Old Bananas are the BEST Bananas!

My obsession with "old" bananas baffles a lot of people. I can't eat a yellow banana. I consider it raw, uncooked if you will. I need my banana to be brown. REALLY brown.

The best part of living alone was my bananas sitting out getting brown and NOT getting eaten by someone else before they were primed and ready to my liking.

I understand I'm in the minority on this but the people that love me are supportive. And that's really all that matters.

If you have a few of these bananas lying around and aren't about to eat them, don't toss them. Bake with them. Brown bananas are sweeter than their yellow version. Banana bread anyone?

I make this bread/loaf about once a week. I make it so much I can just about make it in my sleep.
Grab your old bananas and give it a whirl!

• 3 to 4 brown, delicious bananas 
• 1 & 1/4 Cup Gluten Free Flour (I use Bob's Red Mill one to one)
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1/4 Cup Flax Meal
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Sugar
• 2 tsp of Vanilla
• 1 Egg
• 2 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 3 Tbsp of oil, I use canola.

Sprinkle to your liking of;

• ground cloves
• cinnamon
• nutmeg

Add in;

• Chocolate Chips. I like Enjoy life.
• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Peanut butter

you get the idea. :)

Grease loaf pan with coconut oil & place in the middle of a pre-heated oven.

350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes. My oven is unreliable so I keep and eye and nose on it.

When I think it's done, I stick a knife in the middle and make sure it comes out clean.

Slice and enjoy! I clearly did.

My Blue Apron Hacks

When I was single and living in NY, dinner was almost always after 8:30 pm. Which meant it was quick, usually prepared on a Sunday and enjoyed through at least Wednesday.
I was working in Manhattan and commuting back to Westchester after hitting the gym on the daily. It was exhausting and I don't miss it for a minute.

Simple Swap; Coconut sugar for white sugar.

I pre-cooked veggies and carbs, like quinoa or sweet potato, so I had them at the ready. All I had to do was add a protein. It made for an easy prep and clean up on week nights. While it was an effective way to feed myself, meals were often repeated weekly and weren't always something the lay person would enjoy.

When I decided to move to Boston and move in with my boyfriend, I started to panic. While he can cook, his repertoire was even less than mine. I hate grocery shopping as is and having to constantly come up with dinner ideas was my personal version of hell. Dramatic? Yes I am.

Enter Blue Apron. I hadn't thought of doing a meal service kit before but now seemed like good timing. I checked out a few and read some online reviews. I decided to go the Blue Apron route because they were the OG of meal delivery kits and their menu appealed to me.

I chose the 6 meal, or 3 night, plan. We get enough for two people for three separate meals. I knew from life experience that we'd end up eating out at least one night and I hate wasting food more than I hate dinner planning.

Simple Swap; Liquid aminos for soy sauce.

It's Okay to be Happy

Protein Doughnuts. Boyfriend approved!

These are way too easy to eat :)

Weekends are for relaxing, catching up with friends, watching bad made for TV movies (does anyone else still do that, or is it a Netflix world now?)
Weekends are also time for experimenting in the kitchen. Should things go bad, you can easily recover with a do-over or your seamless account. 

A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to make protein doughnuts for my boyfriend and I. He was supportive of my decision even though I had tried to make lemon ricotta pancakes once and the result was not so edible. He still ate them. He's a good man.

These however were much more palatable especially when you add sprinkles or fresh blueberries. I decided to split the batter and add one of each. I'm a genius.  
 

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of flour (I used Bobs Red Mill GF)
• 1 & 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1/4 cup of all natural nut butter
• 1/4 cup of almond milk
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• tsp of vanilla extract
  
   Add - ins like;
• Sprinkles
• Fresh Fruit
• Nuts
• Chocolate Chips

Get creative and go crazy with yourself. I sprayed a non-stick doughnut pan because I never trust non-stick.

I placed these in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Watch them to see when they start to brown on top. I got into the CBS Sunday Morning and forgot my second batch. They were still good but a little over done.

Enjoy!

Broc-a-mole!

Tortellini-less della Nonna

So creamy & yummy!

I’m over winter.  Considering this winter has been mild in comparison to most, I feel a like a brat saying that. Alas it is true, the last few weeks of cold and being sick more than once has me lingering closer to my couch. I long for sunshine and flowers.

When my body wants rest, rest it gets. I have a hard time sitting still when I’m home, so if I have a strong desire to curl up on my cushiony love interest, I will.  This also goes hand in hand with a longing for comfort food.  Who doesn’t love a lazy day with your favorite meal that transports you to your childhood.

For me, that is tortellini della Nonna.  Cheese filled tortellini with sautéed prosciutto & peas, covered in a creamy, buttery sauce. It instantly takes me back to my Nonna’s kitchen table.
 

So when a wave of tortellini nostalgia hit me, I had to take action. Since I’d been couch surfing for the better part of the weekend, I knew I couldn’t add butter, cream & cheese to resting metabolism.

Instead, I took a look into my refrigerator and came up with something that was a little healthier and totally hit the spot.  It would have been healthier if I didn’t eat it ALL, but you do what you can.

Tortellini-less della Nonna

• Serving of Explore Asian ‘”fettucine”. I eyeballed, so I’d say it was about a cups worth.  Or a hearty handful.
  
