Pumpkin Scones

What goes better with a cup of coffee? Freshly baked scones. These scones are perfectly moist, and crunchy on top.

2 cups spelt flour
7 tbsp organic sugar cane
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp each salt, cinnamon and nutmeg
1/4 tsp dried ginger
1 large egg
7 tbsp softened butter
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 tbsp milk
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

In another medium bowl, combing egg, butter, pumpkin and milk. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Stir just until combined. Add chocolate chips if desired.

Place 12 even spoonfuls on a greased baking sheet. Bake for approx. 16 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

If you love pancakes, try these. I tend to get board of just plain pancakes, so I did this one weekend, and was pleasantly surprised at how much we all loved them. This would be great for a brunch with guests, paired with a fruit salad.

8 egg whites
1 1/3 cups light ricotta
1 ½ tbsp organic sugar cane
Zest of 2 lemons
½ cup spelt flour
1 tbsp poppy seeds.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta, sugar, zest and flour.
With an electric mixer, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks. Fold egg whites into the ricotta mixture ¼ at a time. Gently add poppy seeds.
Using medium to high heat on your stove, lightly spray a frying pan with oil or butter. Once the pan is hot, spoon small amounts of the mixture onto the pan, according to the size of pancakes you desire. Flip when the tops of the pancake “bubble” (2-3 minutes). Cook the same amount of time on the other side.
Serve with maple syrup.

Crunchy Granola

In our household, granola is a must! We eat it for breakfast with milk, on top of yogurt, as a snack by itself – you name it. So I thought I would experiment with some ingredients that I had in the pantry, and I think I’ve found a great combination that is really tasty, and super crunchy – which I love.
This recipe makes about 4 cups. But next time, I would double it because it will be gone before you know it.

Dry ingredients
2 1/2 cups oats
1 cup uncooked buckwheat (can be found near the dried beans in the grocery store)
1/3 cup each sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sliced almonds

Wet ingredients
5 tbsp each agave syrup and maple syrup (can substitute honey if you want)
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup oil
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt

1 cup coconut - added at the end of cooking

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
Place onto a lined cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Once it has cooled, add the coconut, and store in a large container.

Muesli

As my husband and I were grocery shopping this weekend, he suggested getting some boxed muesli. But, I feel like I am getting ripped off when I buy it. So I told him I would come home and try to make it myself. It honestly took me 2 minutes to do! The ingredients can be swapped out for your favourite nuts/seeds/dried fruit, so experiment. I serve it either as a regular cereal with milk, or on top of yogurt.

3 cups steel cut oats
1/2 cup each sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, raisins and bran buds (or any other psyllium fibre)

Add all ingredients to a large ziploc bag, and shake well until it is mixed. It will stay fresh for a few weeks if the bag is sealed properly.

Breakfast Bars

You know those cereal bars that you see in the grocery store that claim to have whole grains. Well, what they fail to mention is that they are only partially whole grain. They are mostly made with "enriched wheat flour", which is a fancy term for white flour, a.k.a. empty calories. This recipe is truly whole grain, and full of fruit.
Trying to get everyone out the door in the morning with a good breakfast is a challenge on the best of days. This recipe simplifies the question "what's should we have for breakfast?" Since I premake them, I don't have to worry about preparing something every morning. We usually eat a banana with it, and find it keeps us full for at least a few hours.

Fruit filling
3 cups frozen mixed berries
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp organic sugar cane

Crumble topping
1 ¼ cup oats
1 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
½ cup organic sugar cane
¼ tsp each cinnamon, baking soda and salt

In a pot on medium high heat, combine fruit, water and sugar cane. Cook for a few minutes, and then set aside for another few minutes, until it slightly thickens. It will still be quite liquidy.

In a medium bowl, mix together oats, flour, butter, sugar cane, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

Using a muffin tin, place a layer of the oat mixture on the bottom of each cup, using only half of the entire mixture. Pour a layer of berries over top of the oats. Top with the rest of the oat mixture.

Bake on 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool completely in muffin tin before removing.

Eggs with blue corn chips and salsa

My daughter loves eggs! So, I tried out this recipe, and not only did she love it, but so did my husband and I. It was pretty easy to do, and a great weeknight meal. I made it for dinner, but it would be a great dish for a brunch or a heartier breakfast.
If you like things spicier, I would add a chopped up jalapeno or hotter salsa, but since I was making it with my daughter in mind, I didn’t use the spice.

