Lively Lasagna Sunday Dinner

There are many lasagna dishes out there that are all unique and equally delectable, but the twist on my recipe is that it's got a bite to it.  I use just enough spices and jalapenos to sass up the dish without losing it's hearty Italian flavors.  Perfect for a Sunday family dinner, which in our family, we have both meat-lovers and vegetarians to accommodate: 

On the Menu

1st Course: Starters - Basic side salad & Whole Wheat French Bread

2nd Course: Appetizer - Stuffed Mushrooms

3rd Course: Main Dishes - Lively Lasagna & Butternut Squash & Spinach (healthy, vegetarian) Lasagna

4th Course: Side Dish - Parmesan-crusted Zucchini

5th Course: Recommended Dessert Dish: Lisa's Limoncello Dolcini

Starters: For the first course, I keep this very simple.  Some Romaine or Leaf lettuce and some chopped tomato with dressing options (I usually have Italian, Ranch and a vinaigrette to choose) and slice the bread with some butter.

Appetizer: Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:
6 large whole Bella mushrooms 4-6" stems removed
3 thin slices of pancetta or ham
2 tbsp. onion, minced
1 garlic clove, pressed/ crushed
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan & Romano cheese
2 tsp. garlic powder
4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. shredded mozzarella cheese
Approximately 4 tbsp - extra virgin olive oil, drizzling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Wash mushroom caps thoroughly and place on a baking sheet, stem hole up.
2. Over a medium heat, cook pancetta/ ham slices in a skillet.  Add in onion and garlic. Cook pancetta/ ham until the ends begin to crisp up, and the onion and garlic start to brown, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside on a plate.
3. In a separate bowl, mix bread crumbs, grated cheeses and spices together.
4. Cut pancetta/ ham into small pieces similar to onion and garlic and mix meat, onion and garlic all together.
5. Spoon meat and onion mixture into mushroom caps.  Then spoon bread crumb mix on top of meat and onion mix into each cap.
6. Drizzle with olive oil over the tops of each mushroom cap and place in the oven.
7. Cook about 10 minutes, then drizzle with olive oil once more.  Cook until mushroom cap topping begin to brown and crisp up, about 5-8 more minutes.

Main Dish: Lively Lasagna (for meat-lovers) 
Click for my Butternut Squash & Spinach (healthy, vegetarian) Lasagna
Ingredients (for a 2 1/2 qt baking dish, 3 layers):

9 Lasagna noodles
2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, pressed/ crushed
3/4 lbs. of lean ground beef
3 links of spicy Italian sausage (casings removed)
1 jar of preferred tomato/ spaghetti sauce
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried sweet basil
2 cups ricotta cheese
3/4 cup sliced marinated jalapenos
2.1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan-Romano cheese
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 365 degrees F.
2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.  Once the water is boiling, add the lasagna noodles a few at a time, and return to a boil.  Cook the pasta noodles uncovered, stirring occasionally, until pasta is has cooked through but is still al dente, or still firm to bite (approximately 10 minutes).  Remove the noodles to a plate. 
3. In a skillet over medium heat, put oil, onion and garlic together and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the ground beef and sausage into the skillet and cook the meat, chopping it into small chunks as it cooks, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.  Drain excess grease.
5. Return skillet to burner, change heat to low and add spices and stir to coat meat with spices.  Then add in tomato/ spaghetti sauce and mix all together thoroughly.
6. In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, the jalapenos, milk and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
7. Place 3 noodles side by side into the bottom of a greased baking dish (I use spray olive oil); top with a layer of ground beef mixture, and then a layer of the cheese mixture.  Repeat layers using all of each mixture.  Generously sprinkle top with the balance of mozzarella cheese.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until the dish is bubbling and the cheese has completely melted, about 30-45 minutes.  Once cheese begins to brown (should be around the edges first), turn off the oven but leave the dish in the oven about 10 more minutes.  This will "crisp up" the top cheese layer without burning the rest of the dish.  Allow to stand at least 10 minutes before serving for easier cutting.

