Almond & Oats Energy Bites

There are so many different ways to make the popular "energy bites" or "energy balls." So trust me, I will be making some new variations soon! They're easy to make- through everything in a food processor and pulse until it all come together, then roll into small spheres.

I eat these when I am in need of some energy (hence the name). When I don't other snacks around the house (because I eaten all my RxBars) these are an easy go-to. I don't eat them when I am trying to eat a low-calories snack. These things have plenty of calories, mostly from fat. But they also have some protein and fiber and are fairly low carb. So don't be afraid- just keep your portion small. There is plenty of energy in a small portion!

Almond & Oats Energy Bites
Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan
Recipe by Emily Frizell, R.D.

(makes 5 servings)

½        cup                  almond butter

1/3     cup                  old fashion oats

2          tsp.                  monk fruit sugar (or coconut sugar)

1          TBSP.              green banana or coconut flour

1          tsp.                  vanilla

1          TBSP.              water (or espresso, or other liquid)

Process ingredients through vanilla in food processor until smooth and forms a dough. Add a few drop of water at a time if dough is not wet enough. Scoop 1 TBSP. of mixture and roll into a ball. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. 

Tortilla-less Egg "Burrito" with Kale and Avocado

Eggs are so versatile and so yummy.  I love them! This recipe uses a very thin cooked egg mixture in place of a tortilla shell for this super nutritious and delicious breakfast burrito.  If you are cooking a one-serving egg burrito, use a smaller nonstick pan (about 5 inches), and cut all the ingredients in half.

My blueberry kale smoothie was delicious with the savory egg breakfast.
Follow me on Instagram for the smoothie recipe : Healthy_Chef_EmilyFrizell

Tortilla-less Egg "Burrito" with Kale and Avocado

What you'll need:
- 2 tsp. olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup sliced red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped orange or yellow bell pepper
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced kale (stems removed)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup milk
- pinch each of paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper
- 3 slices avocado (optional)
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce (optional)


What to do:
1. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, and milk until frothy.  Set aside.

2. Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick pan over medium heat. Add onion and pepper; saute for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent and peppers are tender.  Add kale and saute 2 more
minutes, until kale is wilted.  Remove veggies from pan to set aside.

3. Return pan to stove over low heat. Add remaining 1 tsp. olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.  Pour in egg mixture, but do not stir. Let mixture sit undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle seasonings on top, then cover with a lid for about 4 minutes, until the top of the egg mixture is set.  Use a rubber scraper to gently lift the out edges of the egg mixture; continue toward the center. Use your hands, a spatula, or a plate to flip the egg mixture to cook the top side for
1minute.

4. Remove egg mixture from pan and place on a plate. Fill egg 'burrito' with cooked vegetables, and avocado if desired. Roll the egg mixture and cut in half to serve.

Sweet Potato, Arugula, and Goat Cheese Mini Frittata

I am posting this recipe by popular request.  I made this at the farmer's market, for Easter brunch, and for my class at Culinaria Cooking School.  Everyone has loved it.  It is one of my favorite frittatas! Sweet potato, peppery arugula, and creamy goat cheese are fabulous together.

To make this, you need to cut the sweet potato very very thin.  I used a mandoline, but you can also use a sharp knife to do this.  It is important to par-cook the potato slices first in the oven.  To create the egg mixture, you want to use a hand blender or food processor to thoroughly mix together the egg, goat cheese, and milk.  This will also chop up the red onion and arugula, which creates a good look.  It is very important to butter and flour the muffin pan.  To do this, just lightly coat each muffin slot with butter, then sprinkle flour around the bottom and sides.  Shake out the extra flour.

