FitSugar

Recipe Review: Joy Bauer's Blueberry Banana Muffins

FitSugar — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:30:00 -0800

I love baking, and while I do my best to lighten up many of the sweet nothings I regularly make, there is a such a thing as going too healthy. When I read the recipe for Joy Bauer's blueberry banana muffins, I was stoked because I had three past-their-prime bananas in my fridge waiting to be incorporated into something tasty. When I read the ingredients, including whole wheat flour and oat bran, I should have known that my muffins would not look like the magazine photo. But my inner health nut got the better of me, and I baked away.

To see if my muffins turned out anything like those pictured above, read more.

As you can see, my muffins look nothing like the magazine's. They are not light and fluffy, but rather squat and bumpy.

For some reason the muffins did not rise at all. I used relatively new baking soda and baking powder, so it was not they they were stale. Plus, I followed the directions, filling the muffin tin 3/4 of the way. When I made the recipe, it yielded 12 instead of the six the magazine says. While the muffins are edible, they are just not very tasty. While none will go to waste, I will not be making this recipe again. Have any of you tried this recipe? If so, share your results in the comments section below.

Source

Recipe Review: Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies From Self

FitSugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 03:30:00 -0800

Christmas is synonymous with so many things, one of them being cookies. Can you imagine Christmas without cookies? Well, now you can imagine a cookie that is relatively guilt-free. I saw a cookie recipe while flipping through the December issue of Self that I had to try: Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies. As you can see by the photo, they look tasty. So I whipped up a batch. To see how these cookies turned out and if mine look as presentable as the ones in the magazine, read more.

These cookies are great and tasted a lot like brownies. The walnuts, aside from providing some healthy omega-3 fatty acids, give the cookies a rich flavor. They may not be the most attractive cookies, but my dinner guests, both kids and parents alike, loved them too.

For only 55 calories a cookie, these cookies are a guilt-free pleasure, plus they're easy to make. I didn't even have to get out my electric hand mixer. Like most baking, the secret is to use really good chocolate. I used a mixture of Valrhona and Green and Black's. I think these would be a perfect dessert for any holiday party or cookie exchange.

Do you have a healthy snack or recipe to share? Then share it in the Lite'n it Up - Healthy Recipe Group and I might just post it on FitSugar.

Source

Recipe Review: Banana PMS Muffins from Women's Health

FitSugar — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:30:00 -0700

Flipping through Women's Health, I saw a recipe for PMS muffins. How could I not be intrigued? If a muffin could help ease my symptoms, I could become a baking maniac instead of the usual PMS maniac I become.

I baked these Banana Walnut Yogurt muffins and can't tell about my mood yet, but I liked these muffins, as did my hubbie and 3-year-old. My kindergartner is a little picky and abstained from her muffin at breakfast. For a mainstream magazine, I was surprised by some of the ingredients and had to make a special stop to find rice flour and flax meal, because these ingredients were not available at my local grocery.

To see what other ingredients make these muffins PMS fighters, read more.

These banana muffins provide "cramp-busting potassium" along with calcium and vitamin D, which together can decrease PMS symptoms upwards of 40 percent.

Banana Yogurt Walnut Muffins
Women's Health Magazine

Who wouldn't want to cure her PMS, or at least alleviate some of the symptoms, with a banana muffin. I had to try this recipe and see.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup plain yogurt
3 medium, ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup walnut pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a large bowl, whisk together oatmeal, flour, flaxseed, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, combine eggs, yogurt, bananas, syrup, and oil. Add flour mixture and fold in walnuts.
Divide batter into paper-lined muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 18. Per muffin: 147 cal, 7 g fat (1 g sat), 103 mg sodium, 20 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein

Print recipe with images | without images

My muffins look nothing like the lovely muffins photographed in the magazine recipe. I had to seriously stretch the batter to make 17 muffins and none of the muffins rose over the edge of the muffin tray. Although they looked short and flat, they were fluffy and light on the inside. I must add that they didn't taste "healthy" but they could use a little more flavor, maybe cinnamon or some lemon zest. I will make these muffins again. Let me know if you do.

Do you have a healthy snack or recipe to share? Then share it in the Lite'n it Up - Healthy Recipe Group and I might just post it on FitSugar.

