Healthy Banana Bread

When I was little, banana bread was probably one of my most favorite things that my mom used to bake. When I got older and started to eat healthier, I tried to recreate her banana bread recipe so many times. I was determined to make one that still had the rich flavor and moist texture of her banana bread, but with some healthy swaps for the butter, sugar, and flour. I can't tell you how many failed attempts I had trying to create the perfect recipe, but I finally nailed it! My mom even approved :) 

Compared to most banana bread recipes, this is lower in calories and carbs, and higher in protein. It's also grain-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, and paleo friendly.

Ingredients:

-3/4 cup mashed banana (~2 bananas, make sure they're very ripe)

-1 cup almond meal

-1/4 cup coconut flour

-1/4 cup baking stevia (or honey or agave)

-2 eggs (room temp is best)

-2 tbsp melted coconut oil

-1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

-1 tsp baking soda

-1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, and wet in another. Then pour wet into dry. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper. Pour in the batter and make sure it's evenly distributed in the pan. Bake for about 35-40 minutes. Let it cool before cutting into slices.

 

It was so good that I even had it for dessert one night! Topped with sugar-free vanilla coconut milk ice cream and some peanut butter :) Also perfect for breakfast or a mid-day snack!

Sweet Fall Chicken Salad

This salad is the perfect combination of fall flavors-- roasted butternut squash, cinnamon baked apples, crunchy pecans, chicken for protein, and a sweet maple peanut dressing. It can easily be put together in ten minutes if you already have the chicken and squash prepared. I also didn't really measure anything so this is just a guess. Feel free to adjust to your own needs!

Ingredients (serves 1):

-giant handful of baby spinach

-3 oz grilled chicken, already cooked & cut into pieces

-1/2 cup roasted butternut squash cubes (I used frozen & already had it prepared. You can also use a fresh squash, cut into cubes, and bake on 450 for 15-20 minutes)

-1-2 tbsp chopped pecans

-1/2 of an apple cut into cubes

-1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon

-1 tbsp peanut flour (or PB2)

-unsweetened vanilla almond milk

-sugar free maple syrup 

Directions:
Combine first 4 ingredients into a salad bowl. Then put the pieces of apple in a bowl with a little bit of water and sprinkle the cinnamon over the apples. Heat in the microwave for about a minute, or until apples are soft. While that's in the microwave, add the peanut flour to a small bowl. Mix in a splash of maple syrup, and almond milk to a dressing consistency. Drain out the water from the baked apples and add to the salad bowl. Then top with the dressing.

I prefer hot salads over cold, so I put this in the microwave for about 45 seconds.

Single Serving Gingerbread Cake

Christmas is a little over a month away and it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but as soon as Halloween passed I was ready to get into the holiday spirit! As much as I love fall flavors like pumpkin and maple, my absolute favorite flavors have to be sweet holiday flavors like gingerbread and sugar cookie. It's so tempting to buy all the holiday goodies that I see at Target and the grocery store but so far I've resisted! It's not really a problem anymore because this single-serving gingerbread cake is sweet, moist, and the best part...healthy! I can easily have something gingerbread-flavored whenever I have a craving for it without the calories and sugar that you get from the baked goods at the store. This recipe is also very versatile! Using different spices and extracts can change the flavor to pretty much anything that you're in the mood for! I'll include a variation to make a chocolate chip cookie cake because that's another one of my favorites.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp oat flour
1.5 tbsp plain greek yogurt
1.5 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1.5 tbsp egg whites
1-2 packets stevia
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp molasses (I use blackstrap)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger (or more but a lot of ginger is too spicy for me)

*For chocolate chip cookie cake, omit molasses, cinnamon, and ginger. Add 1/4 tsp butter extract and 1 tsp chocolate chips/dark chocolate chips/carob chips etc.
**This recipe is also gluten-free if you use gluten-free oat flour, like I do. I also like to use Enjoy Life chocolate chips, which are allergen-friendly.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Spray a mini-loaf pan or ramekin with non-stick cooking spray, and pour in the mixture. Bake for 14-16 minutes. Top with greek yogurt "frosting," peanut butter, anything you'd like!




Approximate Nutrition Information (for gingerbread version): 142 calories, 2g fat, 21g carb, 2g fiber, 9g protein

Healthy Snickerdoodle Cookies

So I'm not going to lie, I've actually never had a real snickerdoodle cookie before! So I'm not exactly sure what they taste like. When I made this recipe, I actually didn't really have a flavor in mind. After I tasted them, I decided that they must be snickerdoodle because they had a sweet, buttery taste and when I typed snickerdoodle into google that's how it's described..haha. So if anyone ends up making these, let me know if I was right! Either way, they're delicious. They're also paleo, vegan, and gluten-free. There's no eggs, no dairy, and no grains, so they're very allergen-friendly!

Ingredients:
1 cup cashew flour (you can also grind up cashews in a food processor, or try almond flour)
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/4 cup baking stevia (or sweetener of choice)
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp butter extract (use more vanilla extract if you don't have this, but I highly recommend using it!)
pinch of sea salt
cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine cashew flour, stevia, baking soda, and sea salt in one mixing bowl. Mix the coconut oil, applesauce, milk, vanilla extract, and butter extract in a separate bowl. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. Form the dough into balls about 1 tbsp big, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Then place on the baking sheet. Flatten each dough ball slightly. Bake for 8-10 minutes. They will be very soft when they come out of the oven, so let them cool for a while before transferring them from the baking sheet. They end up being soft on the inside, and firm on the outside!

Chocolate Chip Proatmeal Cookies

I had a few bananas that were about to go rotten but it wasn't enough to make banana bread, so I made oatmeal cookies instead! The best part about these is that you don't need to add sugar, stevia, honey, or any other sweetener because the bananas make them sweet enough. They have a combination of protein, healthy fats, and good carbohydrates that make for a great on-the-go breakfast or quick snack.

Ingredients:
-3/4 cup quick oats
-3 ripe mini bananas, or ~1 medium sized, mashed
-1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
-2-3 tbsp any nut butter (I used You Fresh Naturals Cinnamon Roll Coco-nut Butter...obsessed)
-1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (could sub flaxseed meal)
-2 tbsp chopped pecans--or almonds, walnuts, etc.
-3 tbsp dark chocolate chips, carob chips, etc. (I used Enjoy Life gluten-free mini chocolate chips)
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-optional: 1/2 tbsp Maca Powder

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, combine the nut butter and mashed banana. Then mix in the protein powder, applesauce, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Add the oats and nuts, and mix well. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a spoon to place to the dough on to the parchment paper, forming balls about 1-1.5 tbsp big, and then flatten them slightly. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let them cool and enjoy! Store in a container in the fridge to make them last longer.