Here are some of my healthy or “lightened up” recipes!

Healthy Banana Pudding! I love the substitutions made from the traditional banana pudding!!

Ingredients

• 1 cup light vanilla soy milk 
• 1 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1/3 cup truvia
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large bananas
• 3 low-fat cinnamon graham crackers, broken into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (sweetened or unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

Heat the soy milk and almond milk in a saucepan over medium heat until almost simmering; remove from the heat. Meanwhile, whisk the cornstarch, salt, truvia and egg in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour about half of the hot milk mixture into the bowl and whisk vigorously until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking vigorously, until thick and starting to bubble, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool, stirring occasionally. Cut the bananas into thin slices.

Layer a few banana slices, a few pieces of graham cracker and 2 tablespoons of the prepared pudding in each of 4 glasses; sprinkle with cocoa powder and almonds, then repeat to make 2 more layers. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 4 hours or overnight.

Per serving: Calories 220; Fat 7 g (Saturated 2 g); Cholesterol 59 mg; Sodium 173 mg; Carbohydrate 33 g; Fiber 3 g; Protein 6 g

CHICKEN AND BROCCOLINI STIR-FRY

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon egg white (about 1/2 large egg white)
• 1 tablespoon mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine) or dry sherry
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 2 bunches broccolini, tough stems trimmed, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• 4 to 5 baby bell peppers (any color), sliced into thin rings
• 1 to 2 red jalapeno peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds or chopped cashews, toasted

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the egg white, mirin and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch, the oyster sauce and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl.

Add the broccolini to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Increase the heat to high and add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the garlic and ginger; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add the scallions and peppers; stir-fry 1 more minute. Add the chicken, broccolini and nuts and stir-fry 2 more minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium; whisk the oyster sauce mixture and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 3 minutes.

Per serving: Calories 351; Fat 13 g (Saturated 2 g); Cholesterol 66 mg; Sodium 254 mg; Carbohydrate 26 g; Fiber 6 g; Protein 34 g

Turkey Vegetable Soup:

1 lb of 98% lean white ground turkey

1 white or yellow onion

2 yellow squash

2 zucchini

1/2 cabbage shredded

3 carrots shredded

diced tomato

basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste

chicken broth