New Recipes for Healthy Salads

Today is the final day of May and in case you didn’t know May is National Salad Month. I have been creating and enjoying fabulous salads all month. Here are just a few. Fortunately, you’ll be able to enjoy many of my favorite salads in my soon to be released cookbook. You’ll notice amounts are approximate. I am a recipe creator and the first time I create something I go by feel, so amounts have not yet been dialed in. However, I enjoyed these salads so much I wanted to share it right away.

Creamy Black Bean & Corn Salad

• 1 (15 oz) can Black Beans, drained & rinsed
• ~ ½ cup sweet Corn, canned & drained or frozen, thawed
• ~ ½ - 2/3 cup Lowfat or fat free cottage cheese
• ~ 2/3 to ¾ cup Chunky Salsa
• ~ ½ cup Diced bell pepper, red or green
• ~1/4 cup Canned Green chiles, optional
• ~1/4 - 1/3 cup chopped green onion, optional
• ~ 1/2 to 1 TBS Taco Seasoning, optional
• ~ ¼ to ½ tsp Cumin, optional

In bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir to combine. Can be eaten as is or as a dip or atop a bed of leafy greens. Can be eaten cold or hot.

Balsamic Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

• 1 ½ cups Fresh Broccoli florets, cut small
• 1 ½ cups Fresh Cauliflower florets, cut small
• ~ ¾ to 1 cup Shredded carrots
• ~ 1 – 1 ½ cup Shredded green or purple cabbage, optional
• ~ 1/3 to ½ cup Raisins or craisins
• ~ 1/3 to ½ cup Slivered raw almonds, chopped raw walnuts, or raw sunflower seeds
• ~ ½ cup Plain nonfat yogurt
• ~ 1/3 – ½ cup Mayo, light or nonfat
• ~ 1 to 2 TBS Balsamic vinegar
• Sea Salt, to taste
• ~ 1 TBS EVOO, optional
• ~ 1 TBS honey or agave nectar, optional

In large bowl toss together vegetables. In separate small to medium bowl, combine plain nonfat yogurt, mayo, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and EVOO and honey, if desired. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat. Then add raisins or craisins and nuts mix until combined. Enjoy.

When you make these salads, I'd love to get your feedback.

To Your Best Health,

Melissa Guthrie

Triumph Training Nutrition Coach & Fitness Trainer

Highly Requested Bread Recipe

So you know how I am a huge fan of homemade bread and I make at least one loaf of homemade bread each week. Well, this past week I attended two potluck events and I took homemade bread to both. I created some raving fans. People couldn’t stop talking about “The Bread”. So now I’m going to help you create some raving fans too by sharing my recipes. This bread is 100% whole grain and as you read the recipe you'll see it has only pure healthy ingredients, unlike 99% of the breads you'll find on the grocery store shelves.

This is the recipe I made for the Women’s Cycling Group on June 20th….

Whole Wheat Oatbran Bread (2lb Loaf)
1 ¼ cup water
3 TBS honey
2 TBS applesauce, unsweetened
4 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup oatbran (farina or cornmeal can be substituted)
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp bread machine yeast
2-3 tsp vital gluten

I know different bread machines have different instructions. For my machine, I put all of the wet ingredients in first, followed by the flour and other grains. I make a well in the flour and put my yeast in the well and then cover it up with some of the flour. Then I sprinkle the salt around the edge of the bread pan, to keep it as far from the yeast as possible. Then I sprinkle the vital gluten over the top of the flour. I bake this on the whole wheat cycle.

If you have any questions, let me know. Otherwise, ENJOY!

Recipes that are coming in the near future are Whole Wheat Strawberry Craisin Sunflower Bread, Whole Wheat Oatmeal Maple Bread, and Homemade Hummus.


