Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread Muffins

These whole wheat Irish soda bread muffins are delicious, the perfect start a lazy cold March Sunday morning. Speckled with raisins, they are sweet and perfect enjoyed with a hot cup of tea.

Plus, making them in muffin tins is perfect for better portion control. I first posted these back in 2010, and almost forgot just how good these were! I used a combination of King Arthur unbleached white whole wheat flour with unbleached all purpose flour, and the flavor and texture was perfect – they don't taste whole wheat at all. If you like caraway seeds in your bread, you can add about an eighth of a teaspoon.

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Low Fat Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Sunday mornings are a little better when I make these deliciously moist muffins. These muffins make a regular appearance in my home whenever I have ripe bananas I need to use up. Everyone loves them around here – if you try them you'll know why!

I resurrected this recipe from the archives for those of you who haven't tried these yet. They are so good, and quite popular here. When I first created this recipe, I found the best way to get the peanut butter taste without the added fat was to use use Better'n Peanut Butter which I find at Trader Joe's. You could also use PB2 if you wish. I put a little extra peanut butter in the center of each muffin to give you the extra peanut butter flavor with every bite. Of course, if you wish to use regular peanut butter that's fine too, only you'll have to adjust the nutritional info.

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Banana Cranberry Bread

If you have ripe bananas lying around, today is the perfect day to make this wonderfully moist banana bread studded with tart ruby cranberries!

It's snowing here today – the kind of day I look for any excuse to turn on my oven so I can warm up my home with the scent of fresh baked goodness. With ripe bananas on my counter, and some cranberries left over from yesterday's pear-cranberry crumble, I knew exactly what I wanted to make.

This bread turned out moist and wonderful, I love the contrast of the sweet bananas with the tart cranberries in each bite. Some other Skinnytaste banana bread recipes you may enjoy are Banana Nut Bread,  Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread, Petite Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Loaves, and Pumpkin Banana Bread.

Stay warm and enjoy!

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Skinny Mummy Cake Balls

Easy Halloween cake balls made light by using a box cake mix, egg whites and fat free Greek yogurt – no no butter required!

Madison is having a Halloween party in school and I'm in charge of bringing the cupcakes, so I thought cake balls would be perfect for 4 year olds – and less mess than icing on cupcakes.  For an easy Halloween theme I decided to go with mummies and I think they turned out pretty darn cute. These are super easy – if I can make them so can you!

Cake pops were made popular by the very talented Bakerella who I'm actually going to meet next week, I'm so excited! Her cake pops are just darling and if you ever buy her books she's got tons of ideas. The traditional method of making cake pops is by crumbling cake with frosting and forming them into balls. My skinny version is so much quicker – I simply use a cake pop pan.

I played around with a few cake pop pans and machines out there and realized they are not all created equal. After testing out several, I had the most success with the Nordicware cake pop pan, which is only about $17 at Target. I actually own two so I can bake them both at the same time.

These are FAR lighter than traditional cake pops, but you'll still need some self control as they are dipped in white chocolate. Candy melts (available at Michael's) were used to coat the balls. They usually melt perfect for me but this time it was a little thicker than I liked so I had to add a drop of oil to thin it out. I may play around with other brands of white chocolate to see which melts the best.

One tip from making these several times: if you don't need to decorate so many cake balls you can bake them all and decorate what you need, then freeze the rest. Then thaw them to use for another day.

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Whole Grain Apple Nut Muffins

Whole grain apple muffins made with fresh apple, applesauce, walnuts plus a combination of bran flour, white whole wheat and almond meal with a granola topping.

It's apple season and I picked up some gala apples at the farmer's market last week to make a great big batch of crock pot applesauce. Last year I used that applesauce to make an applesauce nut bread which I love, and it inspired me to experiment with almond meal, wheat bran and flax to come up with these delicious muffins. I love how moist they turned out, and I saved the extra in my refrigerator to eat for the week – they stayed moist for days!

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Skinny Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These mini pumpkin spiced muffins are made light with pumpkin puree and egg whites and loaded with chocolate chips in every bite!

