A bicycle ride with my daughter

I love it when the weather warms up in Buffalo, NY and my family and I can spend more time outdoors.  Today my daughter and I took our first bicycle ride of the spring season.  My daughter loves to take pictures of nature and flowers. 

It was her idea to take the camera and to take pictures of the pretty flowers and other sights.  It is my favorite time of the year here when everything starts to come back to life.

There is something about the fresh air. Most of the winter I spend hours at the gym to get my daily exercise.  But it's just not the same as being active outdoors.

What are some of your favorite outdoor activities when the weather warms up?

Whole Wheat Mocha Muffins

I experimented and came up with a healthy recipe for  mocha muffins using whole wheat flour and oat bran cereal.  The muffins have a mild mocha flavor.  I used instant coffee blended with a tablespoon of hot boiled water added to the batter.  I used Xylitol (Ideal Brown no calorie brown sugar substitute) as a sweetener.  This was the first time I ever tried this sweetener in a recipe. I am pleased with the results.  I have avoided preparing recipes calling for brown sugar because I am not familiar with what is a safe and viable substitute.  On the website the nutrition information on this product indicates there are 101 calories per 1/2 cup as was the amount used in this recipe.  Regular brown sugar has 415 calories per 1/2 cup.  It measures cup for cup like sugar.  As prepared there are approximately 133 calories/muffin.  If brown sugar is used instead, the calories per muffin increases to 151.

Whole Wheat Mocha Muffins

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup natural applesauce
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons honey
3/4 cup fat free sour cream
1/2 cup Ideal Brown (or brown sugar if preferred)
1/2 cup lowfat milk
1 Tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 Tablespoon hot boiling water
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat bran hot cereal (I used Bob's Red Mill Organic)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a small bowl add vegetable oil, natural applesauce, egg, vanilla, sour cream, lowfat milk.  Dissolve instant coffee in 1 Tablespoon hot boiling water and add to this mixture.  Stir to combine.

In a large bowl mix together whole wheat flour, oat bran, chopped pecans, baking powder, and salt.

Add oil and egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.

Add paper liners to a muffin tin and fill muffin cups until they are about 2/3 full.

Place in a 400 degree preheated oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes until cooked through.  This recipe yields about 18 muffins at approximately 133 calories per muffin.  If brown sugar is used instead of the Ideal Brown (Xylitol) this increases to 151 calories/muffin.  Enjoy!

Meatless Spaghetti Sauce

I was trying to come up with a recipe for a light meatless tomato sauce to serve with whole wheat pasta.  This tasted great with freshly grated parmesan cheese. This sauce recipe yields 10 servings at approximately 63 calories/serving. 

Meatless Spaghetti Sauce

1 cup diced green peppers
1 cup chopped onions
2 teaspoons olive oil
28 oz can whole tomatoes with basil
14 oz. can diced tomatoes with basil, oregano & garlic
1- 6 oz. can tomato paste
1- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley
2 teaspoons sugar
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons orange juice
2 Tablespoons red wine


Heat olive oil in skillet.  Add onions and green peppers and saute until tender.

Add tomatoes and their liquid, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce stirring to break up the tomatoes.  If you prefer a stronger garlic flavor, you can add a can of tomato sauce flavored with garlic.  I prefer a mild garlic flavor, so I added the plain tomato sauce.

Next add spices, orange juice and red wine.  Stir to combine.  Bring sauce to a boil.  Cover and let simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours.

When sauce is about done simmering, prepare some pasta as the package directs.  I tried some whole wheat spaghettini with the sauce.

I sliced some fresh tomatoes and fresh mozzarella to serve in a salad with romaine lettuce and basil vinaigrette dressing.

After sauce has simmered, remove from heat and discard the bay leaf.  Serve with your favorite pasta.  This recipe yields 10 servings of spaghetti sauce at approximately 63 calories/serving.

25th Year College Reunion Planning

I have been recruited to chair my Alma Mater's 25th college reunion taking place this summer.  I wonder if there is anything I could do to muster the enthusiasm of classmates to attend.  College graduation was a lifetime ago.  And how much we all have changed since then.  I don't mind stepping up, but it is a monumental challenge given the amount of time which has passed and the fact many graduates are no longer living within driving distance.  I can't imagine what would motivate alumnae to travel any great distance to return for the event.

In many ways it is bittersweet.  My daughter is about to begin her first semester of college in the fall.  She has narrowed her choices down to 2 great Universities within the state.   Given the high cost of education at the private colleges, the public colleges and Universities in New York (SUNY) are a wonderful value.  This is the reason why I am stepping up to chair the event.  It will be fun to return to the college, although my family had visited last summer when my daughter took a campus tour.  She will not follow in my footsteps, as her academic strengths are much more technical.

