It finally happened.  We got our first major snowstorm.  Actually, it seems as if many in the eastern part of the country got their first ginormous wallop of snow this weekend.  But who doesn’t want a white Christmas, right?  (well, I wouldn’t say I necessarily want one, but I really can’t argue with Mother Nature!)  This morning, Boston woke up to about a foot of snow.  Luckily, it was a Sunday and because Patrick and I didn’t have much on our plate, we took our time getting up.  But once we were showered and ready to go, we decided to tackle another first.  We embraced our first shoveling of the cars of the season.  Even though I’m not the biggest fan on winter, for some strange reason, I enjoy shoveling snow.  And since yoga class was canceled this morning (and I wanted to be lazy and sleep in), I was looking forward to making my shoveling my workout for the day.

Look at all that white!

I think that’s a little more than a foot of snow?!

When I finally made it to my car (I was snapping pictures of the lovely all-white scenery), Patrick was already in full-force being a snow scoopin’ superstar.  His car was already about halfway cleaned.  Even though we had a pretty sizable amount of snow, it was the light and fluffy kind.  The kind that tends to blow around as soon as you pick it up (TWHS!).  But because we live in the city and park our cars on the street, the big plows have the tendency to block us in.  No worries!  Healthy Chow likes a good shovel!

Can’t wait to ‘dig’ in!

Keep it going, Patrick!

In about 30 minutes, we had both of our cars cleaned and our spots emptied.  I’m not sure if it was the five layers of tops and the two layers of pants and socks or the fact that I was shoveling like a maniac, but I was working up quite the lather and quite the appetite.  Luckily for us, our favorite neighborhood pizza shop, Giga’s Pizza, was open and greeted us with open arms when we walked in for a late brunch.  The shoveling duo was done shoveling snow and was ready to shovel some hot food into their mouths!  I ordered the Greek omelet wrap without the wrap (whole eggs, not just whites.  I wanted extra protein today!) with home fries.  To my surprise and delight, my meal came with toast and fresh, crispy bacon.  I gave my toast and home fries to Patrick, to go along with his french toast and bacon.  We were fed like royalty; Giga’s Pizza never disappoints!

Wow, I look awesome – hahaha!

All done!

My Greek omelet with feta, tomato and spinach along with some bacon – YUM!  And Patrick’s feast of french toast, home fries, bacon and toast!

After we inhaled ate our food, we bundled ourselves up again and walked up the street for some more snowy Sunday fun.  We decided to take on a matinee of the movie Patrick has been dying to see – Avatar.  Avatar was being shown in traditional 2D and in 3D.  Of course, we chose to see it in 3D!  This was my first time seeing a movie in 3D and I was pretty excited to see the movie and to wear the glasses.  We thoroughly entertained ourselves in the theater by modeling our new found accessory.  We can be such dorks!

The movie’s special effects were incredible!  Being that this is the most expensive movie of all time, all the bells and whistles were in this movie.  And watching it in 3D made it that much more exciting and amazing to watch.  However, the movie was close to 3 hours long and after some time, my butt started to get tired.  But as soon as that happened, the movie went into overdrive and all of the sudden, I could no longer feel the pain.  I would say the last 45 minutes are the best out of the 162.  Overall, I would give Avatar an A-/B+.  The special effects were extraordinary, but the story line was nothing special.  But on a snowy Sunday afternoon, going to the movies is certainly a must in my book!

I had a blast today.  While I usually start my weekend mornings (and every morning) with yoga, it was definitely nice to sleep in and take my time starting the day.  The blanket of white that covered the city (and everywhere else) was beautiful. I can’t believe I said that!  I guess when you spend the day having fun in the snow, versus whining and complaining about it (yep, that was the old me), you can actually enjoy it.  Like the Na’vi in Avatar, I felt like I conquered the day.  I didn’t let the cold, snow, wind nor my tired butt get the best of me.  I usually like to stay indoors when the weather behaves like this, but Patrick likes to get out and experience it.  Thanks to him, I had a wonderful day.  And thanks to my positive thinking, my feelings about winter are starting to change.  But when you can spend a lazy wintry Sunday, doing the things you love and being with the person you love, how can you not enjoy yourself?