Sweet Potato, Arugula, and Goat Cheese Mini Frittata

Recipe Makes 12 - 14 Mini Frittatas

What you'll need:

-       1 tbsp olive oil, divided

-       1 sweet potato, peeled, thinly sliced (long, skinny potato is best)

-       ½ cup diced red onion

-       2 cups chopped arugula

-       5 eggs

-       1/3 cup milk

-       4 oz goat cheese

-       1 tsp salt

-       ½ tsp ground pepper

-       1 tsp dried sage

-    1/4 tsp mustard powder

-    1/8 tsp cayenne

-       ¼ cup chopped chives

-    ¼ cup crumbled cooked bacon (optional)

What to do:

1.     Preheat oven to 374*F.  On a baking sheet, toss potato slices with 1/2 tbsp olive oil.  Bake 8 minutes, until soft but stays intact when picked up. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  In a skillet, heat remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil. When oil is hot, add onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.  Add arugula and cook 1 minute. Remove and set aside to let cool.

2.     In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and goat cheese until smooth.  Add salt, pepper, sage, mustard powder, cayenne, and the cooked onion and arugula.  If available, use a food processor or hand blender to blend everything together; arugula should be blended into small pieces, not pureed.

3.     Prepare a muffin pan with butter and flour (see note above). Spread cooked potatoes slices around the bottom of each muffin slot (should have enough to fill 12 - 14). Some larger slices may need to be cut in half.  Create layer about 1/4- to 1/3-inch high. Add about 2 tbsp egg mixture; you can fill each up almost to the top. Sprinkle each with chives and bacon (if using). Bake in oven for 12 minutes.  Then turn oven to 'Broil' setting; broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until tops are starting to brown.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly.  Use a small rubber scraper to remove eggs.

Sweet Potato Crepes with Apple Pork

I recently went to Nashville and Franklin with my mom and my sister.  We went to Puckett's for breakfast one morning.  I got the Southern Stack: sweet potato pancake, sauteed cinnamon apples, sweet potato pancake, pulled pork, sweet potato pancake, and a fried egg.  It was delicious! My fiance prefers savory to sweet breakfasts, so I figured he would like this dish.  Once home I decided to remake this dish with my own twist: sweet potato crepes stuffed with pulled pork sauteed in apple butter.

Making crepes can be very difficult.  I usually mess up my first one with a tear or too much batter or not enough twist to spread the batter.  The method I have described below is the slightly harder method, yet better for getting a thin layer of batter on the pan.  The other way is easier to do and may give you a more perfect circle shape, but may give you much thicker crepes (not necessarily a bad thing).  The easier way is to pour a ladle of batter into the center of the hot pan.  Then hold onto the handle tightly and start shaking the pan while tilting and making a circular rotation.

For the pork, I used 3/4 pound pork tenderloin.  In a slow cooker, I combined the pork with 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup roughly chopped red onion.  I left it in the slow cooker for 6 1/2 hours.    This made a little extra, which I plan to use for pulled pork sandwiches.

Sweet Potato Crepes with Apple Pork

Recipe makes 8 crepes

What you'll need:
For the Crepes
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup half and half
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1 egg

- 1 egg white
- 1 small sweet potato (mine made about 3/4 cup puree)

Filling
- 2 cups pulled pork (see above for marinade if desired)
- 1/4 cup apple butter

for pancakes: 1/3 cup half and half, 2/3 cup water, plus 3 tsp baking powder


1.  Heat pan to medium heat.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Lift pan off burner and tilt sideways, almost vertically.  Using a ladle, pour mixture onto the center of the pan.  At the same time, twist the pan so the mixture spreads outward from the center.

2.  Cook for one minute without touching.  After 1 minute, gently lift the outside edges with a small rubber scraper.  Slowly move towards the inside of the crepe. Crepes should easily move when pan is shaken.  You can shake the pan occasionally to prevent air bubbles from forming.  Cook 2 more minutes (total of 3 - 3 1/2 minutes).   The side touching the pan should start turning golden brown, and may be wrinkly-looking.  Flip carefully using the spatula and/or your hands.  Do not pull to hard as the crepe is likely to break.  Cook 2 - 3 minutes on medium heat.

Center is NOT cooked yet

Center is cooked

3.  Let pan cool slightly before making next crepe.  Spray pan right before adding batter for the first 3 or 4 crepes.  After that, only use it if you see the crepes starting to stick to the pan.

