***My apologies for not posting on Monday.  My computer was de-fragmenting and going through a thorough scan for most of the day, and I wasn’t able to have access to it.  Thank you for your patience, as always.***

Before you scream, “eeeewwwww, that is so gross,” please know that Healthy Chow is not losing her mind.  Do you really think I would put seafood in a baked good?!  C’mon! Have a little faith in me, people!  The thought of biting into a sweet treat like a muffin and then tasting crustacean, would be awful.  But brussels sprouts?  Now we’re talkin’!

Hey, if it’s OK to put tofu in bars, pumpkin in lasagna and sweet potato in brownies, why not brussels sprouts in muffins?  I never thought blending spinach with a frozen banana would yield such an addicting smoothie (or such a lovable monster), but we all know by now how popular that turned out.  So, I figured sneaking in another green into another one of my beloved foods would be a great idea.  After all, a baked good is still a baked good, regardless if it’s filled with sugar or a nutritious little sprout from Brussels.

C.R.A.B. Muffins (Carrot. Raisin. Almond. Brussels sprout)
Makes 10 regular sized muffins

• 1/2 cup of dry oats, ground into oat flour (dry oats ground until they reach a flour-like consistency)
• 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup of evaporated cane juice (I used Florida Crystals)
• 1/2 TBSP of cinnamon
• 1/4 of TSP of nutmeg
• 1/4 TSP of ground ginger
• 1 TSP of baking powder
• 1/4 TSP of baking soda
• 1/4 TSP of salt
• 1/2 cup of raw carrots, grated
• 1/4 cup raw brussels sprouts, minced
• 1.5 oz. of raisins
• 16 raw almonds, chopped (not sure why I selected ‘16′?)
• 1 TBSP of ground flax mixed with 3 TBSP of warm water
• 1/4 cup of lite silken tofu (I used Nasoya brand)
• 1/2 cup of Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1/4 cup of applesauce, unsweetened
• 1/2 TBSP of vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) If you haven’t already done so, make the oat flour (I used my food chopper, but feel free to blend the oats in a food processor or blender until you reach a flour-like consistency).  Also, now would also be a good time to mix the ground flax with warm water.  Allow the flax mixture to sit for 5 minutes.

3) In a food processor or blender, add the ground flax mixture, tofu, pumpkin, applesauce, and vanilla.  Blend until everything is smooth.  Set aside.

4) In a large bowl, mix together the oat flour, whole wheat flour, evaporated cane juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Then, add in the carrots, brussels sprouts, almonds and raisins.  Finally, add in the flax/tofu/pumpkin mixture.  Mix until everything is just moistened.

5) In greased regular-sized muffin trays or paper-lined muffin trays, spoon in the batter filling the cups about 3/4 full.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the tops start browning a bit and are still slightly ’springy’ to the touch.  Allow muffins to cool in the trays for 5 – 7 minutes before removing.

Hmmm, a baked good never tasted so healthy!  Similar to how zucchini seems to ‘disappear’ into muffins and/or breads, you couldn’t taste the brussels sprouts in this recipe.  In fact, all the brussels sprouts did was add a lovely fleck of green to the muffin, as well as a subtle crunch.  Because there were raisins, carrots, evaporated cane juice and pumpkin in this baked good, it was sweet and certainly not ‘veggie-esque’ in tasting.  In fact, the ground ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon gave this muffin a nice spicy kick.  Paired with a hot cup of coffee and a light schmear of buttery spread, this muffin made for a top notch breakfast.  You’ve got your vegetables, protein and omega 3’s all rolled into one little tasty treat.  Not to mention, this muffin doesn’t have any oil, eggs, dairy (it’s vegan friendly) or added fat.

So are you still thinking that adding brussels sprouts to muffins is a zany idea?  Well, yes, it just might be, but the taste will not only surprise you, but it will make you wonder what other vegetables you can sneak into your otherwise boring foods.   Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with a chocolate chip muffin or fudge brownie, but when you make your baked goods multi-task for you in terms of tasting good, filling your tummy and pumping you with vitamins and nutrients, there’s nothing crazy about that.

What kind of food are you dying to try?  Or, what kind of food have you recently tried and loved/not-so-loved?

