Easy Vegan Biscuits

Biscuits are the ultimate comfort food for chilly winter nights! Pair them with delicious jam or a heart veggie stew and you have yourself a delicious meal! These are vegan, easy to make, and super delicious! 

Vegan Holiday Bark

Holiday Bark is the best thing to make during the holidays! It makes great gifts, delicious treats, and perfect party snacks! This recipe is VEGAN! Which makes it just that much better!

Homemade Vegan Butter - Nut and Gluten Free

     I know what you're thinking. "How can you make butter at home, without diary, and it actually taste good!?!" I thought the same thing, until I started seeing posts upon posts about making your own vegan butter. So, of course, I had to try it out. I wasn't disappointed and you won't be either!

Healthy Vegan Buckeye Bars

     What is better than delicious peanut butter layered between rich, dark chocolate? The fact that it is healthy! Not only is this dessert super delicious and easy to make, its also dairy free, gluten free and refined sugar free!

Chocolate Lover's Granola - Small Batch Granola

Valentine's Day is just a few days away, which means chocolate is everywhere! It seems that chocolate is a popular way of saying 'I love you!' ! This Chocolate Lover's Granola is the perfect way to say I love you to a friend, special someone or even yourself!

Coffee Body Scrub for Mother's Day

    Mother's Day is just a few days away! And while we should celebrate our mother's every day, Mother's Day is a fun holiday to make an extra effort to make them feel special! There are so many ways to spoil our Moms on Mother's Day, but my favorite way is with a delicious homemade dessert and a handmade gift! Handmade gifts are always from the heart, and to me that makes them so meaningful!
    

      Pampering your Mother is a great way to help her relax and make her feel special! Yes, you could send her to the spa for the day, or you could  make her a lovely handmade body scrub so she can pamper herself whenever she wants! This coffee body scrub is the perfect thing to make for anyone who loves coffee, or who loves to feel pampered!

    Before we get into the recipe, let me share with you the health benefits of the amazing body scrub!
Number one would be how exfoliating it is! Your skin will feel amazing after usuing this scrub! The caffeine in coffee can also help to tighten your skin and give it a firmer appearance. The oil in the scrub helps to hydrate and moisturize your skin and give it a dewy look! Why wouldn't you want to use this scrub? :)

Coffee Body Scrub
Ingredients:
1 cup Coconut Oil at room temp.
4 TBS Olive Oil ( This is optional. It will keep your scrub from becoming too solid to use)
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Coffee Grounds (You can use fresh or used)
1 tsp Cinnamon

First, combine your dry ingredients.

 

Next, add in your oils.

 

 

Mix well. If it seems too liquidy, you can add in more sugar or coffee. It just depends on your perfered texture.

 

 

And we're done! How easy was that? There is no excuse fornot making your own body scrubs now, whether you keep them for yourself or give them as a gift!

 

 

     I stored  mine in small glass jars, but a plastic container would work well. Just make sure they are water tight so they don't get filled with water when you use them in the shower. Speaking of using them..... You can use this scrub in the shower or bath. Be careful not to use it if you have any cuts or bug bites because it will sting quite a bit! Also, if you use it on you legs, use it before you shave, not after!

Every Mother deserves to feel special at least one day out of the year, and this coffee body scrub is the perfect thing to show her how much you care for and appreciate her! Let her pamper herself this Mother's Day and many days afterwards, and give her a wonderful handmade gift!

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and family!

You can follow the blog via email, Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood, Tumblr @ justrunningforfood, and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett.

I post every Friday!

Stay Healthy, Happy and Laughing!
H. Banana

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Muffins

Chocolate and peanut butter is a match made in heaven in these muffins! They are the perfect blend of the rich cocoa and nutty peanut butter flavors. Even though they have bold flavors, the muffins are light and fluffy for a great, healthy breakfast, snack or dessert!

The other day Mom was wanting some muffins for breakfast the following morning, and like usual I jumped to make some for her! They problem was that there are so many flavor combos to chose from! How do you chose between apple and cinnamon, lemon and blueberry, oatmeal raisin, etc. ? My family loves chocolate  no matter what, and peanut butter is a great partner for it, so I went with that and the result was pretty delicious , if I do say so myself!