Slimmed Down Brownies Recipe

FitSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:30:00 -0700

I consider brownies the perfect barbecue dessert. My standard recipe is similar to most; it contains a whole stick of butter, a couple of eggs and a cup and a half of sugar. Shape magazine recently featured brownies in their new recipe makeover column. I was more than curious and since I was craving chocolate I decided to whip up a batch. It didn't hurt that in making over the brownies, the final calorie count per brownie dropped by 170 calories.

To see the recipe and what I thought of these slimmed down brownies, just read more.

Slimmed Down Brownies
Shape

I found this recipe in Shape and was curious to see how Greek yogurt would fare in brownies.

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons espresso
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil; spray foil lightly with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt,and baking powder. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until combined. Add egg, egg whites, vanilla and coffee. Continue beating until incorporated.
Scrape down sides of the bowl and reduce mixer speed to low. Slowly add flour mixture to the bowl, followed by yogurt, and mix gently until combined. The batter will be thick.
Stir in chocolate and walnuts if using.
With a spatula, spread mixture evenly in pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of pan comes out dry. Cool on a wire rack before removing from pan and slicing into 16 squares.

Recipe makes 16 2-inch by 2-inch servings.

114 calories
5g fat
16g carbs
2g protein
1g fiber
16mg calcium
61mg sodium

Print recipe with images | without images

For a "lite" recipe, these brownies were really rich and tasty. The texture was a bit rubbery though due to the lack of fat in the recipe, I think. Yum thought the brownies were OK (which for a "lite" recipe is a compliment coming from her) and that they would pair nicely with some vanilla ice cream. My trick is to use good quality cocoa and chocolate chips.

Try baking these brownies and tell me what you think.

Do you have a healthy snack or recipe to share? Then share it in the Lite'n it Up - Healthy Recipe Group and I might just post it on FitSugar.

Cookbook Review: Quick From Scratch Chicken Cookbook

FitSugar — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 03:00:00 -0700

The latest book from Food & Wine, Quick from Scratch Chicken Cookbook ($25), might be dedicated entirely to chicken, but it is by no means boring. We all know that chicken is a wonderful lean protein, but cooking a boneless, skinless breast can become awfully dull. This cookbook is the antidote to monotonous chicken. With lovely photos accompanying every recipe, it is easy to become inspired flipping through its pages. Many of the recipes seem healthy, but the cookbook doesn't include any nutritional breakdown of the recipes, which is my only criticism of this book. Since chicken is such a versatile protein and can be cooked a variety of ways, the cookbook is organized around all the different cooking techniques making it easy to find recipes to try. Being summertime, I was drawn to the section devoted to grilling. I made the Tandoori chicken, and it was a hit. My girls loved it and it impresses dinner guests repeatedly. The major bonus is it's easy.

Check out the recipe when you read more.

Grilled Chicken Tandoori
Quick From Scratch Chicken Cookbook by Food and Wine

Ingredients

1 chicken (3 to 3 1/2 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
with skin removed
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
3 tablespoons cooking oil

Directions

Light the grill. Using a sharp knife, cut shallow incisions in the chicken pieces at about 1/2-inch intervals. In a large, glass dish or stainless-steel pan, combine the lemon juice, water, salt, and turmeric. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Let the chicken pieces marinate for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, and cayenne. Add to the chicken and lemon mixture; turn to coat. Let marinate for 10 minutes.
Grill the chicken over moderately high heat, basting with oil, for 10 minutes. Turn and cook, basting with the remaining oil, until just done, about 10 minutes longer for the breasts, 12 for the thighs and drumsticks.

Print recipe with images | without images
When I make this dish for my family, I omit the cayenne pepper - my daughters' young palates can't tolerate the heat - the end result is still quite tasty. You can also make kabobs with this recipe using four to five chicken breasts. If you're interested, pick up a copy of the cookbook from Amazon.

Source

Check Out the FitSugar Community Page

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:15:00 -0700

Leading a healthy life is always easier when you know you're not going it alone. Strong communities help build strong people. So come and check out the new FitSugar Community. It is vast and varied, offering a little something for everyone.

For all the health foodies, there's the Healthy Recipe Group for sharing and finding recipes that won't break the caloric bank.
If you're all about competition, then join the Race Day Training Group for tips and tales on racing adventures.
Share your personal reviews of fitness gear in Good Gear / Bad Gear.
If you're trying to shed a few pound, join Weight Loss Support for a community of folks facing similar daily challenges.
There's even a group for all you yogis - Yoga Stretch and Tell.

