The other day I made oatmeal cookies with oil instead of butter and enjoyed a couple for lunch with my cottage cheese and blueberries. They were really good, but the recipe made 15 cookies and my husband didn’t care much for them. That left me with 13 cookies staring at me, the original COOKIE MONSTER.

The next day I discovered that 3 of those cookies made the perfect breakfast. Not much different, ingredient-wise, than eating oatmeal with sweetener and cinnamon, but a more appealing texture.  I didn’t even count them as one of my 4 pastries and sweets per week allowed by the MIND diet.

But, having those sitting around made me get into problem-solving mode. I also still have Pecan Cinnamon Scones and Whole Grain Blueberry Muffins in my freezer from earlier recipe tests.  I either have to stop testing new recipes or eat more than I should or waste food.  Then, it occurred to me that the answer is easy, single-serving recipes based on recommended MIND diet foods. I have tried a couple so far and I must share them.

My first inspiration came from Betty Crocker’s Build-Your-Own Microwave Mug Cobbler.  Of course, the strawberries and blueberries caught my attention, but I didn’t want to have to work on a whole grain substitute for Bisquick, so I looked around. I found an almost perfect recipe in this Single-serving Fruit Crisp.  The recipe said to cook it in the oven, but I used the cooking instructions from Betty Crocker and cooked it in the microwave. I also added some slivered almonds to get in another recommended food. This was the result:

Blueberry Crisp in a Mug                     PDF version

Mix in a mug:

• 1/2 cup blueberries (I used fresh, but frozen should be ok)
• 1/2 TBSP agave (or sugar or sweetener, if you prefer)

Mix separately in a small bowl:

• 3 TBSP oatmeal (I used old-fashioned)
• 1 TBSP whole wheat flour
• 1 TBSP agave (or sugar or sweetener to taste)
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon

Spread this mixture over the blueberries. Top with:

• 1 TBSP slivered almonds

Bake in microwave about 2 minutes until the berries bubble up over the topping a bit (My microwave is 700 watts; if you have a more powerful one, try 1 minutes first. Or, if you use frozen blueberries, it might take longer.)

This was a yummy breakfast! With the almonds, it was 258 calories and it kept me satisfied until noon. It was easy and I didn’t have any left-overs to worry about.

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And then, another inspiration came along. On the Today Show, they mentioned French Toast in a Mug. They didn’t really give a recipe, but my first thought was: “I have to try that.” So, today I did and it was yummy.

French Toast in a Mug with Pecans
PDF version

Combine in a mug:

• 1 egg
• 1 TBSP milk (I used 1%)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 TBSP syrup (I used Kroger Sugar-Free)

Cut into ½ inch cubes:

• 1 slice whole wheat bread

Add bread to mixture in mug and mix up so all bread is moistened.  Let sit while doing next step.

Chop:

• 4 pecan halves (about 1 TBSP)

Put pecans on top.

Microwave on high about 1 ½ minute, until bread is no longer moist.

Top with:

• 1 TBSP syrup (I used Kroger Sugar-Free)

Let cool a couple of minutes or maybe 5. It is really hot.

With the pecans, this was 242 calories. The pecans were 47 calories, so it would be less than 200 without them.

This was my best creation yet. It might have been more like bread pudding than French Toast?  Or, actually, it was kind of Like a Pecan Roll!  And, I don’t even feel the need to count it against my Pastries/Sweets quota.