Bruleed Bananas and Dates in Chobani

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I used to focus so heavily on recipe posting that my recipe list would grow by 2 or 3 each week. Now? As I focus a bit more on real life, the recipes have been few and far between.

#Oops. I guess this blog is as versatile and changing as real life. #SorryImNotSorry

That said, sometimes I make something that is just so delicious, it pretty much comes out of the oven screaming "SHARE ME ON THE BLOG!" Like a mandrake root kind of scream (Harry Potter for the win). A girl has to oblige.

This recipe is an awesome breakfast, mid-day snack, or even dessert. Don't hesitate to swap out ingredients, like using a different greek yogurt (or regular yogurt, if you must). If you want it a bit sweeter, feel free to use vanilla instead of plain yogurt.

Bruleed Bananas and Dates in Chobani

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana
• 1 tbsp Sugar, for sprinkling
• 3 Dates
• 2 tbsp Organic Shredded Coconut, No sugar added
• 1 tbsp Sliced Almonds (Walnuts, Pistachios or Pralines would be delicious here, too)
• 1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
• Parchment paper

Directions:

1. Slice banana into 1/2-1/4 inch pieces. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet and sprinkle sugar on top of banana pieces. Broil for a few minutes, until the sugar has browned. Set aside.
2. Chop dates.
3. Scoop yogurt into a bowl or cup. Add banana slices, then sprinkle with dates, shredded coconut, and almonds.
4. Enjoy the heck out of that bowl of delicious goodness.

Chocolate Banana Bread (with added Protein)

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Let's be honest, we've all let produce go to waste. Some things are unsalvageable (hello, most vegetables). But other things, just like a good wine, only get better with time.

Enter bananas. I have to admit, it takes the pressure off knowing that I don't have to finish my bananas before they turn brown. I first experimented with low cal frozen banana ice cream. It's a delicious treat, and extremely creamy. But as it gets colder, I've decided to make something warm instead.

Banana bread is wonderful. There's really not much better than taking a bite of a steaming hot piece of banana bread, straight from the oven, with a tasty slab of butter melting on top. Nothing. Better.

...except maybe if you made it healthier. Say, by using whole wheat flour... adding in some protein powder... and some greek yogurt to keep it moist without dumping too much added fat indo the mix.

Ah, and I should mention that the protein powder is chocolate protein powder. So now we're not just working with banana bread, it's healthy protein chocolate banana bread. I know, chocolate was the only word you remember from that sentence. Go ahead and take a bite!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Banana Bread (with added protein)
Ingredients:
...for the bread

• 1 1/2 scoops chocolate protein powder
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tbsp vanilla greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup oats
• Optional: 1/3 cup chocolate chips (if you want it really chocolatey - I skipped this step)

...for the topping

• 1/3 cup oats
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• drizzling of honey
• sprinkling of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix dry bread ingredients in a medium size bowl.
3. Add bananas, egg whites, and greek yogurt, and mix well.
4. Spray a bread pan with nonstick spray, then pour mixed ingredients into the pan.
5. In the same bowl (which should now be mostly empty), mix topping ingredients with clean hands. Be sure to sprinkle enough honey into the mix so that the topping begins to stick/clump together. 
6. Sprinkle topping over the bread mix.
7. Put in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (the topping will still be gooey, but the bread should be solid and clean). 

Recipe | Peanut Butter Banana Protein Shake

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For those of you who are fitness buffs like me, protein shakes are a must. Even if you're not hitting the gym on a regular basis, protein is still a must-have in your diet. Most studies suggest that the average adult needs between 40 to 55 grams of protein each day. 

The icing on the cake (or on the protein shake, I guess?) is that this recipe makes one mean yet delicious shake. I often crave it. Proof that it is delicious.

Picking your protein? There are many options. Look for a Whey protein. Whey protein is the same protein found in milk and is best for post-workout supplements because it is fast-absorbing and as a result can quickly get to work repairing your muscles.Try to get this in your system within 40 minutes of working out if you're using it as a post-workout shake!

 

Want the full recipe? Read on, my friends! :)

Recipe | Oven Baked Sweet Banana Oatmeal

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There's something about bananas that are, at the same time, both delicious and fresh but also filling. I've used them in Skinny Monkey Pudding (Chunky Monkey Ice Cream's skinnier cousin), Banana Nut Muffins with Peanut Butter Whip Frosting (peanut butter and bananas should really start making children), and Low-Fat Frozen Banana Ice Cream, just to name a few.

But those are all desserts. What about breakfast? After experimenting with Healthy Breakfast Coffee Cake, I realized how amazing it is to create a breakfast dish that doesn't require hours of morning prep time (after all, that's when you're still hooked up to the caffeine IV, right?!).  Inspired by this delicious banana oatmeal breakfast, I came up with a much tastier, much heartier, and much longer lasting recipe. By making a casserole-dish full of oven-baked oatmeal, you can serve it immediately or heat it up the next morning... In my house, we stretched it out for 3 or 4 days. And we ate every last bite! This recipe for oven-baked sweet banana oatmeal will impress everyone from your health-conscious sister to your sugar-craving kid.

Ingredients:

...for oatmeal:

• 2 ½ cups oats
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 2-3 bananas, sliced

...for topping:

• 2 tablespoons oats
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat
• 2 tablespoons softened butter 

...serving additions:

• Skim milk (to taste)
• Whipped cream (to taste) 
• Honey (to taste) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine first 5 ingredients (listed as "Ingredients for oatmeal") in a large casserole dish (food will be cooked and served from this dish).
   
