Healthy Pancakes?!

Happy Sunday! I woke up early feeling rested and energized! I think I have finally caught up on sleep just in time for a crazy week to start :).

I haven't been home on the weekends to cook very much recently so I wanted to make something a little more special for breakfast today. One of my favorite blogs is The Fitnessista... she has great fitness ideas and nutritional recipes. Today I tried her Protein Pancakes and they were delicious! I made a few adjustments below.

I'm so excited to have a healthier, nutritious pancake that is quick and easy to make! This is something you could easily whip up at night before bed and cook quickly in the morning for work.

Protein Pancakes
(Adapted from The Fitnessista)

• 1.5 Tablespoons of vanilla protein powder (I like Whole Foods whey protein)
• 2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk (use whatever milk you like)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add in the egg white, almond milk and vanilla. Heat up a skillet, cook and enjoy with your favorite toppings (try almond butter and agave syrup... amazing!).

Fast & Healthy Breakfast: Muesli

I always make sure to eat a substantial, healthy breakfast and like to mix it up with new ideas and creations. If you like oatmeal then you will love muesli. I've had it for breakfast out, but have never made it... until now :). I searched and read through quite a few recipes online and found a basic one on Epicurious that is easily adaptable for whatever ingredients you have laying around. I love recipes where you can just throw things in... for this one you can use up whatever fruit and nuts that you have on hand.

Muesli Recipe
(Adapted from Epicurious)

1 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
2/3 almond milk (substitute any milk you like)
2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tbsp ground flax
2/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup agave
2 apples chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 handfuls of dried cranberries
Any other fruit or nuts that you want to add in

Directions:
Mix oats, milk, yogurt, vanilla and flax seed in large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes to soften oats. Whisk orange juice and agave in medium bowl. Stir in apples, walnuts and any other mix-ins. Stir fruit mixture into oat mixture and add dried cranberries.

Eat right away or make the night before for a delicious breakfast!

Baby Shower Brunch

I helped host a baby shower for a friend today. It was so much fun to get the menu together and spend the morning cooking! We wanted to have a good mix of food, sweet and savory, and something that everyone could enjoy but of course that was "mommy-to-be" friendly!

The menu ended up being:
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Egg Casserole
- Fruit Salad
- Parmesan Potato Pancake

My two favorite dishes ended up being the bread and the egg casserole. The peanut butter banana bread was featured in the October issue of Cooking Light (one of my favorite foodie mags). It was the second time that I've had it and it is delicious yet simple to bake. I love having it around the house to pair with a smoothie for breakfast.

The egg dish was a recipe I got from a friend and it is all all-time favorite. The nutmeg and thyme make it very unique and flavorful. The best part is you can make it the night before you are hosting a brunch and just throw in the oven. Recipes for both of these dishes are below!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread Recipe
(From Cooking Light)

Ingredients
Bread:
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
Cooking spray
Glaze:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Preparation 1.

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.

4. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread.

Florentine Brunch Casserole Recipe

4 cups cubed french bread or italian bread, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 10 oz pkg frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup chopped onion
8 italian sausages chopped and cooked (use whatever breakfast meat you prefer)
2 cups shredded 2% milk sharp cheddar cheese
8 eggs
2 cups skim milk
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9 by 13 in pan with cooking spray. Place bread pieces, spinach, onion, sausage, and cheese in casserole dish. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, thyme, salt, nutmeg and mustard until well blended. Slowly pour in egg mixture. Bake immediately, or cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove cover before baking. Bake 25-30 minutes until casserole is golden and puffy and center reaches 160 degrees. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 6-8 servings.

Breakfast Smoothie

I have been on a major smoothie kick the last few months and make one for breakfast almost every morning. I love that I can take them on the road with me to work or have one before a morning workout to fuel up. I have tried many ingredients and variations including adding spinach to get a serving of veggies in first thing in the morning. It sounds a little scary but the fruit really masks the taste. I also throw in flax seed for fiber and protein powder. Below is the recipe that I am loving right now. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Recipe:

1 banana chopped
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup frozen berries (I use whatever frozen fruit I have on hand or that I can get a good deal on)
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1/2 - 1 cup almond milk (if you like a thicker smoothie use less milk)
1 handful fresh spinach

Directions:
Throw everything in, blend and enjoy!