Blueberry Oat Pancakes

I made these for Zac for breakfast this morning. Very yummy!

Ingredients

1 c. Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 c. Rolled Oats

1/3 c. Splenda or Sugar

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 c. Skim Milk

2 Large Egg Whites

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

3/4 c. Blueberries

1 Tbsp. Whole Wheat Flour

Directions
Combine dry ingredients in a lage bowl  except blueberries and the 1 Tbsp of flour. In a small bowl combine and whisk wet ingredients . Mix wet ingredients into the large bowl with dry ingredients until  it's a thoroughly mixed batter. In a separate bowl coat blueberries with the 1 Tbsp. of flour. Fold blueberries gently into batter to keep batter color. Scoop in 1/4 c. portions onto a griddle at 325 degrees or a skillet on medium heat. Cook throroughly on both sides until golden. Makes 6 pancakes.

Notes
Each pancake is 4 WW PointsPlus. According to the Weight Watchers site, it didn't make a difference point-wise if I used Splenda or sugar, so I say go for the sugar!

Lentil, Three-Bean (Chicken) Chili

We live in the Palouse Valley, the lentil capitol of the nation! To celebrate our lentil wealth, I made a lentil chili this week. I started with a recipe on the Weight Watchers website then changed it a bunch and made it work for the crockpot. I love cooking with the crockpot. If you don't have a crockpot, it can easily be done on the stove. Also, this recipe is vegan if you don't add the chicken, and it's very good with out it. This is a perfect warm, healthy chili for cold January days. I hope you enjoy!

Lentil, Three-Bean (Chicken) Chili

Ingredients

2 c. brown lentils

1- 15 oz. can black beans

1- 15 oz. can kidney beans

1- 15 oz. can pinto beans

1- 15 oz. cans of petite diced tomatoes

1/2 c. finely chopped white onion

1/2 c. chopped cilantro

2 to 3 c. water (enough to cover ingredients in crockpot)

1/8 c. lime juice

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

3 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper

1 lb. chopped or shredded, pre-cooked, chicken breast (if desired)

Directions

Combine all ingedients (including the juice from the cans of tomatoes) into a medium to large crockpot. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours.

Serve with sourcream and cheese if desired.

Oatmeal Rasin and Pecan Cookies

I have been craving oatmeal rasin cookies for a while. Today I finally made them and was very happy about it. I started with this healthy recipe from the Whole Wheat Gourmet and made a few changes. They turned out really well. Still pretty healthy and also incredibly yummy!

Oatmeal Rasin and Pecan Cookies

Ingredients

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. oil (corn, olive, or canola)
1/4 c. applesauce
1/4 c. milk

1 large egg (beat with 1 tbsp Water)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (the lower temperature  is because honey in the recipe can burn easily). In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together. In a separate medium bowl, mix wet ingredients together. Mix the wet ingredients into the large bowl with with the dry ingredients. Next, add the raisins and walnuts and mix. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit of flour. If it isn't binding well, you can add an egg white. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or tinfoil sprayed with cooking spray. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto your baking sheet  and press down with a spoon.  Bake for  15 - 18 minutes or until bubbly but firm. Cool on plate or cooling rack. Enjoy!

New Year's Resolution and Turkey and Spinach Lasagna

My one and only New Year's resolution is to post recipes to this blog at least every other week. Over the break quite a few people told me they actually read this and I became embarassed about how inconsistent I have been in updating it. So, for my few yet devoted readers, expect some awesome recipes coming your way at least twice a month in 2011!

Let's start with a delightful lasagna recipe I made last night. I was inspired by this recipe from Green Light Bites and made some modifications to accomodate my love for cheese and garlic. Also, I just made a regular lasagna rather than the roll ups for lack of time to roll each one individually, but the roll ups look like a really cute idea.

Here is my version of the recipe:

Turkey and Spinch Lasagna

Ingredients

1 19.2 oz package of lean ground turkey breast

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp italian seasoning

2 c. low fat ricotta cheese

1 1/2 c. chopped spinach

1/2 c. shredded italian blend cheese

1/2 c. shredded mozerella cheese

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tbsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 26 oz can of spaghetti sauce

20 sheets whole wheat lasagna noodles (Hodgson Mill are the only ones I know; of course regular noodles are fine)

Extra Italian blend cheese as desired

Extra Mozerella cheese as desired

Italian seasoning to taste

Driend parsley to garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare noodles "al dente" according to package. During this time, brown the turkey meat and season with 2 tbsp minced garlic and 2 tbsp italian seasoning. Let cool slightly. Mix browned turkey into a large mixing bowl with ricotta cheese, 1/2 c. italian cheese blend, 1/2 c. mozerella cheese, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1/2 tbsp onion powder, and 1 tsp salt.

Spread a moderate layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a glass or metal 9x13 cake pan. When lasagna noodles have cooked, layer as follows: noodles, ricotta/turkey mixture, noodles, sauce and cheese. Repeat until your lasagna is the right size for you and your pan. Top with Sauce, cheese, italian seasoning, and parsley. Bake at 375 for about 3o minutes. Cover with tin foil if you do not like crispy edges or browned cheese. This amount made one 9x13 and one 9x9 pan of lasagna for us. Delicious! We served it to friends and still have plenty of leftovers!

I didn't get a great picture, but basically, it looks like lasagna... :)