Popped Amaranth and Toasted Wheat Berry Breakfast Sundae

I wear a walkie talkie (of sorts) at work, making it easier to communicate with team members and customers who have questions about products.  During the past year our store was given a major bulk section makeover, which meant carrying many new types of legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, etc.  One grain (or technically "pseudo-grain") that has become very popular over the last year is Amaranth.  I have been reading about amaranth in the blog world for a while, and kept meaning to try it, but it wasn't until last month that I finally bought some and tried it in a recipe.  Amaranth is actually the grain of the month on the Whole Grain Council's website, so please, read more about it here.  I think the main highlights are that it's gluten free, provides a high-quality source of protein, and is the only "grain" that provides vitamin C (who knew?!).  Today I want to share one of my knew favorite breakfasts (yes, I've finally strayed from cereal and Greek yogurt ..... slightly.... and have moved on to popped Amaranth and cottage cheese....on occasion).

Popped Amaranth and Toasted Wheat Berry Breakfast Sundae

Modified from a recipe found on Epicurious.com 

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/4 cup raw wheat berries *

1/4 cup raw amaranth

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup plain 0% fat Greek yogurt

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese **

1 1/2 cups fresh and/or frozen berries (Without sugar added)

Directions

Heat a small, heavy saute pan over high heat.  Add the wheat berries and cook shaking the pan frequently until they start to crackle and swell up (about 2 minutes).  Remove to a bowl.  To the same pan over high heat add half the amaranth and hold a lid over top of the pan with one hand to prevent the amaranth from flying all over the place (because they will!), and stir lightly with a spoon with the other hand so they all cook evenly. Allow to pop for about 5-20 seconds (yes, the times vary depending on what type of pan you have and how hot you have it.  This might take some practice because the amaranth tends to burn easily.  Mine burned a bit but was still very tasty!  Play around with this a couple time and don't be ashamed if it takes a few practice rounds to get to the perfect "popped" amaranth!).  Do the same with the remaining amaranth.  Toss to combine the grains.  Put aside.

Whip the heavy cream with half of the sugar, until soft peaks forms (or until the mixture starts to thicken to your liking).  In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, cottage cheese, and remaining sugar together until fluffy and smooth.  Gently fold the cream/sugar mixture into the yogurt/cottage cheese/sugar, then dollop the mixture into two separate serving bowls.  Top the mixture with the grains and berries

** NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet you may want to avoid the wheat berries.   You could always use oats or just extra amaranth instead of the wheat berries. They didn't seem to cause me issues because I'm not very sensitive to wheat (it only causes me problems when I eat large amounts, as in more than one typical serving).  Also, be sure to get a lactose-free brand of cottage cheese.

Estimated Nutrition Facts
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Excellent source of fiber, protein, and vitamin C.  Good source of calcium, vitamin A and iron.

If the fat content is too high, or the sugar, make this without the sugar and heavy cream.  I did that once too (and just whipped the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt with some Stevia drops) and enjoyed it almost just as much!

Toasted Wheat Berries

This is what raw amaranth looks like.  Tiny!

See the raw vs. the popped?  They don't get very big when they pop, but you can tell they are popped because they look like small popcorn.

This is when I turn off the heat.  Almost all of the amaranth has been popped.

As you can see, some of the amaranth aren't popped, but they were definitely toasted and the flavor added a great flavor to the breakfast sundae.

I think the combination of cottage cheese and yogurt, whipped (even without the heavy cream and  sugar) is my new favorite morning-time treat.  It's amazing what a little air can do to the texture of dairy!

This being National Celiac Awareness Month and all, my goal is to keep experimenting with new gluten free grains.  What should I try next?!

QUESTION: Have you tried amaranth?  What about wheat berries?  What's your favorite unique grain (or "pseudo-grain")??

