Yogurt Breakfast Bowls – My favorite healthy breakfast

July 28, 2011 by · 2 Comments

 

I was going to call this my favorite breakfast, but truth be told, that would probably be 3 cinnamon rolls, bacon and coffee (preferably some S’Bucks.)

However, since  Becki’s Whole Life is about moderation I only have that type of a breakfast once or twice a month – max.  Plus, after I eat like that I feel pretty yucky. I am really much happier eating something like you see in the picture above.

Jim and I took a nutrition class at our gym a few months back and one of the big take-away’s was how to combine your food.  For instance, a great breakfast consists of a complex carbohydrate (think whole grains), a lean protein and a fruit or a veggie.  It’s extremely important to combine the complex carbs with a lean protein (google it for the reason why:-)) and we all know that we need our fruits and veggies.  Just eating healthy food is not enough – you need to eat with the right things.

Here are some good options for this type of a healthy breakfast…..

1)Whole Wheat Tortilla with an egg and some leftover roasted veggies

2)  Bowl of cereal (watch the sugar), skim milk and a sliced fruit on top

3)  WW Toast with 1-2 Tbsp of natural nut butter (there are some great new options out there) with some sliced banana on top

4) WW English Muffin, Egg Whites, Canadian Bacon and a glass of orange juice

These are all great easy breakfasts.  Just remember to really watch your sugar content and portion size.  If you are doing that you don’t really even need to count calories in my non-professional opinion.  I know personally I don’t have the time, patience or attention span to count calories!

So this little combo is idea number five.

Yogurt Breakfast Bowl

1 Whole Wheat Biscuit OR a 1/2 cup of granola

1 cup of low fat/low sugar yogurt – ideally Greek because it has lots more protein

1/2 cup of fresh fruit (blueberries, peaches or strawberries are all great in this)

A sprinkle of cinnamon and honey to taste

Combine and enjoy!

You can mix and match this bowl however you like.   This morning I actually put some granola on top of peaches and yogurt and it was sooooo good.  I will post a good whole wheat biscuit recipe shortly.  The taste of the biscuit in this yogurt is exceptionally good.

I hope you enjoy this healthy breakfast as much as I do!

For some great blogs that will inspire some healthy breakfasts, check out Kath Eats Real Food and Carrots & Cake.  They inspired me!

****What is your favorite healthy breakfast combo??****

Disclaimer – I am in no way a nutrition expert.  I am just sharing what works for me.

 

 

Share
Filed Under: Health, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Blueberry Crumb Cake

July 11, 2011 by · 1 Comment


If you add fruit to a butter laden baked good it’s healthy, right?

I hate to talk about the weather, but its soooo hot here now.  Yesterday morning we went for a bike ride with the girls, and we were actually in a shaded area on the Cary Greenway so for the most part we kept cool.  Riding bikes is my favorite family activity and we just bought Ella a new bike yesterday so we had to go.  We probably covered about 5  miles total and by the end, Taylor was pretty worn out.  We stopped for a bit to see the turtles and ducks in the pond and then we headed down the path towards the van.  When we finished up our ride, Jim asked Taylor what she wanted for lunch and she told him that she just wanted some ice cubes.  She cracks me up.

It’s interesting how different my girls are.  I really think that Ella could ride her bike about as far as Jim and I could, but Taylor gets pooped out after a few miles (she is only five so really she does just fine.)   Ella is also more serious and artistic where Taylor is more social and she makes me laugh almost any time she talks.  Their eating habits are different, too. While they are both great eaters, I have noticed that Taylor doesn’t like anything mixed together (like casseroles,) while Ella will eat different combos but she is a bit of a food snob. She loves brie, calamari and smoked salmon and snubs her nose at string cheese and pizza (I like all the above…) If you have kids do you notice lots of differences like that?  I guess it’s just neat to see their distinct personalities blossom.

This was a dish that they didn’t agree on.  Taylor didn’t want to try it because it had blueberries in it, but Ella gave it two thumbs up.  Everyone (besides Taylor) loved this coffee cake and it couldn’t be any more moist or flavorful.  I used fresh blueberries because they are everywhere now, but you could certainly use frozen and I think it would still taste great.  I whipped this up in about 25 minutes so that is another huge plus.   If you are looking for a nice breakfast treat, this is a great choice.  Enjoy!

Blueberry Crumb Cake
Adapted from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary (originally from Family, Food & Friends)

1/4 c butter – softened
3/4 c white sugar
1 egg
1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream the butter and sugar until a pale yellow color and then add the next 5 ingredients until just combined.  Gently fold in the blueberries and then spread into a 9 inch pie plate.

Streusel Topping

½ c  butter – softened
1 c white sugar
2/3 c   flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Cream together the butter and the sugar and then stir in the flour and cinnamon until crumbly. Sprinkle this over the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Share
Filed Under: Home & Family, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Peach Cobbler

June 29, 2011 by · 1 Comment

 

I love to bake.  That can sometimes be a problem.

If I baked as often as I would like I would probably be a good 40 pounds heavier.  Not kidding.

So I have a deal with myself (and my husband.)  If I workout 3-4 days per week (ideally 4, but some weeks it just doesn’t happen,) then on Sunday I get to bake a dessert   And you know I spend the week deciding what I will make..cause that’s what I do.  But I also go the gym and I run a lot and I lift some weights…and oh yes, now I ride the bike just to shake things up a bit.

Once we have eaten our pieces of dessert I’ll usually give the rest away.  My kids get mad at me, but it’s just they way it is.  I’m not a mean mommy, I just need to get the stuff out of the house or I will eat it on Monday when no one is home and I am on a conference call and I know I won’t have to talk for a good five minutes or so.  Do you ever eat while you are on a conference call?  Yes?  Please make sure you use the mute button, thanks..

So there is my tip.  If you love to bake, but your waistline can’t support your baking habits then make it a reward for doing well the rest of the week.  I could never go without sweets and my kids really appreciate it when I make something for them from scratch – they even like to help (when I have patience to let them.)  My husband holds me accountable and that’s important, too.

This is the Peach Cobbler that I made two weekends ago.  I think what got me was not only the use of fresh peaches but the browned butter.  Everything is better with browned butter, right?  This was a recipe I saw floating around on several blogs but I originally saw it on Pink Parsley.  We loved it and the fresh peaches were wonderful, but the browned butter sent it over the top.   Peaches are starting to pop up at our farm stand and I just needed to make something with them.  So glad I did – enjoy!

Hill Country Peach Cobbler

Recipe adapted slightly from Pink Parsley – originally from The Pastry Queen, by Rebecca Rather

Ingredients

1/2 c   butter – ideally unsalted

3/4 c  white sugar

1 c  AP flour

1 Tb baking powder

a pinch of salt

3/4 cup milk (I used skim and it turned out fine)

3 c sliced fresh peaches (fresh is the key here)

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 c    packed brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Brown the butter in a small pan over medium heat.  Watch for it to bubble and it will turn an amber color – don’t let it burn!

Pour the browned butter into an 8 inch square baking dish

Mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and milk together and then pour this mixture over the butter.  Do not stir this all together.

Place the peaches on top of the batter and then sprinkle with the pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown.  Let cool.  Serve with ice cream or fresh whipped cream.  Enjoy!

Share
Filed Under: Health, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,
Newer Posts»