Good Mornings!
Recipes to help you lighten up at sunrise

It's the time of year for healthy beginnings.

And breakfast is a great place to start.

But if you think you have to trade in your usual a.m. fare for twiggy cereal or lumpy oatmeal, you're wrong.

You can watch your waistline while enjoying muffins, pancakes, eggs and even faux versions of fast-food faves with recipes from the following recent cookbooks.

“Fit and Fast Meals
in Minutes”
By Linda Gassenheimer
Published by Rodale

Blueberry Pancakes

1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup blueberries, divided use
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 ounces Canadian bacon
Olive oil spray

Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 3/4 cup blueberries and simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

Mix the flour, ricotta cheese and eggs together. Add the remaining ¼ cup blueberries
to the batter.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the Canadian bacon and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and divide the bacon between two plates.

Coat the same skillet with olive oil spray. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the hot skillet
to form pancakes. Cook 2 minutes. Flip and cook 2 minutes on the other side.

Remove the pancakes to the plates with the bacon and spoon the reserved blueberry sauce on top.

Makes 2 servings
341 calories; 12.2 grams fat per serving.

“The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook"
By Nancy T. Maar
Published by Adams Media

Banana Chocolate Pecan Pancakes

1 one-ounce square semisweet baker's chocolate
1 cup pecans
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup 2-percent milk
6 tablespoons honey, or to taste
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Nonstick spray
2 bananas, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

Melt the chocolate with 2 tablespoons water and set aside to cool slightly.

Lightly toast the pecans and grind them in a food processor, or chop them by hand.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients except the salt. Slowly beat in the eggs, milk, honey, vanilla and salt and then the chocolate.

Spray a griddle or frying pan with nonstick spray. Heat the pan to medium-high heat.

Drop the pancake batter, about 2 tablespoons per pancake, on the hot griddle. Cover with the banana slices.

Turn when bubbles form at the top of the pancakes.

Serve hot with butter, marmalade or chocolate syrup.

Makes 4 servings.
200 calories; 7 grams fat per serving.

“Our Lady of Weight Loss"
By Janice Taylor
Published by Viking Studio

Enchanted Muffin

4 light English muffins (100 calories per muffin)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Juice from 1/4 fresh lemon
4 tablespoons light brown sugar or sugar substitute
2 cups sliced strawberries and/or blueberries (any berry will do)
4 tablespoons reduced fat cream cheese

Pop the light English muffins in the toaster.

In a saucepan set over high heat, mix together the lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar, stirring until the sugar melts and bubbles, about 1 minute.

Lower the heat and add the berries. Stir until they are heated through.

Spread ½ tablespoon of the cream cheese on each slice of the English muffins.
Top them with the warm berries.

Makes 2 servings.
130 calories; 3 grams fat per serving.