4.  Saute pulled pork and apple butter in a pan over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Alternatives:
More Savory: use half the apple butter, add 1/3 cup low-fat cream cheese
More Appley: cut up one small honey crisp apple into small dices, then saute with pork and apple butter
More Sweet Potatoey: bake and puree 2 sweet potatoes.  Add 1/2 cup puree to pork and apple butter and saute

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Pancakes

Some mornings I cannot figure out what to eat.  If I grab something like yogurt or an apple, I am always (and reasonably) hungry about an hour later.  So I wanted to make something that I can grab on my way out the door and it will keep me full, for at least the next 3 hours.  These pancakes are sweetened mostly with bananas.  There is minimal added sugar per pancake.  The combination of white and whole wheat flour adds a little fiber and protein without changing the texture too much.  The peanut butter help increase the protein and healthy fats.  Depending on how large you make the pancakes, 2 or 3 might be a good meal size.

These would be great for Easter brunch, served with fresh fruit.

What you'll need:
- 2 bananas (ripe)
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup white flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup nonfat milk, plus 2 tbsp
- 1/8 tsp fine salt
- dark chocolate morsels

What to do:
1.  Mash bananas.  Mix in peanut butter, sugar, and egg, until mixture is smooth.  Add in both flours, vanilla, milk, and salt.

2.  Heat a flat pan over medium heat, or use a griddle.

3.  Make pancakes using ~ 1/4 cup mixture.  When the tops of the pancakes start to bubble, add 3 or 4 chocolate morsels per pancake.  Wait until the bottoms are golden brown to flip.

Healthy Breakfast Burrito

I have been trying to find some more filling breakfast foods.  For a while I was eating Greek yogurt for breakfast because it was available, but I was always starving by 10am.  Ben is a fan of breakfast burritos, but of course my dietitian conscience frowns up those.  So I decided to make healthy home-made breakfast burritos.

It's quite easy.  I chopped up veggies and sauted them.  Then I added eggs and egg whites.  After cooking that for a while, I added some seasonings, a bit of cheese, salsa, and black beans. I separated the mixture, and added ham to 1 mixture.  This way I had 2 meat and 2 vegetarian burritos.  I let the eggs cool, then portioned the mixture onto 4 separate whole wheat tortillas.  I folded them and wrapped them in plastic wrap.  To reheat I used the microwave for one and the oven (set to low broil) for the other.  Both turned out delicious and good texture.  The one in plastic wrap has a more moist tortilla, but it was not soggy.

Healthy Breakfast Burrito

What you'll need:
- 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 glove garlic, minced
- 3 slices canadian bacon
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1/4 cup black beans
- 1/3 cup mexican cheese
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp paprika

10 Ways with Apple Butter

This is not a recipe for apple butter, though I would like to try to make my own some time.  This is a post about the many different things you can flavor with apple butter.  Apple butter does not actually contain any butter and is actually 100% fat-free.  It is made by cooking apple puree and sugar on low and slow.  Many apple butter recipes are made in a crock pot because that is the perfect low and slow cooking gadget.  Here are some ways you can use apple butter to help make a healthy dish:

Peanut Butter Apple Butter Sandwich
Substitute half the peanut butter on your whole wheat toast in the morning and add 1 tbsp apple butter

Apple Pecan Oatmeal
Combine 1/2 cup plain quick cooking oatmeal, 1/2 cup nonfat milk, 1 1/2 tbsp apple butter, 2 tbsp chopped pecans.  Cook according to oatmeal directions.

Sweet and Savory Appetizer
Cut a whole grain French baguette into 1/2" slices.  Spread 1 tbsp apple butter over each slice.  Top with 1 tsp crumbled goat cheese.  Set oven to broil and melt cheese for 2 - 2 1/2 minutes.

Apple Walnut Parfait
Combine 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt with 1 tbsp apple butter.  Top with chopped walnuts and diced apple.

Caramel Apple on the Rocks
Combine 1 tbsp apple butter, 1/4 cup apple juice, 1 oz caramel vodka, 1 oz vodka, 2 oz water.  Shake with ice and serve.

