Oven Baked Zucchini Chips

I love this recipe! You can also use panko bread crumbs and 2 egg whites in place of the fat free milk. Fresh tomato & basil sauce on the side for dipping.

We have them several times a month. Crispy veggie chips are a tasty alternative to fries. Japanese Eggplants in place of the Zucchini works well also!

Ingredients

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
2 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini (about 2 small)
Olive Oil Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place coated slices on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

Meat Loaf Muffins

Sit down to a meat loaf in a half hour with this recipe. Serve with steamed green beans and roasted sweet potato wedges. You can also use Lean Ground Turkey. Be creative add to it what you like. Perfectly portioned!

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 "muffins")
Ingredients
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1 cup finely chopped Onion
1/2 cup finely chopped Carrot
1 teaspoon dried Oregano
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Ketchup, divided
1 1/2 pounds Ground Beef, extra lean (raw)
1 cup Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.

Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.

Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Green Tea Time

Green Tea is rich in the powerful antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), a compound that belongs to the polyphenol family of antioxidants. Researchers are continually finding more benefits associated with EGCG. In fact, EGCG has been found to have twice the benefits of antioxidants in red wine. Green, oolong and black teas all come from the same tea plant. Camellia Sinensis. Green Tea leaves, however, are steamed rather than fermented, preventing EGCG from being oxidized.



Every afternoon I enjoy Tea Time. Green or Black tea is my favorite. I use a ceramic tea pot and let it steep for a few minutes. I usually enjoy a slice of Ezekiel Toast with Blueberry preserves or some Almond Butter or both! I picked up a Meyer Lemon Tree on Saturday, I can't wait to add my own fresh lemon to it!


Brewing a perfect cup of Green Tea ~ To fully appreciate the 100 percent natural antioxidant-rich Green Tea, heat fresh cold water to the boiling point. Use one tea bag per cup and steep for two to four minutes, according to taste. Relax and enjoy!

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

If you need a substantial pre- or post-workout snack these cookies are a portable solution!




1 Cup uncooked Oatmeal
1 Cup Dried Cranberries (raisins or tart cherries)
1 full scoop Beverly Vanilla Muscle Provider
1 Cup Shredded Coconut
1/2 Cup Pecans (crushed)
2 Egg Whites
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Ripe Banana (mashed)
1 Teaspoon Organic Honey
Non Stick Cooking Spray



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix Dry Ingredients separately from moist, then stir all ingredients together. Lightly coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and scoop rounded spoonfuls of dough onto it. Bake 20 Minutes. Makes about 24 cookies.
Per Cookie: 77 Calories, 2.5 g Protein, 15.6 Carbs, 3 g Fat, 1.2 g Fiber.






Perfect when you are craving something sweet, but opt for something healthy instead of fatty! I love them with my afternoon tea. They taste incredible!

Popcorn with Rosemary-Infused Olive Oil

Rosemary-Infused Olive Oil is a staple in my kitchen. It is a great flavoring agent that can be used for dipping breads or vegetables or as a base of a salad dressing.

The herb Rosemary beyond being a flavouring-enhancer for certain foods, you may not be aware that rosemary extract has a long history of medicinal uses too. It has been used to treat a wide range of ailments, including stomach upsets, digestive disorders and headaches.

Popcorn is high in antioxidants, most notably, polyphenols – a group of natural plant chemicals that have a variety of health benefits. Polyphenols are the same group of compounds that give red wine, tea, olive oil, and chocolate their beneficial properties. In fact, the researchers found that the polyphenol content of good, old-fashioned popcorn rivals that of many fruits and vegetables.

This is a recipe from one of my favorite chefs Giada DeLaurentiis. If your tired of air popped popcorn or that terrible microwavable popcorn for sale in supermarkets, then you will love this recipe. The rosemary oil makes this version elegant and sophisticated. I love it with some fine sea salt.

3 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs (each 5" long) Or Dried Rosemary is fine
1/2 Cup PopCorn Kernels
4 Tablespoons Rosemary-Infused Oil (In a small pan combine the oil & Rosemary, cook over low heat about 5 minutes, let cool transfer to a 4 oz bottle & seal. Refrigerate up to 1 month).

I have an electric popcorn maker but all you need is a large, heavy pot. Stir in the kernels and 3 tablespoons of the rosemary infused olive oil. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until the kernels have popped about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Toss with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle with fine sea salt (optional) and serve. Enjoy!

Turkey Cutlets with Stuffing ~Crockpot~

This is a great recipe I put together this afternoon. I had four (4) Turkey Cutlets in the fridge and I was not in the mood to grill or marinade, so I decided to make a "Healthy Thanksgiving Style" Lunch/Dinner. It turned out wonderful! I used my crockpot it was such a pleasure without using my oven or stove top! Best of all it was cooking while I was having fun! This dish is the perfect combo of protein and carbs, high in nutrients and most of all full of flavor.