I’m keeping up with my Kardashians!

If you live in an area that gets snow, what’s your favorite winter activity?  If you don’t, is there anything you do in the winter that you don’t normally do during the rest of the year?

Namasté,
Nicole

If you’ve read my previous posts, you’ll know that I’ve been sampling POMx Iced Coffees and you’ll probably think that I’m getting obsessed with finding new ways to consume these little bevvies.  Hehe, I don’t have OCD or anything!  Well, I really don’t, but sometimes I wonder… Anyway, in my last post, I cooked with the iced coffees and put a new twist on some breakfast favorites.  While I was experimenting with my breakfast, I realized that I was missing something.  I had made oatmeal, pancakes, french toast and a frozen treat but I didn’t make the one thing that all you lovely bloggies seem to keep pumping out and tempting me with on your wonderful blogs.  Any guesses as to what it is?  And no, I didn’t make iced coffee covered tofu (although that does some quite interesting)!  I finally made my first batch of pumpkin muffins of the season!  But I decided that they weren’t going to be any ol’ pumpkin muffins.  Nope.  That’s not how Healthy Chow rolls…I gave my muffins a kick, or maybe I should say, a buzz!

Buzzy Spiced Banana Pumpkin Muffins
Adapted from Cooks.com
Makes 12 regular-sized muffins

For the muffins:

• 1 medium sized banana, ripened
• 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin (I used Libby’s brand)
• 1/2 cup of evaporated cane juice (I used Florida Crystals, feel free to use dry sweetener of your choice)
• 1/4 cup of POMx Chocolate flavored Iced Coffee
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 1 TSP of Greens Plus Omega³ Chia seeds, mixed with 2 oz. of water
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
• 2 TSP of baking powder
• 1 TSP of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 TSP of salt

For the topping:

• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of dry oats
• 1 oz. of pecans, chopped (I used Green Valley Pecans)
• 1/2 TSP of pumpkin pie spice

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2) Mash your banana by hand or mix in a blender until you get a 1/2 cup.

3) In a bowl, combine your mashed banana, pumpkin, evaporated cane juice, iced coffee, applesauce and chia seeds.  Mix until everything is well-blended.

4) In a separate bowl, combine your all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix until everything is well-blended.

5) Combine your wet ingredients with your dry ingredients. Again, mix until everything is well-blended.

6) Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins or liners (I used aluminum foil liners).  Make sure the batter is evenly distributed.

7) Top each muffin with 1 tablespoon of the spiced topping.

8 ) Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

9) Let muffins cool in tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

10) Remove muffins from tins and eat!

These muffins were surprisingly good! Sometimes, when I make ‘healthier’ substitutions in my cooking and baking, I tend to get worried that the flavor will be lost.  Not true in this recipe!  The muffins were moist from the banana, pumpkin purée and applesauce.  You couldn’t tell that there wasn’t a hint of butter or oil in these little guys.  Also, the chia seed replacement for the egg worked amazingly.  It’s great to know that you can have the taste and efficiency of an egg without the added cholesterol.  In addition, you can add some omega³’s and some soluble fiber to your breakfast.  The brown sugar in the topping mixed with the chopped pecans and pumpkin pie spice was what really made these muffins sing!  I loved how the brown sugar got caramelized in the oven and made this recipe perfectly sweet.  While the POMx Chocolate Iced Coffee flavoring wasn’t very apparent, it did add a subtly unique flavor.  Plus, who doesn’t like getting an added punch with their breakfast?

As you can see, there are a number of ways you can incorporate the POMx Iced Coffee into your cooking and baking.  And, did you know you can make cocktails with these iced coffees?  Just check out what the ever-so-creative Kerstin cleverly made! Insane!  At first I had no idea what I was going to do with all my free samples and now, I’m wishing I had more (Blue – hint, hint)!  The possibilities are endless! Just as the POM Wonderful company was able to turn regular iced coffee and pomegranate juice into something extraordinary, with a little creativity and thought, one can turn a simple baked good into something un-POM-mon.  Buh-duh-bump!

