Coffee Slushy!

I love coffee, but after my workout I don't want a hot cup of coffee...I want a coffee slushy! This recipe is super easy and only uses a few ingredients!

Ingredients:
Coffee(Brewed and chilled.) about 1 and a half cup.
Coconut Milk (Or any milk you prefer. Got to your desired taste with this one!)
Truvia (If you want it to be sweet, add this, if not, leave it out!)

Add Truvia and Milk to the coffee and mix together.

Then, add ice and blend away!

Once blended, you can enjoy it right away or pop it in the freezer to get firmer.

 

I hope you enjoyed this super simple, easy and delicious coffee slushy! Its a great way to have a sweet energy boost, with out the sugary calories!

 

Please share with a friend if you have enjoyed this post!

 

Keep healthy and SAFE

H.Banana

"Candied" Pecans

I love candied pecans but all the recipes I found had sugar in it. So, I decided to create my own recipe and share it with you!

Ingredients:
Pecans(Mine had been stored in the freezer)
Truvia (I used 7 packets)
Cinnamon (I used about a tablespoon)

Warm the pecans in a skillet

The, whisk together the cinnamon and Truvia and add it to the skillet

You've got to be quick, they will burn easily!

Place them on a paper-towel and let them cool and dry.

(Mine got a little crispy!)

 

When they are cooled they are ready to enjoy! A handful of these yummy pecans makes a great snack!

Let me know what you thought and please share my blog with a friend!

 

Keep healthy and SAFE!

H.Banana

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

 

 

 

 

Cold Weather, Warm Drinks!

  Now that is cold outside I want to have something warm to drink inside! I usually don't like anything that is too complicated or has a bunch of ingredients! Here are a few of my favorite warm drinks to have on those cold days!

#1. Hot Lemon Water. A lot of detoxes and cleanses that I have looked in to have suggested drinking hot lemon water every morning! I like to drink it in the morning and sometimes in the evening. To make it is simple: Just heat some water to boiling(Or just warm, depending on how hot you like your drink to be!) and add a few drops of lemon juice!

#2 Coffee! I love coffee, and if you read a previous post of mine (Your Body on Coffee) you will know that coffee has a lot of health benefits for us! I usually have a cup of coffee with a dash of cream in the morning and then maybe another cup in the afternoon or if I go walking outside I will have a cup. I rarely ever had decaf coffee just because I usually need the caffeine, so I have to make sure not to drink in right before bedtime! How do you like your coffee? What are some of your favorite coffee brands or shops? Let me know!

#3 Apple Cider! I like to drink this hot and cold! We have found an apple cider that doesn't have any added sugars(Which is a plus!) at Costco . I like to heat it in the microwave or have it cold. Spiced apple cider is also amazing, but I rarely have time to make it! Maybe I will have time over the holidays!

#4 Tea! Tea of any kind is great for warming you up on cold winter days! A few of my favorites are, any kind of Green Tea ( To learn more about Green Tea, see a previous post of mine!) Black teas, spiced and herbal teas. Too make it is simple, heat water to boiling and add a tea bag. You can also use lose leaf tea and a strainer. You can check out my Mom's blog( Tea in the Morning Too ) to learn more about tea as well as other things!

#6 Lattes! Lattes have a lot of milk in them and they are usually pretty sweet, but there are plenty of healthier recipes out there to try! I have made a Gingerbread Latte on my blog(See a previous post).

A few favorite flavors are, Gingerbread, Pumpkin, Peppermint, and Caramel. Let me know what flavor of Lattes you like and whether you prefer to make them yourself or get them at a shop!


Well those are just a few of my favorite hot holiday drinks. Let me know what is your favorite holiday drinks! I hope to get a few more holiday drink recipes up in the near future so be on a look out for those!

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

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

 

 

Gingerbread Latte!

This healthy drink came from a pin I found on Pinterest. For the link to the recipe's website see the Recipes page.

First things first, the ingredients.

 1/4 tsp cinnamon
 1/8 tsp ground ginger
 2 tsp molasses (blackstrap or regular) I used sorghum.
 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
 3 tbsp strong coffee
 1 cup milk of choice (almond milk, soymilk, etc.)
 sweetener to taste (sugar, stevia, etc.)

Gather the ingredients:

Then, make the coffee. I used a K-cup on a small cup setting.

In a microwaveable container, combine the ginger and cinnamon.

Then the vanilla

 

Then add the sweetener. I am using one packet of Truvia.

 

 

Next the Coffee. I used a little more than the recipe called for just because I wanted more of the coffee taste.

Then add the molasses or in my case the sorghum.

Then you will add the milk. You can warm it up before you add it to make the finished drink a little frothy, but I just added it cold (btw I used unsweetened Almond Milk)

Whoops! Spilled a little!

 Now, stir it together until its combined. The molasses probably won't mix in completely, but don't worry.

 

To get the molasses or sorghum to melt into the mixture, put it in the microwave for about 2 minutes or until molasses or sorghum is melted.

 

Now, pour into a serving cup and top with either whipped cream or frothed milk and cinnamon.

This drink was so good! I think it rivals the Starbucks Gingerbread latte and its healthier! My little sister rated it a 10 out of 10 and my Mom( Arthur of Tea in the Morning Too ) Rated it an 8 because she wasn't thrilled with the topping (I used a little bit of melted Cool- Whip)
If you make this drink, let me know how it went in the comments and if you did anything differently! Make sure to check back for more recipes!

Stay Healthy and Safe,

H.Banana