Healthy Banana Cookies (or Bars)

Last week I was on a mission to find a small ingredient, healthy cookie that Frank and I could eat that wouldn't mess the waistline, had some form of nutrients, and took me all of 10 minutes to make after a long day at work. I came across these banana bars in the store and decided to try and make a small cookie that mimicked it. I google searched a ton of recipes and believe me there are plenty...but here was what I came up with and they were really good, and healthy. Ingredients: 1 cup rolled oats 4 small riped bananas 1/2 cup chopped dates 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/3 cup vegetable oil Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl mash up your bananas, add all the rest of your ingredients and mix well. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and place your cookies about 1 inch apart. Use a tsp to measure how big your cookies will be. You may need to shape them with your hands as well. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes and let them cool for about 10. Tips: These cookies can be made into small bars, if you like. They can also be good breakfast cookies...(no more then 2 servings). You get a well balanced treat here with the potassium from the banana the fiber from the dates and whole grains from the rolled oats. They are a light healthy treat that you can make and keep in a container for up to a week. If you are not a fan of dates add cranberries, or chopped walnuts, shaved coconuts. Whatever you enjoy is fine. So let me know what you think and healthy eating!

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Well lets just say that I clearly don't enjoy baking (thought today would be different)....I have zero patience for measuring, whipping, mixing...there is just to much work required, to many ingredients and clearly the time it takes to bake is just not worth it.

So today I decided to try a recipe for the holiday that I thought would be quick; but as I started to deconstruct it, I realized it is so much easier to roast a veggie. The baking item today was a healthy cookie...the results came out well Frank even ate a few...so if you are the baker type gives these a try.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup can't believe its not butter

1 egg

1/3 cup organic cane sugar

1/3 cup organic brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375. Take your oats and chop them in a processor (be careful I spilled mine all over the counter). In a small bowl combine, processed oats, wheat flour, baking soda and mix together. Then add both sugars, egg, vanilla, oil and soft butter. Mix all together till everything is well combined. Add chips for the final stir. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your cookie dough on the sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes and let cool.

I decided to try to make these cookies Fit Cuisine style put everything in a bowl and serve...it worked out well, just reminded me that I should stick to cooking healthy meals not healthy desserts. But if you are game enjoy!

Fit Cuisine Meals

This weekend I made some yummy meals for a few clients. I decided that with the cold weather coming, "what better comfort meal is there then soup?" The problem with ordering soup from a restaurant is often the high sodium content. Sadly, the canned varieties aren't any better. I prepared two soups: "Vegetarian Split Pea" and "2 Bean Minestrone" - (Both) low-sodium and filled with nutrients . These were very easy to make, with a total cooking time of 30 minutes. The best [art is that they were as YUMMY as they were EASY. To try these simple recipes look below. 2 Bean Minestrone 1 TBSP Minced Garlic 1 TBSP Olive Oil half small Onion Chopped 1 can rinsed White Beans 1 can rinsed Red Beans 1 cup chopped green beans 1 small squash Diced 1 can diced stewed tomatoes 1 TBSP Ms. Dash Tomato Basil Garlic Seasoning 4 Celery Stalks chopped 1/4 cup chopped carrots 1 box low fat low sodium vegetable broth 3 cups water In a medium soup pot saute, onions, garlic, celery and carrots till the onion is just about soft. Add your box for vegetable broth and water. Bring to a small boil and add your squash, green beans, stewed tomatoes, and canned rinsed beans. Let the whole pot simmer for about 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Add your seasoning stir one last time and serve. Tips: If you want this dish is great with small pasta like ditalini. I prefer this soup without pasta, but if you are going to use it opt for whole grain. This soup is truly a complete meal. Vegetarian Split Pea 1 bag dried split peas 1/2 cup diced carrots 3 celery stalks chopped 3 TBSP diced onion 1 TBSP minced garlic 1 TBSP olive oil 1 container of vegetable stock (low sodium) dash of black pepper 6 cups of water In a soup pot heat oil, garlic, and onions till translucent. Add in your carrots and celery, along with the vegetable stock and water. Bring to a small boil and add your peas. Let the entire pot boil for about 30 minutes until your vegetables are tender and the peas have gotten mushy. Once it is to the soft texture, add your black pepper and simmer low for an additional 10 minutes and serve. Tips: I like split pea but not with the ham. I started looking at other recipes but most required potato, or a touch of cream. I wanted this soup to be as clean as possible to the palette. You don't need a tone of ingredients to have a yummy soup. Sometimes less is more. This soup I think is a great lunch soup. So give it a try and let me know what you think.