I don't know about you, but I'm so ready for Fall... cozy sweaters, boots and jeans, changing leaves, apple picking and of course pumpkin! Even if it's still warm out, these mini pumpkin muffins will get you in the Fall spirit and they are perfect for breakfast with a Skinny Pumpkin Latte or to put into your kid's lunch box for a healthy, homemade snack.

You can make them in a regular sized muffin tin if you prefer, you should get around 14 larger muffins and the nutritional info should remain the same. And if you want more pumpkin recipes, I have TONS, check out my Skinny Pumpkin Recipes in the Index or follow my Skinny Pumpkin Madness Pinterest Board.

Enjoy!!

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Savory Zucchini Asiago Tomato Scones

Light and biscuit-like savory scones made with a blend of whole wheat and white flour, shredded zucchini, sun dried tomato, Asiago cheese and fresh rosemary. Almost smells like pizza when it comes out of the oven!

I was at the farmer's market in Long Beach this past weekend and bought lots of zucchini and tomatoes. I also came across a stand selling savory scones, a concept I fell in love with. Rather than my usual scones that I make with fruit, these are made with seasonal summer ingredients – perfect for brunch, lunch or with dinner. Today I had a scone for lunch with a beautiful heirloom tomato salad from the tomatoes I bought over the weekend. I'm thinking the leftovers would be perfect for dinner tonight with my homemade tomato bisque using the rest of the tomatoes I have.

Scones are usually made with double the amount of butter, to lighten them I have been having great success replacing butter with whipped butter in my baked recipes which is a lighter since it's whipped. I also use half the amount of butter used in traditional scones, and adding the zucchini really helps give the scones lots of moisture. The scones come out tender and soft with lots of wonderful flavor.

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Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread

 

This banana bread is moist and delicious, made with white whole wheat flour, sweet roasted strawberries and ripe bananas, with just a smidgen of butter, so you can enjoy a slice without the guilt!

I had some bananas that were getting brown and I was really in the mood for banana bread, so I combined the two for a delicious quick bread. You can turn these into muffins if you prefer. In the past I attempted this recipe, but the strawberries released too much liquid which made the bread a little too moist. Roasting the strawberries is the perfect solution, most of the liquid dries out from roasting so you get the flavor of the strawberries in every bite.

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Skinny Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

 

Cheesecake squares, lightened up with yogurt and light cream cheese, baked on a chocolate graham cracker crust drizzled with melted chocolate and topped with fresh raspberries.

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, you NEED to make this cheesecake!

A few years ago I first attempted my first cheesecake with yogurt, and since then I never looked back. I adapted this from my very popular Strawberry Swirled Cheesecake with chocolate in mind, of course.

And since I always second guess myself when making skinny desserts, I gave this to some of my family members who couldn't give a darn about calories or fat, and they loved it! So, if you need an idea for Valentine's Day (or any day) give this dessert a try.

And just an FYI, if you need a fabulous breakfast idea, we LOVE these heart shaped chocolate chip banana pancakes!

If you want to make a super easy 2-ingredient dessert... chocolate covered strawberries always impress!

And if you're a bread pudding lover like myself, and don't mind splurging a few extra calories, I love this Dark Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding!

PS- Fabulous fork says it all... dessert first! You can find this on Etsy, From Such A Time Designs.

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Skinny Cake Pops

Cake pops made lighter by using a box cake mix, egg whites and fat free Greek yogurt – no oil, no butter required!

Today is my daughter Madison's 3rd birthday!

She is having a little birthday party in school and I was asked to bring something that wasn't too messy, so I thought cake pops would be perfect! But then I remembered lollipop sticks and 3 yr olds aren't such a great idea, so after thumbing though the Bakerella Cake Pops book for ideas we decided on cake balls that look like little cupcakes.