So, let's get on with the recipe, shall we?

Ingredients:
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
1/2 cup Honey
1 Egg
1/2 cup Unsweetened Greek Yogurt
1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
1/3 cup PB2 ( You can also just use regular peanut butter and use a little less coconut oil.)

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Beat together the honey and coconut oil. You want the oil to be soft but not liquid. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Next, add the yogurt, almond milk, vanilla and flours. Mix until combined. Add in the baking powder, salt, and baking soda along with the cocoa powder and PB2(or regular peanut butter if that is what you're using). Mix this together until the mixture is lump free and smooth.  Grease or line a muffin tin and spoon in the batter. I filled mine about 3/4 of the way full. This is enough for 12 muffins. Bake for 15 mins. or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean. Let them cool in the pan for 10 mins. and then remove them and let them completely cool on a wire rack.

These muffins smell so good while baking and they taste just as delicious! Enjoy them for breakfast with some fresh fruit, as a snack or even a dessert! They are the perfect thing to grab for a quick bite to eat, or enjoying with a nice cup of coffee!

You can also make a pile of mini muffins like I did here! They are perfect for little hands and they're super cute!

I hope you enjoy this post, and if you make these muffins, please let me know what you think! Share this post with a friend and don't forget to check back for more healthy recipes like this one!

Keep healthy and Safe!
H.Banana

Follow the blog on Twitter @ Spinachisgood and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett. Also, please give the blog a follow to stay up to date on my post!

Delicate Rose-Water bites with Dark Chocolate Icing

  These cookies are such an interesting blend of flavors, your mouth won't know what happened! With the subtle hint of rose-water and the bold flavor of the chocolate, these cookies are sure to be a hit! I made them a little 'valentine's day' themed by piping the icing on in hearts, but they are perfect for any occasion!

So, let's get started!
Ingredients:
1 banana
2 cups Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
2 tbs. Rose Water
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of Salt

Icing:
2 tbs. Coconut Oil
2 tbs. Honey
4 tbs. Coco Powder

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. The mixture will be chunky and sticky .

Heat oven to 350 F.
Scoop a tbs. of the mixture into your hand and flatten it out with your palm. Then place it on a greased or lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 min. or until they begin to turn a nice golden-brown on the edges. When they come out of the oven, slide them on to a cooling rack as soon as you can without crumbling them.

 

Yummy!!!

Now, you of course could eat them just like this and they would be delicious, but I wanted to add something a little bold! And of course it has to be chocolate! Let's make the chocolate icing now!

 

Melt the coconut oil and honey in the microwave. Add in the coco powder and whisk together. Let this sit in the fridge until the cookies are completely chilled.

 

Once the cookies are cool, its time to decorate! Place them on a cooling rack with a paper-towel underneath (To catch the drips!)

Place the chocolate icing in a Zip-Lock bag and cut a small hole in one corner. This will be your piping bag.

Note* If the sauce is too solid when you take it out of the fridge, microwave it just until it gets soft.

 

Now you can pipe anything you want on to your cookies. I chose to go with hearts, dots, swirls, stripes and so on! They turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself!

I just love chocolate, don't you? Pared with the delicate hint of Rose-Water, they're just perfect!

Let the icing cool and harden before enjoying with family, friends or that special someone on Valentine's Day( or any day for that matter!)

 

I hope you have enjoyed these cookies and my post! Please check back weekly for new healthy and delicious recipes as well as fitness tips and tricks!

 

Keep Healthy and SAFE!

H.Banana

 

 

 

 

 

Calorie Saving Holiday Food Swaps.

Have you ever wondered whether there was a healthier way to make your favorite holiday treats? Well, there are so many healthier recipes out there from pumpkin pie to turkey dressing, but what about just tweaking the recipe you already love? Here are a few food swaps that might help you. Now, just be clear not all of these will taste good in everything. Use your imagination and have fun with it!

Oil:
Oil can be substituted with applesauce 1 for 1. So, if you use a 1/2 cup of oil you can use a 1/2 cup of applesauce instead. This is a great tip for things like muffins and sweet breads!