1 onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups blue corn tortilla chips, crushed up
2 whole eggs
8 egg whites
¼ cup skim milk
1 3/4 cups mild salsa, use hotter if you like it
1 cup cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese

In a large pan, sauté onions over medium/high heat with olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. While onions are cooking, whisk together eggs and milk in a medium bowl.

Once onions are cooked, add chips to the onions. Pour egg mixture over top. Cook for a few minutes, or until eggs are scrambled. Add salsa and cheese. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted.

Cheesy Spinach Casserole

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this recipe, but this was amazingly good! Seriously, it was delicious. My one year old daughter even loved it. This is for sure going to be a regular in this household. Plus, it is super easy, so how can you go wrong?


1 Package Frozen Chopped Spinach (10 oz.)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup shredded Havarti cheese
2 whole eggs, lightly beaten
4 egg whites
1 red pepper, chopped


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Squeeze out excess water from spinach in a paper towel over the sink. This is extremely important, otherwise it will be too watery and won’t cook properly.

In an 8 inch Corningware dish, combine all ingredients. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the casserole is no longer jiggly. Broil for a couple of minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

Broccoli and Cheese Souffle

When I think of souffle’s I think of the ones that you get in restaurants that are loaded with chocolate and give you cavities just by looking at them. I don't even want to think of the fat and sugar content in them, but man are they good right? I am not adventurous enough to try to bake one of those for fear of loving it so much that I make them on a regular basis, and begin to notice my waist line expanding as a result. I think that I will keep it instead for a treat when I go out for dinner.

However, I have learned that there are many different kinds of souffle’s – who knew? Last night, I decided to make a more savoury souffle for dinner. Was I intimidated by thought of making a souffle? Absolutely! I thought that they were complex and reserved only for those professional chefs who knew what they were doing...ha! Was a wrong! This was actually quite simple to make.

As it was in the oven, I was growing more and more nervous as it rose quite a bit, and I was scared that it was going to overflow. But, alas, it didn’t. And the result was a fantastic meal! I served it with some veggies on the side, but next time I think a salad would better suit it.

It was very light, and would be perfect for a brunch or breakfast with guests. What better to “wow” your guests, then to make a souffle right??


1 1/2 cups finely chopped broccoli florets
1 tbsp butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons spelt flour
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded, sharp cheddar cheese
1 large egg, separated
6 egg whites (or about 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 6 inch round Corning Ware dish.

Cut broccoli into very small pieces, and set aside.

In a pot on medium heat, melt butter. Add oil, and stir to combine. Add flour and continue cooking for a couple of minutes. While whisking, add milk, and continue to cook for a couple of minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Add mustard, egg yoke from the separated egg and salt. Pour into a large bowl and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat together all egg whites (including the one from the separated egg) until soft peaks form. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat for another minute.

Gently fold in half of the egg whites to the milk mixture with a spatula. Add the rest of the egg whites, and continue to fold until there are no more white streaks. Add broccoli and cheese.

Pour into the Corning Ware dish, and place onto a cookie tray, just in case it overflows. Cook for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Blueberry Protein Pancakes

I made these for myself and was surprised at how much I like them. I also gave some to my daughter, and she gobbled them up like there was no tomorrow! Although, I prefer not to talk about the blueberry mess that I had to clean out of her hair, eye lashes and outfit...that is a whole other story.

My husband even ate a couple post workout, and also really liked them. We didn't put syrup on them, but feel free to do so. These will definitely be made again, and since they are so high in protein, they keep you full for longer than your traditional pancake. Next time I might cook down some raspberries into a syrup and put them on top.


1 cup oats
3/4 cup egg whites
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp agave syrup
3/4 cup blueberries

Put all ingredients except blueberries in a blender and puree. Add blueberries. Pour into a pan greased with an all-natural cooking spray, on medium heat. Cook for about 3 minutes, or when the first side is golden brown. Flip, and continue to cook for another few minutes. Remove from heat, and top with your favourite toppings.

Raspberry and dark chocolate scones

¼ cup egg white
½ cup skim milk
¼ cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ cup organic sugar cane
½ tsp salt
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a medium bowl, mix together the egg whites, milk, butter and vanilla.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.

Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture, and stir just until combined. Add the raspberries and chocolate.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop dough onto pan in 12 even balls.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until tops of scones are golden brow.

Banana and Oatmeal Brulee

Makes enough for two people.
This is a delicious breakfast. My husband loved it!