Now if I could only break this down into smaller more manageable steps like I did when I studied and passed the CPA exam 2 years ago.  I have been encouraged to contact fellow alumni to try to encourage them to attend.  Any suggestions, I am not even sure where to start! I have to pinch myself when I realize how many years have passed since graduation from college.  Twenty five years this May, I can't believe it!  Because I certainly do not feel that old...

Whole Wheat Spinach Ricotta Calzones

I wanted to try making a healthier calzone using whole wheat instead of white flour and part skim/non fat cheeses.   I sauteed baby spinach and mushrooms in olive oil before adding the vegetables to a mixture of mozzarella and ricotta cheeses. This recipe yields 4 medium size calzones.  Each serving (1 calzone) contains approximately 500 calories.  Maybe not an every day meal, but a special treat once in awhile!

Whole Wheat Spinach Ricotta Calzones

1 package active dry yeast (I used Pizza Crust yeast)

1 cup warm water

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 and 1/4 cups fat free ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella

1 Tablespoon fresh italian parsley

2 teaspoons olive oil

6 oz. package of fresh baby spinach

1 cup mushrooms

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water.

Add the oil, sugar, and salt.  Mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth.  Gradually stir in the rest of the flour until dough is smooth and workable. 

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes or until it is elastic.  Lay dough in a bowl containing 1 teaspoon olive oil and flip the dough around.  I used pizza yeast so that it wasn't necessary to let the dough rise.  If using regular yeast cover and let rise for 40 minutes until it has almost doubled.  When dough is ready, separate it out into 4 parts. Roll out the dough.  I made 4 triangle shaped pieces.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to a skillet and saute mushrooms until tender. 

Add the baby spinach and saute for just about a minute longer or until it is wilted.

Remove from heat.  Next mix ricotta cheese, egg, fresh parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley in a bowl.

To this mixture add the sauteed spinach and mushrooms and mix to combine.

Place filling in center of each of the whole wheat triangles. Roll the pointed size to meet the solid edge and close.  Calzones will appear slightly overstuffed, but once in the oven will settle once they have started heating up.  There may be a slight amount of filling left.  Heat in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until done.  Serve with your favorite sauce. 

Serves 4 at approximately 500 calories/serving.  Bon Appetit.

Lemon Poppy Muffins

I came up with a healthy recipe for Lemon Poppy Muffins using whole wheat flour and oat bran.  They are easy to prepare and the natural lemon juice gives them their great taste.  This recipe yields 15 muffins at approximately 132 calories/muffin.

Lemon Poppy Muffins

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup natural applesauce
3/4 cup fat free sour cream
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup preferred sweetener (or sugar)
zest of 2 lemons
3/4 cup oat bran
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Mix together the vegetable oil, applesauce, sour cream, eggs, fresh lemon juice, vanilla, honey, and preferred sweetener (or sugar).

I used a small juicer to extract the fresh lemon juice.

Add the zest of 2 lemons to a large bowl.

Add the whole wheat flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and salt to the lemon zest.

Add the oil and egg mixture to the flour mixture.  Mix to combine.

Add muffin liners to a muffin tin.  Fill each muffin about 2/3 full.

Place in preheated 400 degree oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Yields about 15 muffins at 132 calories/muffin. 

Healthy Crockpot Chicken Soup

 

 

I love chicken soup.  I have always struggled with making a homemade chicken broth because I don't like the added fat that results when boiling chicken in a broth.  To get around this, first I boil boneless chicken breasts seperately.  Then I add the boiled chicken to low sodium chicken broth in a crockpot with vegetables and heat at the low setting for 8 hours.  This results in a soup that tastes great but without all the added fat and excess sodium.  Yields 6 servings at 240 calories/serving.

Healthy Crockpot Chicken Soup

3 boneless chicken breasts with excess fat removed

7 cups low sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped with seeds removed

2 cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1-2 garlic cloves

salt and pepper to taste

Boil 3 boneless chicken breasts in water until cooked through and tender.

Chop cooked chicken into bite sized pieces for the soup.  Place cooked chicken into the crockpot.

Boil water and add bouillon cubes to make the chicken broth.  Simmer for a couple of minutes.

Next chop green peppers into small pieces.

I used the help of my Kitchen Aid mini food processor to chop the onions.

Chop the jalapeno pepper into small pieces. Careful when handling the pepper.  Remember to wear gloves.  Even hand washing will not remove the potentially irritating juices from your skin.  Remove the seeds and veins from the pepper before chopping.

Chop the tomatoes into small pieces.

Rinse and drain the cannellini beans.

Add all the vegetables to the chicken in the crockpot.

Add the chicken broth, cumin, oregano, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste and cook on the low setting for 8 hours. 

 

 

Yields 6 servings at approximately 240 calories/serving.