My Healthy Attempts: BEST of 2012

Here are our Favorites and Most Popular from the Year (in no particular order)!

1) Lemon Broccoli Pesto

Ingredients:
Large Head of Broccoli and Stems roughly chopped

(or two small heads) (reserve some for topping pasta)

1 C Sunflower Seeds (soaked for an hour if possible)

1/4 C Pine Nuts

Large Handful of Fresh Parsley or Basil

1/2 Lemon, Juice and Zest

1 Large Clove Garlic

Small Handful of Parmesan Cheese (optional - put how much you want!)

1-2 tsp Sea Salt (to taste)

Put all ingredients in food processor, and blend until combined.

While in processor, drizzle in 2 Tbl Milk, 1 Tbl Olive Oil, and about 1/4 C water. Watch it closely until you get the consistency you want.

Mix with Whole Wheat Pasta and top with Some Broccoli And optional Parmesan Cheese and/or Pine Nuts.

I mixed my pesto with Zunchinni Noodles, made with a sprilalizer. YUM!

2) Almond Quinoa Granola Bars

(refined sugar free)

WOW!

Talk about a power food bar! Quinoa is GREAT for you, just one 3.5 oz serving provides 12-15 g of protein!

Inspiration taken from Anja's Food 4 Thought

Ingredients:
1/4 C Uncooked Quinoa

1/4 C Ground Flax Seed

1/2 scoop of protein powder (optional)

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 Dried Dates (about 5)

1/3 C Dried Prunes (about 8)

1/4 C Raisins

3/4 C whatever nuts seeds you want (pumpkin, sunflower, almonds, walnuts, etc)

Banana sweetener (recipe below)

1 C Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (GF if needed)

Place above ingredients (except banana sweetener and oats) in food processor, pulse until combined well.

Banana Sweetener:

In small pot mash 2 VERY ripe bananas and 1/4 C Almond Butter. Cook over low heat until well combined. (not too long)

Add Banana mixture to nut mixture, and pulse until combined.

Add 1 C Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (gluten free optional) and pulse just barely until combined, don't over process.

Spread in bread pan lined with parchment and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

Let cool and slice into bars.

3) Homemade Wheat Thins

I was SOOO excited to find this recipe!! I have always loved wheat Thins, but stopped buying them, trying to rid myself of processed food! These are a GReaT replacement and taste very similar! I am going to keep experimenting to create a fat free and gluten free version.

(I'll let you know!)

THese are WAY easier and more simple than my trusty Graham Crackers,

so this might be my new go to for snacks!

Dip in Hummus, or Edamame Hummus or Guac!

Click HERE for the recipe

4) Whole Grain Blueberry Scones

Great for Guests, Holidays, or Sunday Mornings!

You could easily make the dough the night before and let sit in fridge until ready to cook.

Ingredients:

3/4 C Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt

1 Egg

1 1/2 C Spelt Flour (or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)

1/2 C All Purpose (or Whole wheat Flour)

1/2 C Old Fashioned Oats

4 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Stevia Powder (or 1/4 C Honey/or Maple Syrup or Brown Sugar (you choose!))

4 oz. Unsweetened Applesauce

1 C Berries - fresh or frozen ( I did blueberries, raspberries would be amazing!)

Orange Sweetened Cranberries (bulk bins)

Zest of 1 Orange

Juice of 1 Orange

1 Banana (melted in microwave)

Whisk Egg and Yogurt and set aside. Combine Flours, oats, Baking Powder, Soda, Salt, and stevia (if using a liquid sweetener blend into yogurt). Use a fork and add applesauce, juice, and mashed melted banana to bowl. Mash with a fork until crumbly. Add yogurt mixture to dough. Use fork to combine. Just stir until combined. Fold in Berries and Cranberries.

Place dough in fridge at least 1/2 hour or overnight. Form about 1/4 c of dough into 1 inch thick circles (or thick balls - whatever you prefer) on greased sheet or silpat.

Cook at 375 for about 16 minutes. (15-20)

5) Peanut Thai Un-Pasta!!!

Definitely something I can make for company or to impress!

My Family FREAKED over this!

Husband calling it NUMBER ONE! (I was shocked!)

Un- Pasta:

2 Tbl shredded Fresh Ginger

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

3 Large Carrots, Chopped -or a big handful of shredded Carrots

3 Baby Bok Choy Diced

3-4 Green Onions, Diced (reserve a little bit of the green parts for garnish)

1-2 Large Handfuls of Sugar Snap Peas

1 VERY LARGE Zuchinni (spiralized or cut into thin matchsticks, or use a vegetable peeler to get skinny linguini noodles, or you could even grate them!)

1/4 C Vegetable Broth for Sautéing

Get Broth hot in big stir fry pan, add all vegetables but zuchini. Cover with lid, stirring every once and while, until they soften. Stir in Zuchini, and turn to low heat.

Sauce:

1/3 C All Natural Peanut Butter

1/3 C (or a tiny less) Brown Rice Syrup

1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

1/4 C Nama Shoyu or Good Quality Soy Sauce

2 Tbl Rice Vinegar

2 Tbl CornStarch

Blend all ingredients together with a whisk until well combined. Add to vegetables and bring to a low simmer until it thickens.

Served over Brown Rice or even better Brown Rice and Quinoa mixture.

Garnish:

Sunflower Sprouts (or any kind you like), Sirachi Sauce (increase your metabolism), Green Onions, Diced Peanuts or Slivered Almonds, and Cilantro!

6) Skinny Cookie

I was excited to try this one!

Grain Free and Low Sugar!

Recipe HERE (texanerin)

7) Banana Chocolate chip Muffins and Banana Oat Pancakes (couldn't decide!)

I was so excited to try this recipe when I saw it! They just looked delectable!

I made a few changes to cut sugar and fat, and ended up with a tasty, moist, fiber full, protein packed, perfect muffin! It's also GLUTEN FREE! Which means it will be easier for you to digest and easier on your stomach.

adapted from HERE

Ingredients:

1 C Ground Flaxseed

1 1/4 C Oat Flour (oats ground in blender)(GF if need be!)

1/2 scoop of any protein powder (optional)

1/4 C Sucanat

1 tsp Powdered Stevia

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Xanthum Gum

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 Ripe Bananas, mashed well

2 Eggs

1/4 C Cinnamon Applesauce Unsweetened

1/4 C Skim, 1%, or Almond Milk

1/2-1 C Dark Chocolate chips, or unsweetened carob chips (to lower sugar even more)

Whisk all dry ingredients in one bowl (except choco chips). And whisk all wet ingredients in separate bowl. Combine the two together and mix just until combined. Fold in Chocolate chips.

Bake at 325 for 25 minutes. LET COOL - they are pretty moist

Makes one dozen

6 Grams of protein per muffin!

Banana Oat Pancakes