Weekday Meals

Sometimes, our weeks can really get pretty hectic to the point that it's difficult to fix a nutritious meal that's both delicious and doesn't take forever to make. But meals that satisfy all three can be had. That said, Enjoy!

YOGURT PARFAIT BREAFAST POPSICLES

This one comes from one of my favorite emailing sites, thekitchn. If you haven't already signed up for the great emails from thekitchn or it's brother site, Apartment Therapy, you're missing some really cool stuff.

TheKitchn's Faith Durand starts off, “Your eyes do not deceive you. This is breakfast that you can eat one-handed while walking to the bus stop, and it's got just as much going for it a bowl of yogurt with granola and fruit. In fact, it is a bowl of yogurt — just in frozen, easily-grabbable popsicle form. Time to dig out those popsicle molds!” The writer uses Greek yogurt for these, but writes that regular non-Greek yogurt can be used, too. Just don't thin out the regular yogurt.

She also writes, “If you're short on time or short on berries, you can also substitute a fruit jam or preserves. You'll need about a cup of preserves for these popsicles.” As for the granola, “Use any granola you like here. These popsicles are especially handy for using up a handful of leftover granola that's gone a bit stale. Once layered into the popsicles and frozen, the granola softens to the consistency of soft oatmeal cookies —and yes, that's just as delicious as you're hoping it will be.” Makes 6 popsicles.

You can view this recipe online here, along with photos of these incredible breakfast popsicles.

1 1/2 pints strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped (around 3 cups chopped)

1/4 cup sugar (or honey)

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 to 1/2 cup milk

2 to 3 tablespoons honey

3/4 cups granola

Combine the strawberries and sugar (or honey) in a small saucepan and stir gently to combine. Let the berries macerate on the counter for at least 10 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and syrupy.

Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a r. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the strawberries are thick and jammy. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. You should have about 1 cup of jammy fruit. (At this point, the strawberries can be refrigerated for up to a week.)

When ready to assemble the popsicles, whisk together the yogurt, 1/4 cup of the milk, and 2 tablespoons of honey. The yogurt should be thick, but pourable (roughly the consistency of regular yogurt). If needed, whisk in a little more milk. Taste and add more honey if desired.

Scoop out 1/4 cup of the yogurt mixture and stir it into the granola. This will help the granola freeze into the popsicles.

Arrange 6 popsicle molds (1/2 cup capacity) on your work surface. Pour a generous spoonful of yogurt into the bottom of each mold. Add a scoop of granola and then a spoonful or two of strawberries. Continue layering yogurt, granola, and strawberries until the molds are filled. Tap the molds lightly agains the counter or use a popsicle stick to work out any air bubbles between the layers.

Insert popsicle sticks into each mold and place the popsicles in the freezer. Freeze until solid, at least 6 hours.

To unmold, run the popsicle molds under hot running water for a few seconds and gently easy the popsicles out of the molds. Popsicles will keep in the freezer for several weeks.

Recipe Notes

You can substitute 1 1/4 cups of regular yogurt for the Greek yogurt. As long as it's pourable, there's no need to thin the yogurt any further.

The strawberries can be replaced with an equal amount of any other fruit.

You can also substitute 1 cup any flavor of jam or fruit preserves for the berries. Skip the jam-making step and proceed with assembling the popsicles.

AVOCADO, BEAN AND CORN SALSA

This is from Fiona Haynes, About.com's Low Fat Cooking's guide. She writes, “This is a colorful, nutritious and delicious fresh salsa which makes a great accompaniment to baked tortilla chips, chicken and fish dishes or as topping for tacos.” Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 10 minutes; makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

1/2 avocado, diced

1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed

1 cup kidney beans, black beans or pinto beans

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 large tomato, seeded and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro

Preparation:

Combine avocado, corn, beans, onion, tomato, jalapeno, lime juice and cilantro in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Per Serving: Calories 110, Calories from Fat 32, Total Fat 3.5g (sat 0.5g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 78mg, Carbohydrate 15.9g, Fiber 3.8g, Protein 3.7g

CHERRY TOMATO FOCACCIA

This is from the July/August 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 61. The recipe starts out with, “This bread is hearty enough to be served with a salad for a light lunch or supper.” Serves 8.

