they are almost ready. Add small pieces of boiled chicken. Add 4-5 leaves of spinach, also cut up in small pieces. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let it stand covered for a few minutes.

Cut up a hard boiled egg in a plate, add soup. Serve with a spoon of sour cream or Greek yogurt. Recently I've been replacing sour cream with Greek yogurt, as it is similar in consistency, but more healthy.

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