Greek Yogurt and Fruit

Wow, here's a great idea for a snack or even for breakfast. A dietitian recently made me aware of Greek yogurt. Higher in protein and lower in calories, Greek yogurt has a slightly thicker consistency than regular yogurt. Mix in some fresh or frozen fruit and/or granola and you've got a great snack or breakfast.

Frozen fruit is another great idea that I learned last week. When blueberries and strawberries are expensive in the winter(and let's be honest, they are not as good as they are in the summer), you can always pick up some packages of frozen berries. They are great on cereal, in yogurt or like a mini popsicle right out of the freezer!

Sunday Breakfast Frittata

Here's a neat way to utilize those sauteed mushrooms the next morning and have a great breakfast. This is a spinach and mushroom frittata that my wonderful wife made for me this morning. We shared this frittata which is basically three eggs, two egg whites(you can reverse that ratio or use all egg whites!), sauteed mushrooms from last night, and spinach. First throw in the veggies in a pan with some butter or olive oil, wilt the spinach, add the eggs, cook for about 3 minutes, then put in broiler in oven proof pan(no plastic handle) for about 10-15 minutes until eggs are cooked through. Delicious!! by the way, a word about eggs. An excellent source of protein and omega 3's they've gotten a bad rap in years past. True the yolks have a high degree of cholesterol and fat that increases the caloric density. However if you use half the yolks, or just the whites you'll get alot of protein and still alot of taste, especially if you add veggies an seasoning. Consult with your physician as to where your cholesterol should be, but in most people eating eggs with the yolks once or twice a week is ok, won't bump your cholesterol much and gives you more of those healthy omega 3's.

Another Kind of Oatmeal

I never was a big fan of oatmeal until recently. At a conference last year I tried steel cut oats and found them to be a bit different than the average oatmeal. The flavor is nuttier and the texture to me is less mushy. So what are they? Alton Brown did a nice segment on oats recently and summarized the different forms of oats out there. Rolled oats are what most of us are used to buying in the store in a big round box. Rolled oats take about 10 minutes to cook. When rolled oats are fragmented a bit more they can be purchased as quick oats which cook even more quickly but are a bit mushier. I try to stay away from instant oatmeal as its really mushy, almost pasty and contains all kinds of additives and sugars that you really don't need. Steel cut oats are the oat s prior to rolling them. They look like little nuggets almost, kind of like what the old grape nuts looked like.

You can buy steel cut oats in the grocery store but in bulk at a health food store they are half the price. The problem with them is that they cook up in no less than a half hour so the dish is not easy to pull together if you are rushing off to work in the am. I make a batch the beginning of the week and keep it in the fridge, then microwave a bowl each morning with some maple syrup, raisins and cinnamon and a little milk...great stuff and very filling. Give it a try and let me know what you think!!

LF