Blueberry Bread Pudding

As I have tried to reduce gluten and dairy in my diet due to a PCOS diagnosis I rolled my eyes hard because well I LOVE both of those things. Like C H E E S E come on! But I realize that my body may not like all the things that my tastebuds do. So I have started testing some new recipes and OH MY is this a winner!

Dairy-free, gluten-free, and no refined sugar and you could NEVER tell the whole family loved it so much it was requested for a warm breakfast again this week, I was happy to make it since it comes together in about 8 minutes. This casserole takes an hour to bake but since that is the hands-off time it’s very easy!

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Perfect for fall/winter mornings and meal prep because it reheats like a DREAM!

I have this as a plate it breakfast adding protein on the side like some nice chicken sausage or my Superfoods on the go!

Ingredients

  • Ingredients 8 large eggs lightly beaten

  • 2½ cups unsweetened almond milk

  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup

  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

  • ¼ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)

  • 8 slices low-sodium sprouted whole-grain bread cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 3 cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries

  • Nonstick cooking spray and Hot water

Directions

  1. Combine eggs, almond milk, maple syrup, extract, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl; whisk to blend. Set aside.

  2. Place bread and blueberries in a 13 x 19-inch baking dish that is lightly covered in spray. Top with egg mixture; mix well to blend.

  3. Preheat oven to 350° F. Place baking dish in roasting pan. Add water to roasting pan to come an inch up the side of the baking dish. (Baking dish will be sitting in water.) Tent aluminum foil over roasting pan so that foil does not touch bread pudding. Cut two slashes in foil to allow steam to escape. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil. Bake an additional 35 to 45 minutes, or until bread pudding is puffy and custard is set. Cut into eight pieces. (be very careful removing from the oven as the water in the roasting pan will be VERY HOT)

BBQ Meatloaf

I LOVE BBQ everything, bbq chicken pizza, bbq southwestern salads and I just have not found a Bbq that is low enough in sugar but I FINALLY came across one and I have found a WINNER. This particular brand I got at wegmans so search your local stores and see if they have it! 

I got to work looking for a family friendly recipe to use this with and I came up with a BBQ meatloaf that the whole family loved! 

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 Pound of lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup of plain gluten-free panko bread crumbs ( the whole wheat had sugar in it)
  • 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard 
  • 4 tablespoons of bbq sauce ( Dinosaur Bar-B-Que original)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat 350 degrees and in a large bowl mix ground beef, panko, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, and BBQ sauce with salt and pepper. Be sure to not over mix the meat
  2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper ( less clean up) and shape the meatloaf into a long log shape. 
  3. Mix the remaining bbq sauce, honey and Worcestershire sauce and pour over top the meatloaf
  4. bake for 45 min, slice and serve. if you need you can always add a touch more BBQ after it is done. 

If you use portion fix I counted 1 slice as 1 red, 1 orange ( I did not account for the panko because it is likely about 1 tablespoon per slice) 

 

Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread

When ever I have soup and pasta or heck just a drive by craving for some garlic bread the first thing I think is the yummy frozen garlic bread that just gets popped in the oven, it's so easy right!?!? Well this one is just as easy! I had enough when one day I developed a homemade tomato soup and HAD to have some garlicky cheesy goodness to dip into it! 

Give this a try and PLEASE whatever you do DO NOT turn your nose up just because of the ingredients because if you do it is your loss! Here is the deal most people hate cottage cheese it gets a terrible wrap for its texture issues however throw into a food processor and add a few goodies and it is a creamy delicious spread that is high in protien and also super satisfying! I use the very same technique in my favorite easy lasagna which is a HUGE hit with the ladies in my challenge group working on getting fit. They can not believe that it tastes so amazing and is that easy to put together! Not to mention it is 100% on plan to help them achieve their fitness goals. I created this blog to show you that it is not only possible but easy to create family friendly, crave-able foods that you can enjoy while meeting your fitness goals! 

Serves 2 people  Containers- 1 Yellow 1/2 Red 1 Blue  Difficulty- EASY  TIME- 10 Min

INGREDIENTS 

  • 2 100% whole wheat tortillas or Flatout 
  • 1 cup 2-4% cottage cheese ( please do not use fat free)
  • 1/4 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper to taste 
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 

DIRECTIONS 

  1. Preheat oven to 425
  2. Place 2 tortillas on a baking sheet, cook in oven for about 4-5 min turning a few times until crispy. ( don't walk away from these they can burn quickly, you are looking for lightly browned and crispy)
  3. While the tortillas are crisping place cottage cheese, oregano, salt & pepper, farlic powder and Parmesan cheese in a food processor or blender. Blend on high until smooth about 30 seconds 
  4. Remove crispy tortillas from oven, spread 1/2 the filling on each one and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Optional garnish with a bit more oregano.
  5. Place back into oven until the cheese is melted- Sometimes I'll place the oven on broil for 30 seconds to get the browned bubbly cheesy goodness going! 
  6. ENJOY and share with a friend! 

Protein Packed Lemon Stuffed Pancakes!

I feel like I hit the Jackpot on this one! I absolutely love lemon and pancakes, putting them together is a dream come true. I want to still stay on track and not make a super sugary lemon filling that will set back my progress and leave me feeling less than good about my choices. I have been experimenting with cottage cheese and let me tell you the results have been phenomenal. Hear me out, do not click the X just yet if you hate cottage cheese I get it! I am right there with you, I have texture issues and chewing or not chewing on mush is not my idea of appetizing!  I have used this is several other savory recipes that you can find on my page, I decided to try it with some sweetness and it was creamy, sweet and just the right amount of tart! I hope you enjoy these as much as I do! 

Make any pancakes that you like check out these amazing pancakes here or another easy option is Kodiak pancake mix which is higher in protien than many other ready to use pancake mixes.

For these I used 2 cups of Kodiak Mix, 2 eggs, 1 1/4 cup of milk follow directions as stated on he box. 

Containers- 2 pancakes 1 yellow (treat) 1 red 

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup 4% cottage cheese
  • 1 tsp vanilla ( no high fructose corn syrup added)
  • 1 packet of Stevia
  • 1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup 
  • 1 lemon zested & 1/2 lemon juiced 
  • optional fresh strawberries or blueberies 

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients ( except berries if using) into a blender or a food processor and blend until smooth
  2. place lemon mixture between pancakes and on top. Top with fruit and drizzle with a bit of extra syrup
  3. Enjoy!