Pineapple Coconut Mini Muffins

Ingredients:

2 & 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 2 large very ripe bananas)

1/4 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt

1 large egg, beaten

3/4 cup skim milk or almond milk

1 and 1/4 cup fresh pineapple, diced

1/4 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Spray muffin tins with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine & mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon & set aside until needed.

In a separate bowl, combine & mix the honey and brown sugar together. Using a fork works to break all the lumps. Then, add the mashed banana, Greek yogurt, and beaten egg.

Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients all together. Slowly add the milk and continue to mix the ingredients together.

Add the pineapple to the batter until distributed evenly, but don't overmix the batter.

Spoon the batter into the mini muffin pan 3/4 full (leave enough room for the batter to rise when cooking). Sprinkle the shredded coconut on top of each muffin. Bake for 15-17 minutes until browned on the edges. Poke muffins with a toothpick until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from tins and allow the muffins to cool completely.

Muffins will remain fresh and moist stored at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze any remaining muffins.

This recipe is for all the San Fran fans!...reminds us of visiting Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant at one of the Piers.  Sweet and tangy memories of San Francisco....


JCJ's Sweet Chili Shrimp

15-20 Cooked Shrimp 
2 Tbsp of Sweet Chili Sauce 
15-20 Sliced Field Cucumbers

1. In a pot, boil water over medium heat.  Add shrimp and cook until shrimp pink and floating.  Slice your cucumbers at this time.

2. Once cooked, remove from heat and drain.  Cool shrimp under cold running water. 

3. Transfer shrimp to bowl and add the sweet chill sauce. Add coated shrimps over sliced cucumbers.  Serve and enjoy!

We love this recipe for snacking, hanging out with some friends, and watching some football! Or, make up a big batch and portion out for afternoon snacks or kids' lunchboxes!

JCJ's Vanilla Almond Crunch

1/4 cup partly skimmed evaporated milk
1 Tbsp of cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
3 cups of Almonds
1 cup of sugar
2 Tbsp of Vanilla Whey powder

1. Preheat oven to 300'F. Spread almonds on a cookie sheet and bake, stirring after 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove almonds and let cool as needed.

2. Combine evaporated milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar in a pot. Dissolve mixture over medium heat.

3. Add almonds and continue to cook and stir frequently. Cook until nuts are completely covered and no liquid is left. Lightly coat the cooked almonds with Vanilla Whey powder.

4. Spread over cookie sheet on wax paper to let them cool.

*Optional: add 2 Cups of Kashi Honey Sunshine Cereal to help give them a extra crunchy bite!

This recipe has been modified for you busy bees.
You can freeze this recipe, then reheat and add mini pitas when you are on the go! I hope you enjoy this tasty breakfast, tried and tested by JCJ!

JCJ's Break-y Scramblers

1 package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 bunch green onions (white parts only), finely diced
4 eggs, beaten
1 container of cottage cheese (no added salt)
whole wheat breadcrumbs (optional garnish)

1.  Preheat oven to 325'F (165'C).  Lightly grease a muffin pan.

2.  Place the spinach in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until spinach softens.  When wilted, set the spinach aside for later. 

3. In a bowl, mix the onion, eggs, cottage cheese.  Add the spinach to this mix and stir all ingredients until combined thoroughly.  Divide evenly in your muffin pan.

4.  Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, until egg is firm and fully cooked (use your judgement!).  If using breadcrumbs, remove pan from oven after 30 minutes and sprinkle with crumbs to top; return pan to oven for 5-10 minutes to finish.  

Note: If you are using a mini muffin pan, cook for 1/2 the time, again use your judgement when egg is firm & fully cooked.

Are you ready for the holidays?  Here's one more recipe - quick and delicious! - that will keep you and your fellow party-goers satiated thanks to a healthy dose of protein, a bit of natural sugar, and a chocolate-y kick!

JCJ Approved Holiday Protein Bites

2 + 3/4 C pitted dates
1/2 C water
1/2 C natural nut butter
1 C vanilla whey protein
1/4 C cocoa powder
1/4 C hemp seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
lukewarm water for rolling

Blend dates and water in a food processor.  Next, add the nut butter.  Add the protein powder slowly.  Last, add the cocoa powder, hemp seeds, and cinnamon and mix all thoroughly.

Set aside a bowl of lukewarm water to clean hands while working with dough.  Form into golf ball-sized bites.  Roll in festive toppings if desired (we like red and green sprinkles!).

