I also rarely buy salad dressing, but my attempts at recreating a sweet poppy seed dressing have all flopped. So I caved and bought this at Trader Joe’s…

It’s filled with a lot of sugar, 2 tablespoon have 10g with 90 calories, 5g of fat, and no fiber, but a little goes a long way. I stuck with 1 tablespoon for this salad and it was perfect! (note: I just heard Panera’s fat Free Poppy Seed is now available in stores but I haven’t seen it.)

• 3-4 cups of fresh romaine lettuce cleaned and torn (you could just use the bagged stuff)
• About 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• About 1/2 cup fresh strawberries cut in small chunks
• 1 oz (28g) Crumbled Feta
• 1 tbsp Sweet Poppy Dressing

Wash and prepare all your ingredients.

Allowing nibbles of course. Little guy must have eaten a pound of strawberries himself! He may not have liked the salad but he likes all the ingredients. ;)

Top the greens with the berries and cheese. Drizzle on the dressing and enjoy!

Here I am all sweaty from the gym eating my salad. Little guy’s first picture with my new camera. He’s getting good! Even though I look like crap. :)

FULL DISCLOSURE: I have partnered with ATHENOS Feta to serve as one of ATHENOS Change for the Feta Bloggers. I am compensated for my time commitment to the program, which includes blogging about my cooking experiences with ATHENOS Feta. I have also been compensated for the food purchased for my Change for the Feta creations. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Click here to see all my Feta Ideas!!

What’s a girl to do?

I decided to whip up a quick smoothie with what I had on hand. The result was DELICIOUS! So simple and such a perfectly light protein filled breakfast.

• About 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 5 frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup (4oz) chocolate almond milk
• 1 scoop of protein powder (I used Any Whey)

Blend and serve!

You could totally use fresh strawberries I just didn’t have any. If you do through a couple of ice cubes in there to get the smoothie/shake texture.

We’ve recorded ourselves making the basic recipe. Then turned it into chocolate cakes. We also use the batter in the waffle iron and we even made a dipping sauce! Today we tweaked the basic formula a little swapping chocolate almond milk for skim and cinnamon for the nutmeg. Then we added those famous frozen wild blueberries for a twist.

I’ll post the recipe below exactly how me made them today but have fun with it and make it your own. The formula of dry to wet ingredients works perfectly.

Oh! and I almost forgot the best part… The Little Guy’s quote this morning and I’m NOT making this up… “oh mom… they’re so good. I can’t stop eating them.” :)

• 1 overripe banana mashed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup (4oz) chocolate almond milk
• 3/4 cup (90g) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• About 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries

Mash the banana in a medium bowl. Add the egg and milk. Whisk until frothy.

In a smaller bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and nutmeg. Sift into the banana mixture. Mix until just blended.

I do the wet and the Little Guy does the dry ingredients. :)

Using a soup spoon (what we call our tablespoons) pour the batter by the spoonful in a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. The batter is thick so just spread with the spoon. If you like a thinner batter add a splash more milk.

Sprinkle the desired amount of blueberries on top pressing in a bit with the spoon.

Cook about 1-2 minutes a side, small bubbles will form but not as many as traditional pancakes. Just peaked underneath for a light brown color, then flip.

Have I ever told you breakfast with the little guy is by far my favorite time of day. :) I went a little picture happy…

Today we got 8 pancakes. Normally we get 8-10 depending on how big we make them. I calculated the nutritional info for the original recipe based on 9. I’ll do this one for 8 and give you the per cake estimated figures. These are a little higher because of the almond milk and blueberries. The orginal is about 60 calories a cake. (1 WWP)

We used another VitaMix from Vitalicious. This time the BlueBran. Alone it’s good but not my favorite. It’s super sweet with a very bran texture which is fine but I thought adding a little chocolate would make it even better. I’m happy to say I was right. ;)

The toddler and I have been snacking on these for a few days. The size is right, the cocoa powder balances the sweetness and the additional blueberries and chocolate chips give you a surprise in every bite.

You do need the mix for this recipe and you can purchase it online by clicking here. Be sure to use my Roni’sWeigh code for 10% off anything in the Vitalicious online store.

Here’s what little guy and I did…

• 3 egg whites
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 box of BlueBran VitaMix (Muffin Mix)
• 4 tbsp Dark Chocolate Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (20g)
• 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries (70g)
• 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips (28g)

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Line a standard 12 cup muffin pan with baking cups.

