Posts tagged ‘Whole Wheat’

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March 16, 2011

Green-ify Your Sandwich

I am a person of habit. Once I find something I like, I simply can’t get enough of it! Although I enjoy spontaneity from time to time, I typically stick with my planned and known comfort (whether it be food, scheduling tactics, clothing brands, etc.) Coinciding with this epiphany, my lunch recently has remained fairly consistent: turkey wraps. I’m going through a phase where I simply can’t get through my day without a solid sandwich. After returning back to school Sunday, I stopped at the grocery store and picked up what I needed for the week, which of course included my new lunch necessities.

Near the deli line, I came across Joseph’s Flax Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Lavash Bread. They looked great, I liked the “Reduced Carb, Reduced Fat and High Protein” concept plus saw that they were only 50 calories! Sold…

It wasn’t until I was unloading my groceries that I took a closer look and saw the “*per serving.” Fail. I hate misleading advertising! Still, you can’t beat 100 calories. They’re light, soft and easy to stuff a lot into!

Anyway, my typical wrap fix-ins have recently included hummus, alfalfa sprouts, cucumbers, spinach, turkey and swiss cheese.

The hummus (and/or avocado, if you have it) serves as a great substitute to fatty condiments like mayonnaise and adds an interesting texture alongside the fresh crunch of the sprouts, spinach and cucumber. Wraps like these provide the perfect opportunity to sneak in your daily serving of vegetables! In honor of St. Patty’s day, load up on the greens!

What does your typical lunch consist of? Do you play it safe, like me, trusting your routine and habits or are you more spontaneous?

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

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February 11, 2011

Ski Lodge Dining Tips

Healthy ski lodge dining can be hard to find and just plain inconvenient. To ensure stamina and functionality on the slopes, though, you have to start by refueling your body with nutritious food, not garbage. Below are some of my solutions to the unhealthy ski lodge dining rut!

Paper Bag It – Economical and healthy! You control what you pack for lunch, therefore managing the portion size and nutritional value of your overall meal. Fibrous carbohydrates and lean protein keep your energized and helps maintain your endurance throughout the day. Try turkey on a whole wheat wrap, rolled up with lots of veggies or Greek yogurt with granola. An apple with peanut butter or an orange are easy to transport and give you the nutrients you need with all that strenuous exercise.


The Good Ol’ H2O: Skiing, just like any other kind of physical activity, requires hydration. Your body simply needs water after the demand it has endured on the slopes. Dehydration can be detrimental in combination with high altitudes so grab a bottle of water or a sports drink with electrolytes instead of a soda or coffee, which can simply dehydrate you more! Is it weird that I have always secretly wanted one of those CamelBak hydration packs? Come on…they’re pretty bad ass.

Snackity Snack: I’m a big snacker, partially because I turn into a cranky monster when hungry. Beware. Anyway, throw an easily accessible snack in your ski jacket pocket to munch on while you sit on the lift. You’ll be glad you did, especially if you skipped breakfast. Trail mix, almonds and protein bars (as seen here) are perfect go-to snacks that will keep you fueled until you can make a pit-stop for lunch.


Make Good Choices: Ha, I know it sounds like what your parents said to you in high school before going out…but by this I mean choosing wisely, the healthy option. Sometimes it is easier to listen to your grumbling stomach rather than your brain. Instead of taking your time in the herd of hungry skiers, you grab whatever is in reach to get in line faster. Take your time! There are salad options or healthy sandwiches, sometimes buried but they’re there. It may seem obvious but, think and/or read the nutrition facts before purchasing.

Mountains may differ in terrain, but one thing seems to stay fairly consistent: ski lodge dining. Next time you suit up for the slopes I hope you keep my healthy tips in mind to ensure more time shredding up the double black diamonds and less time relaxing indoors with your feet up. Get your money’s worth of that expensive lift ticket. It starts with what you put in your body.

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

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January 6, 2011

Whole-Wheat Margherita Pizza

Whether you prefer thick crust or thin brick oven style, pizza is an universal comfort food everyone loves and craves. It is simply good for the soul! Instead of caving in to a greasy take-out slice last night, I decided to create my own healthy pie by combining a few different recipes and piling on the veggies. No need to feel guilty nor break your New Year resolutions just yet. This low-fat recipe allows you to go for seconds without remorse. Win, win!

Eating Well’s Whole-Wheat Dough
Ingredients
(Yields 1 lb.)
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar OR I substituted 1 teaspoon honey
3/4 cup hot water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Flaxseeds (My healthy addition, optional)


Sprinkled with Love’s Margherita Pizza
Ingredients
3 large tomatoes
1/2 yellow summer squash
1/2 zucchini
7 oz. bag of Kraft Mozzarella Fat Free Shredded Cheese
2 garlic cloves
Extra-virgin olive oil (1/2 teaspoon to brush on crust, 1 tablespoon to top pizza)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Begin by preheating the oven to 400°F. Let’s start with the dough: Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and honey. Mix together with food processor or mixer (I am a poor college kid so used a hand mixer…) Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup and gradually pour into the mixture, with the motor running. If it is too dry, add one to two tablespoons of water.

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead into a ball. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place spray-side down over the dough. Let rest for 20 minutes before rolling.

Roll the dough out to desired thickness. I personally like mine thin! Place dough on pizza stone or baking sheet and sprinkle with flaxseeds. Pop it in the oven for 8 minutes before topping it!

