Cranberry Orange Bread Pudding

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Sorry to disappoint but first I have to explain that this is NOT a healthy recipe.. but its so delicious! And its a great way to use up old bread :) I tried to lighten it up a bit by using less butter and skim milk. Applesauce may be able to substitute entirely for the butter but as this was my first time experimenting with bread pudding I didn’t want to get too crazy. Updates on further modifications to come!

Ingredients

  • 16 slices of bread
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. grated orange peel
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 6 eggs
  • 4 cups skim milk
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla
  • Additional 1 tbsp. sugar

Directions

  • Grease a 13×9 inch glass baking dish and preheat oven to 375 degrees
  • Remove crust of bread and cut into cubes
  • Layer half of bread cubes, cranberries, and orange peel and repeat layering process
  • Drizzle contents with 1/4 cup melted butter
  • Mix together eggs, milk, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla and pour over bread mixture
  • Let stand for 15 minutes and then sprinkle remaining 1tbsp. sugar over bread
  • Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour or until knife inserted into the center comes out clean

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

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This is a little spin off of traditional butternut squash soup. It gives it a little extra flavor and a little more interest. It’s perfect for a cold weather dinner!

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 carrots, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 large butternut squash, diced
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  • Pepper to taste

Directions

  • In a large pot, sauté onion and garlic in canola oil for 3-5 minutes over medium high heat
  • Add in carrots and celery and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes
  • Add squash, vegetable broth, and rosemary and bring to a boil
  • Reduce soup to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until squash is soft
  • Puree soup using immersion blender, food processor, or standing blender until smooth
  • Add in milk and season with pepper to taste

Skinny Chicken Corn Chowder

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It’s finally the season to start experimenting with cold weather foods! I’ve been so anxious to start trying out some new soup recipes and with the rainfall these past two days, I decided it was finally time to try out this skinny chicken corn chowder.

 

Ingredients

Adapted from Cooking Light

  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1 tbsp. canola oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
  • 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
  • 3 cups nonfat milk
  • 2 roasted skinless chicken breasts, chopped (you can also substitute shrimp)
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernals
  • 1/4 tsp. dried dill
  • 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1 14 oz. can cream-style corn

Directions

  • Heat butter and oil in a large pot over medium heat
  • Add onion, celery, and jalapeno and cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently
  • Add flour and cook 1 minute stirring consistently
  • Pour in milk and stir in remaining ingredients
  • Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes or until thick


Creamy Artichoke Crusted Chicken

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This chicken is absolutely fantastic! Creamy, moist, and rich.  Not usually adjectives that you associate with healthy!  Try making this for your friends or family and I guarantee that they won’t be able to guess that it is a “light” recipe :)  I paired the chicken with my garlic rosemary sweet potatoes.  Recipe soon to follow!

Ingredients

  • 4 lean 6 oz. chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp. canola oil (omit if BBQ-ing)
  • Pepper and Salt
  • 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed (you can use frozen if you like)
  • 1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese

Directions

  • Season chicken with pepper and salt
  • Sautee in canola oil over medium-high heat cooking 8-10 minutes per side (Or simply throw them on the grill!)
  • Set chicken aside and mix together Greek yogurt, chopped artichoke hearts, and cheese in a medium bowl
  • Spread the mixture over the cooked chicken breasts and use the oven to broil for about 3-4 minutes
  • When the tops are golden and the cheese is melted they are ready to serve!

Protein Pumpkin Waffles

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There’s nothing like a yummy, homemade Sunday breakfast!  Since it’s getting closer to Fall I decided to jump the gun and start experimenting with pumpkin recipes again.  These pumpkin waffles leave you feeling full and satisfied for hours from all the fiber and protein in them!

Ingredients

Serves 2

Pumpkin Waffle

  • 2/3 cup oats
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 packets stevia or splenda
  • 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 2 egg whites
  • 2 tbsp. almond milk (or milk of choice)

Pumpkin Topping (optional)

  • 2 tbsp. almond milk (or milk of choice)
  • 2 tbsp. pumpkin
  • 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter (or your favorite nut butter)
  • 1 tbsp. maple syrup

Directions

  • Blend oats until they are ground into a fine flour
  • In a small bowl, combine blended oats, protein powder, baking powder, splenda, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon
  • In a large mixing bowl, blend pumpkin, Greek yogurt, egg whites, and almond milk until smooth
  • Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into wet without over-mixing
  • Cook according to your waffle iron’s settings
  • While waffle is cooking, in a medium bowl combine topping ingredients and microwave for 30 seconds or until smooth
  • Top waffles with fresh bananas, crushed nuts, or whatever your heart desires!