Sugar:
Sugar can be substituted with Stevia 1 to 3/4. So if you use a cup of sugar you can use 3/4 a cup of stevia. Stevia can be found in almost any grocery store now, but if you can't find it in your local store try Whole Foods or Fresh Market. The brand of stevia my family uses is Truvia.

Butter:
Butter can be substituted with coconut oil 1 to 3/4. So, like the sugar and stevia, if you use a cup of butter you can use 3/4 of a cup coconut oil. Now, I must say this taste better in some things than others. It does give a slight coconut flavor, which is great in chocolate cookie but maybe not so much in sweet potato casserole. Have fun with it though! Maybe sweet potato and coconut with become the next popular flavor combination!

Cow's Milk:
Cow's milk can be substituted with unsweetened almond milk 1 to 1. So, if the recipe calls for a cup of cow's milk, you can use a cup of unsweetened almond milk. I have used this tip a lot and I have never tasted an almond flavor as a result from it.

Milk Chocolate:
Milk chocolate can be substituted with 70% dark chocolate 1 to 1. So, if you use a cup of milk chocolate, just use a cup of 70% dark chocolate instead. This gives anything a richer and darker chocolate flavor and I love this tip because of it!

Heavy Cream:
Heavy cream can be substituted 1 to 3/4 with Raw Cashew Cream. So for a cup of heavy cream just use 3/4 of a cup of raw cashew cream. I have never used cashew cream so I can't tell you how it will taste, but if you use it I would be interested in knowing what you think about it!

These tips came from HeandSheeatclean.com

I hope these tips inspire you to try new things and hopefully make your holidays a little healthier! Let me know if you try any of these and what you thought!

Keep healthy and Safe.
H.Banana

Winter Workout Tips

As the weather gets colder I begin to dread going outside for the run that I know I need. I kept asking myself that surely there had to be a way to make this easier!  Well, thankfully I found several post on Pinterest that have given be helpful tips for working out in the winter. And today, I'm going to share them with you!


The first tip is to dress for the weather! But you need to be careful because you don't want to be in the middle of your run and want to take all your layers off! A tip from EatPrayRunDC suggest to dress like its 20 degrees warmer outside than it really is, that way when you start to get warm from the workout you don't start roasting in your clothes! Here is a Winter Guide to Layering Clothes .

 While we are on the topic of dressing, here are a few tips that I found various places.
   Keep your feet, toes and ears warm! You don't want freezing body parts to slow you down!
   Where clothes that allow you to move freely and don't weigh you down.
   Make sure your shoes aren't mesh or too thin. You might even need to get a pair of shoes just for winter workouts!
I have a few favorite Winter must have for my workouts. They are: Ear warmers (Nice toasting ears instead of frozen ones!) Thick socks! (No more frozen toes!) Neck warmer or Cowl ( I don't suggest running in a scarf because that can cause difficulties. Cowls are shorter, kind of like a short infinity scarf.) What are your favorite winter workout must? Share them in the comments!

Here is us getting ready for a hike last Thanksgiving! No, I wouldn't run in that jacket, but it was and still is great for hiking and low impact outdoor activities!

The second tip is that you need to drink water! Just because its cold outside doesn't mean that you need to drink less water than you did in the summer! Fill your water bottle up just as full as you did in the summer!

Stay motivated! Sometimes trying to get yourself to leave your cozy place by the fire can be so hard! Find some friends to workout with or set a goal of your self (Or both!) Let me know how you stay motivated!

Lotion up! I hate chapped lips, cheeks and hands and they can be so uncomfortable! Applying lotion and lip butters can help relive and even prevent chapped skin. Several places have suggested using coconut oil to treat the chapped areas.


Now, I can't lie, I sometimes just hang up the idea of going outside for a workout. I either run on the treadmill or do something different for the workout that day. I don't want to run in below-freezing weather or when its snowing outside, so here are a few indoor workouts that I like to do instead!

Pop Sugar's 9 workouts to try this winter

Indoor HIIT workout for the winter

Indoor Cardio Crusher for the Winter



There are so many other workouts out there so feel free to search around for yourself! Let me know what you like to do for a winter workout and if you workout outside!


I hope this post helped you and if it did please share it with a  friend!

Keep it healthy and Safe
H.Banana

ps. Follow be on Pinterest! I am under Hannah Plunkett!

Ginerbread Cookies!