Sweet Cheddar and Chicken Grilled Cheese
Spread 1 tbsp apple butter on one slice of whole grain bread.  Top with 1 slice extra sharp cheddar cheese and 2oz deli chicken meat.  Cook on a flat skillet or in a panini maker.

Apple Cider Cupcakes
Using your favorite white or vanilla cupcake recipe, substitute half the fat for an equal amount of apple butter, and use apple cider in place of the recommended liquid.

Chicken Apple Pecan
Instead of coating chicken in egg and breadcrumbs, try this healthier mix.  Coat chicken breast halves in apple butter, then dip in a mixture of finely crushed pecans, dried parsley, ground pepper, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg.  Place on a hot nonstick skillet and cook each side 2 minutes, until golden brown.  Move chicken to a baking dish and cook in a preheated oven at 350*F for 22 - 25 minutes.

Apple Butter Snack Dip
Apple butter can also be a fun dip.  You can use whole grain crackers, cinnamon graham crackers, apple slices, and banana and raspberry skewers to dip into the apple butter.

Sweet and Tangy Apple Salad Dressing
Combine 1 tbsp apple butter, 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup canola oil, 1/4 tsp ground celery seed, 1/4 tsp ground dried onion, 1/4 tsp ground dried mustard, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Cream Cheese Scones

I inadvertently eat a lot of gluten-free meals, mainly because I don't always have pasta or bread at the meal.  But I had never tried gluten-free baking.  Having a gluten-intolerant friend over for brunch forced me to do some experimenting.  I wanted to make some sort of flavored scone.  I love pumpkin anything, so that was an easy go-to.  My first thought was to use graham flour instead of wheat flour, however I couldn't find any.  After looking at the ingredients label for graham crackers, I knew I couldn't use those.  So I bought gluten-free pancake mix.  The mix contains rice flour, and ingredients to aid in rising and to prevent too much crumbling.   After that, I just added in butter, an egg, and the flavorings.  It was very easy, actually.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Cream Cheese Scones

What you'll need:
1 1/4 cups gluten-free pancake mix
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup sugar
4 tbsp cold butter
1 egg
1/3 cup, plus 1 tbsp pumpkin puree
1/3 cup cinnamon cream cheese
2 tbsp nonfat milk
egg white to brush tops of scones

Icing:
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp nonfat milk
1 tbsp cinnamon cream cheese

What to do:
1.  Preheat oven to 425*F.  Mix together all dry ingredients (pancake mix through sugar).  Cut up butter and add to dry ingredients.  Using your hand, pinch together the butter and dry ingredients until mixture looks crumbly.

2.  Add the egg, pumpkin puree, cream cheese, and milk to the dry mixture.  Mix with a wooden spoon until blended evenly.

3.  Form into a ball and flatten out in a disc 1/2" thick.  Cut into 8 equally sized triangles.  Bake 14 minutes until the scones are golden brown.

Separate the scones by about one inch.  If you run out of room, you can line them up in rows.

4.  Combine all ingredients for the icing.  When scones have cooled slightly, drizzle or spread icing over scones.  Recipe makes 8 scones.

Kabocha Squash Quiche

 Kabocho Squash looks like a green, flattened pumpkin.   You can find them near the pumpkins and squashes at the grocery store or at most pumpkin patches this time of year.   It is a good source vitamin A, and fairly low in carbohydrates.  It is creamy and semi-sweet.  The taste is between acorn squash and pumpkin.   Because this squash is creamy, it is good for soups, stews, and purees.  This puree adds flavor and volume to this egg dish without adding calories or fat.  This quiche has few eggs in it, which makes it very low in saturated fat.

Frozen pie crust can be used for quiche, however most crusts contain trans-fats.  These fats are very unhealthy for your heart and arteries.  One way around this is to make your own crust using butter instead of margarine.  This is only slightly healthier, though.  So a healthy (and money-saving) alternative is to go crust-less.