Did you get a jumpstart on your holiday shopping and take advantage of Black Friday?  Or, are you going to wait around like me and procrastinate?

***Today’s the last day to participate in my jewelry giveaway.  You have until 6pm ET tonight to enter!  The winner will be announced on Monday, November 30th.  Good luck!***

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

Back for some more New York City action, huh?  Well, I can’t blame you!  In yesterday’s post, I gave you the lowdown on our first day and night in the big city.  Boy, did we have a great time!  We checked into our lovely and fabulously located hotel, we had a quick and delicious lunch at Cranberry Café, we witnessed the grandeur that Times Square has to offer and we enjoyed a laugh-filled dinner at Connolly’s Pub and Restaurant.  But that was just the tip of the iceberg! Thank goodness, we all got our much needed beauty rest.

After getting a good night’s sleep in preparation for our Sunday celebratory festivities, we were refreshed and had a full tank of gas, just rearing to go.  With our breakfast scheduled at 9:30am, I knew we had to be up by no later than 8am to get our day started.  However, I’m not sure if it was the cool temperature in our hotel room or the fact that I was electrified by the fact that we were in the New York, but I was wide awake at 7am (that’s not a normal thing without an alarm clock for Healthy Chow).  Patrick must have been on the same sleeping pattern as me, because he was also ready to greet the day before the alarm went off.  That said, we jumped into our workout clothes and made good use of the hotel’s fitness center.

The Millennium Broadway Hotel’s fitness center was pretty impressive.  There were two separate areas to work out in: one was for weights and weight training and the other was for cardio.  The gym was clean and had multiple televisions available for use.  Other than two other people, Patrick, David and I were the only ones in the gym.  It was great! No lines and no incessant yapping from other guests.  Plus, I got to stare at the tops of the New York City buildings as I was speedwalking and working up a good lather.  With a few yoga stretches, 25 minutes of speedwalking and regular walking on the treadmill and some cool down stretching, I was completely energized.  While I got a good workout in, I probably could have pushed myself further.  But, I also didn’t want to be tired (or sore) for the rest of the day.  My quick cardio session was just enough to get my blood pumping and to do some much needed detoxification.

Wow, it looks like we both worked up a good sweat!

After quickly showering and getting dressed, we only had a few moments to spare before it was breakfast time.  And this wasn’t just any ordinary breakfast, it was a special breakfast for a special girl.  In addition, breakfast wasn’t going to be served at just any ol’ restaurant, it was being held at a place that is undeniably, a little girl’s fantasy.  For Casey’s 5th birthday party, Lisa and David planned a breakfast at none other than American Girl Place.  I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but when we arrived, I was blown away.  To be able to see all the children so giddy with excitement and joy was truly endearing.  Plus, this place was amazing and huge! There were about four or five floors filled with shopping, activities for girls and their dolls, a restaurant and more shopping.  I could not believe how popular this store was – it was filled to the brim with families and dolls! Crazy!

Our breakfast destination!

Not only did the guest of honor, Casey, have a blast at her birthday party, but we all did as well.  The staff was hospitable, friendly and prompt.  In a large restaurant with so many customers, one usually expects and receives less-than-stellar service and not-so-great food.  This was the complete opposite!  Our main server, Anthony, couldn’t have been more accommodating and polite.  Plus, the menu offered more than ‘kid friendly’ options and everyone seemed quite pleased with their selections and the quality of the food.  The decorum of the dining area was also fantastic.  I felt like a doll living in a dollhouse or at least, a big (but not that big) little girl having her dreams come true.  As the conversation flowed, the coffee flowed and the good times and laughter were continuously being rolled out much like our hot breakfast entrées.  There were even souvenirs (a hair elastic with a hot pink bow) for all the guests and fun little conversational question cards available at the table.  It’s truly a blessing to be able to spend time with your family and to be able to be in the presence of such wonderful company.  I can only imagine the greatness that both Dan and Ellen felt just watching their family interact and have such a joyous time and knowing that this all stemmed from the love they created 40 years ago.

