Gluten/Sugar Free Banana Muffins with Butterscotch Frosting

Banana and butterscotch is a winning combination.  Add to that having no processed sugars or gluten and you’ll be delighted to hand these to your little ones for breakfast or in their lunch boxes.  These are so light and moist and you’ll be able to resist those less than optimal treats being offered to you at work if you have these on hand.

The bonus on this recipe is you can simply throw everything in your blender for mixing.  This will make 6 muffins and can easily be converted to a banana cake.

Banana Muffin Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas (with brown spots on skin)
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut flour (another flour of choice would work)
• 1/2 cup coconut butter
• 1 t each cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla powder
• 1/4 t sea salt

Frosting: Optional

• Butterscotch nut butter – Recipe below

Directions:

1. Put ingredients in blender in order listed and blend on high until smooth.
2. Spoon into paper muffin cups or greased muffin tins.
3. Cook at 350 about 25 minutes or until lightly browned
4. After cooled frost with nut butter

Butterscotch Nut Butter Recipe:

Ingredients:

• Raw Cashews ground in a stone grinder until desired consistency or any 16 oz jar of Raw Cashew Butter (I recommend grinding fresh nuts yourself to ensure the quality of the nuts and that your end product is as silky and pourable as possible, but obviously this isn’t necessary or possible for everyone)

• 2 T Powdered Lucuma

• 10 drops White Chocolate flavor made by Medicine Flower

• Sweetener-options can include: Stevia and/or coconut sugar (I used 1T coconut sugar and 1/2 dropper vanilla stevia)

• Vanilla if not using vanilla stevia

• Sea salt

Directions:

Mix together by hand and adjust sweetener to taste

The possibilities of what to do with this butter are endless. I’ll be posting more recipes that use it, however.  For now, use your imagination, eat it straight out of the jar for an on the go treat, spread on bananas, use as a topping for banana ice cream or put it in candy molds and keep in freezer or refrigerator.  The possibilities are endless!

Nutritional Benefits:

Cashews are one of the sweetest nuts making it higher in carbohydrates compared to other nuts. They are high in mono unsaturated fat which has been shown to offer many health benefits. The vitamin, mineral and phytochemical profile is impressive along with important fiber.  Worth an honorable mention is its selenium content which is crucial for manufacturing glutathione peroxidase, possibly your most important antioxidant. Without proper levels of glutathione you will suffer subpar detoxification. (1)

Lucuma is a fruit that provides 14 essential trace elements.  In its powdered form it can easily be added to recipes to emulsify fats and sugars with the end product being very creamy. In a study conducted at Rutgers University it was shown that Lucuma may have anti-inflammatory properties when used topically. My hunch is that it would have the same effect internally. (2)

(1) www.nutrition-and-you.com
(2) www.livestrong.com

Healthy Super Bowl Menu? Yes!!! Here's how...

Healthy Super Bowl Menu?  Yes!!!

Roasted Tomato Hummus Dip

4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
Two 1-pound 3-ounce cans chick-peas, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup well stirred tahini
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/2 cup olive oil, or to taste
1/2-1 cup roasted tomato

Directions

1. Add all of the ingredients to a food a processor and blend until smooth.

Lime Marinated Shrimp Skewers

• 1 pound of shrimp, deveined and shelled
• Fresh lime juice (2-3 limes)
• 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
• 1 jalapeno, seeded depending on your tastes
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Mix, cumin powder, and jalapeno in small blender or food processor (can add mango for a tropical flare)
2. Skewer the shrimp and cover with the half of the marinade. Allow the shrimp to marinade in the fridge for a half hour.
3. Cook until shrimp are pink in color and top with the rest of the marinade

Serves 4-6

Healthy Buffalo Style Chicken Wings

Ingredients

3 pounds drumettes and wings
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon butter
6 sprigs fresh thyme
10 garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 cup hot sauce

For blue cheese dip:
1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
Scallions to garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F, and lightly grease an oven-proof pan.
2. In a large bowl, generously season drumettes and wings with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. In a sauté pan over low heat, melt butter. Add thyme and garlic and allow to simmer for 3 minutes. Once thyme and garlic become aromatic, add hot sauce and stir.
4. Pour entire mixture over chicken and toss to coat. Allow wings to marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, combine blue cheese and low-fat Greek yogurt in a small bowl. Mix well, and refrigerate.
6. Transfer chicken to oven-proof baking dish and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes; with tongs or a fork, flip and baste wings.
7. Bake for 25 minutes more, occasionally basting wings while they're in the oven.
8. Remove pan from oven, and allow wings to slightly cool in pan. Baste with juices, and serve with blue cheese dip!