Topping

1/4 cup shelled roasted pistachios

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

Focaccia

3 1/2 cups bread flour

1 Tbs. sugar

2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast

2 tsp. salt

Olive oil, for greasing baking sheet

To make Topping: Pulse pistachios in food processor until ground, but with some larger pieces. Transfer to bowl, and stir in olive oil, garlic, and rosemary.

To make Focaccia: Stir together flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and 1 1/4 cups water in bowl. Knead dough in bowl 5 minutes. Cover bowl with towel, and let rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Generously grease rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Stretch dough into 12- x 11-inch rectangle in sheet pan. Let dough rise 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Dimple dough with fingers. Whisk 2 Tbs. water into pistachio mixture, and brush onto dough. Press tomato halves cut-side up into dough. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top and bottom.

nutritional information Per Slice: Calories: 329; Protein: 9 g; Total Fat: 11 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 48 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 589 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 3 g; Vegan

ROASTED POTATOES WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

This is from Diabetic Gourmet. Yield: 8 to 12 wedges (4 servings)

View Online: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/804.shtml

Source: The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/26.shtml

Ingredients

2 large baking potatoes or 3 medium potatoes (1-1/4 pounds total), each cut in 4 wedges

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a shallow dish or pan with nonstick pan spray.

Arrange potato wedges in the prepared pan. Combine the oil, garlic, rosemary, and salt in a small bowl. Brush the potatoes lightly with the oil mixture.

Bake until tender and golden brown, about 1 hour, basting with oil from the pan every 15 minutes.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving): Calories: 136; Protein: 3 g; Sodium: 155 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Fat: 3 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 24 g; Exchanges: 1-1/2 Starch, 1/2 Fat

LIGHT LEMON CAKE

Also from Diabetic Gourmet. Yields 20 servings. See online at http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/840.shtml

Ingredients

1 box (1 pound, 2.25 ounces) white or lemon cake mix

1 cup water

1/2 cup nonfat or light sour cream

1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute

2 packages (4-serving size each) sugar-free lemon gelatin mix

1 cup boiling water

1 cup cold tap water

Frosting:

2 cups nonfat or light whipped topping

3/4 cup light lemon yogurt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the cake mix, water, sour cream, and egg substitute in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.

Coat a 9-by-13 inch pan with cooking spray and spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or just until the top springs back when lightly touched and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool to room temperature. Then, using a fork, poke holes in the cake at 1/2-inch intervals. Place the gelatin mix in a medium bowl and add the boiling water. Whisk for 2 minutes or until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in the cold water. Slowly pour the gelatin mixture over the cake, allowing it to be absorbed.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

To make the frosting, place the whipped topping in a small bowl and fold in the yogurt. Spread the frosting over the cake and chill for an additional hour before serving.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving); Calories: 138; Protein: 3 g; Sodium: 218 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates; 26g; Exchanges: 2 Carbohydrate, 1/2 Fat

VEGAN PUMPKIN RISOTTO

I think this came from About.com, but I'm not completely sure, since it's been kicking around my email account for more than five years with not note. The person who sent this wrote, “A vegetarian and vegan twist on classic Italian risotto - pumpkin! Why not? Pumpkin adds a sweet and unique flavor perfect for fall, as a vegetarian Thanksgiving entree, or anytime. This Italian risotto recipe is both vegetarian and vegan.”

Ingredients:

1 onion. diced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups arborio (risotto) rice

1 cup white wine

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated or minced

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 tbsp margarine

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Sautee the onion in olive oil over medium heat for three to five minutes, or until soft. Add the rice. Allow to cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Slowly add the wine. Start to add the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Allow the moisture to cook off before adding the next 1/2 cup. Stir frequently. Add remaining ingredients, stirring well, and cook for just a few minutes, until heated through.