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!

Chocolate Strawberry Coconut Bars- Recipe Test

     I am all about creating my own recipes here on my blog, and for the most part I do. I love to mix and match several ideas and recipes to make my own unique dish! But this recipe was too good to pass up sharing it with you!

Brownie Batter Balls

   Everyone loves brownies and brownie batter is almost as good (if not better!)! Its gooey, sweet, and most importantly, chocolate! You can never go wrong with chocolate and you can never have to much of it! Finding new ways to have chocolate is always fun, and finding a healthy way to have chocolate is even better!

     Dates are a fairly new food in my diet. I had never really heard of them or tried them up until a few months ago, but now I don't know how I lived without them! They are super sweet, creamy, gooey and delicious! Add some cocoa powder and some coconut to the mix and you have yourself a winner!

     These Brownie Batter Date Balls are going to become a favorite of anyone who loves chocolate, brownies, and yummy snacks! They are completely vegan, dairy-free, oil-free, gluten-free( as long as you have gluten free oats) and refined sugar free! Also, they are super amazingly delicious and I want to eat the whole batch right now!


Ingredients:
12-13 Mejool dates, pitted
2 TBS Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup Rolled Oats
1 tsp Vanilla
Pinch of Salt
1/2 cup Shredded Coconut ( Sweetened or Unsweetened is fine!)

Start by pitting your dates and adding them to a food processor.

Process them until you get a creamy texture. You might need to add some warm water a TBS at a time if your dates were on the dry side.

Not a very pretty picture, but we'll change by adding in the cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and oats. Processes until well combined and the oats are a chopped up a bit.

And there is your brownie batter dough! Taste it to make sure its good! :) Then pour your coconut into a bowl, ready for rolling.

 

Then start rolling your dough into balls. You can make them as big or as small as you like! I got around 16 in my batch. If the dough is sticking your hands, dip your hands in some water every once in a while. This will prevent the sticking!

 

 

And there you go! Healthy Brownie Batter Date Balls! Let them sit in the fridge for 30 minutes or so to firm up a bit before snacking on! Store them in the fridge to keep them fresh longer!

 

 

Not only are these little treats delicious but they are packed full of fiber, protein, and healthy fats! Perfect for a snack or little dessert to satisfy a sweet tooth! Make them for yourself or share them with your friends and family. You will suddenly become very popular! :)

 

 

If you make this recipe, please let me know what you thought! I hope you like this post and it has given you inspiration to live a healthier lifestyle!

 

Please share this recipe and my blog with your friends and family to spread the love of healthy living!

 

You can follow the blog via email, Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood, Tumblr @ justrunningforfood, Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett, and on Instagram @ the_vegan_runner. Follow on social media for more Spinachisgoodforyou content!

 

I post every Friday!

 

Stay Healthy, Happy, and Laughing!

H. Banana

Almond Joy Cookies

Almond Joys are a wonderful blend of almonds, coconut and chocolate! Those flavors seem to go so well with each other, like a match made in heaven! My family is a fan of Almond Joys, so when I made these healthy Almond Joy inspired cookies, you better believe they went over well!

They are so delicious, you won't believe they are made without refined flour, butter, refined sugar or eggs! These cookies are the perfect thing to make to satisfy a sweet tooth and stay on the healthy side!

So, let's get into making these Healthy Almond Joy Cookies!

Ingredients:
2 cups Almond Flour
3/4 cups Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
1/4 cup Sliced Almonds
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
6 tbs Honey
1/2 cup Coconut Oil - Melted
1 tsp Almond Extract

Start by mixing together the dry ingredients( all but the cocoa powder) until its lump free.

Then add the wet ingredients and mix well until it becomes a sticky dough.

Next add in the cocoa powder and mix it in. I kept mine marbled but you can mix it together fully if you want. I just like the look of the marble!

 

Grease a baking sheet and roll tablespoon sized balls of the cookie dough and place them on the sheet. Press the dough balls down a bit, because they won't spread a whole lot.

 

Heat oven to 375 F and bake for 10-12 mins or until they start to go golden. They smelled so amazing while they were baking!

Remove them from the baking sheet and let them cool a bit before enjoying! I loved these cookies so much and my family did as well! We ate them for a mid afternoon snack!

I also think they look really cool and pretty with the marbled effect!

Let me know if you try these cookies and how you liked them! Also, share this post with a friend! Follow the blog to stay up to date on all my post! You can follow the blog on Twitter @ SpinachisGood and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett.

Keep Healthy and Safe!
H. Banana

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

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

Summer in a Smoothie!

Yes, the weather is getting colder here, and for the most part I love it , but every now and then I miss the warm sunshine of summer! So, I made a recipe for a delicious and refreshing smoothie to soothe my craving for summer!

Ingredients:
1 cup of frozen fruit ( I like to use a mix of strawberries and peaches or pineapple)
2 tbsp. Lemon or Lime juice
1 packet of Truvia (Optional)
1/4 of a ripe banana
Ice ( I added about 1/2 a cup or so, but go to your own taste with the ice)
1/4 cup coconut water.

The first step is to put your fruit and lemon juice together in a bowl and microwave, yes microwave, your fruit until it begins to juice. You don't want to warm your fruit, just juice is a bit. Mine took about a minute.

Add the banana to the blender along with the juiced fruit and blend until smooth.

On a side note: I love this blender!! <3 ( Its a Ninja, just so you know!)

Now its time to add the Truvia (If using), Ice and Coconut water. The reason I put the Truiva as optional is because the banana make this smoothie plenty sweet on its own. The Truvia is just to add extra sweetness.

Blend this up until smooth and yummy!

Give is a stir if needed and add a straw! Sipping this reminds me of the beach...sunshine.... well, Summer all together!

I love this smoothie, and I hope that you do too! Please let me know of you tried this recipe and what you thought about it!

My family loved this smoothie as well. I made one for my 21 month old brother and he drank it down so fast, I was amazed and after he wanted more! This smoothie is great for a nice refresher during the day, I like to have it after a work out, or even in the morning(Which is when I had it today!)

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