Serves 6.Source: Calorie Count

You can eat alone, with baked chips/crackers, or
add to your chili! YUM! 

Quinoa Black Bean Avocado Salad 
Ingredients:
3 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 2 cups cooked black beans)


1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (more or less according to your taste)
2 fresh avocados, pitted, peeled and diced
Fresh lemon juice to prevent avocado from browning
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Juice of 4 limes
Zest of 1 lime

Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. While it is cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, and cilantro.

3. Dice avocados and drizzle with lemon juice. Set aside.

4. Combine all dressing ingredients in a bullet-style blender. Pulse until garlic is incorporated and dressing appears creamy. Set aside.

5. Fluff quinoa with fork and add to bean mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add lime juice and zest; toss to combine. Top each serving with avocado pieces and dressing.

This served four adults generously, with one portion leftover for my lunch. We didn't use all the dressing, but it was nice to have the extra on the side for those who wanted it.

Nutrition information per 1-cup serving:
Calories - 293
Fat - 12g
Saturated fat - 1g
Carbs - 39g
Fiber - 6g
Sugars - 1g
Protein - 9g
Sodium - 59mg
Cholesterol - 0mg

Smoked Pumpkin Chili (Vegan)

• 1 medium to large cooking onion, chopped
• 3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cans (or one large can) of dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed.
• 1 can of low-sodium corn kernels, drained and rinsed
• 1 large (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, keep the juice
• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable broth (or beer of choice)
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (or regular)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 to 15 sage leaves (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onions and garlic. Cook until onions are tender.
2. Pour in the pumpkin puree and vegetable broth (or beer). Mix. Pour in the can of whole tomatoes (with the juice). Mix again.
3. Then add the kidney beans and corn kernels. Season with the paprika, black pepper, and salt.
4. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. You'll want to use a spatula or mixing spoon to crush the whole tomatoes a bit. Keep them chunky, but try to crush each one a couple times to distribute evenly.
5. Then lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 45 minutes. Again, stir occasionally.
6. Add in the sage leaves (I rubbed mine a bit with my fingers to get the flavor out before dropping into the pot). Cook at a low simmer for another 15 minutes.

Never Fail Must-Haves:

Veggies are always a perfect snack, fiber rich & filling

Fruit Platter for a Sweet Treat

BUT--I'll give one recipe for a sweet treat without TOO much guilt! ;) 

Dark Chocolate Gluten and Dairy-Free Cupcakes

Makes: 12 Cupcakes

Cupcake Batter:

1 C red beets, pureed until smooth (can use canned beets or fresh beets, washed, peeled, boiled until fork tender, then pureed)

1 cup XyloSweet or Truvia natural sugar substitute

1 C unsweetened almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour

½ C dark chocolate cocoa powder

½ C dark chocolate chips (at least 70% cocoa powder)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. vegan cream cheese, softened

½ C Cauliflower, washed, steamed then pureed until smooth

½ C XyloSweet or Truvia natural sugar substitute

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

Unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)

 Directions:

1)      Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or coat with non-stick cooking spray.

2)      In a large mixing bowl or stand up mixer, combine beet puree, sugar substitute, almond milk and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Add in egg whites and gently fold in.

3)      Add gluten free flour, cocoa powder, dark chocolate chips, baking soda and salt and mix until well combined and no visible lumps.

4)      Divide mixture evenly into muffin tin, taking care not to overfill.  Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center clean.  Allow to cool on a baking rack.

5)      While cupcakes bake, combine frosting ingredients together and beat until smooth and airy.  Once cupcakes are completely cooled, smooth frosting over the top.  Top with fresh fruit, as desired.

Jan 24th--NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER DAY!

Interesting peanut facts, nutrition, buying tips, & healthy recipe.

What you need to know:

1. Americans consume 700 million pounds of peanut butter annually, about three pounds per person!

2. Peanuts are technically legumes (like beans), not a nut at all!!  

3. One acre of peanuts will make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.

4. Peanuts are a new world food, probably originating in Brazil and working their way up to Mexico. The Aztecs mashed them into a paste as early as 500 years ago.

