Lose weight with these 5 powerhouse recipes

Place the dried beans in a stockpot with a quart of water. Bring the beans to a boil and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Turn off the heat and cover. Allow the beans to soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly. Return the beans to the stockpot and cover them with 3 cups of fresh water. Bring them to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until the beans are done, skimming away any foam that develops.

During last 10 minutes of cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, stirring constantly. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onions are nicely browned. Add the entire contents of the skillet to the beans and remove from heat. With an immersion blender (see note), puree the soup, adjusting the thickness with water. Stir in the minced sage, cover and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Ladle two 1 1/4-cup servings into the soup bowls. Garnish with fresh sage leaves and serve warm. Allow the remaining half of the soup to cool. Pour the soup into a shallow freezer container, label and freeze.

Note: If you do not own an immersion blender, allow the soup to cool slightly. Puree it in batches in a blender. Return half of the soup to the stockpot and gently reheat. Allow the remaining soup to completely cool and freeze.

Alternative preparation method: Instead of dried cannellini beans, use a 15 1/2-ounce can of drained and rinsed beans. Begin the recipe with the second paragraph of instructions and heat the mixture until hot.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a 12-muffin tin with baking cups and it set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, wheat bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Make a well in the center.

In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, yogurt, melted butter, sugar, pumpkin and walnuts. Pour into the well of dry ingredients and mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined. Evenly distribute the batter among the muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan and allow them to cool on a wire rack.