Great Beginnings
Prevent blood sugar spikes and boost energy with these hearty dishes. Enjoy mouthwatering morning meals for any occasion, from quick breakfasts to leisurely brunches.
Bacon and Cheddar Oatmeal
Hands-on Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 7 minutes
Serves: 1
Satisfying oatmeal takes on a savory twist with the irresistible combination of bacon and cheddar cheese.
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup water
½ cup fat-free milk
1 center-cut bacon slice, cooked and crumbled
1 tablespoon reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon chopped green onions (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, at MEDIUM 5 to 6 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
2 Add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Sprinkle with green onions, if desired, and black pepper.
PER SERVING (serving size: about 1 cup):
Food Choices: 2 Starches, ½ Fat-Free Milk, 1 Medium-Fat Protein
Calories 239; Fat 6.6g (sat 2.6g, mono 2.4g, poly 1.5g, trans 0g); Protein 13g; Carbohydrate 33g; Fiber 4g; Sugars 7g; Cholesterol 15mg; Iron 2mg; Sodium 246mg; Potassium 393mg; Phosphorus 336mg; Calcium 199mg
Peanut and Banana Oatmeal
Hands-on Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 6 minutes
Serves: 1
If you like softer oats, cook them up to 1 minute longer before adding the peanut butter.
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup water
½ cup fat-free milk
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons natural-style peanut butter
¼ cup sliced banana
2 teaspoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
1 Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, at MEDIUM 5 to 6 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in peanut butter. Top with banana, and sprinkle with peanuts.
PER SERVING (serving size: about 1 cup):
Food Choices: 2½ Starches, ½ Fruit, 1 High-Fat Protein
Calories 327; Fat 11.6g (sat 1.7g, mono 5.4g, poly 3.4g, trans 0g); Protein 13g; Carbohydrate 45g; Fiber 6g; Sugars 13g; Cholesterol 2mg; Iron 2mg; Sodium 387mg; Potassium 473mg; Phosphorus 357mg; Calcium 155mg
Breakfast Quinoa
Hands-on Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
Like most whole grains, quinoa is surprisingly filling, but if you need more for breakfast, serve with an egg on the side.
½ cup uncooked quinoa
¾ cup light coconut milk
2 tablespoons water
1½ teaspoons granulated brown sugar blend (such as Splenda)
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup sliced banana
¼ cup flaked unsweetened coconut, toasted (optional)
1 Place quinoa in a fine sieve, and place sieve in a large bowl. Cover quinoa with water. Using your hands, rub the grains together for 30 seconds; rinse and drain quinoa. Repeat procedure twice. Drain well. Combine quinoa, coconut milk, 2 tablespoons water, brown sugar blend, and salt in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Stir mixture constantly during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
2 Divide quinoa mixture among 4 bowls. Top each serving with strawberry slices, banana slices, and toasted coconut, if desired. Serve warm.
PER SERVING (serving size: ½ cup quinoa mixture, ¼ cup strawberry slices, and ¼ cup banana slices):
Food Choices: 1 Starch, 1 Fruit, ½ Fat
Calories 165; Fat 3.8g (sat 1.9g, mono 0.4g, poly 0.8g, trans 0g); Protein 4g; Carbohydrate 30g; Fiber 4g; Sugars 11g; Cholesterol 0mg; Iron 1mg; Sodium 89mg; Potassium 418mg; Phosphorus 162mg; Calcium 19mg
Ingredient Pointer
Don’t skip the rinse! When time is short, you may be tempted to omit this step—but it’s critical for the best flavor. Quinoa has a bitter coating that is easily removed when rinsed.
Blueberry Waffles
Hands-on Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Serves: 8
You can use either frozen or fresh blueberries for these waffles. If you are using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them before adding to the batter.
7.9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1¾ cups)
1 tablespoon baking powder
Dash of salt
1¾ cups fat-free milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Additional blueberries (optional)
Sugar-free syrup (optional)
1 Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; stir well. Combine milk, oil, egg whites, and egg in a small bowl; stir well. Add to flour mixture, stirring until well blended.