Kabocha Squash Quiche

What you'll need:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 white onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp sage
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 1/4 cup cream
- 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 2/3 cup kabocha squash puree
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- pinch cayenne
- 2 eggs
- 1 frozen pie crust (optional)

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350*F.   If using a pie crust, thaw crust for 5 minutes, then poke crust with fork all over.  Bake 12 minutes and remove to let cool.

2.  Chop onion.  Heat skillet with oil.  Saute onion ~ 5 minutes, add garlic, sage, nutmeg, and parsley and saute 2 more minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool completely.

3.  Combine milk, cream, ricotta, and squash and blend in food processor or blender.  In a bowl, whisk together the milk mixture and eggs.  Add cayenne and pepper.

4.  If using a pie crust- layer onion mixture on the bottom and pour the egg mixture over top.  Bake at 350*F for 40 - 43 minutes, until firm.

If NOT using a pie crust, spray a pie pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Combine egg mixture and onions, then pour in pie pan.  Bake at 350*F for 40 - 43 minutes, until firm.

Zucchini Bites

These zucchini bites are similar to zucchini fritters or zucchini pancakes, just made in miniature size and baked in muffin tins.  It is made by grating zucchini, which leaves the zucchini very moist.  The idea then is to remove some of the liquid by squeezing the shredded zucchini.  However, when you do this, you may notice that the water being squeezed out is tinted green, which means you are also squeezing out vitamins and minerals.  I squeeze out some of the liquid, but not all of it.  This creates an almost soggy exterior to the zucchini bites when you remove them from the muffin tin.  All you have to do is put them back in the oven at a lower temperature for about 10 more minutes.  Does this absolutely ensure that I have more vitamins in my zucchini bites? Possibly not, but I do it anyway.

Zucchini Bites

What you'll need:
- 2 medium zucchini, grated
- 1 egg
- 1 slice cheddar cheese, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper

What to do:
1.  Preheat oven to 400*F.  Spray mini cupcake tin with nonstick cooking spray.  Dust the bottom with a pinch of flour each to prevent zucchini bites from sticking.

2. After grating the zucchini, place in a strainer and press to squeeze out the water.  Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Use a spoon to scoop mixture into cupcake tin.

3.  Bake 18 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 275*.  Let zucchini bites cool for 5 minutes; remove from tin.  Place bites on a cookie sheet and return to oven for 8 to 10 minutes.  Makes 12 bites.  Serving size is 3 bites; have with a fruit for a well-balanced breakfast.

Nutrition Information:   Serving Size 3 bites
198 calories, 12g carbs, 2g fiber, 8g protein, 13g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 211mg sodium.

Caramelized Onion and Spinach Bread

Homemade breads can be a good way to get in some veggies in the morning.  This bread has many healthy aspects to it.  It is made partly with whole wheat flour instead of all white flour.  This adds fiber and protein to help keep you full all morning.  It is made with olive oil instead of butter, which has lots of healthy unsaturated fats.  It has no sugar in it.  The sweetness comes from the caramelized onions.  The spinach adds in lots of vitamins and minerals and more fiber.

To make it, first cut the onion in half through the root, cut off the root, then cut thing slices.  Heat olive oil in a large saute pan on medium heat; add onion.  Saute 10 minutes, the turn to low and saute 5 more minutes.  Then add garlic, and saute 10 minutes.  Add spinach, saute 2 minutes, turn off heat.

The onion starts off white

After 10 minutes- starting to barely brown

This is the color the onions are when they are caramelized

In a bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer on low for ~ 2 minutes. Beat in cream cheese and milk.  Place flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl, lightly mix in egg mixture, olive oil, and goat cheese.  Then mix in spinach and onion.

Spray a bread loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Sprinkle a little flour all over the inside of the pan so that it is lightly covered.  Pour dough in pan.  Bake at 350*F for 35 - 40 minutes.

What you'll need:
- 1 Vidalia onion
- 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2/3 cup olive oil (plus 1/2 tbsp for onion)
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 3/4 cup skim milk
- 1 tbsp cream cheese

Strawberry Butter Spread

I have always loved apple butter, but I never thought about  making strawberry butter.  This is a healthier version of strawberry butter.  Instead of butter I used a buttery spread with less saturated fat.  I also used less butter and added in plain nonfat Greek yogurt.  The yogurt makes it a little more liquidy, so you need to make sure you really thicken the strawberry puree.

