Delicious Cinnamon Baked Apples

These baked apples are so good! I saw a picture of baked apples on Pinterest and I knew I had to try and make some! These are perfect to warm you up on a cold day and satisfy your sweet tooth with out having an unhealthy dessert! I wrote this recipe myself and I hope you like it!

Ingredients:
2 tsp. cinnamon
5 packets of Truvia
5 Apples
1 stick of Butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. Maple Flavoring
1 cup of oats.
Lemon Juice.

The first thing you want to do is to wash and dry your apples (Remove any stickers they might have on them) and core them. Coring apples is a lot easier with an apple corer, but I didn't have one so I just used a knife and cored them the best I could.

Once you have cored them, place them in a bowl and splash a little lemon juice on them, to keep them from going brown while we make the filling.

To make the filling, first melt your butter in a microwavable bowl. Once melted, add Truvia and Vanilla to the bowl and mix well.

Then, add maple flavoring and cinnamon. I suggest using a whisk to mix this together.

Now, just add your oats and mix it till combined and the oats are coated with the liquid.

 

Take a pan (I am using a 9x13 pan) and cover the bottom and sides with tin foil. Then place the apples in the pan, making sure there is plenty of space between them. Fill the middle of the apples with the filling. Try to get as much as you can in them because it will cook down. You can just sprinkle any leftovers in the bottom of the pan.

 

 

 

Set your oven to 350 F and bake for 25-30 minutes. Then add some tin foil of the top and bake for another 15 minutes.

 

They are done when you can push a fork through them easily. Take them out of the oven when they are done and let them cool a bit before serving them.

See all that lovely sauce in the bottom of the pan? Save that to drizzle over the top of the apples.

 

 

To serve, place an apple on a plate and spoon some of the sauce from the bottom of the pan over the top of the apple. We drizzled a little half-and-half over ours and my little sister added Whip Cream.

 

 

These are so good! I made them for a mid-day snack and everyone loved them! The fact that they are delicious and fairly healthy for you is awesome! Try these yummy treats and let me know what you think! I hope you all love them as much as we did!

 

Remember to follow me on Pinterest and tell a friend about my blog!

 

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

Healthy Chocolate Cookies!

 

 

I love-love-love chocolate cookies and I was so excited to find a healthy recipe for them! When I found this recipe on Pinterest I tried it and fell in love! We have made them several times and the whole family enjoys them. To see the original recipe please go to my recipe's page. I took a recipe and added things to it to make it fit my tastes. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup Chocolate chips
2 medium ripe bananas
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tsp vanilla
1 to 2 tsp of cinnamon (Or for a fall-ish twist, pumpkin pie spice!)

Start with peeling your bananas and placing them in a bowl. Blend them until they are creamy and smooth.

Add the oats, coconut and cinnamon. Blend till combined.

Next add the vanilla and chocolate chips and stir it all together.

I took a bit of coconut oil to grease my pan, but you can use butter or parchment paper to keep the cookies from sticking. Use a spoon to scoop out the cookies on to the pan. They don't spread much so make them the  sixe you want them to finish with.

Set the oven to 350 degrees F and bake them for 20 mins. They smell heavenly as they bake. I think it smells like banana bread baking!

When they come out of the oven they should be firm and starting to brown on the edges.

My goodness they smell amazing! Let them cool a bit and then remove them and let them cool completely on a cooling rack.

Please let me know what you think about these cookies! I love that they taste to good and they don't have any sugar or flour! If you enjoy this post and the cookies please share it with a friend!

Keep it healthy and Safe
H.Banana

 

 

Coffee Cake in a Mug

Some times I get the cravings for something sweet, but I don't all ways have time to make a whole batch of something, so why not make a single serving in a mug??!
This recipe I found on Pinterest, and for the link to the website see my recipes page.

