Cranberry Greek Yogurt Smoothie

Here is another tasty way that I've found to use fresh or frozen cranberries in a smoothie.  I took a little different spin on this High Protein Berry Smoothie recipe that I shared the other day.  I gotta say, I'm really enjoying adding those shiny, ruby berries to my smoothies.  I've been a bit lax lately in adding greens to my smoothies, so I decided to include some this time.  The fresh baby spinach just disappears into this drink ~ can't see it, nor taste it ~ but you still get the benefit of its green goodness, just the same.  Greek yogurt, flax seed/oil and strawberries/blueberries are just more of the superfood goodies in this smoothie ~ and it works for the Fat Flush Plan, too.  Booyah! 

Cranberry Greek Yogurt Smoothie
serves one

Ingredients

• 1 cup cold water
• 1 oz. unsweetened cranberry juice
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen mix of strawberries and/or blueberries
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
• 1 Tbsp flax seed oil
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 6 ice cubes
• 2 packets of Equal or sweetener of choice 

Directions
Throw all ingredients into the blender and whirl away until it's smooth and frosty!

High Protein Berry Smoothie ~ Fat Flush Plan

I was looking through my Fat Flush Plan Cookbook and came across a recipe for a high protein smoothie that incorporates the diet's cranberry/flax seed daily 'cocktail', along with fresh cranberries, to make a great tasting breakfast smoothie.  I happened to have some frozen cranberries in the freezer, as well as a few blueberries and strawberries ~ so, this is my adapted version.  I'm really digging adding 'fresh' cranberries to smoothies, they add a great 'punch' and they aren't too tart for me ~ Enjoy!

High Protein Berry Smoothie

 ~ inspired by the Fat Flush Plan Super Smoothie recipe

serves one

Ingredients

• 1 cup cold water
• 1 oz. unsweetened cranberry juice
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
• 1 Tbsp flax seed oil
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 5 ice cubes
• sweetener of choice (optional ~ I didn't use any, I liked it as is)

Directions
Throw all ingredients into the blender and whirl away until it's smooth and frosty!


 

Quinoa, Kale, Walnut & Cranberry Salad

When I'm trying to get more greens into my diet, kale is one of the first veggies I head for.  I really enjoy eating raw kale in salads, especially when I have some leftover quinoa in the fridge.  Throw in a handful of walnuts and cranberries, a big spoonful of quinoa, then drizzle on some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, give it all a toss and I'm good to go.  Who says eating your greens has to be boring?  Certainly not me!

Super Easy Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal ~ a no-cook option that makes breakfast a breeze!

Super Easy Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal ~ Mixing this up the night before is such a simple way to make breakfast.

When I was pregnant, I often used to make up a container of ~ Super Easy Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal ~ for my morning breakfast.  Back then, some mornings it was hard to think about eating, so this took all the guess work out of what to make for breakfast.  It was also convenient to take to work & eat on my morning break.  When I want breakfast ready first thing in the morning, with as little effort as possible, I just make this up the night before.  It's a lot like the Dr. Bircher's Muesli I wrote about awhile back, except simpler.  I like simpler first thing morning ~ How about you?  

Super Easy Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal
serves 1~2
( just depends on how much you like your oats in the morning.  Me, I don't share my morning oats, so I eat it ALL.  teehee :)

You can view the nutritional info based on 2 servings over on CalorieCount ~ click here.

Ingredients

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup vanilla soy milk (or your favorite kind of dairy/nut milk)
• 1 Tbsp ground flax
• 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts 
• 1 Tbsp cranberries
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• sweetener of choice ~ optional

Directions

Mix all ingredients together, in a bowl with a lid & let the oats sit in the fridge overnight.  In the morning, give it a good stir & enjoy as is, or add some sweetener.  

For a little different spin, consider these mix & match ideas.  Get creative, to your heart's content...

Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal with Pumpkin & Chia Seeds

• use your favorite fruit juice in place of the dairy/nut milk   (V8-Fusion is a fruit/veggie blend that tastes just like fruit juice, so you can sneak a bit of veggies in your breakfast)
• 2 Tbsp canned pumpkin puree
• 1 Tbsp Chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1 Tbsp dried fruit, like ~ raisins, chopped apricots, chopped dates
• a little honey, maple syrup, molasses, etc. 

Pumpkin Cranberry Oatmeal

Pumpkin Cranberry Oatmeal ~ Super easy, super simple & super tasty.  A big bowl of this oatmeal is a perfect way to start your day on these cold autumn mornings.

I was craving big bowls of hot oatmeal this weekend.  Luckily, I still had some canned pumpkin in the fridge, left over from making the Cranberry-Pumpkin Oat Breakfast Cookies, so I decided to try using some in my morning cooked oatmeal.  Good idea!  I really enjoyed the extra flavor the pumpkin & other goodies added to the oatmeal. Breakfast was ready in under 5 minutes, start to finish.  Great for when I'm in a hurry or just really, really hungry.  I'll be making this often while I'm in the pumpkin mood.  Hope you like this flavor combo too.  Enjoy!  