If you can't find a group that addresses your needs, please start your own. Plus there's polls and all sorts of blogs to get lost in or inspired by. Come on over and check it out.

DVD Review: Weight Loss - Cardio Kick

FitSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:00:51 -0700

Although I'm not a huge fan of DVDs that have the words "weight loss" on the cover, I did love the Weight Loss - Cardio Sculpt video I reviewed a while back.

Here's another video from that series called Weight Loss - Cardio Kick ($15). This DVD follows the same format of a few minutes of cardio, and a few minutes of strength training with weights, so it goes by really fast. The cardio portion includes high-energy kickboxing and martial arts-influenced cardio moves like punching, kicking, and pretend jumping rope to burn calories. The sculpting section leads you through combo moves such as bicep curls with squats, and lunges with deadlifts. There are a few workout options you can choose from. Do the total 51-minute workout including warmup, two cardio/sculpting workouts, and the cooldown, or if you don't have as much time, do the 31-minute workout including warmup, one cardio/sculpting workout, and cooldown.

For more of my opinion on this DVD keep reading.

Cookbook Review: Almost Meatless

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Studies on health and the health of the environment continue pointing to the fact that eating less meat is beneficial. It is from the perspective that you can reduce both your carbon footprint and your long term health by cutting back on your carnivorous ways that the authors of Almost Meatless ($22.50) penned their new cookbook. A collaboration between a former vegan, Joy Manning, and a committed meat eater, Tara Mataraza Desmond, this cookbook is full of recipes that include meat, fish, and poultry in the ingredient list. The meat, however, is not central to the dishes and is used more like a spice for flavor, texture, and color.

The cookbook is divided into sections by animal proteins, including chicken, seafood, eggs, beef, and pork. The amount of meat in these recipes is small, often hovering around four ounces to create a final dish containing four to six servings. The photos of the dishes are inspiring, but I would love a shot of every dish - I am very visually motivated when it comes to experimenting with new recipes. There are many tempting dishes to make like Almond Gnocchi with Lamb Ragu and Sweet Potato Chorizo Mole. I cooked up the shrimp fried rice and everyone in my house plus two guests loved it, and I look forward to trying more recipes from this book. The authors provide great cooking and shopping tips - like how to freeze bacon so you can use a slice when needed. Yes, cooking with just a piece of bacon still packs a powerful tasty punch. The only problem I have with this cookbook - there are no nutritional breakdowns of the recipes. I believe that cooks interested in using less meat are also going to want to know the calories, protein, and fat per serving.

To check out the tasty fried rice recipe read more.

Shrimp and Pineapple Fried Rice
Almost Meatless by Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond

Ingredients

1 large pineapple, cut in half length wise
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, but into 1/4 inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves, garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 (1-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 small red bell pepper, but into 1/4 inch dice, about (half a cup)
1 cup shopped sugar snap or snow peas
1 Thai chile, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
4 cups cold cooked brown or white rice
1/2 shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cute into 1/4-inch pieces

Directions

Make two bowls form the pineapple halves by arcing out the center, leaving the bottom intact and leaving about a 1/2-inch-think border along the sides. Cut the carved out pineapple into small chunks, discarding the pieces of the tough center core. Set the pineapple shells and he chunks aside.
Coat a wok or a large sautée pan with the oil and set over medium-high heat. Once the oils shimmering but not smoking, add onion, garlic, ginger, bell peppers, peas, and chili. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, and rice, tossing to incorporate with the other ingredients.
Add the shrimp, cooking just until done, for about two minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the pineapple chunks. Spoon the rice into the carved out pineapple halves and serve.

Serves 4

Make it family friendly by leaving out the Thai chili. Just sautée the chili separately and add to adult plates depending on desired spiciness.

Print recipe with images | without images

Cookbook Review: Baking with Agave Nectar

FitSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:30:00 -0700

I have tried many sugar substitutes in my day. Mostly out of curiosity and in a vain attempt to quell my sweet tooth. In my search I must say that agave nectar works the best for me. It is sweet, without being overly sweet and it is great in tea and salad dressing. I was curious to bake with it and found Baking with Agave Nectar ($15.95) and thought I would give it a whirl.

