Healthy Banana Cake

Ahh, the first birthday.  Even though it was 4 months ago, I still feel the pain that day brought.  It was about all my heart could take.  My baby was no longer a baby, and entering into toddlerhood.  Walking, talking, toddlerhood and there was nothing I could do about it.  Don't you wish we could turn back time?

After some clicking around on good ol' Pinterest, I found inspiration for this Healthy Banana Cake.  The only sweetener is pure maple syrup and the sweet, ripe bananas themselves.  The frosting is made out of plain greek yogurt and pure maple syrup.  It is not as light and fluffy as cake would be; it's more like the consistency of banana bread.  Landon loved it.  (I did too!) And it was without all those white flours and sugars that I keep my little tyke away from.  Total success!

Healthy Banana Cake

YIELDS: One 6-inch two layer cake

ingredients

For the frosting:

2 cups greek yogurt, I like Fage 2%

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups whole spelt flour, or whole wheat flour would be fine

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 very ripe bananas

6 tbsp unsalted butter, I like Kerrygold grass fed butter

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

directions

For the frosting:
Strain the greek yogurt overnight or for 8 hours in the fridge, using a sieve lined with cheesecloth on top of a bowl to catch the liquid.

In a medium bowl, stir together the greek yogurt and maple syrup until smooth.  Place frosting in the refrigerator until ready to use.

(You can skip the straining overnight step, but be aware your frosting will be much thinner.)

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

In a separate medium bowl, mash the bananas with a potato masher until well mashed.  Stir in the melted butter until smooth.  Add the maple syrup, egg, and vanilla stirring well to combine.  Add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Divide batter between two 6-inch cake pans.  Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean; about 25 minutes.

Turn cakes out onto a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely.  Trim the top of the domed cakes to get a flat surface.  Place in refrigerator until ready to frost.

If making ahead, wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.  Cakes will take about 2 hours to defrost on the counter once frozen.


Katelyn's notes: I recommend waiting to frost until the day of.  And keep refrigerated until ready to eat! 

*This recipe can make about 10 cupcakes.  Use a scant 1/4 cup of batter for each cupcake and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  

Green Scrambled Eggs

Maybe I've been reading a little too much Dr. Seuss.  Or maybe there is much green in these scrambled eggs, it didn't make sense calling them anything else.  I try to have lots of veg in every meal.  Whether it be mixed in with breakfast, a bed of greens underneath a scoop of this delicious chicken salad, or on the side for dinner.  We need 6 servings daily!  I don't know about you, but that's a hard goal for me to achieve every single day.

Recently my husband and I purchased a juicer.  After lots of research and a couple documentaries we discovered it is fantastic way to ensure you are getting the proper amount of nutrients.  (If not more than the recommended amount!) You are literally consuming liquid gold.  But for those without a juicer, these eggs will get plenty of greens pumped into your system to start your day on a healthy foot.

Green Scrambled Eggs

YEILD: About 3 servings

ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
6 eggs
1 cup fresh kale, roughly chopped
1/2 cup asparagus, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp milk or cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving

directions

Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet to medium heat. 

Whisk eggs and milk together until light and fluffy.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.  

Add the chopped kale and asparagus to the pan.  Cook the vegetables until kale is wilted and the asparagus is bright green and tender.  Add the green onions to the pan and cook until fragrant.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Reduce heat to low.   Pour egg mixture into the skillet, and mix gently until small curds form.  

Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese, and serve.  

Recipe by Katelyn of Pisa Cake

Flourless Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Flourless?  Easy?  Chocolate chips? And in your mouth in ten minutes?  Oh man, you have my attention.  Super moist, light, and ultra chocolatey.  This (mostly) guilt-free treat is one for the books. Stick a couple in your husbands work bag, or in your child's lunch box and they will be singing your praises all day long.  

Though, I must warn you.  These muffins are dangerous.  I may or may not have eaten three in one sitting.  

Maybe four.  

Five, okay!  

Six?  

Buuuuuut they are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and soy-free.  So I'm not going to allow myself to feel that guilty about it. 

Flourless Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

YEILDS: About 17 mini muffins

ingredients

1 medium ripe banana

1 large egg

heaping 1/2 cup of peanut butter (I like the Justin's Brand - all natural, no added sugar, and creamy like your childhood favorite.)