• 2 Laughing Cow cheese wedges
• ½ of a white onion
• 2 Slices of low –sodium deli ham
• ¼ Cup of parmesan cheese
• ¼ Cup of organic half & half
• 2 Tbs of Extra Virgin olive oil

I started by boiling the fettuccine in lightly salted water and chopping up the ham into small pieces.
While the pasta cooked, I sautéed my onions in a tablespoon of the olive oil until they were translucent.

I then added the chopped ham & peas to the pan, continuing to sauté on low heat.  I let the combination cook for about 10 min before I lowered the heat even more and slowly added the half & half.  Milk would probably also work, but I used what I had.
Once the peas, ham & onions were coated in the liquid, I let it cook up for another 2 minutes before adding in the cheese wedges.  The wedges don’t melt easily, so you need to stir them sufficiently until they melt down.

Once the pasta was at the texture I like, I strained it and added it to the mixture with the remaining oil & parmesan cheese.  I tossed the pasta in the pan until it was completely coated by the cheese sauce.

I then put some on a plate and marveled at how good my concoction tasted without butter, cream or prosciutto. I marveled so much, I helped myself to another plate :) Enjoy!

Obtaining Those New Year's Resolutions

New Year, New You, right? That's the plan for most people. I think the #1 New Year's resolution has got to be to have a healthier approach to the year ahead.

While I think a healthier lifestyle is always a great idea, how realistic are you about your goals?  If you haven't prepped food before, been to the gym in a while and generally avoid kale - you might need to ease into your new approach to health.

 

I think the vast majority of people tend to get excited about an idea, make a rough outline of their goals and jump in with both feet without considering obstacles.  When they hit a road block, and we will, many people throw in the towel and go back to a more comfortable way of living. Usually that way involves a Seamless account.

 First and foremost, get rid of the idea that foods are categorized into "Good" and "Bad."  There are foods that aren't beneficial to your fitness goals or health in general, but they aren't bad.  They haven't bullied so called, "good" foods or vandalized your refrigerator.

Having a healthy relationship with food is an important step to having a healthier life.  Once you get the idea of "good" food, "bad" food, out of your head you'll have a better shot at success.

 

Why? Well, remember those road blocks I mentioned? They’re real and they come in the form of after work happy hour, birthday cake, Sunday Funday etc. In other words, life. We can't stop living or put our social lives on hold while we shape up, only to pick up where we left off three months down the line.  That's why so many people fail.

Balance is key, as I’ve stated before, and this is where it comes into play.  If you have that slice of birthday cake, don’t throw caution to the wind and eat the whole damn cake. Or just as bad, chain yourself to a treadmill for 2 hours.  Enjoy the slice of cake and move on with life. Have a lighter dinner in anticipation of said cake. Punishing yourself won’t undo the caloric intake and it won’t make you likely to stick to your plan.

I think the best and most reasonable approach is to start small. Set small goals, attain them and then set slightly larger goals.  When I signed up for a half marathon a few years ago, I didn’t lace up my shoes the morning of and hit 13.1 miles in an effortless run. I worked my way up over the course of several months. I ran 3 miles, then I ran 5 miles, then I ran uphill, then I did intervals of sprints. You get the point.

I mapped out a plan, set small goals and put in the time to achieve my ultimate goal of a half marathon. It was incredibly difficult and incredibly rewarding.

If you’ve never prepped meals before, make a promise to yourself that you’ll bring lunch to work at least twice this week.  Working your way up to a week of homemade lunches.  The idea is more daunting than the task itself, I promise.  Cutting up veggies for salad add-ons or grilling chicken in advance isn’t difficult or time consuming.

Think of your fitness as a marathon, not a race. Break it down and make it happen. It might not be easy at first but before you realize it, it’ll become habit. A habit you’ll want to carry into the following year.

Healthy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Just in time for Santa's arrival! It's never too late to adopt a healthier lifestyle, right?
Let's make something the jolly guy will enjoy, without upping his cholesterol count, shall we?

These cookies are made without flour, oil or butter. The secret ingredient? Avocado!
You don't taste the avocado once all is said and done.  Sneaky! As sneaky as climbing down a chimney with a bag of toys undetected.

These were the easiest cookies ever! I whipped these up in less than twenty minutes.
The texture is more cake like than cookie like but I'm not complaining.

• large avocado
• large egg
• 3/4 C coconut sugar
• 3/4 C cocoa powder
• heaping spoon of peanut butter (b/c why not?)
• a handful or more of enjoy life chocolate chunks (sweetened)

I used my kitchen aid mixer to blend it all together to ensure the avocado was smooth.

Once I was happy with my batter, I spooned scoops of batter onto a non-stick pan and put them into my oven set for 350 degrees, for about 10 minutes.

They actually taste better cold, if you can wait that long!  Just remember to save some for Ole Saint Nick.

Last Minute Fitmas Gift Ideas

The NutriBullet aka the kitchen gadget you don't know how you lived without

If you still have some shopping to do, consider a gift that will make someone's 2016 healthier.

I got the nutribullet last Christmas & have used it everyday since.

Some less pricey options :: 

• monogrammed lunch bag
• headphones
• homemade almond butter
• heart rate monitor
• subscription to a health or fitness magazine

Or an assortment of kitchen gadgets for the food prepper in your life. 

I love my avocado keeper & pitter/cutter, individual can strainer, mini cutting board, colorful knives & we all know I live for my vegetti! Happy Shopping!