Blueberry Muffins

A lower-fat version of a perennial favorite. Prep and bake in less than 25 minutes!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsweetened blueberries, fresh or frozen
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Lightly spray a muffin tin with vegetable spray.
2. Wash and drain blueberries. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and 1/3 cup sugar together.
4. In a small bowl, combine egg, oil and milk.
5. Pour all at once into dry ingredients. Stir just enough to blend. Gently stir in blueberries.
6. Pour batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each cup 2/3 full. Sprinkle lightly with 1 teaspoon sugar and bake 17 minutes, or until light brown. Allow muffins to cool 2 minutes before removing from pan.

NUTRITION INFO (per 1 muffin serving)
Calories: 119.4
Fat: 0.8 g
Carbohydrates: 24.9 g
Protein: 3.1 g

Cantaloupe Crush

Serves: 2

Whether you're in need of a cool, refreshing snack or breakfast idea, this is the perfect nutritious pick-me-up.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup cantaloupe cubes
1/3 cup pineapple chunks
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup frozen or canned peaches
1 teaspoon sugar
3 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS
1. Whirl all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

NUTRITION INFO (per serving)
Calories: 96.6
Fat: 0.4 g
Carbohydrates: 24.3 g
Protein: 1.3 g

Low-Fat Maple Granola

Serves: 6

Start your day with this hearty, vitamin-rich granola. Easy to make in just a few minutes.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup whole almonds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup flaked coconut (unprocessed)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup apple juice concentrate
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried fruit

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the dried fruit and toss well.
3. Spread on large cookie sheet and bake 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
4. Stir in dried fruit.

NUTRITION INFO (per 5/8-cup serving)
Calories: 352.6
Fat: 8.4 g
Carbohydrates: 60.0 g
Protein: 11.9 g

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Serves: 2

Sweet and creamy, peanut butter doesn't always have to be served with jelly.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup low-fat plain or vanilla yogurt
1 medium banana, quartered
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1-1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup non-fat milk

DIRECTIONS
1. Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

NUTRITION INFO (per serving)
Calories: 229.9
Fat: 9.4 g
Carbohydrates: 30.3 g
Protein: 9.7 g

Grilled Fruit Kabobs

Serves: 8

Your grill just got more exciting. Try this vitamin-packed dish!

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
2 apples, cored and cut into 1" pieces
2 bananas, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
2 peaches, pitted and cut into 1" pieces
4 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced into 1" pieces
1 can pineapple chunks
16 strawberries, washed and hulled

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare grill.
2. In a small bowl, combine oil, sugar, lime juice, cinnamon and mint. Mix until sugar is dissolved.
3. If using wooden skewers, soak in water for about 10 minutes to prevent from scorching. Alternate fruit pieces and thread onto skewers.
4. Brush kebabs with the sugar mixture then place on grill.
5. Grill kebabs for about 6-8 minutes, turning frequently until fruit starts to brown and is heated through.

NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 171
Fat: 4 g
Carbohydrates: 36 g
Protein: 1 g

Summer Frozen Fruit Bars

Serves: 4

Make your own popsicles!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups cut-up summer fruit (strawberries, peaches, watermelon, etc.)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
1. Place the fruit in a blender. Cover and blend until smooth.
2. Add 1-2 tablespoons water, if necessary. Add sugar and lemon juice. Cover and blend until well mixed.
3. Pour into 4 oz. ice-pop molds or paper cups. Insert sticks. Freeze until solid.

NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 36
Fat: 0.3 g
Carbohydrates: 9 g
Protein: 0.5 g

Fruit Compote with Honey Yogurt

Serves: 6

A sweet treat after dinner.

INGREDIENTS
3 cups unsweetened apple juice
1 slice (about 1/4 inch) fresh ginger
2 ripe pears
2 Golden Delicious apples
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 pitted prunes
1/2 cup plain, low fat yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
julienned strips of lemon zest

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine apple juice and ginger in a large shallow saucepan and bring to a simmer.

2. Peel, quarter and core the pears and apples and toss with lemon juice. Add to saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat until pears are just tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Add apricots and prunes and then cover, cooking for 5 minutes on low heat.

4. With a slotted spoon, transfer the fruit to a serving bowl.

5. Raise heat and boil the apple juice mixture, uncovered until it reduces to 1 3/4 cups. Cool liquid slightly then pour over the fruit.

6. Stir the yogurt and honey together in a small bowl and set aside. Toast the almonds in a small skillet (without oil) over low heat until golden (about 2 minutes.)

7. Drizzle the fruit with a spoonful of the yogurt and honey mix. Garnish with strips of the lemon zest and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.

NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 200
Fat: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 47.5 g
Protein: 2.5g

Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey-Yogurt Dressing

I get a lot of recipes from SparkPeople every day. One of the purposes of this blog, other than to share the recipes, is also to save them for myself to look back on later. Since these recipes all sit in my inbox, taking up space, they will be better here which was always the intent but I just never got around to it till now.

Serves: 6

The dressing makes the fruit an extra-sweet treat.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large seedless oranges, peeled, sliced, and halved
1/2 large pineapple, peeled, cored, sliced, and cut into wedges
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 ripe pear, cored and sliced into wedges
1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, honey and cinnamon. Stir well to blend ingredients.
2. Arrange fruit on plates and drizzle the honey-yogurt dressing on top.

NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 135
Fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Protein: 3 g