The cookbook contains over 100 recipes from cookies to ice cream – some vegan recipes and some that include milk, eggs and butter. Many of the recipes sound tasty and I appreciate the fact that the author, Ania Catalano, includes easy to find whole wheat pastry flour as a substitute for the not so easy to find sprouted spelt four. The directions are easy to follow and the photographs are lovely; I just wish there were more of them. If you are new to cooking with ingredients typically considered health food, Catalano includes a detailed glossary of terms with in depth explanations of things like carob and guar gum. The introduction is equally inspiring.

Since I had a vegan houseguest this weekend I whipped up a batch of vegan Linzer torte cookies. The recipe took well under an hour to make (super quick) and my daughters thoroughly enjoyed helping me make the cookies as well as eating the final product. These Linzer cookies (made with almonds and raspberry jam) are truly healthy cookies. I found myself eating them after running like I would an energy bar. Next on my list to make from this book is Skinny Vanilla Bean frozen yogurt, banana cream pie and the agave Margarita.

I liked the recipe so much I wanted to share it with you. To check out the Linzer cookie recipe just read more.

Vegan Raspbery Linzer Torte Cookies
Baking with Agave Nectar by Ania Catalano

This is as healthy as any cookie can get!

Ingredients

2 cups raw almonds
2 cups regular rolled oats (not quick cooking)
2 cups sprouted spelt four or whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup light agave nectar
1 cup canola oil
1 cup juice-sweetened raspberry preserves

Directions

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place almonds in a food processor and grind to a fine meal, about one minute. Remove and set aside.
Place the oats in the food processor and grind to a fine meal.
Return the almonds to the food processor along with the flour, cinnamon, agave nectar, and canola oil. Pulse to combine all the ingredients.
Roll the dough into walnut-size ball and place on the prepared baking sheets. Using your thumb, press an indentation into the center of each ball.
Fill the indentations with preserves.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Reprinted with permission from Baking With Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright (c) 2008 Celestial Arts Press, Berkeley, CA. www.tenspeed.com. Publisher retains all copyrights and the right to require immediate removal of this excerpt for copyright or other business reasons.

Print recipe with images | without images

You can buy the book here.

A Path to Great Food: Oldways Table

FitSugar — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 12:30:00 -0700

There are cook books. There are history books. There are books on the culture of food. Then there is Oldways Table (published by Ten Speed Press) a book that masterfully blends all three.

This book was written by K. Dun Gifford and Sara Baer-Sinnott, the minds behind Oldways, the culinary think tank that brought you The Whole Grain Stamp and the Med Mark. Who would have thought a cook book with essays could be so engaging as to make me miss my train stop? But it is that interesting and I did miss my stop, but I still love reading this book and imagining the recipes I could make. Now I only read it while in the kitchen. The book feels like a travel guide for food and distant cultures – cultures that all share the love of kale, lamb and lima beans. This book is great for the foodie and the healthy eater alike. It explores the basics of the celebrated Mediterranean diet, but the book includes recipes from countries far outside that region.

My favorite recipe from the book is so simple and tasty: Mashed Potatoes with Kale and Olive Oil. It mixes carbs, fat and greens all in one incredible dish. The only thing I change from this original recipe is keeping the skins on the potatoes, since that's where all the nutrients reside.

Go ahead and cook adventurously, even though you will be cooking like people have for centuries. You can find the book for $21.45 at Amazon. It just might be more fun to walk or ride your bike to your local book store and see if you can find it on the shelf there.

To check out the recipe just read more

Mashed Potatoes with Kale and Olive Oil
from Oldways Table

What you need:
3 pounds all purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
Sea Salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, large stems stripped and discarded, leaves chopped*
1/2 cup warm milk or light cream
Ground pepper
5 scallions, white and tender green parts, chopped1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

What you do:

Put potatoes in a large and cover with water, Add a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil and continue boiling for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain and place in a large bowl.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large pan or skillet over medium heat. add garlic and chopped kale and sauté for 4 minutes, until softened. add kale to bowl with potatoes.
mash the potatoes and kale together with potato masher of form. Slowly add the warm milk and combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the potatoes in a serving bowl. Make a well in the center and pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top. Sprinkle with scallions and cheese. Serve immediately.

serves 4

You can also use this mash as filling for stuffed eggplant, peppers or zucchini shells!

*3 cups Swiss chard or spinach can be used as substitutions

Print recipe with images | without images