21 DAY FIX BANANA BREAD WAFFLES (WITH SPINACH)

So, I am apparently obsessed with pancakes and waffles.  Maybe because it’s one of the few things I can get my son to eat (autistic kids tend to limit their eating to only a few foods) so I want to make them as healthy as possible.  Also, because I am on the 21 Day Fix, I decided to adapt this recipe just a little to find out the appropriate containers to count per serving without compromising the original recipe too much.    These waffles are super yummy and as a veggie hater, I promise you will NOT taste the spinach.  Even my kids eat them, although when they ask why they are green, I just call them Shrek waffles and move on.  So, here we go.

 

21 DAY FIX BANANA BREAD WAFFLES
(WITH SPINACH)

(Makes 3 waffles)

1 yellow container of Oat Flour (I just grind up oats in the blender and then measure)

1 yellow container of Whole Wheat Flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp salt

8 oz of milk (I use non-fat buttermilk, but you can use almond or skim milk if you choose)

1 egg

1 ½  green containers of baby spinach

1 ½  very ripe large banana

1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

 

Heat up your waffle iron.  This is a super easy dump it all in and whisk together recipe.  As I said, I grind up oats in the blender.  They do not have to be blended so much that they are as fine as flour.  Just a few seconds is usually enough.  After you blend them, measure 1 yellow container of oats and pour in a large bowl.  Now add your yellow container of whole wheat flour.  Add baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Now, get out your blender again.  Add milk of choice, 1 and ½  containers of spinach and your 1 and ½ bananas.  Blend until smooth.  Add this to dry mixture.  Add egg and Tbsp of coconut oil.  Whisk together until there are no dry spots.  Expect the mixture to be lumpy because of the oats. 

Now, make your waffles.  It does take these a tad bit longer to cook for some reason, but they are worth the wait.  Mine cook in about 85 seconds.  Yes, I am a dork.  I use the timer on my microwave.  I don't trust that little light thingy on my waffle iron. 

Serve with 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup (I also love with a tsp of peanut butter mixed with syrup) or whatever toppings you desire.  Just make sure to count the appropriate containers.

Container Count Per Waffle:

1 Yellow

1/2 Green

1/2 Purple

1 tsp

 

 

*If you want more info on the 21 Day Fix or any Beachbody products, email me at tanyamichelle@beachbodycoach.com. 

BANANA OAT PANCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER MAPLE SYRUP

So, anybody that knows me at all, know that I am obsessed with pancakes.  I always have been.  I could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I have.  I have, apparently, passed on my love of pancakes to my son, L.  He is so very picky so I am always trying to sneak in a little fruit or veggies because sometimes it is literally the only thing he will eat.  So, I have been toying with several recipes and came up with these and they are amazing!!! 

So, my favorite fruit has always been bananas.  I love them.  Add a little peanut butter and I am in snack heaven.  YUM!  So, of course, I had to incorporate both into my pancakes.  So, are ya'll ready?  Here we go:

BANANA OAT PANCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER MAPLE SYRUP

 

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

2 tsp lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 Tbsp honey

2 eggs

1 cup oat flour (I make mine by blending quick oats in the blender or food processor)

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Chopped pecans (optional)

1/8 cup chocolate chips (optional)

 

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine the bananas, coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla, honey and eggs and whisk until well combined. 

In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients.  Now, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.  Let it rest for at least 5 minutes.  Now you may add chocolate chips or nuts if you wish.  Very lightly fold them into batter. 

Heat your griddle or non-stick pan on low heat.

Pour a small amount of batter (about ¼ cup) onto the pan.  You may need to spread just a little with the back of a spoon because batter will be pretty thick.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until bubbles start to form around the edges of the pancake.

Flip it and cook for another 90 seconds or until golden brown on the bottom.

Continue with the remaining batter. 

Cover and refrigerate any leftovers for up to 4 days.

 

PEANUT BUTTER MAPLE SYRUP

As I said, I love bananas and peanut butter so I take a 3 Tbsp of pure maple syrup and 3 Tbsp of natural peanut butter.  Put in a small glass bowl and microwave about 10-15 seconds.  Stir until peanut butter is melted into the syrup and pour over pancakes. 

 

 

   They look so yummy!

 

 

Sorry.  I couldn't help myself.  MMMM!  So good!

GREEN PANCAKES

GREEN PANCAKES

So, some of you may know that my youngest son is autistic and he is completely obsessive about food.  The last six months or so, he has been obsessed with pancakes.  So, I thought the least I could do was try and make them a little healthier for him to eat.  I sort of played around with the ingredients until I finally got a pancake with good texture and that tastes good too.  No amount of bribing or begging will make him eat something that doesn't taste good.   And since he doesn't eat vegetables, other than green beans, I snuck in some spinach, hence the name Green Pancakes. 

GREEN PANCAKES

1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup oat flour*
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup coconut oil (or canola or vegetable oil)
2 eggs
3/4 - 1 cup spinach

*  I make my own by blending quick oats in my blender to pulverize.

Directions:

Preheat griddle to around 325 degrees.  Stir flours, baking powder, salt and soda together in a large bowl.  Add buttermilk, oil and eggs and whisk together.  Take about 1 cup of the batter and put in your blender.  Add your spinach and blend until smooth.  Now stir your spinach mixture into your pancake batter.  It should be the consistency of shampoo.  Pour about 1/3 cup of batter onto griddle.  Turn pancakes when they begin to get dry around the edges.  Cook until golden brown on the bottom. 

Top with pure maple syrup.  Enjoy. 