I hope all the mothers out there had a great Mother's Day yesterday.  I can't wait to experience motherhood myself one of these days! I had a nice time with my mom and a close family friend of ours on Saturday night. We drank wine and ate cheese, crackers, and fruit, while just laughing for hours.  Good times.

Thanks for reading.

The Candid Rd

Lower Sugar, Higher Protein PB&J Muffins

Every single night Nick eats bread for a snack.  I don't just mean a piece of bread, I mean two pieces, toasted, with lots of peanut butter (and as of lately, jelly).  When I saw this recipe on a favorite blog of mine, I figured maybe I could modify it a bit and make it Nick's new favorite nighttime snack.  I was happy with the turnout, but was terrified that Nick would hate them (I mean, I suppose I could have eaten them, but I had made them for him!).  Thankfully, he loved them.  Who needs boring bread when you can have (gluten free, lower sugar, and whole grain, shhh, don't tell) Peanut Butter and Jelly muffins instead?!

Lower Sugar, Higher Protein PBJ Muffins

Gluten Free, Whole Grain, low FODMAPs

Makes 12

Ingredients

2/3 cups peanut butter 

2 tsp. vanilla stevia drops

3/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond)

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular yogurt)

1 tsp. baking soda

1.5 cups brown rice flour (or oat flour)

3/4th cup frozen berries (I used blueberries) + 3 Tbsp. milk, blended together to make a "smoothie"

~1/4 cup jam for topping

1/4th cup powdered peanut butter (like PB2) for topping

Directions

Combine peanut butter, vanilla stevia drops, milk, yogurt and "smoothie".  Sift flour and baking soda into the mixture.  Stir together to form a thick batter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 12 muffin tins with liners or cooking spray.  Fill muffins 3/4 full and top with a dollop of jam and a sprinkling of powdered peanut butter.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

So pretty. No??

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/12th of batch

Nutrition Highlights:  Good source of fiber, only 3.4 grams sugar (not bad!) and almost 7 grams of protein (14% Daily Value!)

Ok, so these muffins weren't as pretty when out of the oven.  The blueberries blended with the milk gave them somewhat of an ugly blueish, green/brown color.  I was terrified Nick would not eat these, but, he did, and he had no idea how low in sugar they were (among the other great qualities).




If I make these again, which of course I will, I will maybe add a bit of real peanut butter on top, instead of powdered peanut butter (or perhaps I would mix the powdered peanut butter into the batter).  The powdered stuff didn't really do much and sort of sat on top of the muffins.  I guess it gives them character, right?!  Yeah, sometimes I go a little too far to reduce calories and add protein.  What can I say, I love experimenting in the kitchen!

QUESTION: Do you like to modify recipes to make them healthier, or lighter?  What's your most memorable success story?

Thanks for reading.

The Candid Rd

Pregnant? Get Motivated to Drop the Junk and Try These Granola Bites

Did you read the latest news about eating junk food during pregnancy?  It made me think that perhaps both my mom and Nick's mom binged on junk food throughout their entire pregnancies with both of us.    Why? Because the study showed that eating a lot of junk food (typically really sweet and fatty foods) during pregnancy can cause changes in the opioid signaling pathway of the unborn child, therefore making it difficult for the child to get that "feel good" feeling from eating certain foods (like high fat and sugar foods).  So in theory this would mean the child would need to eat more of the food to get that "feel good" feeling.  Do you have a sweet tooth? Do you like high fat junk foods? Nick and I both have major sweet tooths (although his is much, much worse than mine, can you believe I got blessed with marrying one of the few men on this planet who actually likes chocolate more than his wife?  Yeah, I'm a lucky women).

While I'm not pregnant, I do have many friends who are expecting and who have complained to me that their sweet tooth is just insatiable.  That scares me.  I can't imagine what mine will be like when the time comes......yikes.  This recipe is for anyone who is pregnant and wants a sweet treat that is actually packed with nutrition (and for those of you who aren't pregnant, you can enjoy this too, it's just a healthier treat for any occasion!).