2 Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray, and preheat. Spoon about ⅓ cup of batter per waffle onto hot waffle iron, spreading batter to edges. Spoon 2 tablespoons blueberries per waffle over batter. Cook 6 to 7 minutes or until steaming stops; repeat procedure with remaining batter and blueberries. Garnish with additional blueberries and syrup, if desired.
PER SERVING (serving size: 1 [4-inch] waffle):
Food Choices: 2 Starches, 1 Fat
Calories 189; Fat 6.3g (sat 1.2g, mono 1.8g, poly 2.7g, trans 0g); Protein 6g; Carbohydrate 27g; Fiber 2g; Sugars 5g; Cholesterol 29mg; Iron 2mg; Sodium 86mg; Potassium 150mg; Phosphorus 144mg; Calcium 176mg
Flaxseed-Buttermilk Pancakes
Hands-on Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 9
These gluten-free pancakes get their nutty flavor and nutritional heft from the flaxseed meal. Tapioca flour and potato starch keep the texture light while brown rice flour adds whole grains and fiber.
3.1 ounces brown rice flour (about !⅔ cup)
1.1 ounces tapioca flour (about ¼ cup)
1.3 ounces potato starch (about ¼ cup)
0.9 ounce flaxseed meal (about ¼ cup)
2 teaspoons measures-like-sugar calorie-free sweetener
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2¼ cups fresh blueberries
1 Weigh or lightly spoon flours, potato starch, and flaxseed meal into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, potato starch, flaxseed meal, measures-like-sugar sweetener, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs; stir with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth.
2 Heat a nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour 2 tablespoons batter per pancake onto pan; cook 1 minute or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned. Serve with blueberries.
PER SERVING (serving size: 2 pancakes and ¼ cup blueberries):
Food Choices: 1 Starch, ½ Fruit
Calories 120; Fat 2.4g (sat 0.5g, mono 1.3g, poly 0.6g, trans 0g); Protein 4g; Carbohydrate 22g; Fiber 2g; Sugars 6g; Cholesterol 41mg; Iron 1mg; Sodium 305mg; Potassium 143mg; Phosphorus 106mg; Calcium 96mg
Ingredient Pointer
For the best flavor and nutrient retention, purchase flaxseeds whole and only grind what you need right before using. Place the desired amount in a coffee grinder and pulse 10 to 15 seconds or until an evenly ground meal is formed.
Cast-Iron Breakfast Pizza
Hands-on Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 31 minutes
Serves: 8
Crushed red pepper gives this family-favorite recipe a kick while the spinach provides color. For a crisp pizza crust, heat the skillet on the stovetop before transferring it to the oven.
1 (16-ounce) package commercial pizza dough
¾ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
4 center-cut bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about ¾ cup)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 Preheat oven to 450°.
2 Roll out dough to a 12-inch circle. Press dough into bottom and 1 inch up sides of a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Fold edges under, and crimp.
3 Spread ricotta cheese in bottom of crust; top with bacon, mozzarella cheese, and pepper. Place pan over high heat; cook 3 minutes. Transfer pan to oven.
4 Bake at 450° for 18 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and cheese melts.
5 While pizza cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add spinach. Cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts, turning often with tongs. Remove spinach from pan; drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Top pizza with wilted spinach and sprinkle with crushed red pepper. Cut pizza into 8 wedges.
PER SERVING (serving size: 1 wedge):
Food Choices: 1½ Starches, 1 Nonstarchy Vegetable, 1 Medium-Fat Protein
Calories 233; Fat 5.7g (sat 2.7g, mono 2.4g, poly 0.6g, trans 0g); Protein 12g; Carbohydrate 30g; Fiber 5g; Sugars 1g; Cholesterol 18mg; Iron 2mg; Sodium 439mg; Potassium 219mg; Phosphorus 165mg; Calcium 162mg
Small Change, Big Result
Use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet—it eliminates the need for extra oil to grease the pan.
