Easy

Caramel Cashew Chex

Caramel Cashew Chex Mix

Make a lot! Assuming 1 ounce by weight, this will make about 50 portions
12-14 ounce box of Chex, Crispix or similar breakfast cereal
12 ounces cashews
2 sticks butter (unsalted is best)
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup corn syrup
½ teaspoon baking soda
Large paper grocery bag
1.    Pour cereal into grocery bag. Add cashews.
2.    In a saucepan, melt the butter.
3.    Add brown sugar and corn syrup.
4.    Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5.    Add baking soda, stir to mix. This will make the syrup foamy.
6.    Pour over nuts and cereal.
7.    Scrunch the bag down so it will fit into your microwave, and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
8.    Carefully stir everything, and scrunch the bag down, microwaving on high for 2 more minutes.
9.    Carefully pour mix onto buttered cookie sheets. (Wax paper does NOT work, even if buttered. Peeling shreds of paper off the candy is less fun than it sounds.) Spread into an even layer, let cool and harden.
10.  Break into small pieces and store in an airtight container, preferably not where I can get at it.
Nutritional data:
Calories:        151
Fat:                7.8g
Sat fat:           3.2g
Chol:           9.8mg
Sodium:     52.6mg
Carbs:          19.3g
Fiber:             0.5g
Protein:          2.6g

Green Beans and Butternut Squash

Green Beans and Butternut Squash
Serves Variable

This is a wonderful cool weather meal. It is very well-suited to pork dishes, but hearty fish (salmon), lamb or venison would be equally good.

On my podcast, Make Your Someday Today, many guests talk about need to make adaptations to changing conditions. When you make a side dish like that, you have automatic flexibility. You can prepare whichever meat you have in your freezer or is on sale at your local market. And this dish simply looks good!

Fresh green beans
Medium butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil

I didn’t weigh the ingredients, so I don’t know how much to tell you to use. I used about 4 cups of beans and 2 cups of squash and got 4 large portions from it.

  1. Put a large pot of water on the stove, and turn to high
  2. Peel the squash. 
  3. Cut into approximately 1/2 inch (10mm) slices. Then cut them into cubes.
  4. Trim the ends off the beans, and wash under cold water.
  5. Heat a large non-stick pan over med-high heat. Spray with cooking spray.
  6. Place squash in pan. Let them saute a bit until the first side begins to brown, then start to toss every minute or so to evenly brown them.
  7. When the water comes to a boil, place all the beans in. Prepare a colander in the sink.
  8. After one minute, pour the pot of beans into colander. (You just “blanched” those beans.)
  9. Let them drip dry for a minute, then add them to the large skillet. Continue to toss until the beans are heated through. 
  10. When done, the squash will retain its shape, but be easy to piece with a fork, and the beans will be hot, yet still have crispness. (If you want the beans softer, keep them in the water for an additional 2-3 minutes.) 
Nutritional data:
Calories:           96
Fat:               3.8mg
Sat fat:             0.6g
Chol:                0mg
Sodium:         9.4mg
Carbs:             15.8g
Fiber:                4.4g
Protein:             2.7g

This is excellent with grilled pork chops, by the way!
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My podcast, Make Your Someday Today is a twice-weekly show, where we talk to successful people in all walks of life and around the world on Monday, and then on Thursday, I take a specific message from the previous guest and give my “Trevitorial”, where I help you apply that message to your life. The entire purpose of the show is to help all of us overcome our challenges and fears and become the person we want to be, the person we deserve to be. I hope you give it a listen! 

Overnight No-Cook Oatmeal (Blueberry Variation)

This is the same basic recipe as yesterday except instead of bananas and almond butter, I used frozen blueberries and whipped topping.

Again, I used 1/2 cup each of oatmeal, yogurt and skim milk, and 1/4 teaspoon allspice (I omitted the cinnamon) and then after mixing those together, I stirred in 1/2 cup frozen blueberries. If I had fresh, I would have used that, instead, but sometimes you need to adapt to the current situation.

After resting in the fridge overnight.
Stirred and warmed lightly in the microwave. 
I tried both versions cold and warm, and I prefer them warmed.
With all honesty, this variation was not as good as yesterday’s. I think the berries were much more tart than I had expected. When I make this again, I think I will probably use a blueberry yogurt in the first step instead of a plain yogurt and then add blueberries if needed. I will also taste it and add sugar/sweetener as needed.
However, this recipe is a great start to the day. It is a hearty breakfast, and one which is very easy to make. It is also very inexpensive, important for anyone who lives with both calorie and monetary budgets.