To Your Best Health,

Melissa Guthrie
Triumph Training Fitness & Nutrition
BSc Nutritional Science
BSc Exercise Physiology
Nutrition Coach
ACE Certified Fitness Trainer/Group Ex. Instr.
New Leaf Metabolic Technician
Competitive Triathlete
Healthy Cooking Enthusiast

Putting Love & Passion in Your Valentine's Day Meals

It’s Valentine’s Day, so I thought it would be timely to share a few fun ways to put some Love & Passion into your meals.

Homemade Heart Shaped Pizza
I love homemade pizza!! My favorite crust is a honey whole grain crust that I make in the bread machine.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups warm water, 110 – 115 F
¼ tsp sea salt (optional)
2 Tbsp honey
2 to 2 ½ cups whole spelt flour *
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp cornmeal

Directions: Put ingredients into the bread machine pan in the following order: 1. warm water, honey, flour. 2. make a small well in the flour, and pour yeast into the well, then cover over with flour. 3. sprinkle salt right along the wall of the bread pan, so it is as far from the yeast as possible. Now place the bread pan into the bread machine and select dough setting, press start. When dough is finished, remove dough from bread pan, let rest 2 or 3 minutes. Pat and genltly stretch dough into ~ 14 inch heart. Spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray then sprinkle with cornmeal. Press dough onto cookie sheet.
Preheat oven to 500F. Put pizza dough into oven for 5-10 minutes until dough is starting to firm up and lightly golden. Remove dough from oven and top with your favorite pizza toppings. Return pizza to oven and bake until cheese is melted and crust in golden brown.
*Note: spelt flour is a whole grain, highly nutritious flour that can be found in the health food section of your grocery store. If you do not have spelt flour, then I recommend using 1 ½ c whole wheat flour and 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour.
** If you prefer a thin crust pizza, then divide the dough into two and make 2 smaller, thinner pizzas.

HEART-y Pancakes
My favorite pancake recipes are actually already posted here in the archives (see International Pancake Day post 02.16.07)
Pancakes can easily be made in the shape of a heart or in the shape of letters to spell a Valentine message like LOVE, LUV, KISS, I (heart-shape) U, etc.
You can also do some creative mix-ins like chopped strawberries, raspberries, or dried cranberries. You can put pureed strawberries, raspberries, or beets into the batter to create perfectly pink pancakes. Top pancakes with light whipped cream and berries for an extra lucious flair.


Luscious Love Muffins
Strawberries have long been associated with love and passion. They are heart shaped for heaven’s sake! These Strawberry Almond muffins will steal your heart at first bite. Using heart-shaped muffin tins will make these delights even more LOVELY.

Strawberry Almond Muffins
½ cup applesauce, unsweetened
¾ cup honey
2 eggs (or 1 whole egg + 2 egg whites)
1/3 cup skim milk*
1 ½ tsp pure almond extract
1 cup whole spelt flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp sea salt
2 cups strawberries, chopped
¾ cups slivered almonds**

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the applesauce and honey. Add the eggs and blend until fluffy. Mix in the milk and almond extract. In a separate bowl, sift the flours, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and blend until just combined. Fold in the strawberries and almonds. Fill muffin cups to the top and bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. You can test to see if muffins are done by inserting a toothpick into the center, if it comes out clean their done. Yields: approx. 12 muffins
*non-dairy milk such as soymilk can be substituted
**if you do not have almonds or are allergic, any other nut or grapenuts cereal can be substituted.


Heart-Throb Eggs & Toast
1 slice whole grain bread
1 egg
Salt & Pepper to taste
Use a 3-inch heart shaped cookie cutter to cut a heart shape out of the center of the bread. Spray a griddle or frying pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place the bread in the pan and break the egg into the cutout of the bread. Lay the heart shaped bread on the pan and toast it on both sides until golden brown. When the egg is cooked on the bottom and before the bread becomes too brown, flip the egg/bread to toast the other side and finish cooking the egg, about 1 minute. Yield: 1 serving


Strawberry Crush
6 ice cubes
16 fresh or frozen strawberries
½ cup frozen limeade concentrate
½ cup water
Place ice cubes into blender and pulse until crushed. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth and thick. Pour into tall glasses with a long straw (if you find valentine straws – even better) Yield: 2 servings


Purple Passion Shake
1 cup grape juice
1/3 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup crushed ice
Place all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth.