Evan (the initial creator of this recipe) makes some of the most amazing recipes I've ever seen, and I know this not just because I look at his wonderful photos, but I have probably made at least a dozen of his recipes.  I saw these granola bites on his blog not too long ago and thought they sounded, as always, wonderful. But the best part was that they sounded easy.  Of course, I did make some modifications in order to make them low FODMAPs, and to appeal to my "spicy" side (I'm obsessed with adding cayenne to anything even slightly close to granola).

Spicy Granola Bites

Makes ~18 bites
Low FODMAPs

Modified from a recipe found on The Wannabe Chef's Blog

Ingredients

1.5 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 Tbsp. maple syrup (or cane syrup)

1/4th cup dark chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cayenne (or more for extra heat!)

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2.  Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and form a sticky dough.  Start forming 1-inch balls with your hands, adding more peanut butter if the dough is too dry.

3.  Place the balls on a non-stick cookie sheet.

4.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the outsides have browned a bit.

5.  Let the granola bites cool and then store them at room temperature for 2-3 days (or in the fridge for a week).

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The Candid RD
Pre-Oven baking

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Post-Oven Baking
So tasty right out of the oven!

Nutrition facts for 1/18th of recipe

Nutrition Highlights:  Under 150 calories, low fat, very low sodium (I used no salt added peanut butter), only 3 grams of sugar (because of the semi-sweet vs. milk chocolate chips)

But what if you want more protein in your snack?

-  Add some powdered peanut butter to your dough 

-  Add some chia seeds to the dough (they will soak up moisture so you may need more nut butter or cane sugar if you do this)

-  Add some more nuts/seeds of other types

-  Add whey protein (I thought about doing this....)

-  Serve your bites with some greek yogurt or a glass of milk

Want more ideas for "healthier indulgence" recipes? Check out my "raw" board on Pinterest, which contains plenty of delicious "bite" and "ball" options, also my "Healthy Snacks" board.  I also thought these larabar-like snack balls from Anna sounded really delicious.  I'll have to try them soon.

QUESTION:  What's your favorite healthy indulgence? Leave a recipe if you'd like to share!

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Vegetarian Pizza with Gluten Free Brown Rice and Rosemary Crust

I love pizza, but I can't even tell you the last time we ordered it.  Seriously.  I can't.  I love pizza, but pizza doesn't love me.  I can typically handle one slice before the bloat kicks in.  Because of that, I like to make my own.  I posted my butternut squash pizza last year, and since then I've been experimenting with the crust a bit.  I tried adding parmesan cheese to the crust once, and it was a major failure, but recently I added rosemary to the crust.  Success!

INSTAGRAM!  Right after coming out of the oven.

Vegetarian Pizza with Brown Rice Rosemary Pizza Crust 

(Gluten Free and Whole Grain)

Serves 10

Ingredients 
3 cups brown rice flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. oil (for your fingers when spreading the dough) 

2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. salt
1.5 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup warm water 

Toppings can vary, but I used the following:

1.5 cups pizza sauce

1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1 small tomato

~ 1 ounce sundried tomatoes
Banana peppers

Fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Combine and mix the flour, salt, sugar, rosemary, and the yeast in a medium sized bowl. Next, add the EVOO and water, and make the dough by mixing the ingredients all together using a clean pair of hands.

3. Once the dough is formed, coat your hands with some oil or non-stick spray. Use your hands to spread the dough evenly on a large pizza pan, the larger the better (you want the crust to be nice and thin).

4. Evenly coat the dough with your favorite toppings.  Cook for 35-45 minutes minutes (depending on your oven and how crispy you like your pizza.  No matter what, this crust is on the crumbly side, but it's still delicious and husband approved).

NOTE:  If you use sun-dried tomatoes, add them with only ~10 minutes of cooking left.  They will burn if in the oven too long.