Whisk together the egg white and water until frothy.

Add the Mix, cocoa powder, chips and blueberries to the egg whites and mix well.

Scoop about 3 tablespoons of batter into each baking cup.

Bake for 23-27 minutes until firm.

Disclosure: Vitalicious is a paying sponsor of Roni’s Weigh. They do send me free products from time to time but the opinions expressed in the post, as always, are my own. I am a fan of their mixes because they are one of the few I can find that are made with whole grains.

We mix it up now and then. Types of cereal, adding banana, alternating between milks, sometimes skim, sometimes almond and sometimes my new favorite, light chocolate soy.

This morning I wanted a healthy breakfast but, to be honest, I ate so much over the weekend that I wanted to go a little lighter. That’s when this simple idea hit me!

I love the banana chocolate combo and the blueberries, especially the frozen ones, add fun sweetness, even turning the milk a lovely shade of purple (the little guy loves that!) :)

I realize the idea is quite simple but I hope it sparks some ideas for you. Sometimes a simple bowl of fruit is a perfect breakfast for me.

• 1 medium banana cut in half longways and then sliced
• 1/4 cup frozen wild blueberries
• 3oz light chocolate soy milk

Place all ingredients in the bowl and enjoy your fruit filled breakfast! At least that’s what I do. :)

Blueberry Banana Smoothie

• 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries (75g)
• 1 medium banana
• 1/2 cup light vanilla soy milk (4oz)
• about 6 ice cubes

Blend all ingredients until smooth!

You can’t go wrong! :)

This past weekend after a long run (I’m training for a marathon) I wanted, I was craving, fruit. Thankfully we just went shopping so I had lots of options. :)

Of course I couldn’t just grab a banana. The little guy and I had a fun creating (and sharing) a fun fruit salad. Here’s what we did…

• 1 medium Banana
• Handful of fresh blueberries
• About 2 cups of fresh watermelon (need it whole for effect)
• 1/2 oz roasted almonds (I used the Emerald Cocoa Roast Dark Choc. Almonds)

Cut the banana down the middle, lengthwise and place in bowl.

Scoop large circle pieces of watermelon using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop. Place on the bananas. Sprinkle with the blueberries and almonds.

Have fun! :)

Here’s the story…. I had a bunch of blueberries aging in the fridge. They weren’t pop-able anymore but they weren’t ready to be thrown own either. So I decided to puree them up for this idea.

They didn’t come out perfect but they sure were tasty and the toddler ate two. Here’s a pic of them upside down so you can see the "caky" part.

• 1 and ¼ cups (150g) of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 packet of truvia (stevia)
• 1 egg
• ½ cup (114 g) plain non-fat yogurt
• 1 cup (~220 g) blueberry puree (about 2 cups whole)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 6 muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Puree the the blueberries for at least 2 minutes (the puree will get dark) and set aside.

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and truvia. Set aside.

Whisk the egg, yogurt, and blueberry together. Add the flour mixture and mix to just combined.

Pour evenly in to the muffin tin (top with sprinkles if desired) and bake for about 18 minutes.

They shouldn’t stick so remove them when still hot. They will be super moist but will firm up when cooled.

I’m not sure what I would do differently next time, maybe increase the baking soda. The only think I didn’t like about them was the fact they didn’t rise. Other then that the taste was perfect. Here’s the toddler adding his sprinkle touch. ;)

You”ll notice sprinkles in some of the pictures. Sad the say the only way I can get the toddler excited about baking with me is to promise a sprinkle session. He still has fun and participates through the whole process…

…but he’s just doing it for the sprinkle pay off. Apparently hanging out with mom in the kitchen just isn’t as cool as it once was. :(

• 1 and ¼ cups (150g) of whole wheat white flour (regular whole wheat works too)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 2 egg whites
• 1 large overripe banana
• ½ cup plain non-fat yogurt
• 2 tbsp honey (42g)
• ¼ cup applesauce
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup blueberries (148g)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Mix the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside

In a medium bowl mash the banana with a fork. Add the egg whites, yogurt, honey, applesauce and extract. Whisk until well blended and a bit “frothy”.

Mix the sifted flour with the banana egg mixture and the blueberries until just moistened. Don’t over mix!