Side Dish: Parmesan-crusted Zucchini 

Ingredients - 4 servings
3 medium size zucchini
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp. of bread crumbs
3 tbsp. of grated Parmesan-Romano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly wash zucchini and cut off the ends.
2. Slice zucchini 1/4-inch thick.  Toss zucchini slices in a bowl with the oil until coated completely.
3. Lay out zucchini slices on a baking sheet in one even layer.
4. Season zucchini slices with all spices except red pepper flakes, and sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.
5. Bake in oven until cheese is melted on top; approximately 8 minutes.  Remove from oven, and turn oven to high broil.
6. Mix grated cheese, bread crumbs and red pepper flakes together.  Sprinkle cheese and bread crumb mixture over the top of zucchini.
7. Place back in oven and broil until cheese bubbles and "crusts up."  This should only take a few minutes or less, so watch carefully.
8. Remove from the oven, and let stand for about 5 minutes before plating.

Don't forget dessert!! 

Lisa's Limoncello Dolcini

Healthy Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna

Lasagna is a favorite comfort food for most people, but the traditional recipes can be very high in fat and unhealthy carbs.  This recipe simplifies the ingredients and makes healthier selections on each ingredient.  This recipe is also a nice vegetarian option/ addition for family lasagna dinners.  If you are looking for a dessert to treat yourself after eating this healthy dinner, I recommend my Limoncello Dolcini.

Includes Dairy, Nuts if you use almond milk 
Below recipe is for a 1.1/2 quart baking dish which makes about 6 serving sizes, of approximately 3.5 oz serving size.  This is the serving size the nutrition info is calculated to below:
Calories-515.5 | Total Fat-20g | Trans Fats-0g | Saturated Fats-10g | Carbohydrates-52.5g | Fiber-8g | Protein-31g | Sugar-4g | Sodium-593.5mg

Ingredients

6 whole wheat, vegetarian lasagna noodles
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 garlic cloves
6.1/2 cups water
3-4 cups fresh spinach
1/2 of a butternut squash, skin peeled and sliced into thin square 'sheets'
garlic powder
salt to taste
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1.1/2 cups part skim milk ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan & Romano cheese
2 cups low moisture part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 365 degrees F.
2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water (about 6 cups) and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.  Once the water is boiling, add the lasagna noodles a few at a time, and return to a boil.  
3. Cook the pasta noodles uncovered, stirring occasionally, until pasta has cooked through but is still al dente, or still firm to bite (approximately 10 minutes).  Remove
   
   the noodles to a plate. 
4. In a skillet over medium heat, put oil, onion and garlic together and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add 1/2 cup water and spinach and cover almost completely.  Steam the spinach until begins to wilt, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Drain excess water, and remove from heat.
6. In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, milk and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
7. Place 2-3 noodles side by side into the bottom of a greased baking dish (I use spray olive oil), you may need to cut noodles to better fit the dish; top with a layer of spinach and onions mixture, then layer butternut squash on top.  Sprinkle squash with garlic power and salt to taste (salt optional), and then a layer of the cheese mixture.  Repeat layers using all of each mixture and vegetable.  Generously sprinkle top with the balance of mozzarella cheese.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until the dish is bubbling and the cheese has completely melted, about 30-45 minutes.  Once cheese begins to brown (should be around the edges first), turn off the oven but leave the dish in the oven about 10 more minutes.  This will "crisp up" the top cheese layer without burning the rest of the dish.  Allow to stand at least 10 minutes before serving for easier cutting.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Smoothie

I love this smoothie when I'm craving chocolate or sweets, and although I use it as breakfast, it can be used as a healthy dessert alternative too.  I include Manuka honey for its many health benefits, but have enjoyed the recipe excluding the honey as well, as it can be an expensive addition.

Includes Nuts & Dairy

Calories-516 | Total Fat-21.5g | Trans Fat-0g | Saturated Fat-3.5 | Polyunsaturated Fats-5g | Monounsaturated Fats-10g | Carbohydrates-63g | Fiber-12g | Protein-29g | Sugar-21g | Sodium-385.5mg

Ingredients:

1 banana
2 tbsp. natural peanut butter
1 tbsp. Manuka honey
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp. 0 fat Greek plain yogurt
1-2 ice cubes
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder

Mix all ingredients together with a hand blender...Enjoy!

