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Eat Skinny: Blueberry Muffin Cake Recipe

It’s no surprise that I LOVE BLUEBERRIES.

These gorgeous little blue fruits have shown their face in many of my recipes, including these vegan muffins, this fluffy stack of pancakes, this creamy ice cream and in these mini french toasts, to name a few. Not only are these berries delicious in baked goods, they are just plain delicious on their own.

Not only are they gorgeous (LOOK AT THEM! Let them win you over with their striking good looks), that whole bowl has 0 Weight Watchers points. Zilch. Natta. NEIN. No points = happy Claire. (And more points I can use for wine, duh).

Well, my supermarket de jour must have picked up on my obession with these blue little fruits because they had a buy one get one free this past weekend! One package, clearly, went straight into my mouth. The other package made this.

Blueberry muffin cake! Honestly, the only thing better than a muffins is a piece of cake.

Am I right or am I right? What makes this cake oh-so-delicious is how moist, fluffy and dense it  is. Plus, the little crunch you get from the sugar topping provides the perfect textural contrast. Each bite is soft, tart and sweet, with just a hint of lemon zest.

Paired with a cup of jo’ and and your morning paper (or morning Facebook), this is the definition of a perfect breakfast. Plus, it’s super low-fat and made with a mix of whole wheat flour, so it’s better for you! And really, it has a big batch of these.

Do you really need to  know anything else?

Blueberry Muffin Cake

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!

Yields about 12 slices
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 – 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup AP flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon skim milk
• 1 3/4 cups fresh blueberries

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Eat Skinny: Salmon & Lemon Chive Crostini Recipe

This weekend went by TOO fast. And while we’re at it, this whole year did! As you know, I celebrated my one year wedding anniversary this past weekend and it’s just amazing how fast time flies. Before I divulge into that, I have to share a photo today’s sexy salmon dish. Yep, sexy.

So this weekend, on top of looking through all our wedding photos, we did A LOT of eating. On Saturday, we went out to the Melting Pot (which is where E took me right after he proposed, sentimental value) and we gorged ourselves on a delicious 4 course fondue meal.

We also indulged in the top of our wedding cake! We were super nervous it was going to be awful but it was just as delicious as it was one year ago. Soft, fluffy and incredibly decadent.

So yummy!

Now, enough about my weekend eats, let’s talk about something you’ll want to eat TODAY. Now! At this very moment. Broiled salmon crostinis with a homemade lemon chive sauce.  Guys, this sauce is THE BOSS. Almost eat with a spoon good. Plus, it’s so versatile. It’s good on fish, with veggies, on chicken. Skies the limit!

They’re like fancier takes of bagels n’ lox and are the perfect little party app. Not only are they gorgeous with the different bright and vibrant colors, they are absolutely delicious! Crunchy, soft, tangy and buttery, what more could you want in a crostini?

Or what more could you want in anything, really? If you are more of a smoked salmon person, that would be equally as delicious on top the crispy bread. Really, grilled, broiled, sauteed, any kind of salmon will work. I just love the flakey, soft texture you get when you broil it.

Flakey, chivey goodness. I wish I could say this was all my idea, but it was inspired by a similar app I found on New York Times. But, instead of trout, I used broiled salmon and did some lightening to the sauce. Salmon is not one of those things that makes my grocery list very often, and in fact, it wasn’t even on my list this weekend. We just saw this incredibly gorgeous piece of fish at Costco and just had to have it.

So, in our excitement to cook this, we broiled up like 3 huge pieces, forgetting that there are only 2 of us. I quickly goggled recipes to use the other piece and WA-LA! These crostinis were created. An amazing thing about these bite size toasts is that you don’t have to cook a thing (unless you choose to toast the bread!) Perfect no-bake app!

I actually just enjoyed a few for breakfast! I mean, it’s techinically kind of breakfast food, right?

Salmon & Lemon Chive Crostini

Yields: About 8 crostinis & 1 cup of sauce
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0 – 8

Ingredients:  

For the crostini:

• French bread, cut into 8 thin slices
• 8 ounces of broiled, grilled or smoked salmon
• Chives for garnish

For the lemon chive sauce:

• 1/4 cup light mayo
• 1/4 cup low fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• Salt and pepper

Directions: 

1. To prepare the sauce: Mix together sour cream, mayo and Greek yogurt together. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and chives. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with saran wrap and chill for at least an hour.
2. To prepare crostini with toasted bread, sprinkle slices with olive oil, place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 6 – 8 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown.
3. Place a dollop (about 1 – 2 teaspoons) of sauce onto the middle of the bread. Add about 1 tablespoon of flaked salmon to the top of the sauce and sprinkle with chives. Squeeze with a little fresh lemon juice if you want and eat, enjoy and repeat!

Nutritional information per 2 crostinis:

Calories: 280
Fat: 7 grams
Carbohydrates: 28 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Protein: 22 grams
Weight Watchers Points Plus Points:  7 points

Eat Skinny Be Skinny: Light Tuna Noodle Skillet Recipe

I’m so excited to announce that I’m now taking sponsors! Want the chance to reach over 5,000 people a day? Email me at realistic.nutritionist@gmail.com for an early bird rate!