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

heaping 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips - Use Enjoy Life chocolate chips brand to keep it dairy, soy, and  gluten free

directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a mini muffin tin with an all-natual cooking spray.  

Combine the first 7 ingredients into a blender and blend on high for one minute.

Add in the chocolate chips and stir with a spatula; do not mix using the blender as that will pulverize the chocolate chips.

Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon that has been sprayed with cooking spray, scoop tablespoon mounds into each tin; about 3/4 full.

Bake 8-9 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.  Watch the mini muffins closely as they can become overdone quickly.  

Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days, but are best eaten fresh.  

Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks

Leah's Chicken Salad

I don't know about you... But man have I missed you!  I miss writing, sharing and expressing my ridiculous love for food.  I miss taking pictures and losing myself in this blog.  There is this thing called motherhood that is literally taking all my time.  Every heard of it?  Yeah, it sure is a time consumer.  My boy is 16 months now and all over the place.  Literally non-stop.  After one mess is cleaned, another is made.  And that scenario is repeated throughout the day.   Sleep.  Wake.  Repeat.  I just can't bring myself to get rid of him though.  Nah, I love that nugget with every morsel of my being.  Sometimes, I look at him and think... he is NEVER going to love me as much as I love him.  And you know what?  It is totally well with my soul.  

Ok.  Now for the chicken salad recipe.

Every time I make this chicken salad, I am asked for the recipe.  Every.  Time.  It's literally all of 8 ingredients.  That's it.  And it comes to you from my lovely sister in law.  I tweaked the original recipe changing the cooking method for the chicken breast.  I roast it.  Bone in.  Skin on.  Boom.  Super moist.  Tons of flavahh.  (That's pronounced FLA-VAHH.)  Oh and I sub the original recipe of one cup of mayo for half mayo, half greek yogurt.  It helps me sleep better at night.  

Leah's Chicken Salad

Yeilds about 6 cups chicken salad

ingredients

4 bone in-skin on chicken breasts 

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup celery chopped

1/2 cup green onion chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4-1/2 cup red onion chopped - Depends on how much you like raw red onion.  It can be potent! 

1/2 cup mayo 

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1/2 - 1 TB Tony's Chachere's Creole Seasoning (You could sub this for salt and pepper if thats all you have on hand.  About 1.5 tsp of salt and 3/4 tsp pepper. ) 

directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.  

Place the chicken on the roasting pan and drizzle chicken breasts with olive oil.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the chicken it cooked through, and no longer pink.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet before handling.

Once cool enough to handle, transfer to a cutting board and peel back the skin on chicken breast.  Using a sharp knife, carefully carve the breast off the bone.  Chop up the chicken and set aside.  

In a large bowl, stir together the greek yogurt and mayo.  Add the chopped chicken, celery, green onion, red onion, cranberries, and seasoning.  Mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are totally combined and seasoning is evenly distributed.  Allow to chill at least 4 hours before serving.  

Katelyn's Notes: More ideas for mix in's are chopped apples, walnuts, grapes, sliced almonds, golden raisins, or fresh herbs.  Fresh Tarragon is fantastic in a chicken salad.  

Recipe adapted from Leah Spranger

Crispy Kale Chips

Ahh... kale chips.  My FAVORITE snack.  These are perfect for those afternoon hunger pains, or for munching on while fixing dinner.  They are a fabulous pairing to any kind of sandwich.  These babies are so crunchy, you won't even miss potato chips.  Because lets face it, that's everyones favorite part about potato chips anyway.  I literally make them several times a week for a quick snack.  Any chance to pump more greens in my body, I'll take it.  

That being said, the benefits of eating kale are astronomical.  Not only is kale high in vitamin a, vitamin k, vitamin c, and iron, but it also is filled with powerful antioxidants and is a great anti-inflammatory.  It's also a great detox food and high in calcium.  Have I convinced you yet?  EAT. MORE. KALE. BRO.

Crispy Kale Chips

ingredients

1 bunch of kale- washed, thoroughly dried, and torn into one-inch pieces

olive oil

salt to taste

directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

Evenly spread a couple handfuls of the kale pieces on each of the sheet pans.  Lightly drizzle with olive oil.  LESS IS MORE.  If you add too much oil, your chips will get soggy.  Sprinkle with salt, and toss kale together with your hands, evenly coating all the pieces.  Spread the kale back out, making sure not to crowd the pieces so they have room to crisp up.  

