Light French Toast Casserole

 

This recipe is adapted from Paula Deen's baked french toast casserole. Her recipe of course had lots of rich ingredients so I lightened it up a bit to make it figure friendly!

 

Ingredients:

 

Casserole:

• 13 oz. of whole wheat french bread (about 3/4 of a loaf)
• 5 whole eggs
• 7 egg whites
• 1.5 cups of fat free half and half
• 1 cup of skim or 1% milk
• 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon of Splenda
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• Dash of salt

Topping:

• 1 stick of light butter
• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of chopped pecans
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• Blueberries (optional for garnish)

Directions:

 

1. Grease a large baking dish with cooking spray. Cut the french bread into cubes and layer the cubes in the baking dish.

2. Next, in a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients for the casserole and whisk together until smooth. Pour this mixture over the top of the bread, making sure all the bread is covered (you can press the bread down with a spatula to get all the bread soaked in the mixture). Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl add the butter (make sure this is softened, if not place in the microwave for about 30 seconds), brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix together with a spoon or with your hands (hands work best) until well incorporated. Sprinkle on top of casserole right before baking.

4. Bake the casserole for about 40 minutes. Garnish with fresh blueberries and light maple syrup. Enjoy!

 

 

The BEST Blueberry Muffins

Need a quick, healthy, and yummy breakfast/snack treat for the weekend?? These muffins will satisfy your craving for sure! This recipe took me a total of 15 minutes to make so you will not be in the kitchen all morning long. Tip: For breakfast you could pair this up with a hard boiled egg to add some protein for a well balanced breakfast. Hope you enjoy! :)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of skim milk
• 1/4 cup of almond milk
• 1/4 cup of canola oil
• 1/2 cup of applesauce
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of all purpose white flour
• 1 cup of whole wheat flour
• 3 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of frozen blueberries

Topping:

• 4 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place muffin liners in a 12 cup muffin tin. Lightly spray muffin liners with non-stick spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, oil, applesauce, honey, and egg until the ingredients are well incorporated.

3. Add flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla to your wet (milk and applesauce) mixture. Whisk the mixture well until there are no longer any clumps.

4. Fold in frozen blueberries. Scoop batter into miffin tins with an ice scream scoop; make sure you do not overfill them because they will rise (should be 3/4 full).

5. Stir together brown sugar and cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle over the muffins so that the top is covered. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!!

Recipe adapted from: www.eatbetteramerica.com

Greek Yogurt Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of fat-free Vanilla Chobani Greek Yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups of whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup of vanilla protein powder (brand of your choice)
• 1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup of chopped almonds

Directions:

1. Combine all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk together until there are no longer any clumps.

2. Heat a large non-stick griddle pan or skillet to medium heat. Scoop out 1/4 cup of pancake mix onto the pre-heated griddle pan (you can cook 2-3 at a time depending on the size of your pan). Flip the pancake once the top starts to bubble and puff up (about 1 1/2 min-2 min per side).

3. Top your pancakes with your favorite toppings. My toppings included: sliced bananas, a drizzle of sugar free maple syrup, and a sprinkle of homemade granola! Enjoy!!

Note: This recipe was modified from Chobani's greek yogurt pancake recipe.

Not Another Egg Sandwich

This recipe is so easy and very yummy!! We have made these sandwiches several times for dinner and for breakfast and they are very satisfying. I don't know about you, but everytime we go out to eat I usually end up leaving and telling Kel that we could have made something better at home. Not to make much of myself, but only to say that restaurant food is not all it is made up to be, especially when it comes to a sandwich! You can eat this sandwich by itself or pair it up with a small fresh fruit bowl and you will be getting all of your major food groups in one meal! Hope you enjoy and God bless! :)

Ingredients: (makes 2 sandwiches)

• 4 slices of whole grain bread (any kind of bread works)
• 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard
• 2 slices of mozzarella or provolone cheese
• 2 tablespoons of feta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 roma tomato, thinly sliced
• 8-10 baby spinach leaves
• 2-3 low sodium turkey bacon slices

Directions:

1. Lay out the bread slices on a cutting board. Spread 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard on 2 slices of the bread and on the other 2 slices, add the sliced cheese and crumbled feta.

2. In a medium non-stick skillet, fry 2 eggs (just the way you like them- we like ours cooked through). Once the egg is finished cooking, place it on top of the slice of bread that has the cheese on it.

3. In the same skillet, add 2-3 slices of bacon (Kel likes 2 pieces and I only like 1, so you can do as many as you would like) and cook them through. Add the slices of bacon on top of the egg.

4. Lastly, add the baby spinach leaves and the sliced tomato on top of the egg and then place the other bread slice (with the dijon on it) on top.

5. Place the assembled sandwiches either in the panini maker or on a large non-stick griddle pan (if you don't have either of these you can use a large non-stick skillet) and toast until the cheese is melted and both sides of the sandwich are toasted. Note: if you are using a griddle pan or a skillet, you can use the bottom of another skillet to smash the sandwiches down or you can just use the spatula. Enjoy!!  

