low fat banana nut bread

Ingredients:

• 7 ripe medium bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 oz (3/4 cup) chopped walnuts
• baking spray

DIY nutty granola

Instead of spending $8 or more on a bag of store-bought granola, you can head to your kitchen and bake up your own unique recipe. Here’s a recipe from FitSugar for nutty granola made with buckwheat groats and almond butter.

Ingredients:

Dry

• 1 c rolled oats
• 1/2 c raw buckwheat groats
• 1/4 c almonds, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp whole flax seeds
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wet

• 2 tbsp raw almond butter
• 2-3 tbsp agave syrup (sub maple syrup or honey if you prefer)

low-carb breakfast burrito

Ingredients:

• 1 low-carb tortilla (I used Trader Joe’s Sonoma Carb Cutting Tortillas – only 60 calories)
• 1 egg, scrambled (with a pinch of salt & pepper)
• 1/2 avocado
• Goat cheese
• 2 slices tomato

banana split…for breakfast?

I saw this photo on the Pinterest board for Tone it Up! Looks delicious…

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, peeled
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 small container of non-fat Greek yogurt
• Handful of carob chips

Photo Source: Pinterest

light spinach & feta frittata

Frittatas are great for dinner but make a great breakfast or brunch too.  Also perfect to make on a Sunday, and have for a low-carb breakfast or lunch during the work week.

Ingredients:

• 2 whole eggs
• 8 large egg whites
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 2 oz crumbled feta
• 2 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• other options: add red/green pepper, asparagus, zucchini

mini ham & cheese quinoa cups

I saw this recipe on The Kitchn via the food blog Iowa Girl Eats. I am going to make these next weekend! They have less than 50 calories each.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup zucchini, shredded
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup diced ham
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 2 green onions, sliced
• salt & pepper

farmer’s market breakfast

Fresh Farmer’s Market fruit salad: bananas, peaches, apples, pears, and strawberries.

light egg white frittatas

My mom recently bought me muffin tins. Since I don’t ever make muffins, I figured this would be a great use for those tins! I saw this recipe on Food Gawker via The Dinnervine.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup finely chopped zucchini
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red or white onion
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (rinsed from oil, and chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup feta cheese
• 2 tbsp shredded mozzarella
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (for topping)
• 5 egg whites
• 3 egg yolks
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Paprika for topping
• Extra virgin olive oil (for sautéing veggies in skillet)

weekend breakfast

I had this breakfast both days this weekend: toasted whole wheat English muffin with goat cheese, honey & arugula and sliced pear on the side.

banana, peanut butter & honey on wheat toast

Greg’s breakfast this morning…looked so good, I had to take a photo.

açaí bowl

I had this for brunch this weekend and need to start making these!

Ingredients:

•  4 pack of Açaí berry pure (example: Sambazon)
• 2 cup almond milk (or water)
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 2 tbsp hemp protein powder

Topping:

• 1 cup granola
• 2 handful fresh strawberries and blueberries
• 4 tbsp hemp seeds

saturday morning breakfast

After power yoga on Saturday, I had a toasted whole wheat English muffin with goat cheese, honey and arugula.

gluten-free cereals (that don’t taste gluten-free!)

Nature’s Path Gluten Free Whole O’s Cereal

This cereal ($5) is USDA organic certified and is made with gluten-free ingredients like buckwheat, quinoa, millet, sorghum, amaranth, brown rice, flax, and whole grain corn. Whole O’s are high in fiber, low in sugar, and taste delicious. 110 calories per serving.

* I also LOVE Trader Joe’s Organic High Fiber O’s Cereal (similar NON gluten-free version)

General Mills Rice Chex

Most Chex cereals ($4) are gluten-free so you can enjoy Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Honey Nut Chex, Cinnamon Chex, and even Chocolate Chex without a spec of gluten.

Barbara’s Honey Rice Puffins

Crispy and sweet, Barbara’s Honey Rice Puffins ($5) are deliciously light and crunchy made with brown rice and the natural sweetness of honey. Buy at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

* I ate Puffins ALL the time in college…for breakfast, lunch AND dinner sometimes.

Kay’s Naturals Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Protein Cereal

This is a great cereal option for those who want something similar to Cheerios.  Kay’s Naturals Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Protein Cereal ($5) is made with a variety of ingredients, including corn flour, rice flour, pea fiber, and evaporated cane juice; it’s also fat free. It even comes in an apple and cinnamon flavor.

Source: FitSugar

easter brunch

My Easter breakfast was delicious: scrambled eggs on a whole wheat English Muffin with arugula and fresh berries. 

non-fat vanilla yogurt with kashi go-lean

I’ve been on a Greek yogurt lunch kick for the past 2 weeks, making sure I meet my daily calcium needs.

Ingredients: Trader Joe’s Organic Greek Style Non-Fat Vanilla Yogurt, Kashi Go-Lean, Craisins & Sliced Banana.