Treats

Treats

Protein Pop

Sometimes it’s hard to make it from breakfast to lunch, or lunch to dinner without a little pick-me-up in between. From time to time I get midmorning and mid afternoon energy slumps and need something small to tie me over until the next meal. One of my favorite simple snacks is what I like to call a Protein Lollipop!

One Teaspoon of your favorite unsalted nut butter, and a drizzle of honey is all you need to get a quick boost that won’t spoil your next meal!

Protein Lollipop
serves 1

1 Tbsp unsalted nut butter
drizzle of honey

Banana Nicecream

Konichiwa bunnies!
I am finally back from Japan! I cannot believe I’m still awake right now because I am still on Japan time, which means it’s about noon on Thursday! I’ve been traveling by planes, trains, and automobiles since yesterday at 10am, and am desperately trying to stay awake until a decent hour to get back to CA time! In the meantime, I have been missing froyo like crazy!

I have the biggest sweet tooth. No, actually I think that my mom wins for biggest sweet tooth! We loveee our sweet treats! Yogurt (yogi as I say) and ice cream are two of my favorite desserts, but even the fat-free and lactose-free, versions can be loaded with added sugars.

Now, my favorite nighttime treat is the potassium rich, Banana Nicecream!
One ingredient. One perfect dessert.

Banana Nicecream
Serves 1

1 frozen banana – yup, that’s it!

Peel, chop, and freeze banana. After banana is frozen, throw it in a food processor and blend until smooth and fluffy. Enjoy with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top if desired!
Note: I always make sure that I have frozen bananas on hand for when an ice cream craving strikes!

There is an awesome ice cream maker called Yonanas that turns frozen bananas into a perfectly creamy soft serve! Any Yonanas fans out there?! Definitely worth the investment if you are a fan of Banana Nicecream! I need one pronto!

I cannot wait to share some recipes that I learned during a cooking class while I was in Japan! So manny goodies for you guys!

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

These faux mashed potatoes consist of only 2 ingredients: cauliflower and milk!
A great alternative to starchy potatoes when you want a light side dish. The first time I made these, I couldn’t believe how similar they tasted to mashed potatoes!

They can be eaten plain or with your favorite additions such as garlic and parsley, as you would with regular mashed potatoes.


Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Amount of servings varies on the size of your cauliflower

1 head cauliflower
½ cup milk of your choice – unsweetened

Separate cauliflower florets from the stem and place them in a microwave safe container. Cover and heat for 4-5 minutes until soft. Remove excess water and transfer the cauliflower to a blender or food processor. Add milk in small amounts until desired texture is created.

Note: add the milk slowly a little bit at a time so that it doesn’t get too runny. The amount of milk may vary due to different sizes of cauliflower heads.

Kiwi Swiss Pepper Toast

It’s Toast Tuesday!

The perfect sweet and savory combination of flavors that your palette will love.

Kiwi Swiss Pepper Toast
Serves 1

1 slice whole-wheat bread
1 triangle Laughing Cow Spreadable Light Creamy Swiss Cheese
1 kiwi
cracked black pepper to taste

Peel and slice kiwi. Toast the bread, spread with Swiss cheese, top with kiwi slices, and add freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Travel Snacks

I am taking a break from packing… or should I say downsizing my suitcase, because I am going to Japan today!

I love traveling, but sometimes it gets tricky to find healthy foods at airports. I like to prepare little emergency snack kits for my carry on bag just incase I get hungry or healthy choices aren’t available.

If you are traveling somewhere far, it can be nearly impossible to bring fresh food along with you. Meal replacement bars are a great option, but some of them have ingredient lists longer than the dictionary and are filled with artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and some questionable ingredients. I have done my research to find you the healthiest meal bars and snacks that are TSA approved, portable, shelf stable, and yummy! The best part? These snacks have no preservatives, and tiny ingredient lists with the largest list containing only 7 ingredients, all of which we can pronounce and locate in a grocery store!

Meet your new travel buddies:

Ak-Mak Whole Wheat Sesame Crackers: These generously sized whole grain crackers contain only 7 ingredients such as: organically grown whole wheat flour, clover honey, sesame oil, dairy butter, sesame seeds, yeast, and salt. They add up to only 110 calories and 4 grams of fiber per serving of 5 crackers! I love these crackers because they are perfectly crunchy and not to mention Armenian (I’m part Armenian), scoreee!

Larabar: Well, I’m speechless on this one… I don’t know how they do it! Larabars are possibly the greatest meal bars to hit the market. Ever. Larabars are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, non-GMO, vegan, and kosher but do not exclude flavor. Famous for their simple ingredient list, pure delicious taste, and and outstanding nutrition, Larabars are the simple way to eat on the go. My favorite flavor “Cashew Cookie” contains only cashews and dates and actually tastes like a cookie. Amazing! The nutritional stats aren’t too shabby either. Made from whole fruits and nuts in their most natural state, it contains 230 calories, and 3 grams of fiber! They come in a variety of flavors and have been popping up in grocery stores and some Target stores all over.

Blue Diamond Almonds, 100 Calorie Packs: Almonds are great portable snack and an excellent source of  vitamin E, fiber, copper, phosphorous and riboflavin. Sometimes it’s easy to get carried away and suddenly a handful turns into an entire bag, so this mini 100 calorie pack of whole, natural, unsalted almonds takes the guesswork out for you. Talk about good things in small packages!

Justin’s Classic Almond Butter, Single-Serve Packet: These convenient single serve packages contain 2 tablespoons of almond butter at 200 calories per packet. Smear some on crackers for the perfect snack without the jar, measuring spoons, and mess! These handy little packets come in a variety of different nut butters and flavors.

That’s It: I just recently discovered these bars and have become completely obsessed! I like to call them “adult fruit leathers!” The bars consist of two servings of fruit per bar… yup… that’s it… just like the title implies. Crazy right? My Apple & Pear bar contains one whole apple and one whole pear. That’s it (I can’t stop saying that out loud, I’m truly amazed)! No added sugar, preservatives, no nothing. Oh, and don’t forget, they’re also fat free, gluten-free, kosher, and vegan. At only 100 calories and a whopping 3 grams of fiber, That’s It bars are your new bff. These thick, chewy fruit bars are a great option if you don’t feel like lugging an apple around in your purse, or don’t feel like buying one at an airport café for say $5.

Just Tomatoes: Just like the package says, these are just tomatoes! Veggies can be the trickiest food to travel with, but this awesome brand Just Tomatoes, just made getting our veggie servings in so much easier. Just Tomatoes uses a special dehydrating process, which allows nutrients to stay intact and leaves them with the perfect chewy texture. Just Tomatoes makes a variety of different vegetable snacks from peas to corn and are always kosher, GMO free, and never contain additives, preservatives or sweeteners. At 90 calories and 2 grams of fiber per ounce, these make a great snack with whole grain crackers!

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