Freeze on a baking sheet for minimum 3 hours before packaging together.  Bites can be stored in freezer until ready to eat!


Wishing you Happy Holidays and a healthy New Year!
- JCJ

For all our "wheat-free" fans, we especially want to share this recipe with you! This was created for a friend who was pregnant at the time and has IBS (Irritable Bowl Syndrome). I wanted to make something for her that she could eat on-the-go when in a rush to doctor's appointments or too tired to bake for herself!

We hope you enjoy JCJ's first official wheat-free recipe, and we promise we will keep 'em coming! In the meantime, don't be shy to ask us for nutrition tips and tricks or put a request in for our next round of recipe blogging!! :)

- JCJ

JCJ's Rice Flour Banana Bread

4 medium bananas, mashed
300g rice flour (can be found at a health food store or organic grocer)
100g dairy-free spread (or basic margarine)
4 Tsp wheat/gluten-free baking powder
2 eggs
1 Cup coconut milk (found at any grocery store, sometimes in the asian/ethnic cooking section)

1. Preheat oven to 350'F. Lightly grease loaf pans and set aside until ready to use. Next, mash bananas to a pureed texture in a bowl (or in a blender/food processor, if you prefer).

2. In a separate bowl, measure all other ingredients. Add mashed bananas to the mixture and thoroughly combine.

3. Transfer mix to greased loaf pans. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out cleanly.

Nutrition:
1 Serving: 242 Calories | 34g CHO | 4g Pro | 10g Fat

This recipe is a personal favourite.  Several years ago when I was hospitalized, but out on a weekend pass, I hosted a "Frozen Food Party."  I had all my closest girlfriends there and we worked together to make meals that could be easily frozen and saved for easy "heat and eat" meals on days when I was too tired to cook.  This is a great strategy not just for people dealing with a long-term illness, but also for anyone who needs tasty, nutrient-packed meals in a quick and simple way!  I made this recipe for our brunch and it was a big hit!  

- JCJ


JCJ's No Crusti-ness Spinach Quiche

1 package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 bunch green onions (white parts only), finely diced
4 eggs, beaten
1 container of cottage cheese (no added salt)
2 cups of low fat shredded cheddar cheese
whole wheat breadcrumbs (optional garnish)

1.  Preheat oven to 325'F (165'C).  Lightly grease a muffin pan.

2.  Place the spinach in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until spinach softens.  When wilted, set the spinach aside for later. 

3. In a bowl, mix the onion, eggs, cottage cheese, and cheddar.  Add the spinach to this mix and stir all ingredients until combined throughly.  Divide evenly in your muffin pan.

4.  Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, until egg is firm and fully cooked (use your judgement!).  If using breadcrumbs, remove pan from oven after 30 minutes and sprinkle with crumbs to top; return pan to oven for 5-10 minutes to finish.  

* Gluten-free option for replacing breadcrumbs: Grate a few cauliflower florets with a cheese grater!  It will look crumbly and you can sprinkle on top.  Cook until eggs are firm and cauliflower is lightly browned.

Yes, it's that time of year again!  Fall is here, and along with the shorter days and cooler weather comes the return of our favourite seasonal flavours!  For a sweet treat, pick up a Fall-inspired drink, like a cinnamon or pumpkin spice latte!  To keep the calories, fat, and sugar under control try ordering your drink the skinny way: stick to a small size with skim or soy milk, sugar-free flavour or half-sweet, and skip the whip!

Another way to kick off a crisp Fall day is with a comforting bowl of Pumpkin Oatmeal!  Enjoy this JCJ-tested recipe of the week! And remember, what you eat is what you wear!!

JCJ.

JCJ's Pumpkin Oatmeal

1/2 C quick oats
1/3 C pure pumpkin (canned raw pumpkin, not pie filling!)
1 scoop vanilla (or unflavoured) protein powder
Dash of pumpkin spice (or some cinnamon and nutmeg if you don't have the blended spice)
1/2 oz chopped walnuts (*optional)
1/8 C (about a handful) unsweetened raisins (*optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Add about 1/3-1/2 C water and mix until ingredients are wet and you have a bit of excess water.  MIcrowave covered for 45 seconds.  Stir.  If mixture seems thick or sticky add a bit more water.  Return to microwave for another 30 seconds.  Give a final stir, and add a touch of skim milk for an extra creamy texture!