no added sugar

Desserts, Raw, Recipes, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Healthy Vegan Banana Split

Happy friday and congratulations to the winner of my Chobani Giveaway: Nicole B.!
“I love to use greek yogurt to make salmon salad with smoked salmon, capers, red onions, cucumbers and dill. YUMMY :)” -Nicole
Start making room in your refrigerator for that yogurt! haha

I wanted to say thank you to all of my readers for being so supportive during this roller coaster of a week or so. Between my surgery, thyroid acting up, possibility of PCOS, and countless blood tests I am absolutely exhausted and you guys have really cheered me up! I really wanted to post Part 4 of my Q&A yesterday but I was sidelined by another trip to the doctor and more blood work! I will definitely give you guys a more in depth description of what has been going on in the health department some time next week. For now, have a great weekend, make yummy healthy food, exercise outdoors, and enjoy a banana split! xo

Oh yes you read read the title right, HEALTHY VEGAN BANANA SPLIT! In honor of National Banana Split Day (August 25th) TasteSpotting will be featuring none other than banana splits on their home page this Friday, August 24th to celebrate. To make this holiday even sweeter, DOLE Bananas gave me a challenge to create a healthy banana split under 350 calories. You know that I am not into counting calories, but I couldn’t pass up this awesome challenge. I’m always excited to make healthy versions of often unhealthy favorites.

Right now you are probably thinking, ya right… good luck with that, but I have created an awesome Banana Split that won’t split your pants! This is my take on the old fashioned banana split. My b-split consists of a creamy raw vegan ice cream made with only three natural ingredients and no added sugar, topped with a fluffy vegan cashew cream and juicy bing cherry all for only 295 healthy calories! Now that’s some NICEcream!

Made of avocado, mango, and banana, this nicecream is filled with heart healthy fats and over 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. Plus it tastes oh so good! Helathy and tasty? Win win.


Healthy Vegan Banana Split
serves 1

Raw Vegan Nicecream
1/2 (63g) frozen banana
1/2 cup (70g) frozen mango
1/4 (50g) medium avocado

Cashew Cream
1/8 cup (14g) cashews + 1 1/2 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp stevia

On Top
1 cherry
remaining 1/2 (63g) of the banana

Prep: Peel and cut the banana in half. Freeze one half (for ice cream) before hand. Also slice and pre-freeze mango and refrigerate the avocado. Combine cashews, water, vanilla extract, and stevia together in a jar and let it sit for at least 1-2 hours.
Directions: Combine the 1/2 frozen banana, frozen mango, and avocado in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer the ice cream to a bowl. Rinse the food processor and pour in the cashew mixture and blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Top your ice cream with cashew cream and garnish with fresh banana slices (from the leftover banana half) and a cherry.
Note: If you eat the nicecream directly after blending, it will be similar to a soft serve consistency. For a more solid ice cream like treat, transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze for about 1 hour before eating.

Show me and DOLE Bananas your healthy banana split creations on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and hop over to TasteSpotting for more mouth watering banana splits!
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DOLEBananas Twitter & Facebook

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Snacks, Tips, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

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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