Lisa's Green Smoothie

"It's not easy being green..." so says Kermit the Frog, but it's much easier eating a green breakfast with my smoothie.  It's definitely not always easy to balance the taste of spinach in a smoothie drink that you expect to be sweet tasting.  However, my smoothie achieves this and more, by keeping fruit selections in the green family and including the sweet over-ripeness of a banana.  While pumpkin seeds can also be somewhat of an acquired taste, this is a great way to incorporate them into a healthy breakfast (or lunch) smoothie.

Includes Nuts, GF, Vegetarian, Vegan

Calories-347 | Total Fat-7g | Trans Fat-0 | Polyunsaturated Fat-.5g | Monounsaturated Fat-2g | Carbohydrates-73.5g | Protein-8.5g | Fiber-14.5g | Sodium-488mg

Ingredients
2 cups fresh spinach

1 over-ripe banana

1 pear

1 kiwi fruit 

1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1-2 ice cubes

Chop fruit and mix all ingredients with hand blender...Enjoy!

Detox Lunch 1: Warm Spinach Salad & Miso Soup

Includes Nuts

Calories-427.5 | Calories from Fat-240 | Total Fat-32.75g | Saturated Fat-5g | Tans Fat-0g | Polyunsaturated Fats-4g | Monounsaturated Fats-20g | Protein-7g | Carbohydrates-20.5g | Fiber-6g | Sugar-9.5g | Sodium-1360mg

This is a first choice in my detox meals.  It's a perfect combination of saltiness, sweetness, healthily fulfilling without over-indulging.  A few things I try to keep in mind when developing my detox meals is to keep the ingredients few, and the preparation time very quick for busy lifestyles, as that is always a major challenge for me: to eat healthy amidst all the craziness in busy schedules.  This is an easily prepared lunch to take on the go and it's simplicity does not do the tastes in it justice.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1 tbsp. of dries cranberries - no added sugar
1 tbsp. of pine nuts
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 packet of instant Miso Soup
1 cup boiling water

1. Steam the spinach in a pan with the 1/2 cup of water over a low-medium heat, almost completely covered.  
2. When spinach begins to wilt but still retains a bright green color, drain water and return to heat but change to a low heat setting.
3. Mix in pine nuts and slightly toast as spinach continues to cook, a few minutes, stirring and agitating a few times.
4. Mix in cranberries and oil and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients and mix flavors.  Remove from heat and serve.
5. Add 1 cup boiling water to soup mix and stir thoroughly until fully dissolved. 

The Art of the Apron

Authored By: Lisa Machos

Like many who were taken with the AMC television series Mad Men, after getting 'hooked' I became somewhat fascinated by the 1950's era.  When I purchased clothes, I noticed I started liking more of the traditional full A-line skirts and wiggle dresses.  I began researching more about what daily life was like comparatively to my own daily life.  Like many, I came across a blog post that commented on a 'Housekeeping Monthly' article from their issue of May 13, 1955, entitled, "How to be a Good Wife,"  as there were several.  The blog post I found was entitled "What Makes a Good Wife - the 1950s Ideal vs. Modern Day." 

Regardless of how anyone personally feels on the issues of traditional marriage and values and/ or feminism, I don't want to get into.  But the article that I, myself, felt drawn to, was the part about cooking dinner and having it ready for your husband and looking 'fresh' and beautiful and well put together, etc.  Even though I am one of those working women and usually put in about 60 hour weeks on average, I thought of this idea, not as some backward, misogynistic, unrealistic ideal, but more as an interesting challenge.  To be a modern woman who does the whole independence and career path, but can also demonstrate a respect for her significant other by making a dinner and looking fresh as opposed to tired and being bitchy at the end of the day.  Now that's one accomplished, well-rounded woman, in my opinion.