Overnight No-Cook Oatmeal

Overnight No-Cook Oatmeal
Serves 1

Basic recipe is equal amounts of:
Yogurt
Milk
Dry oatmeal (not instant)
Spices

I used 1/2 cup of each of oatmeal, skim milk and Fage 2% Greek yogurt, and a half teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon allspice.

Mix together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, add your fruit of choice, and (if desired) a source of healthy fats.

I used a small banana and 1 ounce (32g) almond butter.
Mix together. You can serve this cold, but I preferred it warm.
The texture is incredibly smooth. It looks like “normal” oatmeal, but it is silkier and softer from the overnight soak.
Nutritional data (for just the basic recipe, not adding the banana or nut butter):
Calories:         305
Fat:               5.6g
Sat fat:          2.7g
Chol:          9.6mg
Sodium:  100.4mg
Carbs:         40.3g
Fiber:            4.8g
Protein:       23.8g
You can certainly reduce those numbers by using only 1/3 cup of each ingredient and using fat free yogurt. I just used what had on hand.
The variations are limitless. You can use different yogurts, fruits, butters (optional) and spices. 
Note: Thanks for this recipe go out to a follower, Andrew Carpenter, for giving me this suggestion. This was an excellent and seriously simple breakfast. I will make and post variations as I try them.

These Are Sandwiches?

Today is a brief departure from the usual form of my recipes. Usually I give a specific ingredient list, detailed instructions and nutritional data. Today, I am just going to give you an idea.Where you take it will be solely up to you. The possible ingredients are infinite. I will let you create your own versions.

So many people seem to be careful about their carbohydrate consumption. Others are also trying to eliminate gluten from their diet. Sandwiches, in their traditional form, are not on option on their menu.

Well, these are also not traditional sandwiches, but they are fun, easy, healthy and fit the low-carb, gluten-free needs for those diets.

Yes. Cucumber sandwiches. The first step for each is to cut them in half the long way and seed them. Then you fill them with the ingredients of your preference.

I made three different versions, just to see how they turn out. And the results are pretty good!

On the right is the smoked turkey version. It also had a small wedge of Laughing Cow cheese, some jalapeno and tomato wedges.

In the middle is the more traditional tuna salad. I make my tuna salad with a small can of tuna, two tablespoons (28g) of light mayonnaise, and about a tablespoon of minced onion. I also used some mixed greens for the lettuce.

The left is….odd. It was a challenge from a facebook reader. This is a breakfast sandwich: peanut butter and honey with bacon.

The first two sandwiches are excellent! The peanut butter one needs some work. It’s not bad, but maybe some sliced strawberries instead of the honey and bacon would make it better. I will see if modifications improve it. (Trial and error is one of the foundations of creative cooking!)

Other options:
any type of sandwich meat, or shredded meat from a roast or chicken
smoked salmon or lox
any cheese, spreadable or shredded
hummus
refried beans
egg salad

Smoked Salmon, Cucumber and Yogurt Bites

Smoked Salmon Cucumber and Yogurt Bites
Makes approximately 30-40

1 loaf cocktail rye bread (2″ square slices)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (non-fat, if you want, which is what I had on hand)
1 -2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced into thin wheels
Smoked salmon thinly sliced (you can also use Swedish gravadlax)
Dill weed

  1. Lay out the bread slices.
  2. Top with one cucumber wheel.
  3. Top with 1 teaspoon yogurt.
  4. Add small slice salmon (1/4 ounce).
  5. Lightly sprinkle dried dill.
Nutritional data (per piece):
Calories:       45
Fat:            1.1g
Sat fat:       0.1g
Chol:          5mg
Sodium: 66.7mg
Carbs:        4.1g
Fiber:            1g
Protein:      3.5g

Oatmeal Muffins


Oatmeal Muffins
Serves 12

1 cup regular (not instant, not steel-cut) oatmeal
1 cup skim milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Toppings:
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar

  1. Soak oatmeal in the milk for 1 hour in a large bowl.
  2. Preheat oven to 400F
  3. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl.
  4. After the oatmeal is finished soaking, stir in applesauce and egg whites.
  5. Gently mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir only enough to combine evenly.
  6. Spray non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray.
  7. Divide batter between cups.
  8. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mix over muffins.
  9. Bake 20-25 minutes (depending on your oven). Muffins are finished baking when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Nutritional data:
Calories:       87
Fat:             0.6g
Sat fat:        0.1g
Chol:        0.4mg
Sodium:  83.8mg
Carbs:       16.5g
Fiber:          1.9g
Protein:       3.5g

This muffin is delicious as is, or can be modified as desired.