Cake pops are all the rave thanks to the very talented Bakerella, but using the traditional method of crumbling the cake with frosting adds a lot of calories to each pop. The only way to make them lighter is by using a cake pop pan, rather than the original method; it's quicker and easier too! I tested out my lighter cake box recipe to see how they would turn out, and it worked like a charm!

I played around with a few cake pop pans and machines out there and realized they are not all created equal. After testing out a bunch of them, I had huge success with the Nordicware cake pop pan, which is only about $16 at Target.

So today, in honor of my daughter's birthday I am giving away the Nordicware Cake Pop Pan, and Bakerella's Cake Pop Book on Skinny Bits (courtesy of Target). Giveaway ends Wednesday evening, so hurry!

Now be warned, these are FAR lighter than traditional cake pops, but they are dipped in chocolate, which will add up if you eat a lot, so you'll still need some self control! Dark chocolate, of course is the healthiest option, but for color purposes today I went with white chocolate. Candy melts (available at Michael's) were used for my daughter's cake balls.

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Baked Oatmeal with Pumpkin and Bananas

Baked oatmeal with ripe bananas, pumpkin and pecans is the perfect way to start your morning!

When this first came out of the oven, I wasn't so sure...but after my first bite I knew I had a winner!

Ever think about how perfect a banana is? My favorite way to eat them is when they are bright yellow, with no brown spots. I always throw a banana in my bag for a quick snack on the go, or after a work-out, but does that mean when they get all dark brown they are bad?

No way! I never throw bananas out... ever! Once they go start to get brown spots, I use them for smoothies, baked oatmeal, banana nut pancakes, banana nut cookies, muffins, banana bread and more. The riper they are, the sweeter they become and if I know I don't plan on using them right away, I freeze them for banana ice cream (recipe coming tomorrow).

This year I was thrilled to attend Dole's first ever Banana Summit, held in Anaheim California at Disney's California Adventure Resort. I'm a bit behind covering the summit thanks to Hurricane Sandy that knocked out my power for 12 days, but I finally got my power back and was finally able to use my oven. Hurray! 

What is a "Banana Summit" you ask? Pretty much what it sounds like, a few days with wonderful blogger friends where we literally ate, drank and experienced bananas in every way possible.

And since I'm bananas for bananas (corny, I know) I was happy to be a part of this wonderful group of people. And getting to spend a day at Disneyland made me feel like a kid again. Why Disney? Disney collaborates with many companies and one of them happens to be Dole. At the famous Enchanted Tiki Room inside the Magic Kingdom I tried my first "Dole Whip" which was as good as I heard it was. And sitting inside the Enchanted Tiki Room brought me back to my childhood trip there.

If you have ripe bananas laying around, give this baked oatmeal a try. It's so good, it almost tastes like a banana-pumpkin nut bread. In fact, I told my toddler it was cake, and she ate it (cold).

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Pumpkin Hazelnut White Chocolate Biscotti

Hazelnuts, white chocolate and pumpkin spices are the perfect combination for these crispy "adult" cookies. Biscotti is an Italian crescent shaped cookie that is twice baked and perfect for dunking into coffee, tea or even milk.

If you have electricity and a warm oven to bake these in today, take a moment to be thankful and think about the hundreds of thousands who do not.

It's Sunday, day seven of no electricity for many of us on the South Shore of Long Island, Staten Island, Brooklyn and New Jersey. It's getting cold outside and gas has been very hard to come by, but I am fortunate I was able to stay at my Mom's last night. 

I am thankful for my family, the roof over my head and hot food to eat and so sad for those around me who lost everything. I donated clothing, donated to the Red Cross, and plan on doing more once my power is restored and I can get gas.  The way I see it, I can't help everyone, but if everyone helps one person they will be in much better shape. Hope you all have a warm Sunday with your loved ones and be thankful for the little things we take for granted.


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Pumpkin Nut Muffins

With a chill in the air, weekends in the Fall are perfect for baking muffins. These pumpkin nut muffins have very little oil, but lots of pumpkin taste. The pecans add a little crunch in every bite that I just love! Enjoy them with some hot tea or a cup of pumpkin spiced latte!

