Fresh Start: Healthy Breakfast or Brunch Plate

A breakfast or brunch plate filled with protein and nutrient rich items.  It's healthy eating without restricted dieting!

Healthy Breakfast or Brunch Plate

Are you one of those people that like a fresh, healthy start to the New Year!  While we try to eat healthy most of the time we always make an effort to get back on track after all the holiday indulgences!  Today's post is not a recipe but an inspiration on a healthy way to build your breakfast or brunch plate.  

Breakfast doesn't have to be filled with sweet pastry, pancakes, or waffle items.  Salad or veggies for breakfast? Of course! This plate is filled with protein, healthy fats, and nutrients.  Hopefully this will inspire you to change up your breakfast routine to include some different items.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need to re-create this?

• Eggs - make them scrambled, poached, or fried.  Good source of proteins, unsaturated fats, and vitamins.  My scrambles are here and here.

• Avocado - ripe sliced avocado provides healthy fats, vitamins, and potassium.

• Grapes - great source of vitamins, potassium, and antioxidants.

• Bananas - great source of potassium, fiber, and antioxidants. 

• Whole Wheat bread - great source for fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.  Can help in lowering cholesterol.

• Greek yogurt cream cheese - provides more protein and half the fat of regular cream cheese.

• Cucumber - filled with water for hydration, fiber, and vitamins.

• Tomatoes - great source of antioxidants and vitamins.

• Olive oil - rich in healthy fats

• Red Wine Vinegar - lowers blood sugars, nutrients, iron, vitamins.

Substitutions and Variations

• Whole wheat bagel topped with cream cheese and lox.

• Any type of fruit

• Avocado toast

• An omelet with vegetables mixed in.

• Have a side salad with a mix of vegetables along with your eggs.

• Hard boiled eggs.

• Add cheese cubes to the dish.

• Add a mix of nuts and dried fruit.

• Grilled asparagus and tomatoes.

• Slices of deli ham or turkey.

• Add greek salad with feta.

• Marinated or roasted chickpeas.

• Vegetable fritters - any type.

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Healthy Breakfast or Brunch Plate

To a plate add scrambled eggs, sliced avocado, toasted whole wheat bread that has been spread with Greek yogurt cream cheese and topped with sliced bananas.  Add a cluster of grapes, and a healthy serving of chopped cucumbers and cherry tomatoes tossed with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Comfort Food: Chicken Piccata

Chicken cutlets cooked and doused with a silky pan sauce that features, lemon juice, wine, and garlic.  A quick and easy dish that will bring you healthy yet comfort feels on a winter night.

Chicken Piccata

Need a quick and easy chicken dish that's also healthy to start off the New Year?  I've got an classic one for you.  Chicken Piccata  Just a few simple steps create a dish every bit as good as restaurant versions, ready to serve alongside a towering green salad and a simple whole wheat pasta or good loaf of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Piccata is the method by which a meat is floured, browned, and served with a sauce.  In this case my version contains lemon, wine, chicken broth, and garlic.  Typically capers are included in the original version, but I ran out of them.  Try adding some for a briny/salty bite to the dish.

Easy enough for a weeknight, Chicken Piccata is one dish that you will love and have you feeling all cozy.  It's a perfect healthy comfort food.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, or thin cutlets

• all purpose flour

• butter

• reduced sodium chicken broth

• cornstarch

• white wine

• garlic

• lemon

• parsley

Substitutions and Variations

• You can omit the wine, use a little more chicken broth.

• Omit the garlic it you would like. It's not in the original dish but the small amount give the sauce more depth of flavor.

• Add some fresh thyme to the sauce.

• Use chicken thighs, veal or pork cutlets.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Make sure your cutlets are even in height.  If not pound them to even them out.  They will cook evenly and quickly.

• Have the sauce ingredients ready to go while you are cooking the chicken.

• Set up you dredging station next to your hot skillet so you can dredge and go straight in to the skillet with each piece.

• Lightly flouring the cutlets lets them brown quickly without overcooking and helps thicken the sauce.

• Cooking in a combination of butter and oil will result in golden browned meat.

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Chicken Piccata

serves 4

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved horizontally to make cutlets
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup white wine
1 garlic clove, minced
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
lemon slices - (optional)
parsley chopped (optional)

On a plate or in a pie pan stir together flour, salt and pepper. Dip chicken into flour mixture, turning to coat, shaking off the excess flour.   In a ;arge skillet heat oil and butter over medium-high. Add chicken; cook 8 to 9 minutes, flipping at midpoint, until done (165 degrees F). Remove from skillet to a platter and cover with foil.  

Meanwhile, in a liquid measuring cup stir together broth and cornstarch and set aside.  Add garlic and wine tothe skillet, cook and stir up the brown bits 1 minute.  Wine will reduce.  Stir in cornstarch/broth mixture. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer 1 minute or until thick. Stir in lemon juice and zest.  

Drizzle chicken with sauce and top with lemon slices and a parsley.  Serve.

Winter Wonders: Loaded Apple Nachos for Two

With only 5 ingredients, this sweet variation on nachos is a great snack or dessert to share with a friend.

Loaded Apple Nachos for Two

A sweet take on nachos with apples?  I'm all in!  I love apples, so when I cam across this Weight Watcher's recipe for apple "nachos" I knew I had to make this right away.  And it's not about being diet food, it's really about healthy food.  Just let me say this is really easy to pull together.  5 ingredients, and about 15 minutes and you have a wonderful dish.  MGG and I had this as a snack and it was gobbled up in no time.

Thinly sliced apples (use your favorite) are arranged on a platter and doused with some softened peanut butter.  Then comes the toppings of mini chocolate chips, sliced almonds, and coconut flakes.  Heaven!  Don't walk, RUN and make this now!  You can thank me later.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• an apple - choose your favorite

• peanut butter - smooth works best here

• sliced almonds - make it easy on yourself and buy sliced almonds. I keep them in the house all the time for salads, yogurt toppings etc.

• mini chocolate chips - for just a hint of chocolate

• unsweetened coconut flakes  - Bob Mills makes a great product

Substitutions and Variations

• try pear nachos

• drizzle on a different nut butter, almond or cashew are good choices

• Shaved chocolate works instead of chips

• sprinkle on some granola

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Watch the almonds closely when toasting, they burn quickly.

• Microwave the peanut butter in 30 second increments until pourable.  Watch closely.

• Don't let the sliced apples sit too long or they will turn brown.

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Loaded Apple Nachos for Two

serves 2
WW Points: 7-9

2 Tablespoon sliced almonds
1 apple, cored and sliced into about 1/8" thick slices
1 1/2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1 Tablespoon mini chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes

In a small skillet over low heat add almonds and toast, stirring often for about 3-4 minutes.

Arrange apple slices on a serving platter or plate.  Add peanut butter to a small microwave-safe bowl or cup and microwave on high for 30 seconds or until pourable.

Drizzle the peanut butter over the apple slilces.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips, coconut and slice almonds over the apples.  Serve.

adapted from: WW Easy Everday Cooking