Banana Bread Protein Bars

These have become one of my favorite breakfast/healthy snack options ever since I tried them for the first time a few months ago. I make a double batch in a 9x13 inch baking dish, cut them into bars and store them in the freezer. They are perfect with a green smoothie for a healthy breakfast.

Banana Bread Protein Bars

Yield: 10 bars
Dry ingredients:

• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats*, ground into flour
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup unflavored protein powder
• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 3 tbsp mini dark chocolate chips 
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt

Wet ingredients:

• 3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 small-medium)
• 1/2 cup natural smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup coconut nectar syrup or brown rice syrup (Rachel's note: I use brown rice syrup)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8-inch square pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. Tip – to get the parchment to stick to the pan, give the base a spray with olive oil and do this for the next paper too.

2. Add raw buckwheat groats into a high-speed blender and blend on high until a fine flour forms. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

3. Mash bananas until smooth and measure out 3/4 cup. Stir together the banana and all the wet ingredients in a bowl.

4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir well until combined. If it is too dry, you can add a bit of water. The dough should be very sticky!

5. Scoop batter into prepared pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the batter and press it down to spread out the batter evenly. You can also remove the paper and wet your hands lightly and spread it out that way. Make sure it’s as even as possible.

6. Bake at 350F for 22-26 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the bread is firm to touch. Cool in the pan completely (I left it for 1 hour) before removing and slicing into bars.

*Notes: Raw buckwheat groats are not the same as kasha or toasted buckwheat. Raw groats have a milder flavour than toasted. You can find raw groats online, in some health food stores, or the bulk bins of Whole Foods.

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/04/17/banana-bread-protein-bars/#ixzz2WhVXJmWo

Quick Tip Tuesday-Peanut Butter Bread

I am always intrigued by what people consider a "snack". My husband and I have both struggled with blood sugar issues. When blood sugar gets low, tempers get short and attention span diminishes. As a result, we have both learned that in order to keep blood sugar stable, it is necessary to eat something every 2-3 hours. We have also learned the composition of the food is just as important as the timing. The snack needs to contain some protein along with carbohydrate. Fiber also helps slow the release of sugar into the blood. It turns out, our kids are also sensitive to low blood sugar. This makes after school snacks and a timely dinner very important. Healthy snacks with substance make us all happy!

This peanut butter bread is a family favorite snack. It is awesome with honey or strawberry freezer jam. The recipe is from my Blendtec cookbook, specifically for a high-powered blender. If you don't have one, I think you could just cream the wet ingredients (milk, eggs, and peanut butter) with the sugar, combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine them just until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. 

Peanut Butter Bread
Ingredients:

• 1 cup any kind of milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add milk, eggs, sugar, and peanut butter to blender (wild side jar) and secure lid. Select "batters."
3. Add remaining ingredients and secure lid. Press "pulse" 4-6 times or until flour is incorporated. 
4. Pour batter into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan (I like to use 4 mini loaf pans because it bakes more evenly, and in only 30 minutes). 
5. Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

Green Smoothies for Summer

I remember two times as a kid being forced by cruel and unusual means to eat my vegetables. Disclaimer: My memory is that of a child, so I can't be held responsible for the accuracy of my recollection. The two vegetables in question (on separate occasions) were squash and brussels sprouts. The means of torture was making me sit at the table until I had taken one bite. I don't remember if I gave in before my parents, but I do remember that sitting there while my brothers and sister had gone outside to play (I could hear them with the other neighbor kids through the window, taunting me) was better than taking even one bite of those vegetables. In my memory, I sat there for at least two hours (see disclaimer above). Needless to say, my history with vegetables is not stellar. It has been a huge conflict for me, given my interest in nutrition. I have tried every way possible to get vegetables into my diet without triggering my gag reflexes.  In my college nutrition class, the teacher would joke and say if we were required to name a food that is a good source of any vitamins or minerals, we could just guess spinach and be right most of the time. I wanted desperately to try to work spinach into my diet, but it proved extremely difficult due to the fact that I thought it tasted like swamp water. Luckily, the swamp flavor is rather easy to mask. Anyone who knows me now will probably be surprised by my disdain of vegetables because I have come a long way since my childhood. I have long-since found ways to incorporate most vegetables into my diet.

So, if you are not a vegetable lover, stay tuned. There is hope for you, too. One of my favorite ways to use spinach and other leafy greens that have an outstanding nutritional profile but less than outstanding flavor, is in a green smoothie. I shared a recipe for the "Green Mango Madness" smoothie here. Now, I want to teach you how to make green smoothies a regular part of your life. I have one almost every day. It is a painless way to get about 2 servings of fruit and 1 serving of leafy greens in every day. The key is to experiment with the basic recipe until you find variations that you like. Will they be the best smoothies you've ever tasted? Probably not, but even to a hesitant vegetable eater, they are good (without even a hint of swamp taste). I think I could even eat brussels sprouts in a smoothie. Here is an easy, basic recipe to get you started. Adjust it until you find something that works for you:

Basic Green Smoothie (makes 22-26 oz.)

• 8 oz liquid (I use water, but you could use any kind of milk too.)
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I usually omit unless I am making it for the kids)
• 1 heaping cup frozen fruit (I almost always use cherries and/or mixed berries for their antioxidants)
• 1/2 banana (usually frozen, see this post about how to always have bananas on hand)
• 2 hand fulls of dark, leafy greens (I rotate between spinach, kale, and swiss chard) 
• Optional additions: chia seeds, flax seeds, nuts, nut butter, unsweetened coconut, granola

Now is the perfect time to plant your own leafy greens. They are one of the easiest vegetables to grow, and a few plants will keep you supplied all summer and into the fall. They grow quickly, take up very little space, and can be grown successfully in a container if you don't have a garden.

Quick Tip Tuesday-Save Your Bananas

Have your bananas reached the point where no one will eat them? Peel them, break them in half and put them into the freezer in a freezer bag. This way you will always have bananas on hand that are perfect for smoothies, banana bread, or muffins.

I know this rarley happens, but if you ever have too much smoothie, I like to pour the extra into one of these and put it in the freezer.

http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-431-8-Piece-Silicone-Maker/dp/B0093Q56IS/ref=sr_1_12?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1364309124&sr=1-12&keywords=push+pop+molds

Say good-bye to Gogurts (I've always thought the name sounded disgusting anyway!), and hello to frozen home made smoothie pop goodness.

If you have time to use your ripe bananas right away, I have a recipe for you. This is the most frequently made muffin recipe at our house. It is easy, relatively healthy, and everyone loves them. I always double it and freeze some for later (I clearly love my freezer). I have used coconut oil and find that it requires a bit less than 1/2 cup. I have also replaced half of the fat with apple sauce with some success. It is a forgiving recipe you could experiment with.

Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins:

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil (could also use butter)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ripe bananas (about 1 pound)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together flours, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat oil and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork (you should have 3/4 cup); stir in milk and vanilla.
3. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to oil mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in frozen blueberries.
4. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.