Namasté,
Nicole

***Have you entered my earring giveaway yet?…***

So if you read yesterday’s post, you’ll know that I was recently given samples of POMx™ Iced Coffee to taste and review.  While I really enjoyed the flavor of the iced coffees, I don’t think I’ll be rushing to replace my morning cup of black coffee with the POMx™ Iced Coffee anytime soon.  Sorry! They’re just a tad too sweet for me to have so early on in the day as my first consumption of caffeine.  Plus, I’m already sweet enough (*sarcasm*)!  So what did I do with the rest of my samples, you ask?  Did I throw them away?  Did I give them to someone else to finish (that would be a bit gross)?  Did I just drink them for the heck of it?  No.  No.  And no!  Since Healthy Chow isn’t one for wasting things, I decided to make good use of my free samples versus just letting them sit and and take up precious space in my fridge.

So, you wanna know what I made…?

Well, if I wasn’t going to be drinking these little ‘wonderfuls’ as part of my breakfast, I figured the next best thing was to cook with them!  Because I love the rich and decadent taste of each of the flavors, I imagined they would be the perfect component in my breakfast foods.  Now, I’m not right a lot of the times, but when I am, I hit the nail exactly on the head (she pats herself on the back)!

Are you ready to find out yet…?

Blueberry Cheesecake Oatmeal POM-erized
Serves 1

• 1/2 cup of dry oats (you can use quick oats or old-fashioned style)
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 TSP of chia seeds (I used Greens Plus brand)
• 2 TBSP of nonfat cottage cheese
• 1 TBSP of POMx™ Vanilla flavored Iced Coffee
• 1/2 TBSP of chopped raw almonds
• small handful of blueberries, fresh or frozen

1) In a small pot, bring water to a rolling boil.  Once boiling, add the oats and chia seeds.  Stir to make sure the chia seeds are well-blended with the oats.  Reduce the heat to medium/medium-low and let cook for another 3 minutes.

2) Add your cottage cheese and iced coffee.  Stir.

3) Remove oatmeal from heat and pour into a bowl.  Top with blueberries and chopped almonds.

4) Eat with a spoon, but you won’t be able to stop thinking that this is a piece of blueberry cheesecake!

Yum-to-the-O!  This was incredible! The cottage cheese made the oatmeal fluffy (and cheesy) while the chia seeds added to the thickness.  The vanilla iced coffee sweetened this whole little number and the chewiness from the almonds made me think I was eating a graham cracker crust.  And of course, the blueberries accentuated the entire recipe.  If this breakfast was a whole cake, there wouldn’t be a slice left!

POM-errific Chocolate Banana French Toast
Serves 1

• 2 or 3 slices of bread (I used Trader Joe’s Sprouted Flourless Whole Wheat Berry Bread – 2 slices and 1 end)
• 1/4 cup of POMx™ Chocolate flavored Iced Coffee
• 1/3 cup of liquid egg whites
• few shakes of pumpkin pie spice
• few shakes of cinnamon
• few shakes of nutmeg
• pinch of brown sugar
• 1/2 of banana, sliced
• sprinkling of organic dried coconut (I used Woodstock Farms brand)
• sprinkling of cocoa powder

1) Mix the iced coffee, egg whites, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar in a shallow bowl.

2) Dip each slice of bread in the iced coffee/egg white mixture.  Let each piece absorb the mixture for about 1 minute.

3) Spray your frying pan or griddler (or in my kitchen, the C.G.) with cooking spray.  Turn your heat to medium.

4) Place your dipped slices of bread on the frying pan/griddler.  Heat each side for about 2-3 minutes or until the edges start turning that nice golden brown color.

5) Flip each piece of bread and cook for another couple of minutes.

6) Serve with sliced bananas, cocoa powder and dried coconut sprinkles.  Devour!

This french toast recipe was so tasty! There was just enough chocolate flavoring from the iced coffee to give this dish a unique flavor without it being overly sweet.  Coupled with the smashed banana slices (the banana was previously frozen) and the dried coconut, this french toast didn’t even need maple syrup.  I wish I had made more than the the 2.5 pieces I inhaled!

Oatmeal POM-tein Pancakes
Serves 1

• 1/3 cup of dry oats (you can use quick oats or old-fashioned style)
• 1/4 cup of POMx™ Vanilla flavored Iced Coffee
• 1/4 cup of liquid egg whites
• 1/2 TSP of baking soda
• few shakes of cinnamon
• few shakes of nutmeg
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• maple syrup or agave nectar

1) In a small bowl, mix together the oats, iced coffee, egg whites, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

2) Pour the mixture into your blender.  Add your sliced banana.  Blend until you get the consistency of a thin batter.