Ingredients:
1tbsp butter softened but not melted

 1tbsp truvia

 1 egg

 1/8 tsp baking powder

 A few drops of vanilla

 2tbsp almond milk or heavy cream

 1/4 cup almond flour
(I added a dash of cinnamon to mine)

For the topping:

1tbsp butter softened

 1tsp truvia

 2tbsp almond flour

 Dash of cinnamon

Cream the butter and Truvia together in your mug. Then add the egg and mix well.

Add the rest of the ingredients  (except for the ingredients for the topping) and mix it all together.

Now, mix up the topping.

Add the topping to the top of the mix and pop it in the microwave. The recipe called for 1 and a half minutes but I had to add another minute.

I must say that it doesn't look anything like the picture on the website, but I have never made a mug recipe and it turn out exactly the same.
My little brother loved this little coffee cake! He kept asking for more!

Let me know what you think it you try this recipe!

Keep it healthy and Safe!
H.Banana

Boo-Nanas

I wrote about these yummy and healthy treats in my Halloween post, so here is a how-to post on them! My little Sister, Bella, had a great time helping me make these and they will be fun for all ages!

What you will need:

Banana (One banana makes two ghost)
Peanut Butter (Creamy is best and make sure its chilled and not runny)
Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
Raisins or Chocolate Chips
Popsicle sticks or cake pop sticks (Optional)

 

Peel and cut banana in half. Add your sticks if you are using them.

 

Coat in peanut butter. We found it easiest to lay the banana down and spoon the peanut  butter of it.

 

This part was a little messy, but it was fun!

Now cover the bananas in the coconut. We laid down some coconut and rolled the bananas in it.

Take what ever you are using for the 'eyes' and dap a little peanut butter on one side. Stick them on you banana.

And there you go, yummy and healthy Halloween Boo-nanas!

My whole family liked these cute ghost and we will totally be making them again!
Let me know if you try these Boo-nanas and how they went!

For the link to the website where I got the idea, go to my Halloween post here - Halloween Candy

Keep it healthy and Safe,
H.Banana

 

 

Apple Chompers!

In my last post I said that Apple Chompers were a great and healthy Halloween Treat! I thought I would do a more step by step with pictures to show you more of how they look!


Ingredients:
Red Apple - One small apple made 7 'chompers' for us.

Peanut Butter or Almond butter (Make sure that its chilled and not runny!)

Marshmallows, Nuts or anything you want to make the 'teeth'
   We used a mixture of marshmallows, sliced almonds and cashews. Of all the things we used, I would have to say that the marshmallows worked best.

Wash and dry your apple and place it on a cutting board.

Slice the apples. Make sure the slices are more or less the same size.

 
   Now, take a spoonful of peanut or almond butter and spread some on one side of a slice.

 Place your teeth towards the skin part of the apple and press gently.

 Take another slice and spread peanut or almond butter on one side and place the 'sticky' side of the apple on top of the 'teeth' on the other slice.

We had to use tooth-picks to old them in place, at least until the peanut or almond butter set.

 

Here is one of the finished products! They are so cute and Halloween-ish too! I love how they are festive yet still on the healthy side!

My little sister, Bella, is very proud of the Apple Chompers. She was a great help in making them.

  Let me know what you think about these Halloween treats, and if you try them yourself, let me know! If you want the link to the website were I found this idea, you can see my last post about Halloween treats.

Keep it healthy and Safe!
H.Banana

 

Halloween Candy

   Halloween is almost here and you might be looking forward to eating all of your favorite Halloween candy. But what about being healthy?  I found a few tips for staying on the healthy side of things during Halloween and still enjoy some of your favorite treats!

How much to eat?
 So you still want to eat your candy-corn, M&M's, Snickers, Almond Joys, or Caramels, but you still want to watch your calories. Here are a few examples of 100 calories of different candies.

29 M&M's = 99 calories
4 Three Musketeers Minis  = 97 calories
1 Butter-Finger = 96 calories
4 Milk Chocolate Hershey Kisses = 89 calories
2 Mini Reese's Peanut Butter cups = 86 calories
4 Tootsie Roll Midgees = 93 Calories
2 Snickers Bar Minis = 85 calories
2 Twix Bar Minis = 85 calories
1 Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffle = 79 calories
2 Milky Way's Minis = 79 calories
1.5 Crunch Bars =  75 calories
1 Kit Kat Bar = 70 calories
This information came from dailyburn.com

Now, what about avoiding those, not-so-good-for-you candies, and stick to some healthier options?
Here are a few I recommend.