Love Potion
½ cup frozen or fresh strawberries
½ cup frozen or fresh raspberries
1 cup white grape juice or apple juice
Place all ingredients into blender and blend until uniform in color. For thicker potion, add more fruit. For thinner potion, use more juice. Garnish with cherries. Sip with the one you love.



I hope this gives you some ideas to make your meals extra special on this Valentine's weekend. Remember healthy cooking = healthy eating and even on holidays there are fun, creative ways to have fabulous food in a healthy way.


To Your Best Health,

Melissa Guthrie

BSc Nutritional Science

BSc Exercise Physiology

ACE Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor

New Leaf Certified Metabolic Technician

Triathlete/Runner

Healthy Cooking Enthusiast

MG's Favorite Bread Recipes

[imagine me singing] When the dog barks, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad...I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad... Hopefully, you've seen the "Sound of Music" so you are familiar with the tune in which I was singing to.

One of my absolute favorite things is homemade bread. In fact, I love homemade bread so much that I stopped buying bread at the grocery store when I was in college. I've been making my own bread ever since. I remember the day...It was a Saturday and I had been studying for an upcoming exam. I took a break to run to Wal-Mart and pick up some household items. While I was there I strolled through the kitchen appliance department and found that there was a bread machine on sale for $40.00. One my meager college income $40 was still quite a bit of money. I figured I could sacrifice some other things in order to justify the purchase, not to mention I figured I'd be saving money by making my own bread. Well, I believe that was one of the best $40 I've ever spent. That was back in 1999 and I still have the same bread machine. I still use it every week, it works like a charm and has never required any service or maintance work. An interesting side note is that my Mom received as a gift, a very expensive ($200) bread machine manufactured out of Japan. No matter what we did that thing could never make a decent loaf of bread. I think she either sold it in a garage sale or it is boxed up and sitting in her garage.

I know that not everyone has a bread machine or the patience to make yeast bread from scratch. I thought I'd share my favorite whole grain breads that are made without yeast. These breads get rave reviews. I love using these breads for a hearty sandwich or as a companion to soup, stew or salad. The Rye variation makes the most amazing Reuben on the planet. These are also great breads to take to a party or pot-luck. Enjoy!

Melissa Guthrie’s Quick & Hearty Multi-Grain Bread

1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 ¼ cup Spelt flour
½ cup rolled oats, quick cooking
¼ cup wheat bran
¼ oatbran
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1 ½ cup organic skim milk (soy milk, almond milk, rice milk or any other non-dairy milk can be substituted)
3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce or nonfat plain yogurt.
¼ cup honey
Optional: 1/3 cup chopped nuts or seeds ( 1 or a combination of the following: walnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc)

Heat oven to 350F. Spray the bottom of an 8-inch round casserole dish or a bread-loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine all flours, oats, brans, baking powder & salt. Mix well.

In small bowl, beat the egg. Add milk, applesauce & honey; blend well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once; stir until dry ingredients are just moistened. Gently fold in nuts/seeds if desired. Spread dough in to spray coated pan. Bake at 350F for 42 – 47 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan.

Yield: 1 (16-slice) loaf



Melissa Guthrie’s Quick & Hearty Rye Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup spelt flour
1 cup rye flour
½ cup rolled oats, quick cooking
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
¾ tsp caraway seeds
½ tsp fresh orange zest
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1 ½ cup organic skim milk (soy milk, almond milk, rice milk or any other non-dairy milk can be substituted)
3 Tbsp nonfat plain yogurt.
¼ cup honey

Heat oven to 350F. Spray the bottom of an 8-inch round casserole dish or a bread-loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine all flours, oats, brans, baking powder & salt. Mix well. Stir in caraway seeds & orange zest

In small bowl, beat the egg. Add milk, yogurt & honey; blend well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once; stir until dry ingredients are just moistened. Spread dough in to spray coated pan. Bake at 350F for 42 – 47 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan.