NOTE: If you would like to make this a Low FODMAPs dish, keep the crust recipe the same, but make the pizza without a tomato-based sauce (I have yet to find one without garlic and onion!).  Often I just add some toppings (everything on here, minus the sun-dried tomatoes), cheese, and olive oil.   Sometimes I add olives and basil too.

Estimated Nutrition facts for 1/10th of pizza, crust only

Definitely better than my mom's "homemade pizza" she used to make when I was growing up.  She always used pizza dough mixes and while it really wasn't that bad, I was always the brat who wanted to complain because Pizza Hut was BETTER.  HA!

Estimated Nutrition facts for 1/10th of pizza; including the toppings 

INSTAGRAM!  Actually, I almost forgot to take a pictures of the pizza after I sliced it. This was already 3/4th eaten by the time I remembered I needed a good "after" photo.

Question:  What's your favorite topping(s) for pizza??

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Watching Your Weight? Don't Be Confused (or Fooled!) by These Labels....

I recently read an article that talked about a University of South Carolina study, which showed those who are trying to lose weight ( a whole lot of people at this time of year!) are more likely to be deceived by food labels.   Apparently the most commonly misunderstood labels include "gluten-free", "trans fat free", "no high fructose corn syrup", "whole grain", "low-fat", and "organic".  But I work in a supermarket and I can tell you right now there are a few other labels that can be just as confusing.  Please continue reading to see what these labels really mean.  And if you want more help, order your "Personal Food Label Guide" at the end of my blog post (the guide was written by yours truly!).

Source: iStock Photos

Trying to lose weight? Trying to be healthier this year? Keep in mind the true meaning of the following food labels (nutrition and nutrient claims); 

Whole Grain:  Sure, the food may have whole grains, but it may not be a significant amount.  In other words, there is probably a bread or pasta on the shelf with more whole grains, and that is the one that has the "100% Whole Grain" claim.  You want more whole grains for more fiber, B-vitamins, and other nutrients.

Source: iStock Photo

Multigrain: This is my favorite.  The "multigrain" claim sounds so healthy, doesn't it?? Every once in a while you will find a bread, cereal, pasta, etc. that claims to be "multigrain" that is actually made with multiple whole grains, but most often it's just made with several grains that are refined.  Or, sometimes you will see; refined wheat...a few other ingredients.... and oats.  Great.  One whole grain (the oats) and it's the least prevalent grain.  Not as healthy as you thought, right?! Does this mean don't buy it?  Not at all, just be aware you may not be getting what you think.

Gluten Free:  Do you believe there are still people out there who think that "gluten free" means healthy, or low-fat?  Believe it.  And, it's not true.  In fact, many gluten-free foods have more fat and more sugar than their gluten-filled originals.   Read the nutrition facts carefully.  Period.

This is a gluten free cookie cake (DELICIOUS!).  It had 10 grams more sugar than the non-gluten free version on the shelf.

No High Fructose Corn Syrup:  Mmmm k.  So what?!  If you are trying to avoid HFCS because you think it's highly processed and detrimental to your health for some reason, that's fine (although I don't really think it's as bad as some people think, but that's for another blog post) but don't be fooled into thinking it will cause weight gain any more than the other "added sugars".  Most foods with the claim "no HFCS" still have other sugars like sucrose, molasses, honey, evaporated cane juice, etc, which are almost exactly the same as HFCS.  In other words, the company is just swapping one added sugar for another.  You want to limit all types of sugars if you are trying to lose, or maintain a healthy weight.

This is a label for bread.  

This is the ingredient list for the bread pictured above.  Let's count the sources of sugar;
Sugar, Honey, Molasses
So, it may not have HFCS, but it still has 3 sources of added sugar!  Granted, they constitute 2% or less of the total ingredients, but so would the HFCS if it were in this bread.....

Trans Fat Free:   Trans-fat free just means the product contains half a gram, or less trans fat per serving.  Eat more than one serving and you could possibly have close to a full gram of trans fat!  That's a full gram too much.  Instead of looking for "trans fat free" look at the ingredient list and make sure there are no "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils.

