Peanut Butter-Banana Muffins and Vanilla-Honey Butter [paleo, gluten, sugar free]

When I finished my run this morning, I was really happy to come home to these delicious muffins that I made last night. :) (I found the recipe on Detoxanista, a site that I absolutely love!) The peanut butter actually gives the muffins a great texture/consistency - and they rose really well. (especially compared to other paleo/gluten free recipes!) I'll definitely be making these again!



Peanut Butter - Banana Muffins

• 1 cup natural organic peanut butter
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup mashed)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 whole eggs
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup honey (or stevia, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Optional add-ins: ½ cup chocolate chips, or 1 cup fresh raspberries, or ½ cup dried raisins or cherries, or 1 sliced banana

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and prepare a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients mix until smooth. At this point, you can fold in one of the optional add-ins, if desired.
3. Scoop the batter, using a ¼ cup, into each muffin liner.
4. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F. The resulting muffins should be firm, and lightly golden.
5. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.
6. Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week!

                                                                           

A few notes on the recipe:

1. make sure the bananas that you use are very ripe. I used "normally ripe bananas" and though the muffins tasted really good, they weren't as "banana-y" as I would have liked. Just keep that in mind.

2. I used less honey than the recipe called for. I used probably an 1/8 cup, whereas the recipe calls for twice that amount. You can adjust the sweetness level as you so desire.

As a finishing touch, I made a Vanilla-Honey Butter to spread on the muffins.









Vanilla-Honey Butter

6 Tbsp. butter, softened (I left it out overnight)
1 Tbsp. honey (or more, if you like it sweeter)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

1. using a mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy.
2. add in the honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix to combine.
3. Walah! Enjoy on muffins or pancakes - store leftovers in the fridge.

Hearty White Bean and Ham Soup

This soup is a hearty and delicious: perfect for those rainy evenings of spring. I created this recipe for supper tonight and got great reviews from my family. :) The following recipe makes six servings.

White Bean and Ham Soup

1 onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 TB. Butter
30.5 ounces great white northern beans (cooked and drained)
2 ½ cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 cup of water
1 ½ cups of ham, cubed
1 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. of chives (dried or fresh) for serving

1.       Mash half of your white beans (15 ounces), set aside.

2.       In a large kettle melt the butter and sauté the onion, celery and carrots until tender.

3.       Add the stock, water, ham, and the mashed and whole beans and stir to combine.

4.       Season to taste, then let simmer for 30 minutes to enhance flavors.

5.       Sprinkle with chives and serve. Enjoy!

Nutritious {spring-y!} Lunches

I love salads because they're so fresh, vibrant and delicious. And also because they're so versatile: there are so many different routes or options you can go with when you're making a salad. for the "base" of my salads, I like to use spinach, or romaine lettuce - or a combination of both. (I also enjoy the "spring mix" greens if I have it) Then, it's up to you and your palate to decide what else to put on. There's no single recipe that is used for salads, but below is a "template" that I like to follow when making a salad to make sure I get the protein (3.5 ounces each meal) and veggies (1 cup each meal) that I need:

3.5 ounces of meat (turkey, chicken, sliced beef or veni)
1/2 cup of salad greens
1/2 cup of other veggies (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, carrots - any of your favorite vegetables!)
optional: a sprinkle of nuts (cashews, toasted pecans or almonds)
and/or some sliced fruit (apple, strawberries, citrus fruits, blueberries etc)
a drizzle of homemade vinaigrette:



Salad Vinaigrette: 
1 part oil (olive oil or, for a milder flavor: grapeseed oil)
1 part water
a squeeze of mustard
2 dashes of vinegar or lemon juice
salt and pepper

Enjoy!