This challenge brought about my interest in actually purchasing an apron.  If I was short on time, I couldn't necessarily always change right away when starting to cook a meal, and I certainly couldn't work with ingredients like flour or sauces in my suit without some protection.  Thus I came to understand first-hand the need for an apron, something I believed to be a relic in the past and not necessary in a world of fast food and quick-made frozen meals.  Then as my eating habits changed more and more to eating fresh foods and ingredients, the need for protecting my clothing became even more of a necessity, i.e. ever work with beets?

Upon purchasing my well-known rose apron so frequently show-cased on this blog site, inside the package was this darling memo that I wanted to share:

Grandmother's Apron

I don't think our children understand what an apron is; the principal use of the cotton pinafore was to protect the dress underneath because a woman often had very few.  It was also easier to launder aprons than dresses.

An apron served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.  It was wonderful for blotting children's tears.  From the chicken coop, an apron was a pouch for carrying eggs, fussy chicks and sometimes half-hatched eggs headed to a warming oven.

When a company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.  When the weather turned cold, Grandmother would wrap it around her chilled arms.  Those big old aprons mopped many a perspiring brow, whether bent over a hot wood stove or picking snap peas in the garden.  Her apron served as a carrier for kindling and wood chips brought into the kitchen to stoke the fire.  From the garden, it carried the fresh vegetables.  After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

Come Autumn, the apron bundled the apples indoors for preparing apple butter and pies.  When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.  Toys and shoes were toted to bedrooms in it, as well.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch and waved her apron as an alert to the menfolk to come in from the fields for her buttery biscuits.

Times have changed.  While Grandmother once set her hot baked pies in the window sill to cool, her granddaughters now set theirs out to thaw.  There are many cooks today that would fret over the stains and germs on Grandmother's apron...but it is doubtful that anyone caught anything from her apron, but love.

It's probably just me, but I simply love that. I wish the author was noted to give them credit. I love the imagery this little memo inspires. It makes me realize that even though all the strides in progress are great on one side of the coin, on the flip side, there is a lot of good things left behind from that era that would not impede nor impose on that progress if reintroduced back into our modern daily lives.  Not the least of which is quality family time over delicious dishes.  

And perhaps that starts with something as simple as an apron.

Romantic Surf & Turf Dinner

This is the dinner I prepared this year for Valentine's Day, but this is also a very sexy dish to serve on anniversaries, or if you want to show your significant other how much you appreciate them or doing that something extra special and romantic for no occasion at all; kind of like receiving flowers out of the blue.

On The Menu

1st course: Appetizer - Shrimp Cocktail

2nd course: Starter - Cheese Fondue

3rd course: Main Dishes - Individual Beef Wellingtons with Maine Lobster Tail

4th course: Side Dishes - Sweet Spicy Mustard Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans Pine-amandine

5th Course: Recommended Dessert: Pearl & Crystal Strawberries

1st course: Appetizer - Shrimp Cocktail

This is the simple part of this dinner: get some cooked, de-veined shrimp and a jar of cocktail sauce.  What makes this look so elegant is serving it in a martini glass.  To save a little money, you can purchase uncooked shrimp.  In this case I cook about 10 shrimp with the lobster tails (see below) until they are pink.  To make an easy cocktail sauce if you don't want to purchase it pre-made, use ketchup as a base and mix horse radish in to taste.  Round it out with some garlic powder to taste. 

2nd course: Starter - Cheese Fondue

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese 

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

3/4 cup white wine (I used a Chardonnay, if you prefer a sweeter result, a Riesling can be chosen)

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. onion powder (optional)

1 tsp. garlic powder (optional)

whole wheat French bread loaf, cut into square pieces

1. Mix all shredded cheese together in a bowl and coat with cornstarch
2. In a pan, on medium heat, pour in wine.
3. Gradually add in cheese and stir frequently to ensure clumping does not occur.
4. Add in any final spices and serve.

I was super lucky to have found a heart-shaped fondue set for the occasion, and I have seen them available on Amazon for as low as $12.  It's not necessary, but certainly adds to the overall theme and spread.

