Berry Coffee Cake, Berry Good!

Let's face it, holidays can be rough on the waistline.  This Easter, I made an attempt at finding a way to sneak a healthier treat in without losing any of the yummy-factor. :)  Luckily the internet is full of healthy recipes these days...the tricky part is weeding out the boring ones to find recipes that actually taste good.  I wanted to share this recipe sooner but hesitated before trying it myself.  Luckily I hit the jackpot on the first try!

This recipe came from http://www.americanprofile.com/ which highlights the very best parts about America, including food.  They have a whole section of recipes I can't wait to browse through.  For now, I give you...

Mixed Berry Whole-Grain Cofee Cake

3 Tablespoons butter
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour (yes...flour again)
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup skim milk
1 Tbls baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 (12 oz) bag frozen, unsweetened mixed berries, thawed and drained (or 2 cups fresh)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted these)

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix butter, oats, 1/4 cup flour, and brown sugar in small bowl with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly; set aside.  Combine flours, sugar, oil, milk, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and egg in a large bowl.  Beat mixture with wire whip or mixer 1-2 minutes, until well blended.  Stir in mixed berries.  Spread half of the batter in pan and sprinkle half of the oat mixture on top.  Add remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining oat mixture and chopped walnuts (if you are using them).  Bake 40-45 minutes in a 9x9 pan or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Whole wheat, berries, oats...yumm yumm!  This is a treat you can feel good about sinking your teeth into!

Healthy Doesn't Have to Be Boring

...or bland, or gag-inducing, nor does it have to leave you hungry!

I discovered Kalyn's Kitchen months ago when some family members were on the South Beach Diet and I was looking for a side dish to bring to my parents' for dinner.  I found a Spicy Sweet Potato Fries recipe that I made...boy were they spicy (and yummy!)  I added her blog to my Google Reader and told my mom where I had gotten the recipe, then all but forgot about it. 

Fast forward a few months to January when my mom brought the Healthy Hummus to CID's Trivia Night and my mother-in-law asked my mom for the recipe.  Lucky for me, my mom decided to share the hummus recipe AND this tasty main course that she found on Kalyn's Kitchen that had quickly become a favorite in her house:  Pork Chops with Balsamic Glaze.  Whether or not you are a fan of balsamic (I didn't think I was...) I would HIGHLY recommend trying this.  It cooks up super fast so it's perfect for a weeknight or when you're having guests over and don't want to spend the entire evening in the kitchen. 

Serve it up with two or more of the following:  steamed broccoli or cauliflower, roasted sweet potatoes with rosemary, a salad with light dressing, or "grilled" (in a grill pan) mixed veggies and you have one heck of a healthy and delicious meal! 

"...barely counts as cooking..." says Cooking Light

Made this recipe last week...it's definitely a new favorite, for several reasons.

1.  As Cooking Light put it, "This recipe barely counts as cooking, yet you can take full credit as everone devours it."  Word.  The "cooking" was a no brainer and took less than 10 minutes from start to finish.  Pretty much amazing in my book.
2.  The flavors were just divine.  Seriously...red wine vinegar and olive oil with fresh veggies and cheese stuffed ravioli?  Yes please!
3.  Clean up was a breeze since you cook all in one pot.
4.  Versatility!  Yes, that's right folks, if green beans and sun-dried tomatoes aren't your thing Cooking Light suggests "mixing it up" (yep, pun intended) with other veggies like bell peppers, red onion, tomatoes, garlic, fresh herbs, or anything else you may have around that sounds good to you!
5.  Do I really need to go on?  If you're not sold yet, I guess you'll just have to take my word for it!

Is your mouth watering yet?  I haven't even told you what it's called but I bet it is!  I give you...

Ravioli Toss (not as elaborate as you imagined?)

2 (9oz) pkgs. refrigerated whole wheat four-cheese ravioli
2 cups (2-inch) cut green beans (about 1/2 lb)
1/2 cup thinkly sliced sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil (about 6)
2 Tbls. olive oil
2 Tbls. red wine vinegar
4 plum tomatoes, chopped (about 1 lb)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (1oz) shaved fresh parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1.  Prepare pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.  Add beans to pasta during last 5 minutes of cooking.  Drain.
2.  Combine sun-dried tomatoes and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a large bowl.  Add pasta mixture, salt, and pepper; toss gently to combine.  Top with cheese.  Yields 6 servings at 347 calories per serving.

But I'm not finished yet cause you know I can't just leave a recipe alone.  I'm always looking for ways to speed up the cooking process...here's what I did with this one.

First of all, I halved the recipe...there's just the two of us in my house remember?  I bought frozen cheese ravioli (22oz. pkg) and used half of it...it only takes 5 minutes to cook so I started the green beans right away with it and it was perfect.  I bought a resealable package of julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes (no oil) and just pulled out the 1/2 cup I needed...no slicing required.  You know me and my jar of minced garlic.  :)  I also omitted the salt...I don't like to add salt if I don't need to and this recipe definitely didn't need the added flavor so I left it out and saved some sodium.  I also was too lazy to buy a block of parm and shave it so I just used my shaker can of grated and tossed it in there and it was delish.

Amazing, delicious, and incredibly fast...perfect for a weeknight or rushed weekend meal when you just want something healthy and delicious without spending hours in the kitched with prep, cooking, and clean up.  Enjoy!