Happy Friday LOVIES!! I’m so excited about this weekend since it’s our ONE YEAR wedding anniversary weekend and E has some top secret plans in store. I’m still shocked it’s been A YEAR.

It falls on Sunday, but don’t worry, I’m working on a special post that I’ll share with some never before seen lovely wedding photos!

Anyone else have any fabulous plans? Do share them! However, if I may be so bold, I urge you to include this skinny skillet as one of your plans.

Friends, after almost 3 years of blogging (1 official year as a food blogger) I think I’ve gotten to know y’all and what you like. As much as you love lightened up desserts, like chocolate cake and pumpkin cookies, you all simply adore comfort food. And not just any ol’ comfort food, lightened up comfort food that is EASY and can be made in ONE POT. Which makes me happy because that’s what I love to cook! For one, this is a typical sight in my sink.

And two? Comfort food is, well, comforting. It makes me feel warm, fuzzy and happy, it ignites those feelings of nostaligia and takes me back to those days  of eating my mom’s amazing comfort food creations. I’m just happy the food I love to cook makes you guys as happy too 🙂 So, because of the overwhelming popularity of my skinny lasagna skillet, I decided to make another favorite over, tuna noodle casserole.

Now, I know, this doesn’t SOUND glamorous. I mean, tuna noodle casserole? It’s not what the housewives of Beverly Hills are eating. But it’s down home, good cookin’ and it makes me feel cozy and warm inside.

Now, it looks insanely creamy, decadent and indulgent, but looks sure can be deceiving! One and 1/3 cup of this stuff only has 380 calories and JUST 7 grams of fat. For a HEAPING cup and a third! That’s my kinda skillet!

Now, I know some people may not like tuna, and guess what, you don’t have to use it! You can use shrimp, lobster, crab, chicken or even steak! Or, you can omit the meat and just enjoy the creamy deliciousness of the pasta and sauce. Really, it’s up to you!

So, friends, make this guilt-free skillet, enjoy with a crisp class of Chardonnay and enjoy this GAWWGEOUS weather!

Recipe adapted from Eating Well. 

Skinny Tuna Noodle Skillet

Serves about 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 8 ounces of fettuccine pasta
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 12 ounces (about 2 1/2 cans) chunk  light tuna, drained
• 1 2/3 cups of skim milk
• 1 cup light cream
• 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 5 basil leaves, finely chopped
• Liberal dashes of salt and pepper

Directions: 

1. Boil pasta in a large pot with a dash of salt until tender, about 8 minutes. Remove, rinse and set aside.
2. In a deep pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until just softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 2 minutes. Add flour and coat to cover the veggies.  Pour wine in and cook until most of it cooks out, about 4 minutes.
3. Add in milk, cream, peas and tuna, simmer until sauce begins to thicken, about 4 – 6 more minutes. Liberally season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in noodles, cheeses, parsley and basil. Serve warm and enjoy!

Nutritional information per 1 1/3 cup:

Calories: 380
Fat: 7
Carbohydrates: 46
Fiber: 5
Protein: 32
Weight Watchers Points:  9

Eat Skinny: Spicy Peach Jam & Turkey Panini [+ Giveaway Winner!)

I’m now taking sponsors! Want the chance to reach over 5,000 people a day? Email me at realistic.nutritionist@gmail.com for an early bird rate!

Happy Wednesday, y’all!! It’s a little overcast/rainy/blech here today but that won’t kill my spirits! For one, a video I made for the Dr. Oz show is GOING TO BE ON THE DR. OZ SHOW TODAY!!! I entered a healthy contest to makeover take out food (I made this delicious szechaun chicken) and they are featuring the video! I wasn’t picked to come to the studio but they are still featuring my video!

And that’s not all. I sent in my final revisions, content and payment to my amazing website designer, Two Brunettes, which means my brand new, amazingly beautiful site is that much closer to being launched! Want a sneak peek?

That’s all you are getting. But OMG. It’s beautiful. So, now, let’s find out who the amazingly lucky winner of the box of Rise bars and 3 GoodBelly drink coupons is. And the winner is….

OR….Nelly from Cooking with Books! Congrats love!! Email me (email addy in my about me) so I can grab your email!

Now, let’s talk JAM!! Or better yet, super spicy jam.

Ever since I made this delicious strawberry jam, I’ve been on a jam making kick. I’ve made all the fruits I can imagine and now my fridge is stocked with fresh, delectable jams. However, I had a craving a few weeks ago for something spicy. (Paired with my daily cravings of shredded chicken and cheese, you’d think I was pregnant). So, I grabbed peaches and I grabbed jalapenos and I went to town.

Don’t worry, I didn’t use ALL of those jalapeños. That would be like Man Vs. Food crazy. I just used 2 and saved the others for another spicy concoction I’m working on 🙂 Muahahah! Now, you can certainly use a hotter pepper if you want some serious heat, like a habenero or what not and then I’ll call you crazy and move on with my day. Because friends? This jam is spicy enough as is!

