obscenely healthy holiday food

Nancy's Pumpkin Bars

• 2 omega-3 eggs (or 1 whole egg + 1/3 cup egg whites, or can use all egg whites)
  1 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
• 2 tablespoons molasses
  1 tablespoon vanilla
  3 scoops Swanson Whey Protein Vanilla Powder
• 1/3 cup Swanson Milled Flaxseed
• 2-3 tablespoons Swanson Organic Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon (approximately) of each:
  • Swanson Organic Ground Nutmeg
  • Swanson Organic Ground Ginger
  • Clove
  • All spice
  • Pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon Swanson Himalayan Crystal Salt
• 1 teaspoon NuNaturals More Fiber Baking Blend
• 2 (15 oz.) cans pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
• 1 cup Swanson Organic Walnuts, toasted
• Swanson Organic Ground Cinnamon, sprinkle to taste
• 
  

Directions:

1. Spray 9 x 9 baking pan with canola oil.

2. Using a 14 cup food processor, blend eggs until creamy.

3. Add cottage cheese, molasses and vanilla to eggs. Blend until thick and creamy (approximately 1 minute).

4. Add one can of pumpkin at a time to the mixture, blending in between.

5. Add remaining ingredients, except nuts, and blend until mixed.

6. Mix in nuts until blended.

7. Taste the batter to check sweetness. Add some stevia or more spices according to your liking.

8. Pour into the sprayed pan and sprinkle cinnamon on the top before baking.

9. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Rotate the pan at 50 minutes to ensure even browning.

10. When the bars are cool, cover with plastic wrap or foil. Cracks will appear on the top and will flatten when the bars cool. Note: Bars must sit overnight for the flavors to meld. They will not taste good right out of the oven.

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/health-library/recipes/pumpkin-bars.html?SourceCode=INTE646

Nancy's Inspiration: "I make these healthy treats nearly every week for my trainers at Cressey Performance [training facility] located in Hudson, Massachusetts. They are highly nutritious, packed with fiber and they taste amazing. We often keep the tub of pumpkin bars out for the clients that need a little "extra something" during their workouts. This does the trick."

Makes 16 bars. Serving size 1 bar.

Nutrition Facts:

Per Serving: 140 calories, 9g protein, 7g fat, 9g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 167mg sodium

Banana Bread

BREAD
3/4 cup fat free plain yogurt
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
splenda or stevia to taste
4 large egg whites
2 cups oat bran
1 cup oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

STREUSEL TOPPING

1/2 cup oats
3 tablespoons creamy natural peanut butter
stevia or splenda to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 350F, and spray 2 8x4 inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.
Make bread batter by beating yogurt and cottage cheese cheese at medium speed with electric mixer until creamy.
Add splenda/stevia and eggs, beating until just blended.
Combine oats, oat bran, baking powder, and baking soda in another bowl. Gradually add this to yogurt/cottage cheese mixture, stirring just until blended.
Stir in bananas and vanilla. Pour batter into pans.
Make streusel by combining the oats, stevia/splenda, and peanut butter in a small bowl. Cut in the peanut butter with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture is well combined and crumbly.
Sprinkle the mixture over the batter, and bake for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If necessary, shield the top with foil for last 15 minutes to prevent browning.
Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes, remove from pan, and allow to cool on a wire rack for another 30 minutes
.