Cottage Cheese Pancakes…

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who are on a diet; and claim they have had to give up all their favorite foods. If you are trying to lose weight or even eat healthier, you do not have to have to give up your favorites. You either have to eat much smaller portions of the “full fat” version or try to find a different version that is lower in the fat content.

Pancakes are an American favorite for breakfast and hehehe sometimes dinner! The recipe today is a healthier version for pancakes; they are similar to crepes.

White flour is replaced with whole-wheat flour and wheat germ. Top with fruit jam or preserve of your choice, or sugar free syrup.

The recipe makes six pancakes. I suggest splitting them between two people and serve with fruit salad.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2cup cottage cheese, prefer low fat

2 Tablespoons wheat germ

2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

Fruit jam or preservers

Powdered sugar, optional

Directions:

Blend eggs, cottage cheese, wheat germ, flour and salt until smooth. I suggest a food processer for this step.

Pour a small amount of batter onto lightly greased pan or griddle and cook until light brown.

Remove to plate, spread jam on top of each then roll up. You can finish by sprinkling powdered sugar over the top.

Low Fat Cran-Blueberry Muffins…

I love muffins from a coffee shop, but those muffins do not like us. They are usually high in fat and sugar. Just because you are watching your weight does not mean you have to do without, you have just have to make smarter choices. The muffin recipe today uses whole-wheat, orange juice, blueberries, apricots and cranberries. If you wanted to replace the white sugar, my choice would be clear agave syrup. This recipe was written by Annette Snoek, for Weight Watchers and yes, I did tinker with it a bit…

I read once that if you only did your grocery shopping on the outside rows you would have everything you need to sustain life. Fruits, veggies, dairy and meat, interesting concept, but it is true our bodies do not need any of the engineered processed foods. I thought about it and started a self-argument of I need the baking row for the spices… well I don’t since I can buy fresh herbs. So for those who need a challenge, try it out!

This should make 18 muffins.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups whole-wheat flour

2/3 cup sugar

1½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

½ teaspoon cornstarch

1/3 cup cold margarine, diced

¾ nonfat plain yogurt

1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

2 eggs

1 ½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen

24 dried apricot halves, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F

Either spray muffin cups with cooking spray or insert paper liners.

In a medium bowl combine, yogurt, orange juice, and eggs.

In a large bowl combine, flour, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, cut in margarine until flour mixture looks like crumbs.

Stir the yogurt mix into the large bowl, until just combined. Gently fold the fruit into the mixture.

Spoon batter into muffins cups, filling two-thirds full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.