THE BEST PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE

So, as you know, I've been on a journey towards a healthier me.  That means I am staying away from processed foods as much as possible and limiting my sugar intake.  That being said, every once in awhile, a girl just needs a little cake.  Am I right?






So, a few years ago, one of my favorite cousins, Jamie, brought this cake to my mom's for 4th of July.  I fell in love instantly!!!  It's so rich and moist and wonderful and peanut buttery.  YUM!  Anyway, I made it a few months later for a work function and everybody wanted the recipe.  In fact, one of our 5th grade teacher has requested it for her birthday the last two years.  I love being able to have one piece of my favorite cake and then sharing the rest!  BEST CAKE EVER!!!


So, here's the recipe:




PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE

Ingredients

• 2 cups Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 cups Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Peanut Butter
• ½ cups Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 stick Butter
• ½ cups Peanut Butter
• 6 teaspoons Milk
• 1 pound Powdered Sugar
   
  Preparation
  In a large bowl, mix together sugar, baking soda, flour and salt. Set aside.
  Combine butter, water and peanut butter in saucepan and bring to boil. Pour over flour mixture.
  Add milk, vanilla and eggs. Mix.
  Pour in large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake at 400F degrees for 20 minutes.
  Frosting:
  Bring butter, peanut butter and milk to boil in saucepan. Add one pound of powdered sugar. Pour warmed frosting over cooled cake.
• So, just for the record, I do 1 and 1/2 recipes of the icing.  
  
  

  

  
  

Healthier Banana Oatmeal Muffins

So, my little girl is obsessed with muffins.  She loves the boxed kind from the grocery store and would eat them constantly if I would let her.  I don't let her.  Therefore, we have a little tug of war going on constantly.  You see, about 11 months ago, I adopted a new healthy lifestyle.  I've lost 25 pounds and am very enthusiastic about trying to eat healthy, but it is a battle to get my kids on board with the healthy lifestyle.  So, I decided to try to make some healthier muffins.  This is my own recipe and to tell the truth, I'm surprised by how well they turned out.  Not bad for a first try if I do say so myself.  Even my daughter loved them.  So, here ya go!


HEALTHIER BANANA OAT MUFFINS


Ingredients:


1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. honey
1 egg
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 whole wheat flour
*1/3 cup ground whole oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
Optional:  walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, blueberries

*  I put whole oats in my shake blender and blended until ground.  After they are blended, measure out 1/3 cup. 


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.  Stir together sugar, honey, egg and banana.  In separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground oats, salt and soda.  Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients stirring gently until incorporated.  Pour batter into muffin tins - about 2/3 full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on your oven.  Enjoy!!

BAKED CINNAMON SUGAR PUMPKIN DOUGHNUT BITES!!!

Well, Thanksgiving is almost here and I have surrounded myself with all things pumpkin.  I love me some pumpkin!!!  I found several recipes for Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins, but some called for crazy ingredients that I would never be able to find at your normal grocery store.  Others were full of shortening and stuff I knew I didn't want to put into my body -  I've lost 25 pounds now, so I am more cautious about the ingredients I use.  So, I combined a few recipes, made a few adjustments of my own and this is what I came up with. 

CINNAMON SUGAR PUMPKIN DOUGHNUT BITES

 

INGREDIENTS:

 1 Cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 Cup Organic Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
1 Large egg
1 Teaspoon vanilla
3/4 Cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 Cup milk (I used skim)

COATING:

3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin puree and milk until smooth.  Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Spray a 24 cup mini muffin tin with non-stick spray and scoop 1 oz. of batter into each cup.  I used a 1 oz. scoop for even distribution.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the donuts are baking, prepare one bowl with the melted butter and a Ziploc bag of the cinnamon sugar mixture.   Remove the donuts from the oven and allow to cool just enough to handle.  I used a pastry brush to brush the donuts with butter and then drop in the bag of cinnamon and sugar and give a good shake.  Take them out and let them cool completely.  Try not to eat all of them. 

 

P.S.  I am thankful for Jesus, my Hubby and 4 sweet kiddos, the best parents and family ever, Beachbody (which has helped me lose 25 pounds and 23.5 inches) AND two jobs (school and Beachbody) that I absolutely love.

What are you thankful for?  I hope you have an amazing Thanksgiving with your families!!

 

Mama Needs a New Pair of Boots

So, last year I did this post all about my mid-life style crisis and my love of boots.  Shortly after I did that post, I asked Hubby if he would get my some cowboy boots if I lost twenty pounds.  Of course, being a country boy at heart, he said yes.  I am quite sure he thought he was in no danger of having to buy me said boots.  Anyway, this is the pair of boots I originally picked out.

Cute, right?  These are Ariat boots. 

Well, since I am down 20 pounds, I told Hubby he had to pay up, but it might have to wait until Christmas.  So, I decided I needed to try some boots on and see which style I liked on me.  I've never had cowboy boots before and I had no idea if they would even be comfortable.  I mean, I am willing to suffer for cute boots, but I do have to be able to walk, ya know?  So, Hubby and I stopped by Tractor Supply the other morning and since they have boots, I decided to try on a few pairs. 

Justin Boots

Swoon!  I love the color of the leather!!  So gorgeous and they would go with EVERYTHING!  I love them with jeans and dresses and skirts. 

Sigh.  Anyway, I tried them on and looked in the mirror and immediately loved them.  So cute.....from the front.  When I spun around and looked at the back view......not so cute.  I mean, I've lost 20 pounds and two sizes, but my calves looked like a busted can of biscuits spilling out over the back of the boots.  Yikes!  Seriously?  So not cute!  So, do y'all have any experience with cowboy boots?  I know they come in wide widths, but is that just the boots or is the shaft part wider too for those of us with linebacker calves?  Anybody know?