3/4 cup oats
1 1/2 cup water
½ tsp vanilla
2 tsp maple syrup
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 banana, thinly sliced
Granulated sugar for the top (about 1 tsp)

Preheat oven to 500 on broil mode.

In a pot, combine oats, water, vanilla, maple syrup and cinnamon. Cook for a few minutes, until liquid has evaporated and oatmeal is thoroughly cooked.

Place oatmeal in oven safe dishes (I used the same dishes that I cook French onion soup in, sort of like a ramekin dish). Put bananas on top of oatmeal, and sprinkle sugar on top of bananas.

Cook in the oven for a couple of minutes. Make sure that your rack is close to the burners up top, otherwise the sugar doesn’t caramelize as well. Watch closely, because it can burn fast!

Remove from oven, and let cool for a couple of minutes before serving.

Chewy Granola Bites

This recipe is from "Eat Shrink and Be Merry" and I just modified it to what I had in the pantry. They are a great post work-out snack.

1/3 cup all natural peanut butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 egg whites
1 cinnamon
2½ cups Kashi Honey Flax Granola Cereal (or any granola you like)
1/2 cup coconut
1/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 250 degrees (no this isn't a typo, it is 250 not 350 degrees).

In a large bow combine peanut butter, maple syrup and egg. In another bowl mix together the cinnamon, cereal, coconut and raisins. Add the cereal mixture to the peanut butter mixture.

Evenly divide the mixture between a greased 12-cup muffin tin. Cook for 45 minute. Let cool before removing from the tin.

Quinoa and Blueberries

1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1 tsp. organic sugar cane
1 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. slivered almonds

1. In a pot on medium high, combine milk, water and quinoa. Cook for about 15 minutes. Add sugar and maple syrup and cook for another 2 minutes.
2. Top with slivered almonds.

Frittata

1 cup whole grain pasta (I like to use penne or linguine, but any will do)
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
3/4 cup egg whites
1 whole egg
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions
2. In a bowl, combine all other ingredients, except cheese. Add cooked pasta once that is finished.
3. Spray with medium sized frying pan with non-stick spray, or drizzle with olive oil.
4. Pour all ingredients into the pan, on medium heat. Top with a lid, so that the top of the egg also cooks.
5. Cook until egg is mostly cooked, and only minimally jiggles. Then, slide the frittata onto a plate, and then flip it back into the pan, on the other side that hasn't been cooked yet. This can be a little tricky, but it does work. Just be patient.
6. Add cheese to the top. Replace lid. Cook until cheese is melted.
7. Remove from heat. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. If you serve it too fast, it will fall apart.

You can use any veggies or ingredients that you want to. Brocolli and cheese is also good.

Quiche with a potato crust

Crust
1 russet potato, peeled and grated
1 medium onion, peeled and grated
3 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Filling
2 whole eggs
1½ cup egg whites
1 cup of milk
salt and pepper to taste
1½ cups of vegetables of your choice (bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, onions are my favourite. Basil and Sundried tomato is also a great combination)
1 cup cheddar cheese.

Take grated potatoes, onion and garlic, and wrap them in a clean dish towel. Squeeze to remove excess water (this is very important, otherwise it won’t cook). Place in a medium bowl and add salt and pepper.

Spread evenly in a greased, medium, rectangular Pyrex dish (About 9 inches long). Coat with olive oil.

Cook at 400 for about 40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Remove from oven.

In a medium mixing bowl, add eggs and milk. Whisk until well blended. Stir in vegetables and cheese.

Cook at 400 for about 40 minutes (could take longer depending on dish you are using). You can tell when it is done when the eggs are stiff and don’t “jiggle” at all.

Mexican Eggs

2 tsp olive oil
8 small corn tortillas
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 small red onion
2 whole eggs
1 1/4 cup egg whites
1½ cups milk
Cheese to top eggs

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

You need 4 small (single portion) corningware dishes. Pour one teaspoon olive oil in a small circular Corningware dish. Make sure to spread oil around evenly. Place 2 tortillas around the inside of the dish.

Chop onion and bell peppers in small bite size pieces. Place inside the tortilla shells.

Mix up eggs and milk. Pour mixture in each dish so that it is about ⅔ full. Do not fill to the top or it will overflow in the oven.

Cook for about 40 minutes, or until eggs are firm.

Top with cheese, and broil in oven until golden brown.

Let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!

Yields: 4 servings