Salsa with Baked Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

Ingredients in salsa vary greatly, but most tomato-based vegetable salsas are an excellent source of antioxidants, vitamin C, and lycopene, which helps prevent heart disease and some cancers. Avoid high-calorie fried chips by purchasing the baked varieties instead, and be sure to look for varieties that list zero trans fats on their nutrition labels.

Nutrition Information:

Salsa, 2 ounces, 20 calories Baked tortilla chips, 1 ounce, 120

Hummus with Pita Bread

Ingredients:

Made from chickpeas, hummus provides protein, fiber, and carbohydrates. Spread hummus on pita bread for some added carbohydrates. Also try putting some veggies on your bread to make a great sandwich.

Nutrition Information:

• Hummus, 2 tablespoons, 83 calories
• Pita bread, 1 round, 195 calories

Popcorn Mix

Ingredients:

• 10 cups air-popped popcorn
• 1 cup lightly salted dry-roasted mixed nuts
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon or nutmeg

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place popcorn and mixed nuts in a 13" x 9" x 2" baking pan.

2. In a small saucepan, stir together the honey, orange juice, butter, orange rind and cinnamon until well mixed. Bring to a boil over moderate heat. Drizzle the honey mixture over the popcorn and nuts. Using a wooden spoon, toss until well mixed. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring twice.

3. Spread popcorn mixture onto a large sheet of foil. Cool completely. To store, place in a tightly covered container.

Nutrition Information:

Per 1-cup serving: Calories 228; Total Fat 14 g; Saturated Fat 4 g; Protein 5 g; Carbohydrates 24 g; Fiber 4 g; Sodium 166 mg; Cholesterol 9 mg.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Trail Bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup natural-style smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or almonds (2 ounces/60 grams)
• 1/2 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Coat a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-centimeter) baking pan with nonstick spray.

2. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the peanut butter, sugar, and honey in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until blended. Blend egg and egg whites with a fork in a small bowl. Add to the peanut butter mixture, along with oil and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add reserved flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula. Mix in oats, dried cranberries (or raisins), walnuts (or almonds), and chocolate chips. Scrape batter into the prepared baking dish. Use a piece of plastic wrap to spread batter into an even layer.

3. Bake the bars until lightly browned and firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a rack before cutting into 24 bars. One serving is one 2 x 2-inch (5 x 5-centimeter) bar.

Nutrition Information:

Per serving: (1 bar), 175 calories, 4 g protein, 24 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 8 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 9 mg cholesterol, 68 mg sodium

Banana Walnut Quickbread

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups mashed banana (from 3 bananas, about 1 pound)
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 1/2 tablespoons walnut oil or extra-light olive oil

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Toast oats and walnuts in oven on jelly-roll pan until oats are golden brown and walnuts are crisp, about 7 minutes. Set aside.

3. Stir together all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt on a sheet of wax paper until well combined.

4. Combine mashed bananas, brown sugar, buttermilk, egg whites, and oil in large bowl. Stir to mix well. Fold in flour mixture, oats, and nuts.

5. Spoon batter into loaf pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out of pan onto wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition Information:

Per slice, 194 calories / 23% from fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 5 g total fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 288 mg sodium, 34 g total carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 4 g protein

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 4 tablespoons margarine
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Stir in oats.

2. Cream margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at high speed until well blended. Add egg and vanilla and beat until light yellow and creamy, about 3 minutes. Blend in sour cream with wooden spoon, then flour mixture all at once, just until combined (don’t over mix or the cookies may become tough). Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake cookies until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool completely. Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information:

Per cookie, 85 calories / 27% from fat, 1 g saturated fat, 2.5 g total fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 70 mg sodium, 14 g total carbohydrate, 0.5 g dietary fiber, 1 g protein

Raspberry, Avocado & Mango Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries, divided
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
• 1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 8 cups mixed salad greens
• 1 ripe mango, diced (see Tip)
• 1 small ripe avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts or sliced almonds (see Tip), optional

Preparation:

1. Puree 1/2 cup raspberries, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender until combined.

2. Combine greens, mango, avocado and onion in a large bowl. Pour the dressing on top and gently toss to coat. Divide the salad among 5 salad plates. Top each with the remaining raspberries and sprinkle with nuts, if using.

Nutrition Information:

Per serving: 215 calories; 16 g fat (2 g sat, 12 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 7 g fiber; 122 mg sodium; 564 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus:

Vitamin C (70% daily value), Vitamin A (60% dv), Folate (36% dv), Potassium (16% dv).

Avocado Tea Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• 1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 8 very thin slices wheat bread
• 2 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
• 12 thin slices European cucumber

Preparation:

1. Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice and pepper in a small bowl. Thinly spread on bread and top with salmon, avocado and cucumber.

Nutrition Information:

Per serving: 143 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 3 mg cholesterol; 17 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber; 303 mg sodium; 129 mg potassium.

Fresh Fruit

Ingredients:

Fruit is one of the most healthy and natural foods in existence. There are thousands of different types of fruit available to eat, all of which provide us with strong health benefits. Fruit contains a large number of naturally occurring vitamins, minerals and plant phytochemicals that all benefit health. It has also been shown that eating the whole fruit or juice is much better than taking supplements to provide each nutrient separately.