Butternut Squash and Parmesan Bread Pudding

Here's a great Fall recipe that you might enjoy!

Ingredients

3 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
2 large egg whites
8 ounces (1-inch) cubed day-old French bread (about 9 cups)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange squash in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven; reduce oven temperature to 350°.

Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, milk, 1/2 cup cheese, pepper, nutmeg, eggs, and egg whites in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in squash and onion mixture. Add bread, and stir gently to combine. Let stand 10 minutes. Spoon into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until pudding is set and lightly browned.

Yield

6 servings

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 304(30% from fat); FAT 10.3g (sat 4.8g,mono 3.7g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 18.1g; CHOLESTEROL 122mg; CALCIUM 406mg; SODIUM 823mg; FIBER 4g; IRON 2.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 35.3g

Pumpkin Muffins

These sound delicious! Just perfect for a fall brunch!

Pumpkin Muffins
Low Calorie Recipe

Ingredients:

2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
6 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Sugar substitute to equal 12-teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Two eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup grated carrots or zucchini
4 tablespoons raisins

Directions:

Combine sifted dry ingredients in separate bowl. Combine wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients slowly. Bake at 350-degrees. for 20 minutes.

Recipe makes six servings.

Nutrition information per muffin:
Calories: 115
Total Fat: 2g
Carbohydrates: 19g
Protein: 6g

Bananas

We love bananas in our house, but my daughter Jillian is really on a kick right now of wanting a banana for a snack every evening. So what are the health benefits of a banana?

Creamy, rich, and sweet, bananas are a favorite food for everyone from infants to elders. Sports enthusiasts appreciate the potassium-power delivered by this high energy fruit.

Bananas are one of our best sources of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. Since the average banana contains a whopping 467 mg of potassium and only 1 mg of sodium, a banana a day may help to prevent high blood pressure and protect against atherosclerosis.

The effectiveness of potassium-rich foods such as bananas in lowering blood pressure has been demonstrated by a number of studies. For example, researchers tracked over 40,000 American male health professionals over four years to determine the effects of diet on blood pressure. Men who ate diets higher in potassium-rich foods, as well as foods high in magnesium and cereal fiber, had a substantially reduced risk of stroke.

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine also confirms that eating high fiber foods, such as bananas, helps prevent heart disease. Almost 10,000 American adults participated in this study and were followed for 19 years. People eating the most fiber, 21 grams per day, had 12% less coronary heart disease (CHD) and 11% less cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to those eating the least, 5 grams daily. Those eating the most water-soluble dietary fiber fared even better with a 15% reduction in risk of CHD and a 10% risk reduction in CVD.

In addition to these cardiovascular benefits, the potassium found in bananas may also help to promote bone health. Potassium may counteract the increased urinary calcium loss caused by the high-salt diets typical of most Americans, thus helping to prevent bones from thinning out at a fast rate.

Do you jump rope?

I haven't done much jump roping, but my girls want to give it a try, so we just bought a new one... I found this good article on the myths associated with jumping rope. Jump Rope - An Excellent Exercise.

Guess I don't have an excuses any more, do I? lol!