3) Spray your frying pan or griddler (or C.G) with cooking spray.  Turn your heat to medium/medium-high.

4) Pour your batter onto your pan or griddler.  Let cook for 2-3 minutes.  Once the pancake can be moved without sticking, flip.  Cook the other side for another 2 minutes.

5) Serve with maple syrup or agave nectar.  Enjoy!

Ohemgee!  These protein-packed pancakes tasted more like banana bread than flapjacks.  They were so delicious and aromatic; I couldn’t believe this breakfast was actually healthy! The vanilla iced coffee and banana kept these pancakes moist and more than flavorful.  I’m glad no one was watching me eat these because I seriously was licking the plate clean.

POM-tastic Banana Coffee Soft Serve
Serves 1

• 1 frozen banana
• 2 TBSP of POMx Café au Lait flavored Iced Coffee

1) Place the  frozen banana and the iced coffee in your blender.  Blend until you get the consistency of soft serve.  You might need to stop the blender intermittently to scrape down the sides and then blend again.

2) Pour into a dish and savor your frosty treat!

Not only did I love this but Patrick seemed to be quite fond of it as well.  He kept asking me what was in his soft serve and couldn’t believe that it was just a frozen banana and a couple of splashes of iced coffee.  The coffee flavoring gave this frozen treat a more gourmet taste than the usual banana flavor.  While we ate this for dessert, it could definitely be a fun breakfast.  After all, it is just fruit and coffee!

When I first tried these iced coffee samples, my first reaction was that they were good.  They were a bit sweet for my liking, but they were definitely tasty.  However, after I began cooking with the iced coffees, I really fell in love.  I guess that goes to show that when life (or Blue) gives you slightly over sweet iced coffee, you need to make perfectly sweet breakfast!

Do you prefer cranberry sauce from the can (the kind where you can still see the indentations from the can) or do you prefer the homemade stuff?  Or are you like me and don’t like either?

***Don’t forget!  You still have until Friday, November 27th at 6pm ET to enter my jewelry giveaway.  After all, we could all use some sparkle in our lives…***

Namasté,
Nicole

No, not that kind of getting baked, silly!  I’m talking about apples! Remember how I said that I was slacking in the apple recipe making/baking department in comparison to some of my fellow food bloggers?  Well, slow and steady wins the race and I’m making a go at the apple recipe cooking finish line (if there is such a thing?).  Because I used only one apple in my previous recipe and still have a million (not a lie) left in my crisper, I wanted to find a dish that would call for the usage of multiple apples.  Hence, I scoured the internet and did hours of research (total lie) until I found this gem…

Getting Baked Apples
Adapted from SimplyRecipes.com
Serves 4

• 4 large good baking apples (I bucked the trend and used McIntosh apples, which is not recommended for baking)
• 1/4 cup of rolled oats
• 1 TBSP of evaporated cane juice (I used Florida Crystals, feel free to use dry sweetener of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• sprinkle of nutmeg
• 14 raw almonds, chopped (you could use pecans, walnuts or no nuts)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped (dried apricots, raisins, dried figs would be good here, too)
• 1 TBSP of peanut butter (I used Trader Joe’s Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds)
• 3/4 cup boiling water

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Wash and dry your apples.  Using an apple corer or paring knife, remove the cores to 1/2 inch of the bottom of the apples.  Be careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom (I confess, I did this once)!  Then, use a paring knife to widen the cavity and a spoon to scoop out the seeds.  It’s a tad tricky at first, but you’ll get the hang of it.  Make the cavity about 3/4 inch to an inch wide.

2) In a small bowl, combine the oats, evaporated cane juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, almonds and dried cranberries.

3) Place the apples in an 8 x 8 baking dish.  Fill each apple with the mixture and then dot the top of each apple with 1/4 of the TBSP of peanut butter.

4) Pour the boiling water into the baking dish.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the apples can be easily pierced with a knife, but not mushy.  While the apples are baking, be sure to baste the apples with the dish juices (I repeated this three different times).

5) Serve hot!