To save time, while your pie crust is baking, prepare the balsamic vinegar/olive oil (whisk together) and salt/pepper. Chop garlic and basil, as well.

Slice up your desired toppings and basil. I added the zucchini and summer squash for color! Once the crust is done, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the garlic over the flaxseeds. Arrange tomato, zucchini and squash slices leaving 1/2 inch border.

To finish it off, add the cheese! Bake for 12 minutes or until the cheese has fully melted. Once done, sprinkle pizza evenly with salt, pepper and sliced basil. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over the pizza.

It doesn’t get much better than that! Absolutely scrumptious.

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

Posted in Dinner | 5 Comments »

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December 12, 2010

Guilt-Free Christmas Cookies

In light of the holiday season, I baked Christmas cookies. Just because the holidays are right around the corner does not mean you have to loosen your belt! These Dark Chocolate Florentines (Eating Well) are the best of both worlds: delish and only 108 calories. They are not tedious like other cookie recipes, which is another plus! Bring these healthy alternative treats to this year’s Christmas parties and I promise you won’t be disappointed, nor will your fellow party-goers.

Ingredients
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
2 cups quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup toasted walnuts (or almonds) finely chopped
1/2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup apricot preserves

Start by preheating your oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan and remove from the heat. Add in oats, sugar, oil, flour…

soy milk, salt, nuts…

and vanilla.

Mix it all up! Next, form into level teaspoons of dough and place onto the baking sheet. Press each cooking into a thin, 2-inch circle with a fork.

Bake for 5-7 minutes and let cool completely before removing from the foil. Once the cookies are cool, melt chocolate chips!

Spread the melted chocolate on the flat side of half of the cookies.

On the other half of the cookies, spread a little apricot jam.

Press the chocolate and apricot halves together into sandwich cookies! ENJOY!


Treat yourself to one of these divine desserts and don’t feel bad about it. They are light, gooey and have the perfect amount of sweetness. Again, 108 calories, 6 g. fat, 14 g. carbohydrates, 2 g. protein, 1 g. fiber, 5 mg. cholesterol, 19 mg. sodium, and 14 mg. potassium per cookie! Deck the halls and indulge.

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

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November 18, 2010

Easy Banana Muffins

I love banana bread. I always have, always will. You would think that since “banana” is in the name, these tasty treats would be healthy…wrong! Most of the time, recipes jack up sugars, all-purpose flour, etc., that isn’t technically “bad” for you, but also not the low-cal, low-sugar snack to satisfy my need for an afternoon pick-me-up. I found a healthy recipe on Allrecipes.com (Granny’s Banana Bread) and put my own twist on them. To be honest, they weren’t nearly as incredible as my Morning Glory Muffins, but everyone who tried them enjoyed them, not to mention the recipe used up my very ripe bananas!

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1/3 cup applesauce
4-5 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Honey (to drizzle on top of the muffins)
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Mash up the bananas.

Add in the eggs and applesauce!

Stir it all together. (Add in the optional ingredients here. I didn’t have them in my cupboard unfortunately!)

Pour batter into baking pan or muffin tin! Drizzle with honey and sprinkle Pumpkin Pie Spice on top. Place in the oven at 375 degress F for 15-20 minutes.

Easy right?! The honey keeps them moist and curves any sweet tooth in a healthy manner. These are the perfect mid-afternoon snack to hold you over until dinner! If these aren’t sweet enough for you, the original recipe had 1 cup white sugar…cut it in half if you’re watching your waistline. Today is my last day of class before Thanksgiving break (I get a glorious 10 days off) so get ready for lots of posts in the upcoming week!

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

Posted in Snack | 2 Comments »

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November 2, 2010

Marvelous Martha Meatballs

Ever since I ended my vegetarianism freshman year, I have been obsessed with turkey meatballs. I was in the mood for a hearty spaghetti and meatball dinner last night to conclude the crazy Halloweekend festivities. I decided to give Martha Stewart’s Light Turkey Meatballs a try, which I altered a bit, and cut down on the carbs by making some spaghetti squash!

Ingredients
3 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
1/4 cup milk/soy milk
1 package of ground turkey (I use Shady Brook Farms’ 99% Fat Free)
3 scallions, finely chopped
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg
Coarse salt and ground pepper
**I added in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese (I took my Lactaid pill before I ate…) and 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil**

To start, place bread (I used Arnold’s Flax & Fiber 100% Whole Wheat, so healthy and tasty) in a food processor, or in my unprofessional/broke college kid case…a blender. Put the fine crumbs into a bowl, with the milk. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. (Big Y didn’t have any scallions, UGH thanks for nothing! I swear, the closest Big Y to UConn’scampus has an awful array of food. Come on, step it up. I highly suggest you use them though.)

Mix together with a fork and slowly add in the breadcrumb mixture.

Now for the fun part! Roll each ball using about 2 tablespoons of the mixture. Place them onto a greased baking sheet.

Bake for about 15 minutes (or when no longer pink in the middle) at 350°F.

If you like them brown/crispy on the outside, drizzle with olive oil. I placed them in the oven along with my spaghetti squash!

While you heat up your sauce on the stove (no I didn’t make homemade spaghetti sauce this time…sorry to disappoint) you can place the finished meatballs in to simmer for a bit and soak up the tomatoey goodness! Super simple recipe. Light and healthy, especially if you swap out the pasta for spaghetti squash.

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

Posted in Dinner | 1 Comment »

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