Protein Oatmeal with Fruit and Walnuts

As I sit here munching on my apple, I'm reminded of just how good eating well can taste.  There's nothing quite like nature's little food gifts like apples, peaches, and such.  Well, here's a great breakfast that includes a bunch of nature's perfect foods.

To serve 1 person, cook 3/4 cup of instant oats according to the package directions.  Stir in 1 scoop of your preferred brand of vanilla protein powder (though you can add chocolate).  I personally like my oatmeal a little on the soft side, so I add a little skim milk after the fact.

Slice 4 or 5 medium strawberries and get a handful of blackberries and raspberries to add to the oatmeal.  Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top and you're all set.

This meal contains some great natural fiber in the oatmeal and some healthy omega fatty acids in the nuts.  The berries add excellent flavor to what would otherwise be bland oatmeal.

Enjoy!

Let's Look at Dinner

A sensible evening meal is a must.  Avoiding such traps as takeout, delivery, and drive through will save you so many calories that trimming fat will be just that much easier.  This is what we had to eat this evening:

The main protein portion is a nice cut of salmon that was grilled in the oven for about 4 minutes and topped on the plate with a roasted chipotle salsa.  The carb portion is about 1/2 cup of a quinoa & whole grain brown rice (a product of Seeds of Change) that took 90 seconds in the microwave to cook.  The veggie here is french cut green beans that were cooked in the microwave for about 90 seconds as well.

The caloric total for this meal comes in at around 325 calories.  Total cooking time was 4 minutes.

Eating well doesn't have to be boring, humdrum, or bland.  A little variety goes a long way!

Enjoy!

Easy Turkey Chili

This chili is warm and welcoming on those chilly autumn evenings.  Plus, it's chock full of protein.  It freezes and reheats well, and the recipe is easily doubled.  Enjoy!

1 lb ground turkey breast
1 can stewed tomatoes, chopped and undrained
1 can kidney beans, undrained
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. coriander
2 t. chili powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Brown turkey in a pan with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil to prevent the meat sticking to the pan.  Combine all ingredients in a large soup pot simmer covered for 20 minutes.

Easy Homemade Granola

Healthy whole grains make this all natural granola a tasty and nutritious snack.  It’s a great treatment for those mid-afternoon munchies.

½ cup butter (1 whole stick) melted
1 cup honey
2/3 cup warm water
2 t. vanilla extract
5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sunflower, pumpkin or sesame seeds
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
2 t. cinnamon

 Mix together first 4 ingredients.  Add dry ingredients stirring well after each ingredient.  Mixture will be clumpy.  Spread granola mixture evenly in one layer on an ungreased cookie sheet.  It will take several batches.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.  Keep in mind that the granola will be crisper when it cools. 

 After the granola cools you can add mixed nuts or dried fruit to liven up the taste.

Turkey Raspberry Chipotle Wraps

So easy and SO tasty!

1 whole wheat flour tortilla
1 serving sliced deli turkey
2 slices tomato
2-3 rings of red onion
1/4 cup green leaf lettuce
1 tbs Fischer & Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Fill the flour tortilla with the other ingredients.  Fold and eat.  Grilling on a little Foreman grill is also an option.  Seriously good!

The only place I've ever seen the Raspberry Chipotle Sauce is at Sam's Club, but a quick google search shows me that it is available in other stores including some Hispanic food stores and various retailers.