Heart healthy granola

Heart Healthy Granola

Warning - this is addictive. It's not low calorie but full of goodness.

It's my FAVORITE breakfast - love it over berries or baked apples

3 c rolled oats
1/3 cup wheat germ (I leave this out)
1/3 c large seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, or whatever you'd like - raid the bird feeder)
1/3 c small seeds (sesame, flax, etc)
1/3 c chopped almonds (or any nuts)
1/3 c brown sugar (I cut this in half)
1 t cinnamon pinch of salt
1/3 c canola oil 1/4 c honey
1 t vanilla extract

 Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl (oats through salt). Combine oil, honey and vanilla, then pour over dry stuff. Mix well. Spread on cooking sheet and bake in 350 degree oven until golden (about 15 minutes) stirring occasionally.

Burgers and burger sauce

These are the best!

Recipes are from Cooks Illustrated

Well-Done Grilled Hamburgers

makes 6 patties

1/2 cup chopped or torn white bread (remove crusts)
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons steak sauce (I use Aldi’s brand)
1 1/2 pounds 80% lean ground chuck

(before you start, turn your grill on so that it has 15 minutes to heat)

1. Place bread pieces in a bowl, and pour the milk over the bread. Using a fork, mash the bread and milk together to make a smooth paste. Add salt, pepper, garlic, and steak sauce, and mix until smooth.

2. Add ground beef to the bread/milk mixture, and gently combine, using a fork.

3. Shape the beef into patties.

4. Using tongs, dip a wad of paper towels into a small amount of vegetable oil, and run them over the grill grate.

5. Place burgers on grill. Cook for 2-4 minutes on the first side, flip, and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until burgers reach desired doneness.

Burger Sauce
makes about 1/4 cup

2 TBS mayonnaise
1 TBS ketchup
1/2 tsp sweet pickle relish
1/3 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

mix together

Almond milk

Almond milk is a great alternative to regular cow's milk.  It tastes great in drinks like my Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie.

And it's lower in calories. Here's a comparison for 1 cup:

Whole milk            150
2%                         130
1%                         110
skim                        80
plain soymilk         100
plain almond milk    40

If you want the lowest calories, be sure to get plain unsweetened. I can find Blue Diamond, SO Delicious and Almond Dream brands in my local stores.

Last week I found a new higher protein version by So Delicious (in the picture above). It has 5 grams of protein vs. 1 gram in the regular version - and no extra calories!

Chocolate banana peanut butter smoothie

This is my favorite quick breakfast - and it feels exactly right inside when I drink it.

Why would anyone ever want a traditional chocolate milkshake when this smoothie tastes so good???

For one serving - combine in blender:

1/2 frozen (or fresh) banana (or a whole small one)
1 Tbs peanut butter
2 heaping tsp good quality unsweetened cocoa powder (I use sharffenberger)
1/2 to 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any milk)
enough ice to thicken

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Yum!