You can spread this over whole wheat toast or bagel thin, or add a scoop to some plain oatmeal.

Strawberry Butter Spread

What you'll need:
- 2 cups frozen whole strawberries (stems removed)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp agave nectar syrup
- 1/3 cup buttery spread, softened
- 4 oz plain nonfat Greek yogurt

What to do:
1.  Thaw strawberries.  Use a blender or food processor to puree.  Pour mixture into a saucepan on medium heat.  Add in lemon juice and agave syrup; bring to a boil.  Stir constantly while boiling for 4 - 5 minutes. Lower heat and simmer for 5 more minutes.

2.  Beat together butter and yogurt.  Mix in raspberry mixture.  Let cool for at least 4 hours.  Makes about 2 cups.

Nutrition Info (per 2 tbsp)
48 calories, 4g carbs, <1g fiber, 1g protein, 3g total fat, 1g saturated fat

Refrigerated Oatmeal

This can be really refreshing on these hot summer days.  It's very easy to make.  first add in the oatmeal, add the milk, add the yogurt, add any sweetener, and the fruit.  Then mix it up and refrigerate overnight.

Apple Cinnamon Cold Oatmeal

What you'll need:
- 1 tbsp buttery spread
- 1 apple
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2/3 cup steel oats
- 1/3 cup skim milk
- 1/3 plus 1 tbsp plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tbsp sugar

What to do:
1. Cut apple in 1/3"  slices, then cut slices in half crosswise.  Heat buttery spread in medium saute pan, add apples and cook over medium-low heat until apple softens, about 5 - 8 minutes.  Add cinnamon, saute for 5 more minutes.  Let cool.

2.  In a container such as a mason jar, pour in the oats, milk, yogurt, apple butter, sugar, and apple pieces.   Close container and shake to mix up.  Refrigerate overnight.  Recipe makes 4 servings.

Cold Raspberry Almond Oatmeal

What you'll need:
- 1/2 cup  steel oats
- 1/3 cup skim milk
- 3 tbsp plain nonfat yogurt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 tbsp slivered almonds
- 1/3 cup frozen raspberries, thawed, plus juice

What to do:
 Mix together all of the ingredients in a jar or container and shake to mix up.  Raspberries can sometimes be more sour than sweet. Taste the mixture to see if it is sweet enough

A different kind of breakfast

Breakfast does not need to be something typical.  It doesn't have to be cereal, or bagels, or bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, or muffins.  All you need is a little creativity.  Here are some ideas for a healthy, but different kind of breakfast.

Try refrigerated oatmeal.  Combine all the ingredients in a container in the evening, let it sit in the fridge over night, then it is ready to eat in the morning.  Letting the oats sit in milk and yogurt overnight soften them.  They don't have the same texture as those cooked in hot liquid, but are still good.  You can create many different flavors: cinnamon apple, almond raspberry, mango, and so many more.

This is really easy: make 1/3" slices of apple crosswise, then spread the top with peanut butter.  You can also top with granola or nuts.

You can stuff crepes with fruit or vegetables.  Or you can make one of each to help get in all you fruits and veggies for the day. You can make a few crepes in one evening and use them up over the new few days.  Saute some spinach and onions in a large batch and use up over the days as well.  You can spread some low-fat cream cheese on the crepe and top with fresh raspberries, then roll.

Make your own healthier version of strawberry butter and spread over toasted whole grain bread.

Make a bread with lots of fiber from veggies and whole wheat flour, and with healthy fats from oils instead of butter.  This is a caramelized onion and spinach bread.

Spread hummus over a whole wheat pita and top with sliced tomato and slices of onion, or  turkey slices.

Make some zucchini bites a head of time and grab a few on your way out the door.  These are somewhere between zucchini bread and zucchini fritters.

These are just a few out of the ordinary ideas for breakfast.  If you want more ideas, just let me know! Recipes to follow.