The guest of honor with her dolls

Taylor with her Papa

Taylor with Grammy

Who’s the bigger doll?

Everyone smile for the camera and say, “Healthy Chow!”

How’s that smoothie?

The American Girl Breakfast Menu

My Breakfast: Eggs Benedict Florentine - poached eggs served with wilted spinach and English muffin topped with hollandaise sauce (I had mine on the side) and accompanied by home-style potatoes and fresh fruit

Flower Power Pancakes with Fresh Bananas and Whipped Cream – served with fresh fruit and sausage links (and some Country Breakfast Eggs)

Country Breakfast - scrambled eggs with home-style potatoes, onions, sausage and peppers topped with cheddar cheese and served with a side of avocado, salsa and sour cream

Classic French Toast – topped with warm apples and cinnamon fresh fruit kabob, served with a side of apple wood smoked bacon and maple syrup

Chocolate Mousse Flowerpot with Butterfly Cookie

The whole gang

Question: Who would you want to trade places with for one day?  Why?

Taylor’s Answer: “I pick you, Nicole, because you’re a lot of fun and you look like a teenager.  For real!”

Too much!

Once breakfast was over, the gang broke free to explore the rest of American Girl Place.  While the little ladies got their shopping on, I managed to check things out and get a lay of the land.  Holy moly, words can’t describe the magnitude of this place.  If you have an American Girl doll, this is the place to go for your doll.  There is everything and anything you could possibly want or need here for your American Girl.  I think both Taylor and Casey were more than happy with their purchases.

An hour and a half?!

The Doll Hair Salon

After getting back to the hotel to drop off our purchases, we freshened up and decided to make a trip to the Empire State Building.  While most of the group was in on visiting this tourist attraction, some decided to make good use of the amazing weather and make a visit to Central Park.  Since my MIL and I love shopping and enjoy each other’s company (we share the same sense of humor!), we decided to branch off from the group and have some mother-in-law and daughter-in-law time.  We ventured off and hit some of the nearby shops as the rest of the group made the trip to the top of the Empire State Building.  Patrick was in the Empire State Building group and thus, became the interim photographer for my blog.  He did a pretty fancy job snapping some great pics.  Thanks Patrick!

By the time all of our tours were over, it was late in the afternoon.  But with our dinner reservation at 6:30pm, we had only a few moments to rest and recharge.  But when you’re in New York, who needs to rest, right?  For our final dinner and celebration in the big city, we decided to have dinner at the Italian restaurant, Becco (thanks for the recommendation, Billy!).  Becco was about a ten minute walk from our hotel, which was key since it was about 6:15pm by the time we left.  We made it just in time and with even a few minutes to spare! While we all congregated in front of the restaurant, we decided it was the perfect time to take a group photo. Don’t you love it when you can grab a complete stranger off the street and ask them to take a picture and it actually turns out well?

What a night to remember!

Becco’s menu was incredible! There were so many delectable sounding choices and quite fairly priced for a New York City restaurant.  After much deliberating both to myself and out loud, I finally chose the Pesce Spada (grilled swordfish paired with spaghetti squash, stewed cherry tomatoes, roasted pumpkin seeds & pumpkin seed oil).  It was divine and certainly had its fair portion of both vegetables and fish.  Not to mention the swordfish was grilled to perfection and the stewed cherry tomatoes were deliciously sweet.  While I originally thought I had ordered ‘the best’ entrée on the menu, I soon questioned my belief after sampling some of Patrick’s Sinfonia di Paste (Becco’s renowned unlimited table side service of Becco’s Chef’s Three Daily Pasta Preparations) and David’s Costolette di Maiale alla Maniera dello Chef (brined double cut pork chop grilled, topped with figs poached in Apianae & roasted fingerling potatoes), I soon realized that there was just more than one ‘best’ entrée at Becco.  Actually, everyone was more than thoroughly pleased with both the food and the service at this restaurant.  You really could not go wrong with any item ordered off the Becco menu.  Our waitress, Anne, was a pleasure and was gracious throughout our entire meal.  And while the food was excellent, the restaurant itself was quite charming as well.  It had a rustic feel and almost felt like a North End restaurant with it’s exposed brick and close fitting dining area.