Huevos Rancheros Soft Tacos
Hands-on Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2
Fresh salsa tastes more vibrant than bottled and has less sodium. Corn tortillas make a healthier substitute for the flour variety.
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
½ cup low-sodium refried black beans, warmed
2 (6-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
2 tablespoons shredded Oaxaca cheese
¼ cup Fresh Salsa
¼ cup diced peeled avocado
1 Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add egg mixture; cook 1 minute or until soft-scrambled, stirring often.
2 Spread ¼ cup beans over each tortilla; top with scrambled egg mixture, and sprinkle with cheese. Spoon salsa and avocado over eggs. Fold tortillas over filling.
PER SERVING (serving size: 1 taco):
Food Choices: 2 Starches, 2 Lean Proteins, 1 Fat
Calories 292; Fat 11.6g (sat 3.3g, mono 4.7g, poly 1.7g, trans 0g); Protein 18g; Carbohydrate 29g; Fiber 5g; Sugars 3g; Cholesterol 190mg; Iron 3mg; Sodium 429mg; Potassium 459mg; Phosphorus 261mg; Calcium 151mg
Ingredient Pointer
To soften or ripen an unripened avocado, place it in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana. These fruits produce ethylene, a gas that promotes ripening, and when stored in a concentrated area, the fruits cause ethylene levels to rise and ripening to accelerate.
Caprese Eggs Benedict
Hands-on Time: 11 minutes
Total Time: 11 minutes
Serves: 4
Pesto Hollandaise replaces the basil that’s in a traditional Caprese dish.
Cooking spray
4 large eggs
2 whole-wheat English muffins, split and toasted
4 (¼-inch-thick) slices tomato
4 (0.75-ounce) slices fresh mozzarella cheese
¼ cup Pesto Hollandaise
4 large basil leaves (optional)
1 Coat 4 (6-ounce) custard cups with cooking spray. Break 1 egg into each cup. Pierce yolk of each egg once with a wooden pick. Microwave at MEDIUM 1 minute and 15 seconds or to desired degree of doneness.
2 Place a muffin half, cut side up, on each of 4 plates. Top each with tomato, mozzarella, egg, Pesto Hollandaise, and a basil leaf, if desired.
PER SERVING (serving size: 1 muffin half, 1 tomato slice, 1 mozzarella slice, 1 egg, and 1 tablespoon Pesto Hollandaise):
Food Choices: 1 Starch, 2 Medium-Fat Proteins, 1 Fat
Calories 255; Fat 15.9g (sat 5.4g, mono 5.8g, poly 2.6g, trans 0g); Protein 13g; Carbohydrate 15g; Fiber 3g; Sugars 4g; Cholesterol 207mg; Iron 2mg; Sodium 270mg; Potassium 203mg; Phosphorus 272mg; Calcium 130mg
Pesto Hollandaise
Hands-on Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes, 45 seconds
Serves: 14
You will have extra hollandaise sauce left over; spoon it over grilled fish.
⅓ cup nonfat buttermilk
⅓ cup canola mayonnaise
2 tablespoons refrigerated pesto
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon butter
1 Combine first 4 ingredients in a 1-cup glass measure, stirring with a whisk until blended. Microwave at MEDIUM 45 seconds or until warm. Add butter, stirring until melted. Keep warm.
PER SERVING (serving size: 1 tablespoon):
Food Choice: 1 Fat
Calories 54; Fat 5.5g (sat 0.7g, mono 2.4g, poly 1.2g, trans 0g); Protein 1g; Carbohydrate 1g; Fiber 0g; Sugars 0g; Cholesterol 3mg; Iron 0mg; Sodium 65mg; Potassium 15mg; Phosphorus 12mg; Calcium 13mg
Spinach Frittata with Feta Cheese
Hands-on Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
Serves: 6
All an egg’s fat and cholesterol are contained in its yolk. By omitting some of the yolks and only using the whites, you cut down on these amounts without losing flavor.