Healthy Holiday Recipe Sides

So this weekend I made Thanksgiving sided for my clients. It was fun and all of these recipes are super simple and easy. My mother was my helper for the day and we had a lot of fun and made some great dishes. Butternut Squash Soup Ingredients: 2-1/2 -3cups Butternut Squash (fresh or frozen) if fresh roast first for 20-25minutes @425 1 1/2 containers of Low Sodium; Low Fat vegetable or Chicken broth 1 TBSP Olive Oil 1 Large Onion (diced) 1 TBSP Garlic (minced) 1/4 tsp Curry Powder 1 TBSP Honey Crushed Black Pepper Take your oil and saute your garlic and onion till the onions are translucent. Place your butternut squash in the pot and stir so the flavors start to combine. Add your broth and let the whole thing simmer for about 15 minutes on medium low heat. Take your emulsifier and puree the vegetables till smooth. Add your curry powder, honey and black pepper. Taste to make sure that it is to your liking and let in sit covered for about 10 to 15 minutes and serve. Tips: This was the 3rd time I made this soup and I tried to do it as clean as I could with as few ingredients as possible. I made 4 pots of this soup. Every one came out a little different. By time we got to the 4th pot Frank was done testing. The end result was great...a low sodium soup filled with healthy vitamins and superfood powers. Whipped Sweet Potatoes Ingredients: 4-6 Sweet Potatoes (Roasted in foils) Dash Cinnamon Dash Nutmeg 2 TBSP Organic Maple Syrup 1-2 cups Unsweetened Almond Breeze (container) Preheat Oven 425 degrees. This recipe requires what I call the taste test ingredient adder. Place potatoes on the sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes, or until soft. Using a mixer (Kitchen Aide) place the potatoes (skin off), add ½ cup of Almond Breeze, 1 TBSP of syrup, and the dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Start the blender on a low whip and make sure all the lumps are out. Taste…it should be smooth and creamy if not do the process over till it is to your liking. Once you have found the right taste, get a baking dish and spray it with non stick spray. Place your potato mixture in the dish and sprinkle some cinnamon on top. Bake in the 425 oven for about 10 to 15 minutes just so all the ingredients blend together. Take out and serve. Tips: This dish is by far my favorite. It was given to me by a dear friend who is a diabetic with a gluten allergy. I was a bit uneasy about the dish because I had not idea what Almond Breeze was but when I tried the dish I was impressed. So was my mother. Whipped Cauliflower Ingredients: 2-3 Bags of 16 oz Frozen cauliflower (cooked) 2 Tbsp Olive Oil 2-3 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese ½ cup Italian seasons bread crumbs 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Cook up you cauliflower till tender, and drain. Using a mixer place you cauliflower. Start to add the rest of the ingredients a little at a time and taste as you go. The idea is that you want this to be like whipped fully and then placed in the oven. Start by adding a bit of olive oil, then a sprinkle of bread crumb, the garlic, and cheese. Mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Check the flavors and add whatever you feel is missing from the list above. Once it is at the consistence desired, place into a sprayed casserole dish. Put a little more grated cheese on top and bake till just about bubbly on the side. (About 20 minutes) Tips: This dish has been in my family for a long time. We grew up with it as kids. For awhile I thought it was potatoes till one day I watched my mom make it and saw it was a veggie. Now my sister and I make it all the time for the holidays. Out in law always request it so it is made a lot, and tastes better every time. Sauted Green Beans Ingredients: 1 Large Bag or Green Beans (1-2lbs) 1 TBSP Olive Oil 1 TSP garlic (minced) 2 TBSP Sesame Seeds Take your beans and flash steam them in the microwave, or boil/blanch them. If you use the microwave, place a wet paper towel over the beans. Remove and place into your skillet that has already been sauteing with your garlic. Stir the beans around to coat and let it sit covered for about 5 minutes. Add your sesame seeds stir and serve. Tips: I love this dish because it is quick, easy and healthy. I like it hot and cold. Hope you enjoy it as well. I have also made this dish with grape tomatoes if you are feeling brave.