Yield: 1 (16-slice) loaf



To Your Best Health,
Melissa Guthrie
BSc Nutritional Science, BSc Exercise Physiology
ACE Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
New Leaf Certified Metabolic Technician
Triathlete/Runner
Healthy Cooking Enthusiast

Becoming A Breakfast Champion

I am the self-proclaimed "world's biggest breakfast champion". I love breakfast. I love breakfast foods. I love the morning and my morning ritual of a great workout followed by a hearty breakfast and my personal study time to feed and nourish my mind, as well as my body.

I am a person who loves variety, especially when it comes to my food. I often speak and consult with folks who eat the same things day in day out with little to no variety. How absolutely BORING! Not to mention how unwise. Even if those few foods they eat are super healthy, they are not getting enough variety in their meals to ensure that they are meeting all of their body's nutrient requirements. Now if the choice came down to eating the same thing for breakfast every day versus skipping breakfast, of course eat the same thing. However, living in the free-est, most abundant country in the world, no one should be in a situation where those are their only two choices. The possibilites and options are truly endless. If you happen to be one of those people that claim to dislike breakfast because they don't like breakfast foods in general or you get bored with the same old foods, hopefully I can shine a new light on breakfast food options. In the last article, I wrote about there being no strict rules for breakfast foods because any food can be eaten for breakfast.

Oatmeal: Many of us know that oatmeal is a very nutritious breakfast. Many of the clients I work with tell me that the only way they can eat oatmeal is with a bunch of brown sugar dumped in it or they only like the little instant oatmeal packets that come in a variety of flavors (the reason we like these so much is because they are loaded with sugar). A healthier way to have oatmeal is to buy "old fashioned oats" or even "quick cooking oats". Then cook them on the stove, in the microwave (I personally try to use this less often b/c oatmeal tends to overflow in the microwave), or in a rice cooker. Here are some ideas to jazz up your oats:

* cook oats in half water/half fruit juice (100% fruit juice - no sugar sweetened juices) for added sweetness. Use apple juice & add chopped fresh apples or other fresh or dried fruit. Use orange juice and add a few tablespoons of dried cranberries (craisins).

* cook oats in non-dairy milk such as vanilla or chocolate soy, rice, almond, oat milk. Add fresh fruit if desired

* add cinnamon & vanilla extract to oatmeal as it cooks. Add some raisins or dates if desired.

* add any fresh, frozen or dried fruit to cooked oatmeal. (if using frozen fruit add it to oatmeal as it cooks. Banana, apples, peaches, pears, apricots, nectarines, raisins, craisins, dates, berries of all kinds.

* add 1 - 2 tablespoons of vanilla or chocolate protein powder to cooked oatmeal.

* add a drizzle of honey or agave nectar to cooked honey.

* add a few tablespoons of non-fat/lowfat yogurt to cooked oatmeal

* add couple of teaspoons of nut-butter to cooked oatmeal (i.e. all - natural peanut butter, soy butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc.)

* soak oats in fruit juice or milk (or non-dairy milk) overnight in the fridge. Oats will soak up the liquid. Add a dollup of yogurt, some chopped fresh fruit &/or nuts. You'll have a refreshing cool & hearty breakfast. (Quick version of Bircher Muesli)

*Another thing I love to do is mix my hot cereals so I often make combo cereals like: oats & oatbran, oats & farina (cream of wheat), oats & grapenuts, oats & oatbran & farina, oats & 6-grain, etc. Be creative!

Other hot cereals I love are: farina (cream of wheat), cracked wheat, 6-grain, 9-grain, Irish oatmeal, oatbran, brown rice cereal, etc.


Stay tuned for more on creative breakfasts & becoming a breakfast champion

Melissa Guthrie -- Your Healthy Lifestyle Mentor