Spray a 6 muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Evenly distribute the batter in the muffin tin cups. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon (or sprinkles!) Bake for about 25 minutes.

The first idea is a simple sauce. The great people over at POM sent me a case of Pomegranate Juice. I was totally psyched as I LOVE pomegranates and totally miss them when there are out of season. The juice, albeit not the same, is a great way to get that pom fix. Today I used just a bit to make a simple sauce for my pancakes. You can totally use it on anything, really. I’m thinking a little Breyer’s Free with this topping with be summer go to. :~)

• 1/4 cup (2 oz) of 100% pomegranate juice
• 1 tbsp low sugar strawberry jelly
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/2 tbsp whole wheat flour

Put all ingredients in a small pot and whisk over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. The sauce will thicken. Lower to a simmer until ready to use. If the sauce becomes too thick whisk in a splash of water.

The nutritional info is a bit tough as the amount will vary based on how much water you add an how thick you like it. I was able to get at least 4 tbsp so I’ll base it on that.

Nutritionally, instant, rolled and even steel cut oats are identical. However the less the oats are processed the lower the glycemic index, which means they absorb slower into your bloodstream. A lot of people recommend steel cut oats and I get it, I really do. I’m just not there YET. :) Consider this my graduation from instant to rolled. Maybe by the end of the year I’ll take to the leap to Steal Cut. Remember… it’s a journey. :)

I did make this for myself and the toddler declared he didn’t like it on sight alone. I then got him to try a bite and he said it was good so I’ll give this the toddler approved mark but I’m not quite sure I’d get him to eat a whole serving yet.

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup (40g) Old Fashioned (Rolled) Oats
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4-1/2 tsp stevia based on taste (equivalent in sweetener of your choice)
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries (about 75g)

Bring water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add the oats, cinnamon and stevia. Reduce to medium heat and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the frozen blueberries. Raise the heat back to high and bring to a boil (about another minute cooking time) while stirring to defrost the blueberries.

Remove from heat and serve!

Actually, I can’t lie. I was the one who wanted them. When I asked he said…

"I don’t like chocolate pancakes. I only like regular pancakes."

Ahhhh what does he know. He’s three. Plus he’s never even had chocolate pancakes. I made them anyway because once I got them in my head I couldn’t get them out. :)

Now, let me warn ya. My idea wasn’t to make an overly sweet cake. Actually I purposely kept them a bit bland knowing I’d be topping them. See, my theory is by not presenting overly sweet things to the toddler he won’t get that taste for it. Just like salt, if you don’t eat sweet stuff every day then when you do you really only need a little bit to satisfy the craving. It’s also like milk. When we were kids we drank whole and I remember skim being, well, yucky. Then slowly we started shifting to skim and now I think whole is gross. It’s all in what you are used to.

Sorry, I got off track didn’t I? Anyway, I am very happy with my first attempt at these. I took my old Quick Whole Grain Banana Pancakes and just modified slightly. And added a topping of course! Here’s how I made them this morning.

• 1 overripe banana
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (75g) fat free yogurt
• 1/4 cup water
  (water and yogurt can be replaced with 1/2 cup (4oz) skim milk)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (20g)
• 1/2 cup (60g) whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat white)
• pinch of powder sugar for presentation (optional)

Mash the banana in a medium bowl. Add the egg, vanilla, yogurt, and water. Whisk until a bit frothy and smooth.

In a smaller bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa powder. Sift it into the banana mixture. Mix until just blended. It will be thick.

Plop with a tablespoon and smooth the batter into small cakes in a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cook about 1-2 minutes a side, bubbles will form when ready to flip.

Easy Blueberry Topping

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp stevia (or your sweetener of choice)

Place all ingredients in a small pan over medium heat. Stir frequently. once blueberries thaw and mixture gets thick add a tbsp of water. Stir to incorporate. Keep warm over low hear adding water if it gets too thick before serving.

Here’s the toddler chowing down on the cake while watching Lazy Town. He didn’t want anything to do with my topping so he ate them plain like cookies. Notice I have to now take pictures in his natural habitat as he’s not as easily amused as he once was. :)

To serve place 2-3 cakes on a small plate and top with a dollop of the blueberries. Now, I actually got 10 cakes out of the batter but I can see others getting 8. I make them quite small. So I’m basing the nutritional info on 4 servings. That would be 2 cakes each if you got 8 cakes. What you see pictured is a little less then a serving.