banana pecan protein muffin

I'll start by saying - I do not like bananas. They join a long list of foods that my friend Dave Beier can recite offhand, that i do not like in, on, or near my food.



Raul and I have started overhauling our eating, he is prepping for another marathon - and I am changing for a healthier life.

So, I found this recipe in my new favorite cookbook The Best of Clean Eating, and as usual I edited it a bit. The critics - Rae and Raul, thought they were delish.

The muffins are low in fat and sodium, and contain fiber and protein.

12 egg whites (fyi - 2 liquid tablespoons of egg white equal 1 egg white)
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
2/3 cup high fiber cereal (I found mine at Trader Joe's - the box just said High Fiber Cereal - I chuckled)
2 fresh bananas - mushed
6 tablespoons of low or no sugar apricot jam
dash of vanilla extract
a sprinkling of cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
8 to 12 drops of stevia clear liquid
olive oil cooking spray (i forgot this step )
1 oz raw mashed pecans
1 oz raw chopped pecans (for the top so they look pretty)
aluminum cupcake liners (affects consistency)

— preheat oven to 350
— in a blender mix everything except the cereal and the pecans
— fold the cereal and the mashed pecans into batter (I found the batter to be a little thin so i added more oatmeal, which is included in my ingredients

— line the muffin pans with the aluminum cupcake liners
—spray (i forgot this step )

— use a 1/2 cup measurer to pour the ingredients into the muffin tins
— top with chopped pecans
— bake in middle rack of oven for 30 minutes

roasted cauliflower leek soup

I think this still needs perfecting, but we scarfed this down yesterday. Before you start cutting and washing - preheat your oven to 425 and put a large baking sheet in the oven to warm up.

3 leeks, washed and thickly sliced - white part only - save a little of the green for garnish
4 garlic cloves
1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dill
12 teaspoon (more to taste) sea salt, freshly ground pepper
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup skim milk
3 cups shredded basil
3 tablespoons hot water

While the oven and baking sheet are doing there thing, cut and toss leeks, garlic, and cauliflower with 1 tablesppon of oil, half of the salt and pepper, and all of the dill. If the mixture looks dry you can add more oil - but you probably do not have to. Spread this mixture onto your hot baking sheet and cook in the center of the oven, stirring every 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is browned - about 30 minutes total.

Put this mixture into a pot with the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Leeks should be very soft. If you have an immersion blender - put it in the pot and blend while slowly adding the skim milk. If not - blend in small batches in food processor, and then stir in milk.

Put basil in blender and add hot water. Puree till smooth. Serve soup in bowls and drizzle with the basil and decorate with some of the darker green ends of the leeks.

I edited this recipe from The Best of Clean Eating cookbook. It's not 100 percent perfect yet. I am going to combine with a lowfat potato leek recipe I have and see if i come up with perfection.

Enjoy!