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 package of white button mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons of Philadelphia Cooking Cream (Italian Cheese & Herb flavor)
• 6 large eggs
• 1 pound of lean turkey sausage
• 6 whole wheat pitas
• 8 oz. bag of reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
• Salsa (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large non-stick skillet, crumble and cook the turkey sausage until it is no longer pink. When the sausage is finished cooking, place it in a small bowl and set aside. In the same skillet, add the diced pepper, onion, mushroom, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper and saute on medium-high heat until the mixture is soft and carmelized. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the cooking cream. Stir in the cooking cream until it is well incorporated with the vegetable mixture and simmer on low. While the veggies are simmering, in a medium non-stick skillet, add the eggs and scramble (the eggs can be slightly under cooked because they continue to cook in the oven at a later point). Add the scrambled eggs and cooked turkey sausage to the veggies and stir all the ingredients together. Place all 6 of the pitas on a baking sheet and top each pita with the sausage, egg, and veggies mixture. Sprinkle the top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Once they are finished cooking you can top it off with a tablespoon of salsa if desired. Enjoy!

Italian Chicken Sausage Crustless Quiche

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Aidells Chicken Sausage, chopped (Flavor: Italian Style with Mozzarella Cheese-located in the lunch meat/breakfast sausage section of the grocery store)
• 1 dozen eggs 
• 1 yellow, orange, and red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil 
• 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper
• 3 oz. of crumbled goat cheese
• 1 cup of low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese  
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large saute pan, cook the chopped chicken sausage on medium-high heat until it is lightly brown on each side, about 4-6 minutes. Once it is finished cooking, remove the sausage from the pan and place in small bowl to the side. In the mean time, add the chopped peppers, onion, and olive oil in the same pan you cooked the sausage in and saute until softened, about 6-8 minutes on medium-high heat. When they are finished cooking, remove from heat and season with ground black pepper.

In a large bowl, crack one dozen eggs and whisk together in the bowl. Add the chicken sausage and the pepper/onion mixture to the eggs and whisk together quickly so the eggs do not scramble. Pour this mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish and top with crumbled goat cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, fresh basil and oregano. Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until it is no longer runny in the middle. Let it set for about 5 minutes before you cut into it. Enjoy!

Banana nut muffins with peaches, oats, and cinnamon

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Martha White Banana Nut Muffin Mix ($.99)
• 1/2 cup of skim (fat-free) milk (had at home)
• 1/2 cup of 100% whole grain old fashioned oats (had at home)
• 1/2 cup of frozen peaches thawed and chopped into small pieces (had at home)
• 1 tsp of cinnamon (had at home)

Directions:

Combine all of the above ingredients. Place 6 muffin liners in a muffin pan and lightly grease with cooking spray. Add mixture until filled to the top. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until lightly brown on top.

**Adding oats and peaches adds more fiber to these muffins**
**You can use any kind of muffin mix and add oats and chopped fruit and this recipe still tastes great!**

Total Price:

$1.00-$6.00 depending on what ingredients you have at home

Low Carb Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet yellow onion- $0.85
• 1 1/2 tsp. of jarred minced garlic- already had at home
• 1 pound of Honeysuckle White turkey sausage links- $2.38
• 1/2 to 3/4 of a loaf of multi-grain bakery bread- $2.50 (for entire loaf)
• 4-6 oz. of jarred roasted red peppers (leftover from turkey burger recipe)
• 1 cup of low fat or fat free cottage cheese- $1.78
• 4 whole eggs- $1.64 (1 dozen)
• 1 cup of egg substitute- $2.49 (16 oz.)
• 1 cup of fat free milk- already had at home
• 1 cup of reduced fat cheddar-jack shredded cheese- $1.99 (8 oz. or 2 cups)
• 3-4 Tbsp. of fresh cilantro- $0.89
• pinch of salt- already had at home
• 1 1/2 tsp. of ground pepper- already had at home

Directions:

Remove sausage out of casings into a skillet, crumble, and cook through.  After the sausage is properly cooked, remove it from the skillet and place it in a medium size bowl.  Dice the yellow onion and saute with the minced garlic until softened in the same skillet used to cook the sausage.  Add the sausage back into the skillet and stir until it is mixed in with the garlic and onion.  Season the sausage mixture with the salt and pepper.  Slice the multi-grain bread into 1/2 in. cubes and place in the bottom of a greased 9" X 13" baking dish.  In a food processor or blender, add the cottage cheese and process until smoothe.  Add the eggs and egg substitute to the cottage cheese and process again until smoothe.  Remove the cottage cheese/egg mixture and place into a medium size bowl.  Stir milk into the cottage cheese/egg mixture.  Place the roasted red peppers on top of the cubed bread, followed by the sausage mixture, and topped with the cottage cheese/egg mixture.  Use hands to press down ingredients so bread is thoroughly soaked.  Sprinkle the cheddar-jack cheese on top and then chop up the cilantro and sprinkle on top of cheese.  Cover and place the baking dish in the refrigerator to set for 4-12 hours.  Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown on top and eggs are cooked through.  Let it set for about 10-15 minutes before cutting into. Enjoy!

Total Price:

$14.52 (should make 9-12 servings)