2 teaspoons olive oil
¾ cup packed fresh baby spinach
2 green onions
6 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1.3 ounces crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese with basil and sun-dried tomatoes (about ⅓ cup)
2 teaspoons salt-free Greek seasoning (such as Cavender’s)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Preheat broiler.
2 Heat a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. While oil heats, coarsely chop spinach and finely chop onions. Combine eggs, egg whites, cheese, Greek seasoning, and salt in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add spinach and onions, stirring well.
3 Add egg mixture to pan; cook until edges begin to set, about 2 minutes. Gently lift edge of egg mixture, tilting pan to allow uncooked egg mixture to flow underneath. Cook 2 minutes or until egg mixture is almost set.
4 Broil 2 to 3 minutes or until center is set. Cut frittata into 6 wedges.
PER SERVING (serving size: 1 wedge):
Food Choices: 1 Medium-Fat Protein, 1 Fat
Calories 115; Fat 7.4g (sat 2.3g, mono 3g, poly 1.1g, trans 0g); Protein 10g; Carbohydrate 1g; Fiber 0g; Sugars 1g; Cholesterol 188mg; Iron 1mg; Sodium 313mg; Potassium 153mg; Phosphorus 128mg; Calcium 57mg
Ingredient Pointer
Packaged fresh baby spinach, found in your grocer’s produce section, is a time-saving ingredient. There’s no need to rinse the spinach before using it or to trim the stems from the tender leaves.
Banana-Blueberry Smoothies
Hands-on Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 3
Whether you’re enjoying the paper or stuck in rush-hour traffic, this smoothie is sure to keep you satisfied all morning. Be sure to use unsweetened blueberries to keep the carbohydrates in check.
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
½ cup soft silken tofu
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium-sized ripe banana, broken into pieces
1 (5.3-ounce) carton plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1 Place all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth, scraping sides as necessary.
PER SERVING (serving size: 1 cup):
Food Choices: 1½ Fruits, 1 Lean Protein
Calories 133; Fat 2g (sat 0.3g, mono 0.4g, poly 1.1g, trans 0g); Protein 8g; Carbohydrate 22g; Fiber 3g; Sugars 13g; Cholesterol 0mg; Iron 1mg; Sodium 23mg; Potassium 374mg; Phosphorus 113mg; Calcium 57mg
Ingredient Pointer
Silken tofu blends smoothly and gives creamy beverages and desserts a luscious texture, eliminating the need for high-fat cream. Other types of tofu have a denser texture and aren’t a good substitute for the silken variety.
Breakfast Grano Parfaits
Hands-on Time: 26 minutes
Total Time: 9 hours, 20 minutes
Serves: 8
Grano, which means “grains” in Italian, is the polished whole berries from durum semolina wheat. This type of grain has more protein than other types of wheat, giving it a chewier texture and making it a favorite for making pasta.
1 cup uncooked grano
12 cups water, divided
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
2 cups fresh berries (such as blackberries, blueberries, or sliced strawberries)
1 Soak grano in 6 cups water overnight. Drain. Place grano in a medium saucepan with remaining 6 cups water over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until grano is just tender. Drain well. Stir in salt. Cool to room temperature.
2 Spoon ¼ cup yogurt into each of 8 parfait glasses. Top yogurt with 3 tablespoons grano and 2 tablespoons berries. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients.
PER SERVING (serving size: 1 parfait):
Food Choices: 1 Starch, 1 Reduced-Fat Milk
Calories 196; Fat 3.1g (sat 2.1g, mono 0.1g, poly 0.2g, trans 0g); Protein 14g; Carbohydrate 30g; Fiber 5g; Sugars 9g; Cholesterol 7mg; Iron 1mg; Sodium 106mg; Potassium 99mg; Phosphorus 60mg; Calcium 129mg