Our coat check tag and table reservation number from breakfast- both were 40, like Dan and Ellen’s anniversary!

Fresh mozzarella with roasted red peppers, toasted pine nuts & golden raisins

Fresh prosciutto

Caesar salad – very tasty but way too much dressing for my liking…

Now that’s a meatball!

Pesce Spada – Grilled swordfish paired with spaghetti squash, stewed cherry tomatoes, roasted pumpkin seeds & pumpkin seed oil

Costolette di Maiale alla Maniera dello Chef - Brined double cut pork chop grilled, topped with figs poached in Apianae & roasted fingerling potatoes

Sinfonia di Paste - Becco’s renowned unlimited table side service of Becco’s Chef’s Three Daily Pasta Preparations

Trancio di Salmone – Pan-seared salmon with braised cauliflower & extra virgin olive oil

Bistecca – Grilled Black Angus rib eye, dry-aged & rubbed with porcini mushrooms
with garlic mashed potatoes & seasonal vegetables

Of course, we had to have dessert!

Happy 40th Anniversary!

Once dinner was over, we made our way through Times Square once again to get one last look at the the city lights.  They were as bright as ever and the city was even more jammed with people than when we last saw it.  I saw a bunch of cameras and even brighter lights at the center of Times Square and people clamoring around as though there was something being filmed.  As we made our way over, I realized that it was Entertainment Tonight’s The Insider being filmed.  With my MIL, Ellen, being a huge fan of The View, as soon as I realized it was Star Jones sitting on stage, I just knew this would be one of the highlights of her trip.  Not only was Ellen excited to see Star, but she was even more thrilled to see that the guest anchor was none other than Levi Johnston! Ellen, I will have to admit, Levi was pretty cute!

Hey there!

Our trip to New York City was certainly a memorable one.  We shared as many laughs and smiles as we did bites of food and dessert.  When you’re in a special city celebrating occasions such as a wedding anniversary and a birthday with your entire family, everyone is lucky enough to receive a gift.  I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and to have been able to be a part of the New York trip.  It is sure to go down as one of my favorite family vacations.  And while we were able to see so many sights and do so many things in the city, there was one common theme that remained throughout and that was love.  Like the lights in Times Square that brighten up the sky morning, noon and night, and guide the city’s people, it is the love of family and the love between an extraordinary couple, like Dan and Ellen, that remains a constant and continues to fuel the fire of life.

What’s your favorite city you’ve ever visited?  Do you wish you could live there or would you rather keep it as a favorite vacation spot?

Namasté,
Nicole

In my not-so-lengthy tenure of being a healthy lifestyle/food blogger, I’ve made many observations and I’ve learned quite a few things.  But the one major thing I’ve noticed is that everyone seems to have the best looking darn breakfasts EVER!  See here, here and here for examples.  That said, I’ve decided to step up my efforts in making my breakfasts a bit more interesting to my stomach and to my eyes.  A girl (sorry, woman) can’t live on a plain bowl of oatmeal forever, can she?

I’ve been seeing various recipes for oatmeal, grits, pancakes and waffles and while I want to try all of them, the one thing I had a hankering for the other day was french toast (or ‘fr-INCH’ toast, as my husband from Western Massachusetts would call it).  Perhaps it has something to do with the sudden change in temperature around here?  Maybe it’s because I recently had all that French food?  Or, maybe it has something to do with this post I happened to stumble upon the other day.  Whichever the case may be, I decided to forego my ‘yoush’ of having a bowl of hot, plain oats and made Banana Stuffed Peanut Butter French Toast.

The Usual Suspects...

