Chocolate Espresso Oatmeal Bake

16 May, 2013 by Claire | 2 Comments

Frankly, I’m surprised that it’s taken almost a year of blogging for me to come up with this recipe. I mean, I’m constantly looking for ways to incorporate more chocolate into my diet, and if I can disguise it as something healthy by combining it with oatmeal, wouldn’t it be insane not to?

Chocolate Espresso Oatmeal Bake
Calories: 368 | Fat: 8.1 g (Sat Fat: 2.9 g) | Carbohydrate: 53.9 g | Protein: 26.3 g

ingredients:
1/2 C fat free Greek yogurt
1/2 C milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1/4 C liquid egg whites
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 packet Splenda
1 t cinnamon
1 t instant coffee or espresso
1/2 T mini chocolate chips
1/2 C dry oats
1/2 small banana, sliced

directions:
1. The night before, whisk together the yogurt, milk, liquid egg whites, cocoa powder, Splenda, cinnamon, and instant coffee in a small mixing bowl until there are no lumps.*
2. Stir in the mini chocolate chips and oats.
3. Pour the oat mixture in a small baking dish coated with PAM. Top with sliced bananas.
4. In the morning, bake the oatmeal for 30 minutes in a 375° oven.

*note: if you want to try making this the morning of, simply spread the oats in the bottom of the baking dish and pour the liquid mixture over it before baking

Dark Chocolate Energy Bites

9 May, 2013 by Claire | Leave a comment

I told myself I wouldn’t do this. I told myself to stay on top of it throughout the semester so I wouldn’t have to neglect the blog in favor of cramming a semester’s worth of material into my brain in between cups of coffee.

Since I haven’t posted in two days, I’ll let you be the judge of how successful that one was. Oops.

So, let’s keep it short. Last semester I brought you brainola, my low calorie version of granola that’s packed with healthy fats, whole grains, protein, fiber, and antioxidants. Good for the brain and body. This semester, I’m bringing you dark chocolate energy bites. These are a great alternative to the yucky processed snack bars you might have hiding in your backpack now.

Plus, you won’t be that annoying kid fiddling with their wrappers on the silent floor of the library. Everyone hates that kid.

Dark Chocolate Energy Bites
Makes: 24 servings | Calories per serving: 55
Fat: 2.1 g (Sat Fat: 0.5 g) | Carbohydrate: 7.0 g | Fiber: 2.1 g| Protein: 2.8 g

2 C instant oats
1 C chocolate PB2, dry
1/4 C ground flaxseed
1/4 C chia seed
2 t vanilla extract
2 oz dark chocolate, chopped
2 T granulated Splenda
1 t cinnamon
1 T cocoa powder
3/4 C water

directions:
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the water. Mix well until everything is evenly incorporated.
2. Add in the water 1/4 C at a time, stirring between each addition.
3. Refrigerate the mix for at least 30 minutes.
4. Remove the mix from the refrigerator and, using your hands, roll them into balls. Refrigerate until eating!

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

3 April, 2013 by Claire | 2 Comments

This recipe started off as a protein bar. I had pretty images in my head of hearty, homemade bars, drizzled imperfectly with vanilla icing, wrapped in parchment paper. Alas, things went wrong, as they often do with food experiments. The bars turned out somewhere in between cake and bread, and the icing tasted chemically sweet.

I was close to scrapping the whole thing when I realized that, with a few tweaks, the bars could easily become a sweet bread with none of the guilt associated with most recipes– low fat, low sugar, high protein, and whole grain.

Welcome to the world, slender cinnamon raisin bread. You’re going to be so loved.Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Makes: 12 servings | Calories per serving: 70
Fat: 0.7 g (Sat Fat: 0.2 g) | Carbohydrate: 12.2 g | Fiber: 0.9 g| Protein: 5.0 g

ingredients:
1 C instant oats
1 C granulated Splenda
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Designer Whey)
1 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
2/3 C liquid egg whites
1 C fat free Greek yogurt (I like Fage 0%)
2 t vanilla extract
1/2 C raisins
PAM Original nonstick spray

directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 325° and lightly grease a loaf pan with PAM.
2. In a medium size bowl, combine your oats, Splenda, protein powder, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir until everything is evenly distributed.
3. To your dry ingredients, add your egg whites, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
4. Add in the raisins, mix, and then pour your batter into the loaf pan.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Carrot Cake Pancakes + Cream Cheese Frosting

28 March, 2013 by Claire | 1 Comment

This recipe was inspired by the raisins I happened to have in my pantry, the baby carrots I incidentally picked up at the grocery on Monday, Easter, and most importantly, my profound love of cake, whether it’s the pan or carrot variation.

Carrot Cake Pancakes
Calories: 241 | Fat: 2.0 g (Sat Fat: 0.3 g) | Carbohydrate: 42.0 g | Protein: 18.5 g

Cream Cheese Frosting
Calories: 46.3 | Fat: 0.0 g (Sat Fat: 0.0 g) | Carbohydrate: 5.8 g | Protein: 5.6 g

ingredients:
1/3 C instant oats
1 t cinnamon
6 T liquid egg whites
1/3 C + 2 T fat free Greek yogurt (I like Fage 0%)
1/4 C shredded carrots
1 t vanilla extract
1 T raisins
2 T fat free cream cheese
1 packet Splenda or Truvia
optional: 1 T sugar free syrup

directions:
1. Combine the oats, cinnamon, egg whites, 1/3 C Greek yogurt, shredded carrots, and vanilla extract in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
2. Stir in raisins and refrigerate your mix overnight.*
3. In a separate small bowl, mix together 2 T Greek yogurt, cream cheese, and sweetener until completely smooth. Refrigerate until your pancakes are ready to eat.
4. To cook the pancakes, heat a large skillet coated with PAM over medium heat and pour in the pancake batter, flipping after 3-5 minutes. Each pancake should be about ~1/4 of the batter.
5. Stack your pancakes with about 1-2 T of the frosting in between. Top with the remaining dollop and, if you’d like, a drizzle of syrup.

*The batter will be very thin at this point, hence the overnight refrigeration to give it time to thicken up. If you don’t got time fo’ dat, use only 3 T liquid egg whites and thicken with additional oats or flour if need be.

Slender Sweet Nothings

26 March, 2013 by Claire | Leave a comment

1. If you find yourself becoming excessively hungry between breakfast and lunch, think about what you’re starting your morning with. If it’s full of simple carbohydrates (fruit, most cereals), try adding in some whole grains, protein, and healthy fats. Check out my Fuel Your Morning post to find out why (one of my favorite breakfast recipes is also in there!).

2. In the spirit of my Out On The Town: Salad Bar post from last week, here’s another salad tip: instead of calorie-laden dressings, opt for hummus, salsa, a balsamic vinegar reduction, or even soy sauce. That way, what you pour over your lettuce will have nutritive calories or none at all!

3. Next time you’re at the grocery store, buy a couple of bananas that are fully ripe (yellow) and a couple more that won’t ripen for 2-3 days (green). Now you’ll have enough to get you through the week, without needing to trash the brown, uneaten ones. If it’s too late, don’t forget that you can peel and freeze overripe bananas to use in smoothies!