First I lined the bottom of the crockpot with a few ribs of celery. Then I diced a few carrots, celery, a small onion. I sauteed them with 1 teaspoon of butter and some extra virgin olive oil until vegetables were softened. Then I added 1 1/2 cups of Low Sodium Organic Chicken Broth to the pan and simmered it a few minutes. I poured mixture over 7 oz. of whole wheat bread stuffing and added 1 Beaten Egg (to bind ingredients together).



I topped each Turkey Cutlet with a portion of stuffing and set on my celery ribs in crockpot. Turned on High and headed to the football game this afternoon for a few hours. When the game was over we walked home for a great homemade lunch/dinner! I served with brown gravy a large salad of mixed greens. It was really a hit! Try it out!



I built the bread stuffing up so much with the vegetables that I only used probably around 4 oz. of it. I froze the remainder in the freezer for future use. What a great meal and so easy and really clean eating. Enjoy!

Whole Eggs Or Egg Whites?

We eat tons of eggs in our house! Everything from omelets & frittatas to pasta dishes prepared with eggs. So the question is which is better and are you throwing away the benefits by separating the yolks? Are egg whites the best bet?

The Winner is: Whole Eggs, split decision!

Egg Whites are pure protein. They're ultra lean, but also low in nutrients. The yolk contains all the fat, almost half the protein and just about all the nutrients of the egg. What "cracks" me up is that people spend extra money on organic eggs and throw out the yolk! Why would you waste your money! I never waste food! I am always cooking something so if I opt for an egg white omelet I save the yolks for another recipe.

Eating whole eggs provides you with the nutrients you won't get by eating whites alone. Good stuff such as calcium (essential for muscle contractions) and potassium (involved in muscle recovery), among others.

The fat truth. First of all, the saturated fat in eggs makes up less than half of the the total fat. The majority of the fat is healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that don't get readily deposited as bodyfat.

What about cholesterol? A 2004 study conducted at the University of Connecticut, found that the cholesterol in egg yolks didn't raise the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood stream.

The incredible edible egg!!

Pomegranate Low-Fat Kefir

Try this new Pomegranate Low-Fat, High-Protein, Yogurt style beverage. Kefir. It's the latest in a line of delicious flavors (Vanilla, Strawberry-Banana & Raspberry, etc). I love Pomegranate!

It tastes great and offers 10 live and active probiotic cultures. Health benefits include keeping your digestive and immune systems intact to boosting energy to helping you lose weight. Try it out!

Gym Boss Interval Timer

This is a great tool for various sports. I highly recommend it! It can be used anywhere from cardio intervals to weight training and everything in between. A must have for personal trainers and or the fitness enthusiast! You can purchase the Gym Boss at: gymboss.com

Broccoli Rabe & Turkey Sausage Lasagna

The Perfect Sunday Lunch!
Serves - 6
3/4 lb. Broccoli Rabe, tough ends discarded, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Low-Fat Italian Turkey Sausages, casings removed
1/4 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Sea Salt to taste
1 1/3 Cup Low Fat Ricotta
5 Tablespoons Grated Locatelli Romano Cheese, divided
1 Egg White
1 Garlic Clove (minced) or Garlic Powder to taste
Homemade Tomato Sauce around 3 Cups or more.
6 Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles
Nonstick Cooking Spray (Olive Oil)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add Broccoli rate and blanch for three minutes or until tender. Drain broccoli well and squeeze out all excess moisture.

2. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add sausage and pepper flakes, using a wooden spoon to break sausage into small pieces. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until sausage is cooked through. Add broccoli and cook 2-3 minutes more. Season with Sea Salt.

3. Place Ricotta and 1 tablespoon of Parmesean, egg white and minced garlic (or garlic powder) and blend in a bowl, until smooth.

4. Coat a 9x9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1/4 cup Tomato sauce onto bottom of dish. Lay down two lasagna noodles. Spread half of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Layer half of the broccoli mixture over the cheese. Spoon 2/3 cup of sauce over the broccoli mixture. Repeat layering process and end with a layer of noodles and sauce. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle remaining grated cheese over Lasagna, and bake 20 more minutes or until top starts to brown and is bubbling.

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 248 Calories, 21 grams Protein, 20.5 grams Carbs, 6 grams Fat, 3 grams Fiber.
Broccoli Rabe, also known as rapini, is a great source of vitamins A, C and K, as well as Calcium and Iron.

~Halloween Treat~Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

YIELD: 3 dozen cookies

1 cup coconut oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, applesauce, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda and xanthan gum. Using a rubber spatula, carefully push the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and combine until dough is formed. With the same spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Using a melon-baller, measure out the dough and place on the prepared baking sheets. Space the portions 1-inch apart. Gently press each with the heel of your hand to help them spread. Bake the cookies on the center rack for 14 minutes, rotating the trays 180 degrees after 9 minutes. The cookies will be crispy on the edges and soft in the center. Remove from the oven.

Let cookies stand 10 minutes. They’re best served warm, but to save them use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before covering. Place in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. BABYCAKES BAKERY. Perfect Halloween Treat!