It’s not too spicy that it’s not good though, don’t get that misconception. Paired with a cheesy, turkey panini, it’s absolute perfection. The melted swiss cheese, the warm, crunchy bread, the freshly shaved turkey, it’s the perfect take on a deli sandwich. And no, as you can tell, it’s not yo’ mamas turkey sandwich.

You can definitely use shredded chicken (surprisingly i did not) roast beef, pastrimi, whatever your favorite lunch meat is,  throw it between two slices of bread, slap some of this jam on it and call it a day.

Since the creation of this jam, I’ve made a variety of this panini about 4 times. I just can’t get enough of it! I love the more mild ingredients paired with the super hot jam, it’s just so perfect. If you love spice and you love gooey cheesy paninis, you’re going to love this. (and if you don’t? Well, I’m not sure we can be friends anymore).

I kid. I kid. Sort of.

Spicy Peach Jam Turkey Panini

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE.

Yields 1 sandwiches & 2 cups of jam
Prep time: 10 – 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

For the panini:  

• 2 pieces of bread (I used whole wheat, but a thicker bread is preferred)
• 6 slices of freshly shaved, low sodium turkey breast
• 1 slices of part-skim swiss cheese

For the jam: 

• 4 peaches, chopped
• 2/3 – 1 cup sugar
• 2 jalapenos, chopped with seeds
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Prepare jam by chopping the peaches into small pieces. Place in a deep saucepan. Chop jalapenos (wearing gloves!), seeds included, into bite size size pieces and add to the saucepan.
2. Add sugar to the mixture and heat on medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Add in lemon juice. Then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, or until thick. While jam cooks, sterilize your jar and lid by boiling in hot water. Once jam is thick, remove from heat. Use a ladle to spoon jam into the jar. Let chill for at least 30 minutes before use.
3. To make the panini, spread about 1 1/2 tablespoon of jam onto one side of the bread. Layer turkey and cheese. Add other slice. Place on a panini maker or George Forman and press until cheese is melty, about 4 minutes. DON’T PRESS FOR TOO LONG. Otherwise, the bread will get soggy, which is gross.
4. Serve up and enjoy!

Nutritional information per panini: 

Calories: 300
Fat: 7 grams
Fiber: 1.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 35 grams
Protein: 22 grams
Weight Watchers points:  8

Eat Skinny Be Skinny: Baked Cheesy Chicken Pasta

REMEMBER! RISE BAR GIVEAWAY ENDS TODAY! ENTER HERE!

I know, I had you all at cheesy chicken. But it’s not just regular ol’ cheesy chicken. Nope. It’s chicken and pasta made with the incredible, delicious sauce you use to make macaroni and cheese. Yep.

 See, I was craving comfort food like a MAD man this weekend. I know, after my binge on omelets and pizza you’d think that would have satisfied it, but no, I wanted something cheesy, chickeny and full of nostalgic wonder.

Macaroni and cheese was one of my favorite meals as a kid. My mom is an incredible cook, so we didn’t often see that bright blue box of Kraft mac n cheese very often, but when we did, it was always such a treat. Looking back, I’m a little astounded that we got so excited over bright, fake “cheese” powder and some noodles. But we were kids, what did we know? Safe to say, when I got my mac craving, I didn’t go that blue box, I went to my fridge!

Angel hair pasta paired with a triple cheese sauce topped with freshly made bread crumbs. Well, er, not bread crumbs, per say. I didn’t have any nor did I have the patience/energy to whip out my blender so I just made toast and ripped it a part into bite size pieces.

The extra crunch from the toast was amazingly paired with the soft, creaminess of the pasta. Now, what you are really wondering, how the heck could this be light? Well, for one, I based my sauce on Gina’s and did just some alterations of my own. Instead of using cream, she suggested chicken stock (which I had 2 jars of homemade just sitting in my fridge)! Paired with skim milk and part skim cheese, you have a lighter dish!

Crunchy, creamy, awesome.

Baked Cheesy Chicken Pasta

Serves 8 (1 cup servings)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces of angel hair pasta
• 1 cup of shredded chicken (easy recipe can be found here!)
•  2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup part-skim cheddar cheese
• 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheeese
• 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
• 4 basil leaves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons parsley
• 2 pieces whole wheat toast, crumbled
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an  8 x 8 baking dish with non stick cooking spray and set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions until al-dente, about 4 – 6 minutes. Rinse and set aside.
2. In a deep pan, heat butter. Over low heat, add flour and stir with a whisk until combined. Add in onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Whisk in milk and chicken broth and bring mixture to a boil. Heat until sauce thickens up, about 3 – 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Once sauce is thick, remove from heat and immediately stir in cheeses and chicken. Add in pasta and stir until mixture is evenly coated. Sprinkle with basil, parsley and additional salt and pepper.
4. Pour mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with bread and bake for 20 minutes, or until crumbs are golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Serve immediately.

Nutritional information per 1 cup:

Calories: 335
Fat: 11 grams
Carbohydrates: 32 grams
Fiber: 6 grams
Protein: 15 grams
Weight Watchers  Points Plus:  7

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