[green] Banana-Spinach Smoothie

I've been looking for a good dairy-free smoothie recipe, but didn't really get around to the "experimenting" until this morning. This smoothie recipe is a perfect way to jump start your morning, and keep you energized during your morning run. :)

Spinach, is extremely good for you, as one cup of raw spinach contains protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, as well as lots of Vitamin A. In this smoothie, despite it's vibrant green color, the spinach has little flavor and it tastes like a peanut butter-banana smoothie. :)

Bananas are filled with vitamin B6, vitamin c, fiber, potassium and biotin and add the sweetness that a good smoothie needs. :)

Green Banana - Spinach Smoothie

 

1 banana, frozen

1 cup of spinach

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 cup of water

1 TBSP. of peanut butter

1 tsp. of honey, optional

Optional: unsweetened coconut flakes to top with/for texture.

 

1.Combine all ingredients in a blender and let it blend until smooth.

2. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Gluten Free {almond} Pancakes

 In Wisconsin, it's almost Maple Syrup Time (when we finally get our syrup supply replenished with real, fresh, maple syrup!) so I thought I'd share a favorite pancake recipe of mine. 

This recipe is completely gluten/sugar free, so you can partake of these delicious 'cakes without fear or reserve. ;)

Gluten Free, Almond Pancakes

1 1/2 cups of almond flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

pinch of salt

3 eggs

1/4 cup of liquid (milk, coconut milk, water etc)

1.In a mixing bowl, add your almond flour, baking soda and salt, and stir to combine.

2. In a seperate bowl, combine your wet ingredients: eggs and milk or water 

3. Combine your wet and dry ingredients: and stir to combine. 

4. Heat a griddle (I use an electric skillet, set to 350 degrees) and place a 1/4 cup scoop of your batter onto the surface.

5. When "bubbles" cover the top of your pancake(s) flip, until cooked through. Enjoy!

Paleo Lemon Bars

I love lemon bars...who doesn't, right? Sadly, lemon bar recipes are made out of sugar...and flour...and...all those ingredients that I don't eat. So, I was really excited to make this recipe for lemon bars. I adapted the recipe from Delighted Momma, but added my own twists and tweaks. :)


//notes for next time:
1. I'll probably make a thinner crust.
2. add a little more coconut
3. - some of my siblings said it needed to be sweeter (I thought it had a  perfect sweetness level...)

The Crust:
1 cup of almond flour
1 cup and 2 TBSP. of coconut flour 
¼ cup of coconut oil, melted
1/8 cup of honey
Dash  of salt
1 egg, slightly beaten


The Filling: 6 eggs
 1 cup of fresh lemon juice
 1/2 cup of honey
 1/2 cup of coconut oil
 a dash of sea salt                                            

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.   

For the crust:  combine the almond flour, coconut flour, coconut oil, honey and salt in a bowl. Stir to combine.

Press into a 8”x12” pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.  Take out of oven, and let cool. 

For the filling:

In a saucepan combine the eggs, honey and salt over medium heat. Whisk together and stir in the coconut oil until it is completely melted.

Now, whisk, whisk, whisk, until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency. (This process takes a little while, so don’t get discouraged when you’ve been whisking and whisking and it’s still “liquid”.
Once the mixture has thickened, remove from heat and let cool. 

Paleo Chocolate Truffles

When you're needing that little chocolate pick-me-up, head for these healthy, but delicious chocolate truffle balls!

Paleo Chocolate Truffle Balls

1 cup of cashews (soaked for 20 mins, then drained well)
1/3 cup of honey
1/3 cup of cocoa
1/2 tsp. of vanilla
pinch of salt
1/4 cup of dried, unsweetened coconut

(Optional coatings: finely chopped walnuts, shredded coconut, cinnamon, cocoa...)

1. Combine the cashews and honey in food processor, and process until smooth. Add cocoa, vanilla and salt, then process again until smooth. Add the coconut and process until it is well incorporated.  Taste, then adjust "seasonings", if you desire.

2. Rest batter in the freezer for 20 mins. Remove, and form into 1-inch balls, rolling each truffle thoroughly in the coating of your choosing. Store in refrigerator.

{Paleo} Mini-Chocolate Cakes