Chocoats {Redux}

I'm now 3 months into motherhood and starting to get into the swing of things. Right now my meal planning, food prep, and blogging have definitely been affected by our new addition. I am even more into leftovers because I don't always have time to start from scratch when she needs me. This month's Recipe Redux theme was: Favorite Chocolate Matches - Does your chocolate need a friend? This month’s posting will be after Valentine’s Day, so you may have a bit of extra chocolate around. What’s your favorite chocolate match? Be it traditional peanut butter or something more exotic like cayenne + chocolate. Show us your favorite healthy chocolate combo recipe.

I kept things fairly traditional and aimed to create a quick breakfast that could be reheated and enjoyed during a busy work week or for a busy parent with little ones (or for whatever else keeps you busy these days!). We know that breakfast is a great way to get energy for the upcoming day and a chance to get in needed nutrients. See below for my Chocoats for a warm way to start your day.

Oats are a great whole grain to start the day with and since it's heart month it's good to remember that they can help with cholesterol and blood pressure. Adding peanut butter and berries adds some fat, protein, and fibre to help get you through the morning. The blueberries add a bit of sweetness and antioxidants which are great this time of year when colds and flus are still going around. With the added cocoa and coconut I feel like this reminds me of the haystack cookies we had when I was growing up.

Chocoats
Serves 4


Ingredients
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cocoa
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp peanut butter
Toppings optional (blueberries, milk, coconut)

Directions
1. Bring 3 cups of salted water to a boil.
2. Stir in oats, return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes.
3. Stir in cocoa, brown sugar, and peanut butter.
4. Serve with toppings of your choosing, or cool and refrigerate for leftovers.

Enjoy your weekend and the recipes below!
Steph Langdon, RD

An InLinkz Link-up

Blueberry Bran Muffins

I had all the ingredients in the house for this recipe (including fresh blueberries!). That's usually how I choose a recipe - I flip through a cookbook or look online until I find a healthy one with ingredients I already have on hand.

This Blueberry Bran Muffin recipe came from my handy Dietitian's of Canada Cook!

Makes 12 muffins
- preheat oven to 400F (200C)

1 1/2 c wheat bran
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c lightly packed brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 c milk (skim or 1%)
1/4 c canola oil
1/4 c fancy molasses
1 c fresh or frozen blueberries

1. In a large bowl, combine bran, flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and baking soda.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, eggs, milk, oil, and molasses until blended. Pour over flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries.
3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes or until tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.

1 muffin = 175 calories, 6.4g fat, 28g carbohydrate, 4 g fibre, 5 g protein; very high in magnesium and high in zinc.

Steph Wheler, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com