Recipe ReDux Post # 40 Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Protein Muffins

November’s Recipe ReDux is “Creative Quick Breads” and we were challenged to develop a unique quick bread recipe. My favorite quick bread to make is muffins because they are great for portion control and freeze well too. So for this challenge I chose to do muffins and decided on an apple cinnamon flavor for a seasonal touch. I love using bananas as a base to keep the muffins super moist ad slightly sweet without a lot of fat and calories.  Using oats and oat flour creates a dense texture and works well to bring in fiberful whole grains and replaces wheat too.  And, putting in a bit of protein powder throws in a nice power packed punch to help keep you full hours after eating these.  I usually make the jumbo muffin size for a hearty AM meal that’s still a very reasonable 300 calories. You can also make them in regular sized muffin tins as well. They are best kept join the fridge. I simply pop one in the microwave for 30-40 seconds and spread a little almond butter or low sugar jam on them for a delicious breakfast. I hope you will try the recipe and also check out the rest of the “Creative Quick Breads” baked by the awesome Recipe ReDux crew!

Ingredients:

2 cup rolled oats,

3/4 cup oat flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

6 Tablespoons protein powder *(preferably natural

unflavored, see notes on the one I use below)

3 medium-large sized over ripe bananas, mashed

6 tablespoons liquid egg white

4 packed tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup finely chopped apple (peeled or unpeeled)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour,

baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and protein powder in a small bowl.  In a large bowl, mix together the mashed banana, egg white, brown sugar and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the oats until well combined. Stir in the apples. Spoon into 6 jumbo size muffin pan cups (or 12 regular sized) coated with cooking spray and bake on the bottom rack of the oven for about 30 minutes, until top is firm, lightly browned and a toothpick comes out mostly clean when inserted into the center.

* I have had great success with using Nature’s Best

Isopure Perfect Natural Protein Powder, unflavored- it is gluten-free, lactose free

Makes six jumbo muffins or twelve regular sized

Serving size 1 jumbo muffin Calories 310 Protein 13 g Carb 58 g Fiber 7 g Sugars 25 g Fat 3 g Saturated fat 0 g  Sodium 280 mg

Serving size 1 regular sized muffin Calories 155 Protein 6.5 g Carb 29 g Fiber 3.5 g Sugars 13 g Fat 1.5 g Saturated fat 0 g  Sodium 190 mg

An InLinkz Link-up

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In the News: Eating More Homemade Meals Can Lower Type 2 Diabetes Risk!

Eating more meals made at home vs. eating out may reduce your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, according to a new study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2015 in  Orlando Fl.  A research team from Harvard investigated homemade meal intake and the type 2 diabetes development of almost 58,000 women who were part of the Nurses' Health Study and more than 41,000 men who were part of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. (All participants were free of diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease at baseline and were followed for up to 36 years between 1986-2012.) They found that those participants who consumed around two homemade lunches or evening meals each day - around 11-14 home-prepared meals weekly - were at 13% lower risk for developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate fewer than six homemade meals each week.

The team notes that they did not have enough data to include breakfast patterns in their analysis.

The researchers found that subjects who consumed more homemade meals experienced less weight gain over an average of 8 years, which they believe contributed to their reduced risk for type 2 diabetes.The researcher note that they are unable to pinpoint exactly how many homemade meals a person should eat each week based on their findings, but suggest "more could be better."

This is exciting news and even more reason to try some of the recipes on m blog for some healthy home cooking!

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Sweet Treats For Tailgating and Some Cool Info From Nuts.com

I am so excited that cooler Fall weather has finally arrived to Los Angeles- it really sets the tone for all the enjoyable parts of this season, one of which is FOOTBALL and all the tailgating + delicious food that goes with it!! Recently I was contacted by nuts.com to wrote a post about healthy tailgating and I was excited to share some of my recipes, namely those incorporating nuts. I thought it would be nice to highlight the sweeter side of tailgating and showcase some desserts and snacks that can go hand in hand with the game and its fun social scene.  These goodies are super easy to make and are all nut-based so you get all the good fiber, unsaturated fat, protein and antioxidants that comes with them. In addition, they are easy to make, portable and delicious! Hope you will try them out and also check out the awesome Snacks Page over at nuts.com!!   

Strawberry Almond Tarts

Honey Roasted Peanut Cake

Fall Harvest Snack Mix

                               

Ginger Apple Walnut Bars

Coconut Almond Rolled Dates

Lovely Snack Mix

 Winter Fruit Salad

Cornflake Energy Bites

Almond Cranberry White Chocolate Oat Bars

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Halloween Treat Recipe Round Up

In the spirit of Halloween week, here are a few treats that won't trick your waistline!  Enjoy :)

Power Cookies

Honey Roasted Peanut Cake

Ginger Apple Walnut Bars

Almond Coconut Rolled Dates

Hearty Almond Chocolate Chip Walnut Bars

PB Rice Krispies Treats

Almond Cranberry White Chocolate Oat Bars

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Recipe Redux Post # 39 Pumpkin Pecan Smoothie

October Recipe ReDux is “Nutty Nut Day." October 22^nd happens to be National Nut Day, which is right around the time we post our recipes, so we were challenged to develop and “share a healthy nut-filled recipe”.  Being that it is still VERY warm here in Los Angeles, and no Fall weather is in sight,  a smoothie sure sounded good to me!  But I still wanted to go with an Autumn theme in spirit, so I combined the simple flavors of pecans,  pumpkin, dates, pumpkin pie spice, and used a banana/almond milk base to make this smoothie.  This drink is reminiscent of pumpkin and pecan pie but it still refreshing at the same time!  I hope you will give it a try and also check out all the other nutty themed recipes from the great Recipe ReDux crew.