These baked apples were like whoa! I couldn’t believe how good they tasted for something that was so simple to make.  I really liked the fact that even though the apples were stuffed with goodies like cinnamon, nutmeg and dried cranberries, the natural sweetness of my personally picked produce still shined through.  And, the McIntosh apples stood up quite well in the oven.  They came out tender and did not fall apart.  So take that, you online apple experts (whoever the heck you are)!  This is one of the best DPAABs (dessert-parading-around-as-breakfast) I’ve had in a long time.  While it’s quite similar in taste to the healthified fruit crisp I made a few weeks ago, the sheer fact that I was eating a whole piece of baked fruit made this dish stand out from anything else I have ever made.  Plus, having to eat this dessert/breakfast with a fork and knife made me feel as if I was having an entire meal, versus just a snack.

And because this is a healthy food blog and I like to give recipes my own little twist, I decided to substitute the brown sugar for evaporated cane juice and reduce the amount.  And to make the dish even heartier, I decided to add one of my favorite foods, oatmeal! Instead of dabbing the tops of the apples with butter, I used a natural peanut butter.  It’s less greasy and adds more flavor to the recipe.  The original recipe called for serving this dish with vanilla ice cream, which is a tremendous call.  However, I didn’t have any on hand (just cookies and cream ) and figured a dollop of thick greek yogurt would be the next best thing.  You could also drizzle some honey or agave nectar over the entire apple for some additional sweetness, but my apples didn’t require it.  Plus, I had some of the oatmeal mixture leftover, so I sprinkled some over the greek yogurt.  I’m not gonna lie, it was a stroke of genius on my behalf…just sayin’.

Who says eating food can’t get you high?

Random question: Is there a recipe or dish that you are intimidated to make?  Or, what is the one recipe you’ve been dying to make but just haven’t had the chance to do so?

Namasté,
Nicole

I grew up on the eastern side of Massachusetts.  To get to Boston by car from my house, it would take you about 15 minutes.  All of my family lived within 30 minutes from my childhood home.  I attended college in Boston; it was about a ten minute drive from my house.  My first job after I graduated was in Waltham, another 15 minute drive from Boston.  And now I live in Boston.  Needless to say, Healthy Chow likes Massachusetts and the Boston area.  And why wouldn’t I?  Boston is a great place to be.  Suffice it to say, I never strayed too far from home.

However, when I met Patrick, I ‘discovered’ there was another side to Massachusetts.  Patrick is from Springfield, which is in western Massachusetts.  Perhaps I grew up in a box or I was just too ignorant to realize there was more to Massachusetts than what was within Route 128, but I had never been to western Massachusetts until I met my husband.  It’s a whole other world out there!  Where had I been?  What else was I missing out on?  Now whenever I go to Springfield or any other part of western Massachusetts, it’s like a pure adventure for me.  Instead of it being the other side of the state to me, I think of western Massachusetts as being the side of the state that needs to be explored.

Last Saturday when the sun was shining and the temperature was still warm enough where a coat was not needed, we decided on taking a day trip to visit Patrick’s parents.  Springfield is less than an hour and a half away from Boston and since we didn’t have much on our plate (notice the food reference) that afternoon, we figured it was the perfect time to make the trip out west.

For the car trip, I figured the most important thing other than gas was snacks (but I guess that’s gas for our bodies).  Since we were meeting Patrick’s parents for a late lunch/early dinner and I didn’t want to spoil my appetite, I only brought a few emergency essentials.

But of course as soon as we started driving by all the various rest stops along the highway and I kept seeing the signs for all the fast food restaurants, I started getting a hunger pang and immediately wanted something to eat.  Plus, since I hadn’t had my morning coffee, I knew that that was going to be on my agenda.  As we began pulling off the highway and onto the rest area to ‘rest’, I saw the most unusual thing.  It was a farmers market! Of course I jumped at the chance to go shopping (and take pics) and thus, jumped out of the car to check it out.  While the farmers market was a small one, they sold things such as locally preserved jams, raw honey, bee pollen, locally grown vegetables and fruits, flowers, fresh herbs and my personal favorite, honey crisp apples.

I really enjoyed both my coffee and fruit and yogurt parfait from Mickey D’s.  While it’s always tempting to be lured in by a hot and cheesy Egg McMuffin, I managed to stick to my guns and ordered a lighter, but still enjoyable meal.  It definitely hit the spot.  Plus, my refueling gave me the much needed energy to gaze at the beautiful scenery along the highway.  While it’s still a bit early for official leaf peeping, the trees and leaves were breathtaking and definitely ready for fall (or ‘to fall’).