3rd course: Main Dishes - Individual Beef Wellingtons with Maine Lobster Tail

Ingredients:

2 cuts of beef tenderloin filet

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup onion minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 cup Bella mushrooms, stems removed, minced

2 tbsp. cup white wine

1/4 tsp. garlic powder & red pepper flakes

1 can of refrigerated crescent rolls

2 Maine lobster tails

3/4 cup melted butter

2 wedges of fresh lemon

1. Heat water in a pot to a rolling boil.  Make sure there is enough water to either a)
   submerge both lobster tails or b) both lobster tails and 10 shrimp.  Continue to boil until shrimp are pink in color and lobster tails are red.  Chill shrimp until ready to serve.  The lobster tails will take longer than the shrimp to cook in most cases.
2. Heat olive oil and onion in a pot on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until onion starts to caramelize (brown, soft and sweet)
   
3. Add in wine and mushrooms.  Once mushrooms are cooked (softened and darker in color) and liquid is reduced, stir in spices and remove from heat.
4. Season tenderloin filets with salt and pepper on both sides to taste
5. Sear filets over medium heat on each side.  Additional olive oil may be needed. Approximately 3-4 minutes depending on thickness of cuts and preference of rareness on the inside.  The outside should be evenly seared but still pink on the inside.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a baking sheet.
7. Prepare crescent rolls for wrapping filets (press triangle seams together to form squares) leave one triangle for heart buttons.
8. Place filet in center of now square crescent roll dough.  Spoon onion mixture over the top of filet.
9. Enclose filet and onion in crescent roll dough.  Repeat with other filet.
10. Cut out 4 heart decorations from last crescent roll triangle and use 2 per filet to 'seal' the enclosure of the dough envelope.
11. Bake in oven for approximately 11-13 minutes or until bread crust is golden brown.
12. Serve with Maine lobster tails (use melted butter and fresh lemon to flavor the lobster tails).

4th course: Side Dishes - Sweet Spicy Mustard Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans Pine-amandine

Sweet Spicy Mustard Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

2-3 russet or Yukon gold potatoes

4 tbsp. butter

Milk for preferred consistency

1-2 tbsp. of sweet spicy mustard

Salt to taste (optional)

1. Peel potatoes and cut into quarter inch pieces.
2. Simmer potatoes until softened - for approximately 35-40 minutes.
3. Drain potatoes and remove from heat.
4. Melt butter and add milk for preferred consistency.
5. Mix in sweet spicy mustard and serve.

Green Bean Pine-amandine

I adjusted a standard Green Beans Amandine recipe because I didn't have any slivered almonds and found that pine nuts actually made this dish better, with their buttery, rich taste.

Ingredients: 1/2 lbs. green beans (fresh or frozen)

1/3 cup water

2 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. of pine nuts

1 fresh lemon wedge

1. Place beans in a pan with the water on medium heat; cover almost completely and let steam for (about 10-15 minutes) until crisp-tender; drain and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a pan and lightly toast pine nuts over a low heat (this only take a few minutes).
3. Add beans and mix all together.  Plate on dish and give a squeeze of lemon juice over the top.

Lisa's Tips & Tricks

• $ Tip: When cooking with wine, purchase less expensive wine.
• Time Tip: The Sweet Spicy Mustard Mashed Potatoes are just as yummy with plain instant mashed potatoes, if you find yourself short on time.
• Alternative Tip: Many beef wellington recipes will call for puff pastry sheet for the crust.  This works well, but I prefer the buttery taste that the crescent rolls have.  If baking with a puff pastry sheet, I would suggest simmering your filets for a shorter time as the puff pastry sheet bakes longer in the oven than crescent rolls.