Pumpkin Cranberry Oatmeal

serves one

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 Tbsp dried cranberries (or more, to taste)
• 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
• 1 Tbsp ground flax
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

sweetener of choice ~ honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, etc.
milk of choice ~ diary or nut

Directions 

Mix first seven ingredients together in a covered microwave safe bowl.  Cook for one minute, stir and then cook for one additional minute. (or follow the cooking directions on your box of oatmeal)

Serve with milk & sweetener of choice.  Enjoy!

Cranberry-Pumpkin Oat Breakfast Cookies

Cranberry-Pumpkin Oat Breakfast Cookies ~ The ruby red cranberries are a perfect match for the pumpkin.  If you want a real treat, add some white chocolate chips & make this breakfast cookie really special!

Frances (a reader of the blog) left me a comment, sharing some of the changes she made to her batch of the Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies.  She substituted some pumpkin for part the applesauce, omitted the nuts & upped the raisins.  It sounded really good, so I decided I wanted to try the pumpkin swap too, but I had another spin in mind... I also cut the nuts (heehee, that just made me giggle), but wanted to use all cranberries this time around, instead of raisins.  I also included some honey, since the pumpkin just doesn't have the same sweetness as the applesauce.  I topped a few of the cookies with white chocolate chips, just because it sounded it good. (it was)  I'm guess I'm still on the pumpkin kick ~ hope you are too.  Enjoy!

Cranberry-Pumpkin Oat Breakfast Cookies

makes approx. 18 cookies, depending on size

To see the nutritional info, go over to the CalorieCount site ~ click here.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas ~ mashed with fork until smooth & creamy
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal ~ uncooked
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries (or more, to taste)
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix mashed bananas, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, vanilla extract & cinnamon in a large bowl until well combined.

Stir in the oatmeal & cranberries.  Let 'dough' sit for 10 minutes.

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into circles.  (press a few white chocolate chips into the cookies, if using)

Bake approx. 20-25 minutes, or until golden & done.

Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.
 
Store in a covered container when completely cool.

 

Just Desserts

I was going through some of my old food photos & came across some sweet treats that I thought would be good for a little temptation...er, I mean ~ inspiration.  Enjoy!

Low-Fat Black Bean Brownies, Vegan & Gluten-Free ~ Very unusual  recipe, a dense & almost fudge-like brownie.  It's made with black beans, bananas & gluten-free oatmeal.  I sprinkled some chocolate chips on top, just before baking & added a drizzle of chocolate syrup when serving.  (just upping the chocolate factor)  I bet walnuts would be good in them, too.  J liked them, but then, he likes anything with chocolate.  He had no clue that they had black beans in them, you won't either ~ you just can't tell.  After spending a few days in the fridge, the brownies tasted even better.  It's an easy way to get more veg/fruit slipped into the meal. I will make them again. :)

Granola Bars/Cookies ~ with Chocolate, Almonds & Dried Cranberries ~ This was featured in our Sunday paper awhile back.  They were good, but too rich/sweet for a true granola bar. I ended up cutting them into 1" cookie 'bites' & we enjoyed them so much more.  That way they're a perfect  little treat with a cup of tea, coffee, milk or for an after school snack.   As a cookie, they would be a nice addition to any holiday cookie tray.   To make them a fancier 'cookie', I would drizzle some melted milk/dark chocolate chips on them when they're done cooling.  I do love my chocolate...  :)

Quick Peach Cobbler ~ This is a super simple dessert recipe from the Betty Crocker website.  I made a few changes ~ I used skim milk, Heart Healthy Bisquick & sprinkled some oatmeal on top, just before baking.  Easy way to cut the calories a bit & up the fiber. This is such an easy way to make this classic dessert.  

Meyer Lemon & Fresh Cranberry Muffins

Meyer Lemon & Fresh Cranberry Muffins

It was cold & gray today. Time for tea & muffins. I had some Meyer lemons & cranberries in the fridge ~ perfect!  I surfed the net & found this recipe over at Everybody Likes Sandwiches.

The scent of fresh lemon quickly chased away the morning blahs.  The flavor of the lemon/muffin is subtle & the cranberries give the muffins a unique twist. The recipe made a dozen regular sized muffins, as well as a bakers dozen of mini muffins.  I would drop the temp to 375* next time, 400* was just too hot. The sides of the muffins got a bit too brown by the time they were cooked through & the tops only got to a pale golden color.  You could easily use regular lemons in this recipe.

 The muffins are now almost all gone, can't get more of a thumbs up than that.