Low Fat:   Doesn't mean low calorie. Doesn't mean low-sugar. And doesn't mean low sodium.  Remember, food companies have to make up for that fat taste somewhere, and it's typically with more salt, sugar, or something else.  It's fine to eat low-fat foods, but be aware it doesn't mean you can eat the whole bag!

Organic:  Doesn't always mean healthy. Period.  Have you seen the "organic candy bars"? They were made with organic ingredients, not less sugar, or less fat, or whole grains, or whatever else you associate with "healthy" (learn more about what "organic" means by purchasing my book, or viewing the USDA website).

Source: iStock Photo
Looking for "organic" and "natural" foods?  Look in your produce aisle for the best options.  Then you will know you are making a delicious and healthy choice!

Natural:  No one is actually monitoring the use of this term.  Did you know that?  And, there is no actual definition for this term either, which is why so many companies use it on their labels.  The FDA has said that the term "natural" can be used on foods that are "minimally processed, with no artificial colors or additives"....but, no one is actually making sure companies are using this term in the correct way.  Not only that, but even if a food really is labeled "natural" correctly, it doesn't mean it's healthy!  I mean....see the "Organic" segment above.  

Click on the PayPal link below to purchase your "Personal Food Label Guide"!  You can get it sent to you as a PDF file, and save it on your SmartPhone desktop as an "app".  This guide can be especially helpful for dietitians, as I refer to it quite often.

 

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Butternut Squash Muffins (Whole Grain and Gluten Free)

Believe it or not, last year we grew close to 50 butternut squash in our garden (ok, Nick grew them, I just cheered him on and watered a few times).  We had so many squash that we were able to give some away to friends and family, it was great. I also got inspired to make just about everything you could imagine with the squash (check out my recipes on the side of my blog; pizza, cookies, sauce, lasagna, the list goes on.....).

This year, however, we grew one.

I felt a lot of pressure to do something really amazing with this squash, so I had to find one recipe and really make it special.  After last year's cookies, breads, sauces, smoothies, etc. I figured I was lacking one thing.... muffins!

Butternut Squash Muffins

Gluten Free

Whole Grain
Low FODMAPs

Serves 24

Ingredients

3.5 cups brown rice flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. nutmeg, ground

1.5 tsp. cinnamon

2.5 cups cooked, pureed butternut squash **

1.5 cups white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup vanilla yogurt

4 egg whites

1 egg

1 cup dried fruit (I used dried pears)

NOTE**:  If you are following a  low FODMAPS diet,  you will want to omit the dried fruit, and be aware that butternut squash has a moderate amount of FODMAPs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper muffin liners

2.  In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  In a large bowl beat together the butternut squash, both sugars, yogurt, egg whites and egg.  Blend the flour mixture into the sugar/butternut squash mixture, slowly.  Fold in the dried fruit.  Transfer to the prepared muffin pan/liners.

3.  Bake 18-20 minutes in the oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/24th of recipe

Nutrition Highlights:  Excellent source of vitamin A, low fat, and compared to store-bought muffins these are definitely lower in calories.

We ate several of these muffins within a couple days, then we froze them to bring with us on our vacation to Bald Head Island (our wedding vacation!).  They were truly a lifesaver because traveling often means unhealthy eats are the only option.

Isn't it interesting how different types of light can make certain foods look completely different?!  The muffins below look somewhat anemic. No?

These muffins were so moist and delicious that they didn't even need butter (although Nick tended to eat his with peanut butter).  I was definitely happy with the one recipe I got from the one butternut squash we grew this year.  Try them today!

Have a fabulous Thanksgiving tomorrow, if you celebrate.  I'll be back on Friday with a post that answer the FAQ: What's Your Best Tip You Like To Give for Weight Loss?!  haha, right after "Turkey Day" :)

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.