1. I've already done a Healthy Almond Joy recipe, you can see that here - Almond Joys
2. Clementine Pumpkins!
     Making these adorable snacks is so easy! Peel a clementine and stick a little piece of celery in the top of the 'pumpkin'. Make as many as you like, they are great for kids!
3. Booo-nanas!
   To make these yummy treats, take a banana and peel, cut in half. Stick a popsicle stick, or cake-pop stick in the flat end of the banana. Cover the banana in peanut butter or almond butter and then roll in chopped pecans, coconut flakes or chopped up chocolate chips! then take a chocolate chips, raisin or anything that will make good 'eyes' for you Boo-Nanas, and use a bit of peanut butter or melted chocolate to stick the 'eyes' on. Enjoy!
3. Apple Chompers!
     Theses treats are so cute! Slice a red apple into slices and spread peanut butter on one half of two slices. Place anything from peanuts, marshmallows, banana cubes, or yogurt-covered raisins to make the 'teeth' on one half then place the other half on top and enjoy!

Well those are just a few of the many healthy treats to make this Halloween! Stay tuned because I might me posting some more healthy Halloween treats soon!

Here are the links to the websites were I found these cool treats!

onelittleproject.com -  Clementine Pumpkins and Boo-Nanas (I add to the Boo- Nanas a bit, but this website gave we the idea!)

www.allthecooks.com - Apple Chompers (I used Peanut butter instead of jam)

I hope you enjoyed these ideas, and be on the look out for more Halloween treats. I will be posting a more step by step post on the Boo- Nanas and Apple Chompers soon, so be on the look out for those too!
Keep it healthy and safe!
H. Banana

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

 

 

Pumpkin Muffins!

Fall is slowly creeping out here and its time to start thinking about pumpkin pies, Pumpkin Lattes, Pumpkin cookies...yummm.

  These muffins are the perfect way to start the day in a fall-ish way! They are a wonderful blend of Pumpkin, pecans and spices. You won't believe that they are healthy!
If you want the link to the recipe's website see the Recipe's page.

Here are the ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
½ cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3 eggs, lightly beaten.
¾ cup canned pumpkin puree
3 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup honey
¼ cup chopped pecans

The dry ingredients:

And the wet ingredients

Mix all the dry ingredients together( Coconut flour, Almond Flour, Baking Soda, Pumpkin Pie Spice , and salt. DO NOT ADD THE PECANS!)

Then beat your eggs lightly and add them to the bowl along with the other wet ingredients (Honey, Pumpkin Puree, Vanilla, coconut oil)
Mix them together until smooth. I used a electric beater but you can use a spoon.

Now, line a muffin pan with paper liners (or you can use the silicone liners that I used. We got them at Hobby Lobby) or grease them with butter or a little coconut oil.

Take a spoon and fill the tin with the batter. Fill the cups up a little over half way.

 

Then chop the pecans up and mix in a little of the Pumpkin Pie spice (Or just cinnamon) and sprinkle the mixture on top of the muffins.

 

 

 

Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the muffins in. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

They took 25 minutes to bake for me. I used a toothpick to check and see if they were done. Just poke the toothpick in a muffin and if it comes out clean then they are done.

Take them out of the oven and let them cool a bit before removing them from the pan and putting  them on a cooling rack.

 

Don't they look delicious? I let them cool until I could pick them up with my bare hands comfortably. Take them out of the wrappers (If you used them) and place them on a plate to serve right away or in an air-tight container to store.

 

These were so yummy and easy to make. I can't believe they taste this good and are this healthy! My family rated these muffins a 10 out of 10!

If you try this recipe let me know how it goes and how you liked these Pumpkin Muffins!

Keep it healthy and SAFE,
H. Banana