Ingredients:

½ large frozen banana, cut into chunks  

1 large mejool date (pitted and preferably previously soaked for 15-30 minutes in warm water to soften)

½ cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk which works great)

1 tablespoon pumpkin puree (fresh or canned, and not pumpkin pie filling)

1 tablespoon chopped pecans

1-2 dashes of pumpkin pie spice 

Directions:

Blend all of the above ingredients for 30 sec-1 minute on high speed until a smooth mixture is formed. Pour and serve.

Makes 1 smoothie, one serving

Serving size: 1 smoothie Calories 180 Protein 2 g Carb 32 g Fiber 4 g Sugars  21g Fat 7 g Saturated fat 0.5 g Sodium 90 mg

An InLinkz Link-up

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In the News: What is Kids Favorite Fruit Choice?

So what is the go to fruit of kids ages 2 and up....APPLES!  A new study published in the journal Pediatrics reports just that.  Researchers looked at the fruit consumption of over 3000 children and apple consumption accounted for the greatest proportion, being 20 % overall. Kids ages 6-11 were more likely to eat whole fruit apples vs.  kids 2-5 drank more apple juice.

" 'These findings provide some insight into what fruits children are eating and socioeconomic factors that may influence what fruit children want to eat and are being provided to eat,' according to a AAP press release that accompanied the study." as published in a summary of the research in TIME Magazine.

Apples are a great choice for kids and adults alike And now that it is fall they are in season too!

Enjoy them in my Apple Cinnamon Pancake and Applesauce Recipes!

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Gabby’s Eats: Snack Mini Sandwiches

It was early in the afternoon on Super Bowl Sunday 2015 and we decided to play it low key and enjoy the occasion with just our family at home that day.  We have been to many Super Bowl parties throughout the years, which have been fun and offered a delicious array of great foods so Gabby has gotten accustomed to the concept of it being a food centered event.  Daddy did not disappoint and ordered a special smoked turkey to enjoy and I managed to cook up a couple of fun sides.  But with a few hours til kick off, Gabby and I also decided to come up with a couple of easy and festive snacks that she and I could make for the game.  These three mini sandwiches were the result and turned out to be great finger foods for parties, snack time or even lunchboxes.  They were quite a SCORE for sure!

Sushi Folds

Ingredients

seaweed snack sheets

cooked rice (brown or white) or quinoa

cucumber slices

carrot slices

avocado slices

mandarin orange segments

low sodium soy sauce (use gluten free brand such as San J if on a GF diet)

teriyaki sauce (use gluten free brand such as San J if on a GF diet)

Directions

Place seaweed sheets on a clean surface, such as a large plate or cutting board. Add about 1/2  tablespoon of rice to one side of the seaweed, along with a cucumber, avocado, carrot or orange slice.  Drizzle with a little soy and teriyaki sauce, fold over and eat!

Serving size 1 sushi fold w/cucumber/orange/carrot Calories 10 Protein 1g Carb 2 g Fiber 0 g Sugars 0 g Fat 1 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 25 mg

Serving size 1 sushi fold w/avocado Calories 25 Protein 0g Carb 2 g Fiber 1 g Sugars 0 g Fat 1.5 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 25 mg

Pretzel Mini Bites

Ingredients

flat style pretzels, such as thins or waffle squares (use gluten-free brand, such as Glutino if on a gluten-free diet)

nut butter (almond butter or peanut butter)

thin apple slices into 1 inch squares

cinnamon

low fat cheese slices cut into 1 inch squares

turkey slices cut into 1 inch squares

honey mustard

Directions

Place the pretzels on a clean surface, such as a large plate or cutting board. Add one square of cheese to one of the pretzels. Spread 1/8 teaspoon mustard onto the cheese. Then top with the turkey and the second pretzel and eat!

or

Add one square of apple to one of the pretzels. Spread ¼ teaspoon of nut butter on the apple. Sprinkle with cinnamon, top with the second pretzel and eat!

Serving size 1 mini sandwich w/apples + nut butter Calories 35 Protein 1g Carb 6 g Fiber 0 g Sugars 1 g Fat 1 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 130 mg

Serving size 1 mini sandwich w/ cheese + turkey Calories 45 Protein 2 g Carb 5 g Fiber 0 g Sugars 1 g Fat 1.5 g Saturated fat 1 g Sodium 200mg

Cucumber Crunchers

Ingredients

cucumber slices

hummus

light cream cheese

olives, pitted and halved

cherry tomato slices

Directions

Place the cucumber slices on a clean surface, such as a large plate or cutting board. Spread ½ teaspoon hummus or cream cheese onto the one cucumber slice. Then put on one olive halve and tomato slice, top with the second cucumber and eat!.

Serving size 1 mini sandwich w/ hummus Calories 10 Protein 0 g Carb 1 g Fiber 0 g Sugars 1 g Fat 0.5 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 35 mg

Serving size 1 mini sandwich w/ cream cheese Calories 15 Protein 0 g Carb 1 g Fiber 0 g Sugars 1 g Fat 1 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 30mg

   

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