I guess my picture taking and scene gazing really kept me busy because we made it to Springfield in no time.  And as we arrived at the door, we were greeted by a friendly face.  Lexi is my in-laws’ French Bulldog.  She’s only about a year and a half old (in human years) and is quite the energetic dog.  Don’t you just love that little face?

Because my mother-in-law is an avid reader and loves to clip out articles of interest from various newspapers and magazines for her children and children-in-law, Healthy Chow was armed with a healthy stack of good reading.  You know I love my recycled magazines and all those recipes you save me, El!  If you get a stack of reading material from this woman, you know she likes you.  By the looks of my stack, Ellen must really love me.  Thank you!  You’re the best, Ellie!  And no trip back to my in-laws’ would be the same if I didn’t get to check out some family photos.  I definitely found some good ones

Look at Patrick the studly soccer jock!

Awww, young love at the beach

While the sun was still shining, Ellen and I decided to take a short drive over to this newly developed shopping area in the neighboring town.  We visited a family member who works at Ann Taylor and chatted it up with her for a bit.   And then continued walking the shops and enjoying our day out in the sun.  It was such a fun afternoon and a lovely shopping area.  I’m glad I had the chance to visit.  Before we knew it, it was close to 5 pm and the ‘boys’ were at home waiting for us to have dinner.  Patrick went to watch his father referee a football game and what a perfect day it was for it.  There was not a cloud in the sky, nor a hint of a cool breeze.  It’s days like this where you cherish both the weather and the company you’re fortunate enough to keep.

My stomach was growling by the time we made it home to Patrick’s parents’ house.  So we quickly decided on one of our favorite places to go when we’re in the area.  We went to Ginger Blossom, a Chinese-American food restaurant a few minutes up the road.  It’s a cute little place that serves your standard Chinese-American cuisine, as well as sushi.  While Patrick and his dad ordered the sample appetizer platter (it was huge!) along with beef teriyaki and chicken fried rice for their entrée.  My mother-in-law and I shared some ‘lighter’ fare and opted for steamed shrimp with mixed vegetables and a lite ginger sauce on the side with brown rice.  Everything was sooooo good! I sampled a few items from the sampler platter and each bite was divine.  It’s always fun when the table shares their entrées and we can eat ‘family style’.  And my family certainly loves to share.  I’m truly blessed with having such wonderful people in my life!

Because it was still light out and we needed wanted to burn off some of the food we had just savored, we decided to go for a ride to Randall’s Farm and Greenhouse in Ludlow.  This place was so amazing!  I had no idea this place even existed.  It’s essentially a large farm stand/marketplace with a bakery, a deli, a greenhouse selling plants and flowers, a huge produce section, a grocery aisle with various gourmet and gluten-free items, a large selection of beer and wine and my personal favorite, the creamery.  The creamery was Randall’s spot to get ice cream and frozen yogurt.  They had picnic tables set-up outside but because it was now dark and the temperature was no longer ‘Indian summer-esque’, we decided to take our dessert inside.  We found an open table in the greenhouse and had some of the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted.  I didn’t order my own ice cream, instead I helped myself to shared everyone else’s dessert.  That way, I was able to get the best of everyone’s world (sorry, at this point my camera battery decided to go nighty-night.  So, you’ll have to envision some gorgeous ice cream and a gorgeous girl eating it (that would be me!) ).

What a great day it truly was!  Again, I had the opportunity to visit the ‘other side’ of the state and experience some of the things I would have missed if I had not made the choice to venture out.  I was able to spend time with my in-laws, have a lovely time shopping with my mother-in-law, enjoy some yummy food (and dessert) and visit both a farmers market and farm.  It was one of those glorious days that just sort of piece together by chance.  Who says you have to travel far in order to have a mini adventure?  If you can stay at home and have a ’stay-cation’, then you can certainly visit another part of your state or hometown and make it an ‘explor-stay-tion’.

This was a little sign I saw being sold at Randall’s Farm.  I thought it was such an appropriate notion with which to end our wonderful day…

Do you like seasonal flavored foods like the pumpkin and spiced apple flavored ice cream at Randall’s?  If so, what is your favorite?

***I just wanted to wish my mother a happy birthday!  Happy birthday, Mom!  I love you and I hope you have an amazing day!  I love you!***

Namasté,
Nicole