Healthy "Fried" Bananas

I was inspired to use some of my quickly browning bananas today, but wanted something sweet. I adapted an actual fried banana recipe from Pinterest and created this delicious treat! I'm no chef, and I'm sure this has been done in some capacity before, so I'm not saying I'm the first one to ever do this before. Also, none of the measurements are going to be exact. This healthy treat is gluten-free, vegan, paleo, and fully raw. It's nice to know you can create something so scrumptious with so few ingredients! All you need is a banana, honey, water, cinnamon, and almond butter (optional).

All of these ingredients are very healthy and I recently read an article about cinnamon that said even the scent of cinnamon can boost your brain. As a college student preparing for finals, I definitely need the brain boost. Cinnamon also enhances memory and focus so I'll be sprinkling it like a magic potion next week!

I took one banana and cut it into pieces as if I was making a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I wanted the pieces to be small enough to cook quickly and not be a mouthful to eat! I threw the banana slices into a pan on medium heat with some cooking spray so the banana pieces wouldn't stick.

I let them cook for about 45 seconds to a minute before flipping them. Then I took raw honey and tried my best to dissolve it into water so the bananas would be evenly coated in the mixture. I used a heaping spoonful of honey and just enough water to dissolve it. I turned off the heat on the stove, poured the honey mixture in and let it bubble for a second. It gets nice and brown, like caramelized sugar. Then I placed the mixture in a bowl and covered it in cinnamon. It's not photographed, but I also placed a spoonful of almond butter on top because the combination of almond butter and bananas is classic. I know it doesn't look like the most appetizing thing you have ever eaten, but, believe me, it is delicious.

Have you tried any healthy snacks lately? Let me know!

Favorite Healthy Snacks

I'm a fitness lover. I love Pilates (rant is here if you'd like to read it), running, hockey, hurling, and yoga. Anything that gets me moving and sweating; I'll love it! Here are just a few of the healthy snacks I like to power up with after a good hard workout. Brain workouts count too because these are also snacks I eat when I've worked up a mental sweat writing papers or doing research.

1. Kind Fruit and Nut Bars - These are delicious if you're an almond lover like me! They have other flavors, but these two are my favorites. They're also gluten free and made with all natural whole nuts, fruits, and ingredients you can see and pronounce.

2. Celery and Almond Butter - This is a recent favorite of mine. I know I need to eat more veggies, so I always try to have celery on hand because it's one of my favorites. Pair it with almond butter and you've got a perfect snack full of protein.

3. Fruit Strips - I know there are recipes all over Pinterest showing how to make your own fruit strips, but sometimes I just want to grab a box and go. These taste like fruit snacks, but they're not full of high fructose corn syrup and other weird preservatives!

4. Sunflower seeds - When I'm in the mood for something crunchy or salty I love to reach for sunflower seeds because they satisfy my craving and I'm not reaching for a bag of chips or another unhealthy alternative.

5. Luna Protein Bars in Cookie Dough - These actually taste like cookie dough. And I know this might not be classified as a "healthy snack," but I had to throw it in here because it does have a lot of protein packed in it. I ate a lot of these bars following my long training runs preparing for the marathon.

6. Champagne Mangoes - And here's the winner! My all time favorite healthy snack award goes to the Champagne mango because of it's sweet and juicy flavor. I don't know exactly why I like Champagne mangoes better than conventional mangoes, but if you haven't tried them then you definitely need to! 

What are your favorite post-workout healthy snacks?

Delicious Peanut (or Almond!) Butter Cookies

So I warned you guys, there's no rhyme or reason to my posts. They're gonna be all over the place. It's a roller coaster and you'll all just have to hold on tight! So onto the baking!
These cookies are incredible.
I recently went on a "diet." I hate that word because it wasn't really a diet, but rather a lifestyle change to figure out a healthier way for me to eat. It's called the Virgin Diet and it's all about elimination. According to J.J. Virgin, the creator of the Virgin Diet, there are seven common food intolerances: soy, corn, gluten, dairy, sugar, eggs, and peanuts. Now, stay with me, I know it sounds ridiculous, but my mom and I did it together and we both felt it made a big difference. I recommend a buddy if you're going into this diet change because you're able to discuss food changes and yummy options (and cravings!) So we made it the full 21 days of the elimination period and because I felt a big change in my overall health, I decided to keep avoiding a majority of the foods, particularly gluten and dairy.
I'd always blamed my skin issues on my obsessive changing in beauty routines or that certain time of the month, but eliminating dairy has left my skin radiant and clear. And I'm talking haven't-had-to-wear-concealer-in-days clear. I attribute the change to dairy and I've been happy as can be eating coconut milk yogurt and almond milk.

And that is where these cookies come in! I was searching Pinterest (you can find me here) for dessert options I could eat on this diet. I'm a big dessert person, you should all know that as a disclaimer. I found the original recipe here, but I changed from peanut butter to almond butter and it tastes great. I actually find almond butter tastes more sophisticated, if nut butters can be sophisticated. I think they can.
They're also extremely easy to make with just peanut/almond butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, an egg, baking soda, and chocolate chunks! Check out the recipe link for all of the other information about the cookies. Can't take credit for something that I didn't create! Props to Averie Cooks blog for creating these little morsels.
Give them a try! Let me know what you think.