'MACHOS' Jalapeno Stuffed Boneless Buffalo Wings

I was so fortunate to be in my home state of Colorado during Superbowl 50, cheering on the Broncos for the Super Bowl this year.  Although I did my best to lay a neutral table spread, I have to always root for the Broncos.  This year, my Super Bowl spread and menu consisted of Deviled Eggs (which I couldn't keep people away from to get a full dish for the picture), a 7-layer Dip (made to look like the football field), Crack Potatoes, Football Sliders, and some really cool blue tortilla chips (these looked amazing, but had so much food coloring in them, we ultimately got rid of them as we felt they were that unhealthy...but of course we ate the Cheetos balls)!!!  While there is nothing special about most of the recipes included in my spread, my creation of 'MACHOS' Jalapeno Stuffed Boneless Buffalo Wings was unique, to the best of my knowledge.  And it combined two great Super Bowl snack favorites: Boneless Buffalo Chicken Wings and Jalapeno Poppers.  I'm excited to share this exclusive dish made for the discriminating pallet (albeit spicy pallet) of the American Football Fan.  I am posting this after the fact, but I hope it becomes a staple at your gatherings this 2016 - 2017 football season.

'Wing" Ingredients:

1 lbs. ground chicken

1 package low-fat cream cheese/ Neufchatel cheese

3/4 cup marinated jalapenos (medium to hot spicy) minced or to be truly 'Machos' fresh jalapenos (very spicy) minced

3/4 cup tequila

1 egg

1/2 cup onion minced

1/2 cup bread crumbs/ panko crumbs/ cracker crumbs

Salt & Pepper to taste

Garlic Powder & Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 cup vinegar (can be flavored or not)

4 tbsp. melted butter

2 tbsp. hot sauce

1 tbsp. ketchup

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce

2 tsp. Chipotle-flavor spicy mustard 

1/4 tsp. garlic power

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. cumin

cayenne pepper to taste 

Optional/ Recommended: 

Serve with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.

Prep (suggested night before or 4-6 hours prior to making dish will also work)

1. Let package low-fat cream cheese/ Neufchatel cheese soften
2. Mix tequila, cheese and diced jalapenos thoroughly
3. Roll into 1/2 size desired meatball size and refrigerate.

Making the 'Wings'

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. 
2. In a large bowl, combine all wing ingredients except the cream cheese, jalapeno balls; mix well.
3. Divide mixture into meatballs (we prefer large meatballs, and I find that easier to stuff, but you can adjust according to preference). 
4. Form each meatball around a cream cheese, jalapeno ball, making sure to cover cheese completely. Place on prepared baking sheet. 
5. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center. 
6. Mix all 'Sauce' ingredients together in a bowl.
7. Roll and drench each cooked meatball in sauce and serve (possibly with water or milk...)

LISA'S BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

Yummmm!!!

Includes Nuts & Dairy

Primary Nutrition Info (less whey protein option):

Calories-250| Protein-7g| Carbs-44g| Fiber-7g| Fat-7g| Sugar-2g| Sodium-171mg

Secondary Nutrition Info:

Saturated Fats-.25g| Polyunsaturated Fats-2.25g| Monounsaturated Fats-2g| Soluble Fiber-.5g| Insoluble Fiber-1.5g| Omega-3's-1200mg| Cholesterol-1.25mg

(Since whey protein powders vary, please add your nutrition label information to the above if you choose to include a scoop.)  

Prep Time - Approximately 5-10 minutes

Here is my favorite Breakfast Smoothie recipe which I have at least a few times a week.  I personally use a hand blender when making my smoothies, but a blender works just as well:

Ingredients

5-6 whole almonds

1 banana

1/2 apple

1 tbsp. ground flax seed

2 tbsp. of no fat, plain Greek yogurt

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (optional)

1-1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk

1-2 cubes of ice

Cinnamon

1. Finely chop up the whole almonds and place in blender container.
2. Chop up fruit (banana & 1/2 apple)
3. Add scoop of whey protein (optional)
4. Add tbsp. of flax seed
5. Add yogurt
6. Add milk, may vary based on size of ingredients, but should be enough to almost submerge ingredients.
7. Add in ice cubes (may be a matter of preference if you have used frozen bananas)
8. Sprinkle cinnamon to taste on top of smoothie and enjoy!