Wake up to something new!

"Bird's Nest" Breakfast with Zucchini Hash, Egg whites, and Fresh Sage

For a healthier alternative to our starchy inspiration, these eggs in a basket use matchstick sliced zucchini instead of potatoes. Topped with a little egg white and sprinkled with fresh sage and parmesan cheese. 

• Once again, breaking out the mandolin for my matchstick zucchini. I took two small sized zucchini and cut them into quarters. A whole small sized zucchini (around 120grams) is only about 25 calories.
• Using the yolk of one egg (save the white for the filling!) and about 1/2 Tbsp of canola oil (or whatever you got!) as a binder for the zucchini strips. 
• Mix together the zucchini, yolk, and oil and then crack some fresh pepper, salt, garlic powder and onion powder (fresh would be better but this is the quickie version!), and a few pinches of cayenne!
• Spray or oil down a muffin tin and then line with the zucchini shaping enough to line the bottom and just a little of the wall.
• Use 4 egg whites to fill the inside of your "nests" and then sprinkle with fresh sage (and parmesan if you desire!)
• Pop in the oven at 375 degrees for about 12 min or until zucchini is lightly browned and egg whites have turned white and slightly firm.

If you like to have a little sweetness to accompany your savory, try a 1/2 cup of non-fat greek yogurt with organic naval orange slices, a drizzle of agave, and top it off with your favorite nuts or roasted flax seeds! Now, usually I steer clear of dairy products when I can but, I had some left over greek yogurt from my "healthy hollandaise" sauce so I thought I'd make use of it! What a great alternative to your daily glass of processed O.J!

A very satisfying and complete breakfast/ brunch all for under 400 calories! A serving size of 7 "Nest Eggs" is only 250 calories!

Lemon Caper Alaskan Cod with Healthy Hollandaise Sauce, Steamed Garlic Artichoke, and Pesto Zucchini "Pasta"

The other day a friend and I made dinner together and I was able to turn them on to the zucchini pasta alternative that has been my latest obsession. Using a mandolin slicer we created beautiful zucchini "noodles" which, when sauteed for just a few min (around 3-4) and tossed with any kind of sauce, become a fabulously satisfying and flavorful alternative to pasta. You still get the enjoyment of twirling it on your fork and slopping up all the saucy goodness for less than 1/7 of the calorie count.

How to make Healthy Hollandaise:

• About 3/4 cup of low-fat or non-fat plain yogurt (can use greek if you want a tangier version)
• 3 Egg Yolks (Save your whites in the fridge for breakfast!)
• A couple dashes of hot sauce (preferably tabasco or siracha or both!)
• 1-2 tsp of dijon mustard (smooth not grainy!)
• 2-3 tsp of fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Emulsify ingredients. Set up a double boiler. Whisk sauce for a few minutes or until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste for seasoning. Voila! Versatile, flavorful, and butter free! If you are counting calories don't ignore the yolks just make room for them in your meal plan... so worth it!

 Vegan Tom Yum Soup, Fresh Rolls with Mint, Basil, and Spicy Shrimp with a spicy creamy dipping sauce.

A little spicy Thai to jumpstart your metabolism. Soup incredibly low fat, loaded with veggies, and FULL of flavor. Shrimp Lettuce Wraps with carrots, apple, zucchini, mint, and basil. 

Iced Espresso with Vanilla Almond Milk, Agave and Cinnamon.

Almond milk is a rich, creamy, fabulous replacement for milk. It is half the calories of milk and won't cause breakouts like dairy can do. Agave Nectar is a sweet replacement for sugar. It is all natural, vegan and 2-3 times sweeter so you use less. 60 calories per tablespoon...equivalent to that of honey. Cinnamon has been shown to, among many things, lower cholesterol and improve blood circulation.

                             Gluten Free Guilt Free thin crust pizza with soy-salami, mozzarella, and fresh    basil, and lemon/garlic marinated kale side salad.              

Kale is SUPER. It's versatile and ridiculously good for you. Let's talk pizza. Sometimes you just need pizza. Brown Rice Tortilla: Gluten Free; Mushroom Garlic Marinara; Fresh Basil; Soy-Salami: Way healthier than the greasy pork butt; and Mozzarella Cheese (Delicious cheese-less too for an even lower calorie pizza!)

Spinach Shirataki Noodle Pasta with Fresh Kale-Basil Pesto, Roasted red and purple potatoes with lemon and capers, and Roasted Brussel Sprouts.

The new word in noodles: Shirataki. Long used in Asian cooking, is now being brought to the attention of the diet crazed American society. Toss em in some homemade kale, spinach and basil pesto. Voila! Satisfying pasta with 1/4 of the calories. Use Shirataki anywhere you would normal pasta... it's perfect for pad thai noodles!

Fire it up!

Join me. As I take classic comfort foods and make them guilt-free and fabulous. I don't know about you, but I am so sick of the battle between my cravings and my post consumption guilt. Let's change the relationship we have with food. Let's eat our veggies... AND love them. Let's be ok with having seconds... because let's be honest... everyone wants to feel full AND satisfied. Let's discover a way to make diet friendly food flavorful. Quit calling it diet food, start calling it real food. Step away from the tv dinner and meet me at the produce aisle...

luv.luv.luv
Katie