Alternatives and Options:
Replace applesauce with 1/2 cup mashed banana.
Replace applesauce with 1/2 cup pumpkin.
Add 1/2 cup chopped apples or pears.
Add 1/4 cup chopped nuts.
Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries, cherries, or other dried fruits.
Add 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, raspberries or blackberries.
Add additional spices to the mix (cinnamon, nutmeg and/or allspice would be good.)
If you aren’t afraid of higher calories, replace the applesauce with peanut butter.

Herb-Crusted Cod

Herb-Crusted Cod
Serve 3 (5-6 ounce portions)

1 pound Atlantic cod fillets
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1-2 tablespoons of your herbs of choice
1 egg
1/8 cup skim milk
1 tablespoons vegetable oil

  1. Thaw (if frozen) fillets. Blot with paper towel to dry surface.
  2. Mix panko and herbs in a shallow dish.
  3. Mix egg and milk in a shallow bowl.
  4. Pre-heat non-stick skillet (11-12″ works best)
  5. Dip fish fillets in egg wash.
  6. Lay each in herb-crumb mixture, flipping to coat both sides.
  7. Add oil to skillet. Gently lay fillets in skillet. 
  8. Pan fry until the edges begin to brown (3-4 minutes). 
  9. Carefully flip and finish cooking.
Nutritional data:
Calories:        235
Fat:               6.8g
Sat fat:          0.7g
Chol:      101.8mg
Sodium:  170.6mg
Carbs:           6.4g
Fiber:            0.3g
Protein:       34.6g
I used Penzey’s Greek Seasoning. You could also use dill, parsley, basil, oregano, or anything that you prefer.

In the picture above the cod was served with my Strawberry-Spinach Salad and Zucchini Pancakes.

Grilled Peach with Balsamic Reduction

Grilled Peach with Balsamic Reduction
Serves 2

1 peach
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup crushed pecans
Whipped topping or ice cream

  1. Preheat your grill on high for 5 minutes.
  2. In a small non-stick skillet over med-high heat, toast the pecans until they become fragrant (2-3 minutes.) Remove from heat.
  3. In the same skillet, add vinegar and increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil. Let is reduce in volume by half. This will go quickly (1-3 minutes), stay by the stove. Turn the heat off.
  4. Cut your peach in half and remove the stone.
  5. Lay the peach, cut side down on the grill. Leave in place until grill marks form, about 2 minutes. (The sugars in the peach will start to get caramelize and you will smell the wonderful aroma.)
  6. Turn the heat down, and leave the peach in place another 2-3 minutes, until it gets warm.
  7. Serve the peach half on whipped topping or ice cream, topped with half the pecans and balsamic syrup.
  8. Omit whipped cream to make this vegan.
Note: The next time I make this, I will cut the peach into four or six wedges, and grill both cut sides.
Normally, I don’t like peaches (I usually find them to be cloyingly sweet), but this peach had such a different flavor from the grilling process and then topping it with the sweet-tart balsamic syrup made this a wonderful dessert.
For nutritional data, the only data of concern is the peach. The vinegar adds very little. If you eat it without whipped topping or ice cream, you only need to add the calories present in the peach.

Zucchini Pancakes


Zucchini Pancakes
Serves 4 (2 pancakes)

1-2 medium zucchinis (approximately 1 pound) shredded
2 eggs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup onion, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

  1. Combine all ingredients.
  2. Preheat non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
  3. Spray with cooking spray.
  4. With clean hands, form batter into 8 balls (2-3 ounces each.)
  5. Place batter balls in skillet and press down with a spatula. Let them cook until the edges turn brown (2-3 minutes).
  6. Flip and finish cooking (another 2-3 minutes.)
  7. Serve warm with sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, apple sauce or butter and maple syrup.
Nutritional data:
Calories:       100
Fat:              2.9g
Sat fat:         0.8g
Chol:      105.8mg
Sodium:   85.1mg
Carbs:        12.5g
Fiber:           1.3g
Protein:        5.5g