Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Blueberry Oatmeal Blender Muffins


Few things make a morning better than waking up to the aroma of fresh, fluffy muffins baking in the oven. But who has the time? You do! This clever recipe mixed in a blender makes it easy to have scrumptious muffins any day of the week. Just combine wholesome ingredients like oats, banana, Greek yogurt, honey, and eggs, in a blender, mix, then pour the batter into a muffin pan and bake. In slightly more time than it takes to make a smoothie, you could have a batch of blueberry muffins baking in your oven. Clean-up is quick and painless!

There is no flour, refined sugar, or oil in these blender muffins. High-fiber, old-fashioned oats take the place of flour (choose gluten free-oats to make these muffins gluten-free). Greek yogurt makes them rich and moist, honey and fresh fruit make them naturally sweet, and walnuts provide texture and healthy omega-3s.

Not sure you’ll eat 12 muffins (come on, you’re not fooling us)? These blender muffins freeze well. Just pop one in a microwave for 30 seconds or pack them in your meal prep and they’ll thaw by snack time.

Once you’ve tried this recipe, you’ll want to make it again and again. These blender muffins can be customized with any fresh fruit you like. Try sprinkling cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg into the batter. Swap walnuts for slivered almonds or sunflower seeds, stir in 2 Tbsp. of peanut butter, or top them with coconut flakes or dark chocolate morsels. Remember, adding ingredients will change the nutritional profile.





Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Total Time: 40 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 25 min.
Yield: 12 servings, 1 muffin each

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray (optional)
1 cup reduced fat (2%) plain Greek yogurt
3 Tbsp. raw honey
2 large very ripe bananas, cut into chunks
2 large eggs
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
⅔ cup chopped raw walnuts

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Prepare 12 muffin cups by lining with muffin papers or lightly coating with spray.
3. Place yogurt, honey, bananas, eggs, extract, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in blender (or food processor); cover. Blend until smooth, scraping once or twice, as needed.
4. Gently fold in blueberries and walnuts.
5. Evenly divide batter among prepared muffin cups.
6. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Transfer muffins to rack; cool.
 







Spicy Sweet Potato Fries



Love sweet potato fries? Here’s a healthier way to enjoy them.

Total Time: 45 min.
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: 40 min.
Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients:
2 large yams, peeled, cut into ½-inch thick lengthwise batons
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. chili powder
Sea salt (to taste; optional)

Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Place sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil; toss gently to coat.
3. Season with chili powder and salt; toss gently to coat.
4. Spread potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, turning once, until brown and tender.
6. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.









Tomato Pork Burgers



Tomato Pork Burgers

This recipe makes juicy, tomato flavored burgers that don't require any sauce to go with them - they are moist enough. Another good thing about this recipe is that the eggs are optional - if you don't have any at hand you can just skip them altogether, it won't change the taste much. You will need to blend fresh tomatoes, though, so you do need to have a blender of some kind handy. If you can get a hold of cherry tomatoes - it'll work even better but generally any ripe tomatoes will work. The trick is to soak the oats in tomato juice and then mix them with the ground pork (you can use any ground meat).


Ingredients:

* 2 pounds ( 1kg ) ground pork
* 4 oz ( 120g ) steel cut oats
* 1-2 small ripe tomatoes
* 3 egg yolks (optional)
* pepper, salt, garlic powder for taste


Instructions:

1. Blend tomatoes into tomato juice.
2. Pour tomato juice into a bowl and season with pepper, salt and garlic powder for taste.
3. Stir in the oats and let them absorb into the juice.
4. Add meat and mix well. Let soak for a few minutes.
5. Split into 4 or 6 portions.
6. Make them into burgers. Cling film the burgers you are won’t be cooking for later and keep in the freezer for up to a month.
7. Bake in the oven at 200 ºC/392 ºF uncovered until cooked through. 30 min 15 min each side.



Nutrition Facts:




6 burgers / 190g whole thing
300 Calories per portion
44g protein
8g fat
13g carbohydrates + Low in sodium

+ Very low in sugar
+ High in niacin
+ High in phosphorus
+ High in riboflavin
+ Very high in selenium
+ Very high in thiamin
+ High in vitamin B6