Wake-Up Smoothie

Wake-Up Smoothie

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

With a stash of berries in your freezer, you can jump-start your day with this nutritious, tasty smoothie in just minutes. It provides vitamin C, fiber, potassium and soy protein.

Ingredients

Prep: 5 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes

• 1 1/4 cups  orange juice, preferably calcium-fortified
• 1 banana
• 1 1/4 cups frozen berries such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and/or strawberries
• 1/2 cup  low-fat silken tofu or low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon  sugar or sugar-substitute, optional

Instructions

Combine orange juice, banana, berries, tofu (or yogurt) and sugar (or sugar substitute), if using, in a blender; cover and blend until creamy. Serve immediately.

Reviewed July 16, 2012

From www.eatingwell.com with permission. © 2011-2012 Eating Well Inc.
For more recipes go to EatingWell.com

healthy green drink: black-melon

Black Melon

Packed with potassium and vitamin C and very refreshing (check the ingredients page to learn more about all the health benefits).
Ingredients:
■1/2 cup watermelon
■1/2 cup honeydew melon
■1/2 cantaloupe
■1/2 cup blackberries
■2 handfuls of spinach
■1 banana
■1/2 cup water
■1 cup ice

Blend it all up and serve over ice and a slice or two of fresh lemon or lime.

Fruits are packed with vitamins and minerals as well as some of the best fat we can consume (avocado and coconut). They also contain sugar (fructose) which supplies the body with much needed energy and acts as a deterrent to gorging yourself with processed sugars that can lead to obesity. Hungry? Craving a candy bar? You’re better off eating 12 apples.

Spinach: Popeye ate it. Enough said? Okay, fine. Spinach is a huge source of Vitamins C, A, K, you name it. The flavonoids in spinach help protect against age related memory loss and the lutein in the little green leaf makes it one of the best foods in the world to prevent age related macular degeneration.

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

Crazy easy and very delicious! Adapted from WebMD

Ingredients:

1 lb of frozen fruit - blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, peaches, mangoes. You can do a single flavor or combine them.
1/2 cup honey or a combination of honey and a healthy sweetener like agave, xylitol, etc.
1 cup of non-fat Greek yogurt
1tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
A little milk if needed to get the right consistency

Directions
The fruit into a food processor (with a blender, you'll have to do a couple of scrape downs).
Pulse the food processor until the fruit is finely chopped
Add the yogurt, honey, lemon juice and zest, vanilla and salt
Process until smooth. You can add more sweetener to taste. If the frozen yogurt is too thick, add a splash of milk until you get the desired consistency.

Homemade Berry Newtons

Homemade Berry Newtons
Adapted from All Day I Dream About Food

Makes about 30 cookies

For the dough:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp water
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the filling:
1 1/2 cup blackberries (I used frozen)
1/2 cup strawberries, chopped
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp water

For the dough, in a large bowl beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined. Add egg whites, vanilla and water and beat until well mixed, scraping down beaters and bowl as needed.

Add the flour and cinnamon and beat until dough comes together. Form dough into a rough rectangle and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill for at least 2 hours.

For the filling, combine fruit and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Mash berries with the back of a fork.

In a small bowl, stir cornstarch and water together. Add half to hot berry mixture and stir until the thickness of jam. If necessary, add remaining cornstarch mixture until appropriate thickness is achieved.

To assemble cookies, preheat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to a 12 by 16 inch rectangle and cut into four equal 4 by 12 inch strips. Spoon filling down the middle of each strip. Fold the edges over the filling and pinch to seal.

Using a sharp knife, cut off ends of logs and discard. Cut logs into 8 equal pieces and place cookies seam-side down on prepared baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Let cool on pan

Orange-Scented Cornmeal Cake With Fresh Berries

Orange-Scented Cornmeal Cake With Fresh Berries
Ingredients

For the cake:
3/4 cup whole-grain pastry flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the berry sauce:
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice

Preparation

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the four, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, combine 1/3 cup of sugar and the oil. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat for 2 minutes. Add the yogurt, eggs, orange peel, and orange juice. Beat for 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients and beat until blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle over the batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

To make the berries: In a food processor or blender, puree 3/4 cup of the blackberries, the sugar, and the orange juice until smooth. Strain the puree through a sieve into a small bowl; discard the seeds. Cut the cake into wedges. Spoon the berry sauce over the wedges and sprinkle with the blueberries, raspberries, and remaining blackberries.

Note: When you use an electric mixer to beat citrus peel into a batter, a lot of the peel can cling to the beaters. Be sure to scrape any peel from the beaters back into the batter.

Makes 8 servings

Per serving: 189 calories, 30g carbohydrates, 4g protein, 7g total fat, 55mg cholesterol, 3g dietary fiber, 200mg sodium

Chuck-A-Rama Raspberry, Blackberry Jam

Chuck-A-Rama Raspberry, Blackberry Jam
2 Quarts Raspberries
2 Quarts Blackberries
14 Cups Sugar
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
6 Ounces (1 Box) Liquid Pectin

Directions:
1. Place berries in a stock pot along with the sugar and lemon juice.
2. Place on high heat and stir once per minute until you reach a rolling boil.
3. Add pectin and boil for 4 minutes (set a timer) stirring well once per minute.
4. Remove from heat and place in a plastic container and chill overnight.