banana protein muffins (gluten free)

let's be honest right up front: these muffins are not attractive.  in fact, they're pretty ugly as far as muffins are concerned . . . but this is a classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover" or in this instance, "please don't judge my unattractive muffins before you taste them!"

i found a variation of this recipe on instagram and i was intrigued because it incorporated banana, greek yogurt, almond meal, and coconut sugar.  those ingredients got me inspired.  i ended up making a bunch of changes, but still keeping the original essence of these muffins.  i created my own version which i'm calling "banana protein muffins" because they're packed full of protein thanks to the yogurt, two types of nuts, flaxseed, and powdered peanut butter.

i like that this is a mini recipe and only makes 6 muffins.  that way you don't have to commit to having a ton of muffins sitting on your kitchen counter looking at you.  i know they're ugly, but gosh, they sure are delicious!

banana protein muffins

prep time: 5 minutes

baking time: 25-27 minutes

yields: 6 muffins

adapted from dessert for two

ingredients:

1/4 cup peanuts

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup oats

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal

1 tablespoon powdered peanut butter

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup coconut sugar

directions:

preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line six muffin cups with paper liners.  in a food processor, combine the peanuts, cashews, oats, and flaxseed meal.  pulse until finely ground.  add the mixture to a large bowl along with the powdered peanut butter, mashed banana, yogurt, and sugar.  mix well until combined.

scoop the batter into the lined muffin cups and bake for 25-27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffins comes out clean.  allow the muffins to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing them from the pans and allowing them to finish cooling on a wire rack.

enjoy!

love, laurie

honey pistachio cashew cranberry granola

we like having granola on hand around the house to snack on and to put onto yogurt.  i threw together a batch of this granola over the weekend so that we would have it to snack on during the week.  i was originally intending to make this batch into granola bars, but they didn't want to stick together so it just became loose granola.  oh well, still tastes the same!

honey pistachio cashew cranberry granola
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
yields: approximatley 3 cups
adapted from table for two

ingredients:
2 cups oats
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted cashews, chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions:
in a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, cranberries, chia seeds, and flaxseeds.  in a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter and the honey together until it comes to a boil.  remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  pour the hot mixture over the dry ingredients and stir together until all is evenly coated.  pour out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

enjoy!

love, laurie

roasted red pepper hummus (vegan)

we absolutely love hummus in our house.  it's such a tasty snack that you don't have to feel guilty about eating because it's healthy for you!  (hummus packs a lot of protein too.)

over the weekend, i was in the mood for some hummus so i whipped up a batch.  one of my favorite things about hummus is that it's so versatile.  you can add just about anything to it.  i started out with my simple go-to base hummus recipe and then kicked up the flavor with roasted red peppers.  we enjoyed it with some pita crackers and carrot sticks.

roasted red pepper hummus
total time: 5-10 minutes

ingredients:
2 15 oz. cans low-sodium garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz. roasted red peppers
1 tablespoon tahini paste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

directions:
in a food processor, combine all ingredients.  puree until smooth.  serve chilled with cut vegetables and/or crackers.

enjoy!

love, laurie

healthy snack: apple slices with peanut butter and yogurt topped with granola

i share a lot of recipes here on the blog, and i thought it might be helpful to also share a few simple healthy snacks that we like to make.  so, i decided to start a new series called healthy snacks.  to kick things off, here's a healthy snack that is super easy to make and incorporates apples.  tis the season for apples!

i sliced a honeycrisp apple and removed the seeds.  i spread natural peanut butter on some of the slices and vanilla yogurt on the rest of the slices.  (almond butter or sunflower butter would be great instead of peanut butter too, and you could use any flavor yogurt you like.)  then i sprinkled some granola on top of the peanut butter and yogurt.  the granola adds a great crunch and balances the whole thing out.  yum!

happy snacking!

love, laurie