Healthy Thanksgiving Side Dishes

So this Thanksgiving I am going to help my clients out by preparing a package of healthy dishes to enjoy with there loved ones. They are dishes I have made before and enjoyed, so I thought this year instead of printing out the recipe for these specific dishes I would just make them for all to enjoy. So here are the sides: Package: Butternut Squash Soup (NO Cream) Whipped Organic Sweet Potatoes (this is made with 5 ingredients) Whipped Cauliflower (Hard to explain how this is made but better then white potatoes) Green Beans (saute or Casserole) These dishes are GREAT! Stay tuned for the recipe after Turkey Day!

Baked Whole Wheat Rotini with Squash

So this weekend officially launch my new side venture "Fit Cuisine" cooking preparation of healthy meals. During my cooking I decided to try and convert a clients husband into eating a dish that was kinda like baked Ziti, only made with Rotini (whole grain), and part skim cheese. Well lets just say I was proud of this dish...and he was as well. It is so easy to make so lets get started. Ingredients: 1 box Whole Grain or Whole Wheat Pasta 1 Jar Low salt Marinara or your own 1 1/2 cups Part Skim Ricotta or Cottage Cheese 2 Squirts of Pesto 1 large Squash sliced small 1 cup or so of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook your pasta according to the box. Slice your squash, and place it in a baking dish that is sprayed with PAM. Drain your pasta and place it into the dish, with your squash, tomato sauce, ricotta, pesto, and shredded mozzarella. Stir the whole thing together so that the flavors blend. Sprinkle some more mozzarella on top and place in the oven for 25 minutes till just about golden brown. Remove and serve with a side salad. Tips: This meal is a complete dish and serves about 6. The pasta used here is infused with omega 3 and flax seed so if you are allergic just use regular whole wheat. It is great if you have last minute company, and you can add any vegetable of your choice(i just like the way it tastes with squash).

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

So I decided that this would be the weekend I tried an eggplant dish. Since everyone I talk to loves Eggplant Parmesan I decided to try a healthy version of this classic Italian dish. I will say it did not go over very well with Frank, all he kept saying was "it's not fried". NO if it's a healthy version then NO frying is involved. I did give it to a dear friend of mine who LOVED it, and since she has a husband that is not the easiest of eaters I was glad to hear this was a hit. So enough talking, lets get to the ingredients:

2 Eggplants (sliced long)

2 Egg Whites

1 cup Panko (Italian season)

1 Jar Tomato Sauce

1 (15oz) container of Part Skim Ricotta

1 bag Low Moisture Shredded Mozzarella

2 squirts or 1 tsp Pesto

Non cooking Spray

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Make sure you eggplant is sliced long, no circles. In a small bowl or dish place your egg whites, in another dish place your panko. Take a baking dish and spray it with cooking spray. Use your jarred or fresh sauce and cover the bottom of the pan slightly. Take your sliced eggplant and dip or brush egg whites on both sides, then cover with panko. Layer the eggplant on the dish. Take your ricotta and place it into a bowl with about 2 TBSP of sauce and your pesto; stir together. Take a few dollops of ricotta and place it on different pieces of eggplant (you are not spreading); sprinkle your shredded mozzarella on top of the ricotta, and a bit more sauce. Then layer your next round of eggplant and repeat the pattern until you are all out off ricotta, eggplant and sauce. Eyeball it. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes and serve.

Tips:

Serve with a salad or vegetable. Remember it is not fried, but you are adding all the great flavors or Italian cooking without all the fat and calories.