I love Gingerbread cookies and I have been on the look out for a healthy recipe for a while! I found one on Pinterest and I added and tweaked it to make it my own! for the original recipe go here- food52.com

The ingredients:
2 2/3cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2teaspoon baking powder

1teaspoon cinnamon

 

1 teaspoon ground ginger

 

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

 

1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg

 

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

1/2 cup Sorghum or Molasses

 

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

 

1/2 cup Honey

 

1/4 cup almond milk, soy milk, or rice milk (I used Almond)

 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

 

Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix together

Then add wet ingredients and mix together. I used an electric mixer for this step.

Flour the surface where you are going to roll out the dough and place the dough on it. Sprinkle with a little more flour and then roll out.

Cut your desired cookie shape out. I used a biscuit cutter to do mine, but any shape will be lovely! Just remember to keep them all around the same size and thickness!

Yum! They look so good already!
Place them onto a pan. I used a stone pan so I didn't need to butter or grease it, but if you aren't using a stone pan you need to butter or grease it.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for around 8 minutes. If your cookies are smaller or thinner they may not need all 8 minutes to get done.

They smell soooo good!

I also made half-moon shapes!

Let them cool on a cooling-rack. While you do that, you can make some yummy icing for them!
Here is the recipe I used!

Half a block of cream cheese
Tablespoon  Honey
Sprinkling of  ground Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Ginger
A small splash of Almond milk.

Whip this up until its creamy and delicious!

Put the icing in a zip-lock bag and push it to one corner. Snip a tiny end off the same corner and decorate your cookies! I did smiley faces, swirls, dots, letters and more! Let me know how you like to decorate your cookies!

I am not an artist, but I tried my best to make these look cute!

I love to half-moon ones!

My family and I love these cute, delicious and healthy cookies, and I hope you do too! If you try them, let me know how it went and what you thought!

Keep it Healthy and Safe,
H. Banana

 

 

Body Scrub

   Sometimes we all need to pamper ourselves, and what better way to do that than with a lovely Body Scrub! I love using a body scrub to make my skin soft, smooth and of course, smell good! There are countless recipes for different scrubs on Pinterest and I'm sure they all are wonderful, I just took a basic one and added and changed it up a bit. For the original recipe see my Recipe's page!
Alright, Lets get started!

Ingredients:
Salt( Make sure the grains aren't too big. If they are you can run them through a food processor or blender)
Sugar (This is optional. You can use all salt or do half-sugar half-salt)
Oil of choice (My favorites are Olive Oil, Almond Oil, Coconut Oil and Jojoba Oil)
Coco Butter (This is also semi-Optional. If you want more of a scrub then leave this out, but add the Butter to get a creamier more lotion feel along with the scrub.)
Essential Oil or any smell you like! (A few of my favorites are Lavender, Citrus, and Cinnamon.) You can also use Vanilla and a little of ground cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie spice to make a nice fall scrub. Just play with the flavors and have fun!
I don't have many pictures of the process, just the finally product, but here is the process.

I needed to blend my salt up in the food processor. I didn't use any sugar but if you are then add it along with the salt.
 After that I added my oils. I used a mix of the Coconut Oil, Almond Oil and Jojoba oil. You just need enough to give the scrub the right texture. Play with it until you are satisfied, and remember you can always add more but you can't take away!

Then I added the coco butter. Now you need to melt this until liquid or really soft. It will make the scrub really watery, but don't worry! Once the Coco-Butter cools the scrub will thicken up! If you want to make sure the texture is right, you can put a little on a spoon and put it in the freezer for a few minutes until it cools off.

Once you are satisfied with the texture you can gently stir in you Essential Oil or your choice of flavoring. In my particular scrub today I used a mix of lavender and rose.

Once you add the smells you can pour the scrub into a container with a lid and leave it to come to room temp.
Use this in the shower to make your legs and arms smell and feel wonderful!

I made this for my Mom (from Tea in the Morning Too ) and myself for a little pamper session!

Have fun with this and if you try it, let me know what smells you use and how they turned out!

Here is my finished product! Its lovely just plain like that or.....

Add ribbon or some twine and give it as a gift!
Have fun with this and always,
Keep it Healthy and Safe!
H. Banana