5. 75% of homes in the US have a peanut butter jar.

6. 60% of the peanuts in the US are grown in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. Half are used for peanut butter.

7. Peanuts are rich in monounsaturated fats, which help reduce the risk of heart disease.

8. Peanut butter is also a good source of vitamins B3 and E, magnesium, folate, and dietary fiber.

9.  Though peanut butter has many health benefits, it's HIGH in calories and fats, so always MEASURE! 

10.  Ave serving, 2 TBS has about 200 calories 

What to buy at supermarket:

Look for peanut butter with no hydrogenated oils (AKA trans fat) or sugar. The ideal ingredient list should just one – peanuts, maybe two since most have added salt.  Organic & natural (the ones you have to stir) are BEST! 

Healthy Recipe Idea--

Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bars:  [no bake, sugar free, high protein, GF]

(makes 10 bars)

    128g (1/2 cup) Natural Peanut Butter (no sugar/salt/oil added)
    1 cup + 2 tbs Unsweetened Almond Milk
    10 packets Truvia* (or sweetener of choice)
    40 drops stevia extract
    1/8 tsp Salt
    96g (1 cup) Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, blended to a flour (GF if you like)
    168g (a little less than 3.5 scoops) Genesis Pure Complete Protein Powder 

*If you don't have stevia drops, add 6-8 more packets of Truvia.
**Do not use whey protein powder in this recipe, it will be gooey and will not solidify unless you freeze it.

Directions:
1.  Line an 8" brownie pan with wax paper or parchment paper both ways and set aside.
2.  In a medium-sized stand mixer bowl, add the peanut butter and almond milk and stir (don't use a whisk attachment.  If you feel like getting an arm workout, skip the stand mixer and use a spoon and your arm!).
3.  While the mixer is stirring, add the Truvia, stevia and salt.  Still mixing, add the oat flour.  Once the oat flour has fully mixed in, add the protein powder.  Mix until all the protein powder is incorporated.
4.  Take the bowl off the stand mixer and fold the mixture with a rubber spatula to form a giant PB dough ball.  Dump into the prepared pan and flatten with the spatula (or if you're fancy, a pastry roller).  Cover and refrigerate overnight.
5.  The next day, slice into bars and store in the fridge.  If you are the on-the-go type, wrap each bar in parchment paper and tape to close, that way you can easily grab them out of the fridge.

Cinnamon Swirl Protein Bread

Weekends are my favorite time to bake healthy goodies for me & my family.  This is a recipe is inspired by Jamie Eason's recipe I tried & absolutely LOVED!  It tastes so good & it was a HUGE hit...didn't last long at my house!!

First layer of batter, then top with Cinnamon/Xylitol Blend

Add the rest of the batter

Add remaining Cinnamon/Xylitol Blend & w/ a knife swirl!!!  

Final Product:  Yummy & Delicious!

Nutrition Facts:

Makes 16 squares
1 square = 55 calories, 1 g fat, 8 g carbs, 5 g protein

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Ideal (Xylitol)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour + 2 scoops vanilla whey protein (genesis pure complete shake)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Xylitol or ¼ cup Truvia or Stevia in the Raw
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 
• 1/3 cup or 1 4oz jar of baby food applesauce (or other flavors work too) and ¼ cup low sugar vanilla yogurt (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8 X 8 inch Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.


2. In small bowl combine: (set aside)

• 1/3 cup Ideal Xylitol
• 2 tsp cinnamon

3. In a large bowl combine: (whisk together)

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour + 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Ideal Xylitol or ¼ cup Stevia 

4. In a medium bowl combine: (whisk together & add to lrg bowl)

• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 cup or 1 4oz jar of baby food applesauce and ¼ cup low sugar vanilla yogurt (optional)

5. Pour a shallow layer of batter into the loaf pan (about 1/4 of the batter).


6. Sprinkle heavily with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter & cinnamon/sugar on top.


7. Draw a knife through the batter to marble. Bake for 24 to 28 min. Let cool for 10 min. Bread will be dense.

1 Minute Microwave Paleo Gluten Free, Sugar Free Gingerbread-Spice Mug Cake

Who doesn't love cake & with the holiday season...nothing is better than gingerbread-spice cake!
With this recipe, you can have your cake & eat it too!