To make this little breakfast diddy, you will need the following:

• 2 slices of Trader Joe’s Sprouted Flourless Whole Wheat Berry bread
• 1 1/2 TBSP of Better n’ Peanut Butter – low sodium (of course you can substitute with any other kind of nut or soy butter)
• half of a small banana, sliced into 1/4 inch segments
• 1/3 cup of egg whites
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• few dashes of cinnamon
• few dashes of nutmeg (BTW, did you know that consuming large quantities of nutmeg can possibly make you ‘loopy‘? )
• pinch of brown sugar (or evaporated cane juice or any other dry sweetener of your choice)
• drizzle of agave nectar, Trader Joe’s brand (honey or maple syrup would also be good here)

1) Spread your peanut butter on both sides of your bread.  I went a bit on the lite side with the peanut butter but feel free to glob it on, if that’s how you like to roll…

2) Take your banana slices and layer them onto your bread.  Unfortunately, I only had frozen bananas in my house.  I just can’t seem to use the fresh ones fast enough before they start turning into a brown mess and my house becomes a fruit fly farm.  I would suggest using fresh banana slices.  My frozen ones started to get mushy once they defrosted.

For all those green monster smoothies...

Like baby food...

3) Sandwich the two slices of peanut buttered, banana laden bread together.  Set aside.

4) Add your egg whites, almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar together in a shallow bowl.  Whisk lightly with a fork.

Can't you just smell the cinnamon-y goodness?

5) Drop your sandwich into the milk mixture carefully.  You don’t want any bananas to fall out (hehe, Healthy Chow has a twisted mind).  Let the sandwich absorb some of the milk mixture.

Like taking a bath in milk

6) While your sandwich is soaking it all in, coat a small skillet with cooking spray and set your stove to medium.

7) Once your skillet has heated up, gingerly pick up your sandwich and place it onto your skillet.  Let it sit for about 3 or so minutes untouched.  You want the eggs to cook up a bit and give your sandwich a light crust.  You may also want to turn up the heat a bit here to medium-high.  Resist the urge to peek or flip

Check out the oozing banana, it's trying to say 'hi' to you

8 ) Then, with a spatula, flip your sandwich over.  Let the second side cook for another 2-3 minutes.  If your sandwich appears to be browning too much, turn down your heat back to medium.

Flip that french toast!

9) It’s done when both sides of the bread are lightly crunchy/toasted and have that beautiful french toast color.  Place it on your plate and then drizzle it with agave nectar.  Dig in!

Breakfast bliss...

I don't know how I waited that long before taking a bite...

YUM-MAY!

This french toast was absolutely scrumptious! It’s so basic, yet so out-of-this-world.  Why did I not make this sooner?  It literally took me ten minutes to prepare this from start to finish.  I always think that making a delicious breakfast is going to involve a lot of time and a lot of clean-up.  This proved me wrong.  There are no excuses now for not making a breakfast that is healthy, hearty and heavenly.  It’s stated that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  This could not be more true.  If one can start the day with a nutritious and tasty meal, it sets the tone for the rest of the day.  You start off feeling full of energy, feeling as if you did something to take care of your body and feeling like you can take on the world because you gave your body (and mind) the nourishment it needs and deserves.

Not only did I enjoy eating my finished product, but I also had quite a bit of fun concocting this combination.  And just think of all the other possibilities…you could use nutella as the spread, stuff the french toast with thinly sliced and softened apples, peaches, pineapple or pears and even add chopped nuts, unsweetened dried coconut, dried fruit, dark chocolate shavings, ground flax seeds or fruit preserves as a topping.  Or, you could use different kinds breads such as a cinnamon raisin, oatmeal or even brioche (maybe not as healthy, but definitely divine).  The combinations are endless!

So the next time you’re rushing around in the morning looking for something to eat for breakfast, and you consider reaching for a pop tart, I hope you’ll remember this recipe.  You can decide whether you want to stuff your face with something overly processed and filled with sugar or just simply stuff your french toast.

What’s your favorite way to start your day (a breakfast food, a hot beverage, exercise, a stretch, meditation, prayer, etc.)?

Namasté,
Nicole