This is basically a variation of my Pumpkin Bread with Pepitas, if you prefer to make these into a Pumpkin Nut Bread, the baking time will be 50 to 55 minutes.

And coincidentally, these are dairy-free for those with a milk intolerance. Not sure if they can be made gluten-free, but I think I'll test it out soon with a GF flour and see. If anyone has a favorite GF mix, feel free to comment, I heard Williams Sonoma's GF mix is really good.

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Honey Coconut Blueberry Bran Muffins

 

Start your morning right with these healthy bran muffins lightly sweetened with honey, fresh blueberries and coconut flakes. So moist and delicious, you won't even realize they are light.

Someone recently shared this bran muffin recipe with me and I am glad she did. It's been years since I had a bran muffin, but my first time actually making them and I was surprised how good they turned out. Enjoy one for breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea and you are good to go. Freeze the rest to enjoy throughout the month or make a half batch.

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Cherry Custard

This simple dessert is similar to a French Clafoutis, only made lighter and served in individual ramekins for better portion control.

Happy Friday everyone!! Before the summer comes to an end, I am trying to enjoy all my favorite summer fruits, especially cherries, watermelon and peaches. This cherry custard is a must, I just love the flavor and you'll be surprised how easy it is to make.

I used raw sugar as my sweetener, but Stevia or Splenda would work fine too. By the way, if you haven't read the Skinny on Sweeteners yet, I highly recommend it – a very informative article on  a very confusing topic written by Heather K Jones, RD.

And speaking of pitted cherries, I am loving my new cherry pitter, from Amazon, it makes pitting cherries a breeze!

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Skinny Honey Lemon Bars

 

Pucker Up! These sweet and tangy bars are lighter than traditional bars, but are not lacking in flavor! The sweet and tart topping is made from fresh lemon juice, lemon zest and sweetened with honey atop a shortbread crust. Perfect for potlucks, back yard parties and picnics.

I recently found a lightened up Lemon Bar on a blog (I forget which, sorry) that was adapted from America's Test Kitchen Light and Healthy Cookbook. I tested it out and further adapted the recipe swapping out ingredients and changing it to my taste and the result was a sweet-tart bar I couldn't resist! I'm really not sure what the original recipe looked like, bit I can tell you I loved how these turned out and I will certainly be making them again..

The only problem with these lemon bars is that I find myself making up excuses as to why I can eat another. I suggest making these only if you have some friends to share them with!

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Red, White and Blueberry Cheesecake Yogurt Cupcakes

Mini cheesecake cupcakes made with Greek yogurt and cream cheese with a vanilla wafer crust topped with strawberries and blueberries to create a red, white and blue dessert using Mother Nature as my source for food coloring.

These are the perfect Memorial Day weekend treat, they taste too good to be under 100 calories!

And if you prefer a lemon dessert, try these lemon cheesecake cupcakes instead. If you want them gluten free, leave out the vanilla wafer, the points become 2 pts plus instead.

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Easy Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

A simple summer cake loaded with fresh, juicy blueberries in a lightly sweetened, moist buttermilk cake. And yes, it's light too!

The blueberries are the star of this cake, and I didn't think it needed any frosting. I simply topped it with a little powdered sugar before serving (completely optional) or you can even serve it with some whipped topping (or Greek yogurt) on the side.

I took a poll on the Skinnytaste Facebook fan page and asked what kind of baker you are, one who bakes from scratch or one who prefers quick recipes using a box cake as an ingredient, and the overwhelming response was you all like to bake from scratch!

So I set out to make this cake loaded with fresh blueberries without all the butter you would normally find in most cake recipes, and I was so pleased with the results. You will be too!!

Baking low-fat is tricky and requires a few rounds of experimenting. This luckily only took two attempts – first attempt I didn't use buttermilk and used double the apple sauce and although it worked, it was a little dense where this final cake is perfectly moist and fluffy.

Thumbs up all around in my house with the final version, from my 2 year old to the adults! 

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