3. Slice bananas and add to oatmeal.
   
4. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients other than butter (first three ingredients listed under "Ingredients for topping") and mix well.
6. Using your fingers, add softened butter. Mix until you have created a crumbly mixture.
7. Remove oatmeal from the oven and add this mixture across the top. Then, return to oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until topping begins to brown.
   
8. If serving immediately: Put a square of oatmeal in serving dish and pour skim milk over top, then add whipped cream to taste.
   If serving following morning: Refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 325 and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until it has reached a desirable temperature. Put a square of oatmeal in serving dish and pour skim milk over top, then add whipped cream to taste and lightly drizzle honey on top.
   

Additional photos:

Skinny Monkey

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Who remembers Chunky Monkey ice cream?  It is so delicious! The ice cream, the bananas, the nuts, the chocolate... and the calories (dun dun dunnnn!). How about a delicious dessert that doesn't require the use of the word Chunky? How about a... skinny monkey?

Hmm. That gets the gears turning...Move over, Chunky Monkey! With 5 ingredients (including pudding instead of ice cream) and only 2 steps for preparation, this recipe might even upstage the original...

Ingredients:

• 1 package Banana (or Vanilla) Pudding
• 3 Bananas
• 1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips
• 2 cups Skim Milk

Directions:

1. Combine pudding mix and skim milk and stir until well mixed. Set in the fridge for 1 hour.
2. Add walnuts, chocolate chips, and sliced bananas and stir.
3. Serve!

Frozen Banana (Low Cal) Ice Cream

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Ice cream is such a comfort food. I mean, how many foods do you not need your teeth to consume? Okay, soup. That’s a comfort food too. Checkmate.

That said, ice cream slipped my mind for a while – a few years, even – until Oprah (that darn Oprah!) became a proclaimed fan of my family’s favorite ice cream joint, Graeter’s, from Westerville, Ohio (what’s up, Ohio). Our local grocery promptly ordered what appears to be a never ending supply of Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter something-or-other (can you tell I prefer the former?) because what Oprah says, we do… and because Oprah is the President of the United States. Wait, she’s not? Crap.

Moving on. This Oprah ice cream craze has my mind yet again on ice cream. As with any good thing in life, the gears in my head got working and I had visions of Do It Yourself and Make It Healthy (my two most frequent visions, other than Turn It Into Gold, which hasn’t been working out exactly as planned).

In all honesty, I’ve always been a skeptic of the frozen banana ice cream concept. I imagined the flavor would be lacking and the consistency would run like eggs sunny side up.  I’m also not a huge fan of banana-flavored things (other than cupcakes, of course, and only when they also contain nuts or chocolate, of which the following recipe contains both).  But in the name of Oprah, I vowed to make it happen! And alas (like that old school verbage?)-- this ice cream is reminiscent of Chunky Monkey but is… wait for it… healthy. Healthy Ice Cream. Ah, Mrs. President, I hope you are proud of me!

Ingredients:

2 Bananas

¼ cup bittersweet chocolate chips

¼ teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup chopped nuts (almonds or walnuts)

Optional: 1 tablespoon nutella

Directions:

Cut bananas into small slices and freeze for 2+ hours.

Remove bananas from freezer and blend with vanilla in a blender.

Add chocolate chips and nuts.

Slowly swirl in nutella.

100 Calorie Cake Balls?! Shut The Front Door!

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Me: “Did you know you can make delicious cake balls for 100 calories?”

You: “Shut the front door!”

It's the truth, I tell ya!  These are yellow cake balls, aka moist (hate that word) yellow cake truffles dipped in chocolate bark.  Mmmm!  Amaze-balls. Just be sure to make a lot of them.  Last time I made them, the entire batch was gone within 24 hours.  Thanks, roommates!  No, but really.  Sharing is caring... right?

Anyway, my friend David asked me for this recipe after hearing they were dee-lishh-ious.  $5 bucks says whoever loved and therefore suggested them had NO idea they were 100cal.  The evil health nut strikes again.  Muahahaha.

What you need:

• 1 box Yellow cake mix (I used Sugar-Free)
• 2 bananas (to be substituted for the eggs and oil in the cake mix directions – if you’re not going for a low fat recipe, skip the bananas and use the eggs/oil).
• Water (Pretty sure you know what this is/where to find it.  If not, send me an email.  We have some talking to do).
• 1 package Cream cheese (I used 1/3 Fat)
• 1 package Melting Chocolate (for melting – I used the almond bark squares from Kroger, but Dolci Fruitta would also work)
• Kitchenware: Pan (to bake cake), aluminum foil (or something to set them on while they cool), spoons (or toothpicks if you're a perfectionist - for dipping the cake balls in chocolate).

 What you gots ta do:

1. Bake the cake!  [Follow the directions on the cake mix].  If you’re cooking low-fat, use the bananas instead of oil/fat called for in the directions.  Throw the bananas into your mixer first so they are nice and mushy when you add the cake mix and water.
2. Let the cake cool!  All the way.  Seriously. Step. Away. From. The. Cake. Put it in the fridge if you’re impatient like me.
3. Mash the cake up (this is the fun part).  Just stick your hands in it and mash it up.  
4. Add the cream cheese.  I used about 2/3 of the package - it's really not an exact science.  Mix it up using your hands.  
5. Roll into balls about an inch or two in diameter.   If it’s getting really messy, stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes so it thickens a bit and get back at it.
6. Melt the chocolate in the microwave.
7. Using two spoons (or a toothpick if you want them to look perfect), dip each cake ball into the chocolate and set on a pan or aluminum foil to cool.

P.S. My lame joke at the beginning of this post was a desperate attempt to insert a need for the following (hilarious) video.  Seriously.  Shut the front door.  You're welcome :)