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crispy.  Allow kale chips to cool completely before removing from the sheet pans.  This allows them to stay crunchy. 

Katelyn's note: This recipe uses about half a bunch of kale.  I prep the whole bunch of kale, store it in a ziplock bag in the fridge, and then I have it ready to go for whenever I need it.  

Recipe by Katelyn of Pisa Cake

Healthy Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Where has the time gone?!  I cannot believe it has been months...five to be exact, in which I haven't posted a single recipe.  This past May, (which also happens to be my last blog post) my husband and I decided to sell our house, pack up our little three member family and move into a condo.  A gorgeous condo.  I'm literally in love.  So much so, that I just sit around and gaze at it for hours.  So you see, there's no time for cooking or blogging!  Kidding.  

In all seriousness, we needed a change.  My husband works loooong hours during his busy season which comes twice a year for him, and yard work and household maintenance was not on the top of our list of fun activities to do on the very few days he has off.  But this move totally through my blog life for a loop.  I had brand new appliances to get adapted with, and new kitchen to get accustomed to.  It's crazy how much those details matter when developing recipes and trying out some new finds floating around on the web.  Seriously makes a difference.

But don't you think for one second that I have forgotten you.  Oh no!  I have dozens and dozens of recipes that I cannot wait to share with you.  So hold on to your seat belts my fellow foodies, it's going to be delicious ride!

Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies

YEILD:14-17 cookies

ingredients

1/2 cup spelt flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp xylitol or granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
5 tbsp coconut oil
1-2 tbsp milk of choice if needed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.  

In a medium size bowl combine spelt flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and xylitol or sugar. 

In a small bowl stir together the wet ingredients.  Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until just combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  

Using a tablespoon measure, scoop the cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheet.  For crisp cookies bake right away.  For softer cookies chill in fridge for 30 minutes before putting them in the oven.  Bake for 10 minutes.  The cookies will look underdone when they come out.  Allow for cookies to set for at least 10 minutes before removing them from cookie sheet.  

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Baked Doughnuts with Vanilla Glaze

Doughnuts are my weakness.  Fried dough with a sugary glaze on top... Oh yeah, baby.  Nothing better in my book.  I blame my parents.  You see, when I was a child we took many weekend trips to Orlando.  We always had passes of some sort to an Orlando theme park.  And we always stopped by Krispy Kreme for a dozen doughnuts to share, before our long day at the park.  Breakfast of champions, I know. 

These doughnuts are a tad healthier.  No processed sugar in the batter, and I used spelt flour instead of all-purpose.  The glaze however, is loaded with sugar, but it is a GLAZE for Pete's sake.  (Anyone know who Pete is?) They came out pretty divine, if I say so myself.  I almost didn't miss the fried part.  Almost.  

Baked Doughnuts with Vanilla Glaze 

YEILD: About 6 doughnuts

ingredients:

1 cup spelt flour, or all-purpose if you prefer
1/2 cup xylitol, granulated sugar, or sugar substitute of choice
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Glaze:
2 tablespoons milk of choice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar or xylitol made into powdered sugar, see note below

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a doughnut pan with cooking spray, wipe out the excess.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring together the milk, vinegar, vanilla, egg, and butter.  Whisk over medium heat, until the butter has completely melted, about one minute. Remove from heat. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. 

Using a large tablespoon, spoon the batter into prepared doughnut pan. Bake for 12 -14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven, and immediately invert the pan onto a cooling rack.  While the doughnuts are cooling, make the glaze. 

For the glaze: In a shallow bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar, and vanilla until fully incorporated.  Dip the doughnuts into the glaze, coating both sides and set on a wire rack, with a cookie sheet underneath the rack to catch the drippings. Allow to set for a few minutes before serving. 


Katelyn's Note:  For xylitol powdered sugar, place 1 cup of xylitol in a food processor with 1 tbsp of arrowroot powder or corn starch.  Process until a powder forms.  Store in an airtight container with a locking lid.  Can be used for any recipe to substitute powdered sugar.


Recipe adapted from Fave Healthy Recipes