A Breakfast Bananza!

Wow, it’s been months since I posted a recipe on this blog that I planned on being consistent about. It stinks that school and other things got in the way of my blogging but it’s summertime and I am back! I slept in this morning for the first time in literally months and it felt amazing. I actually had time to make something decent for breakfast and as of this morning, I developed a fondness for bananas. Bananas are usually the only fruit I loathe, but something came over me today and I loved them! So I decided to make something with bananas, as well as a couple of other delicious treats.

Before I decided to make something with bananas, I was distracted by this delicious avocado waiting to be eaten. I’ve been told that it tastes amazing with eggs, so I sliced the avocado in half like so…

I took the side without the pit and cracked an egg on it! I seasoned it with a pinch of salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning and put it in a 425 degree oven for about 12 minutes.

While that was baking, I found this box of smoothie mixes lying in my pantry. I bought them from a Weight Watchers center a while ago and found the smoothie to taste a bit like cake batter. It wasn’t pleasant. With the cake-like consistency it had, I figured I could make some awesome fruit crepes with them. With an egg and some soy milk, I was crossing my fingers for this to turn out good!

One pouch contained about a quarter cup of the french vanilla flavored smoothie powder. I used an egg and a little less than 1/2 cup of soy milk. I beat it all together for about 2 minutes with a whisk and poured half of it on a lightly greased skillet. The skillet was really hot, so I would have to lift it while the crepes were being made. When I lifted it, I moved the pan in a slight circular motion, so the batter spread across the pan. That way, the crepes would come out nice and thin.

These take about 2 minutes to make. I flipped it over while the stove was off to make sure the other side was cooked as well. I removed it after a minute. On the first crepe, I spread some light buttery spread with this blueberry and raspberry jam from Ikea and added a few sliced strawberries.

And last but not least, the other crepe contained…drumroll please…bananas! For those of you who know me well, I really could not STAND bananas. So I’m surprised with my own self to use them in my food! And because I love peanut butter, I spread a little peanut butter on the crepe before adding sliced bananas.

I saved the peanut butter and banana crepe for last because I thought I would enjoy that more, but I loved the berry filled crepe just as much! I can’t wait to make them again! When the crepes were all done, my avocado and egg were ready to come out of the oven. I spread a little Sriracha sauce and grated Parmesan cheese on top, and it was HEAVENLY. Who knew eggs and avocados would go so well together? Yummm.

The french vanilla crepes (90 cals each!)  were perfect with peanut butter and banana and jam and strawberries. Get as creative as you want with them! Words can’t describe how much I enjoyed the baked avocado and egg. I hope you readers will try this out sometime! As for now, I shall go and snack on my new favorite fruit, bananas!
😉

Lactose Free Chai Latte

I went out to Alon’s  with a friend the other day and had this amazing Chai Latte. It’s simply a fancy name for really milky chai. After looking up a few recipes online on how others made chai latte, I decided to create an alternative version for my sensitive stomach. I found that using soy milk instead of whole or 2% tasted even better! If you’re like me and are lactose intolerant and don’t really like the taste of plain milk, you’ll definitely enjoy this. If you’re like my kitty Mimi who loves milk but is lactose intolerant, this drink is also for you!

My blog is intended to have very simple recipes, so I hope you aren’t expecting some fancy schmancy drink.

 All you need is: 

– 2/3 cup Soy or Almond milk (I love vanilla flavored!)
– 1/4 cup coconut milk (optional)
-1/3 cup water
-1 stick cinnamon
-3 cardamom seeds
-nutmeg
-1 tsp honey
-1 tea bag
Serves 1 (because I’m lonely)
Prep time: 5 minutes

Start by pouring all liquid (soy/almond milk, coconut milk, water) into your pot. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that cool device that coffee shops have that lets you stir the milk into a froth.

Notice how I poured it just like the picture on the milk carton. Pouring with this kind of precision will ensure your chai to taste just right.
..Not really.
The next step is to place your pot on the stove on a medium-high level. Before the milk boils, add your cinnamon and cardamom. Make sure you break up the cinnamon stick and open up the cardamom seeds.

When the milk is simmering, I added the honey and waited for everything to come to a boil before adding my tea bag.

While the milk is boiling, add the tea bag. You will notice that the milk will begin bubbling and rising to the top. To not let it overflow, pick up the pot  and hold it away from the stove until the liquid calms down (do this a few times). It is likely to appear like this, and when it does, don’t freak out!

Allow it to simmer for a minute, remove it from the stove,  pour it through a strainer and into your mug. Finally, grate a little nutmeg over it. This next image may be unnecessary since I’m pretty sure most of us know how to grate things. So maybe I just wanted to show off my nude polish..

That’s all it takes! Even if you’re not a fan of chai, the sweet, pungent smells of this drink will make you want to try some.
😉

Guilt Free Chocolate Chip Blondies

Before I wanted to post the recipe for this healthy treat, I had to sample it out to friends to get feedback on its taste. I’ll trust that they were honest when they told me they enjoyed it. I’ve never had a  blondie brownie made without typical ingredients like flour, eggs, butter, and oil. You heard right, these brownies have NONE of that!

I’d like to thank Chocolate Covered Katie  for providing the recipe for this fiber, protein and omega-3 enriched and gluten-free dessert and for tricking my friends that they can enjoy sweets without the guilt. With 74 calories, 2 grams of fat and 2 grams of protein, I will continue to make more of these babies. My first batch was a bit grainy, but with time, I’ll perfect them. Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…here’s how I made these chocolate chip blondies!

You will need:
1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
heaping 1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar (or stevia, if you wish to go even healthier)
1-2 tsp vanilla extract (I used 2)
1/4 cup (20 g) ground flax-seed
1/4 cup peanut butter (I used Smart Balance PB for more omega-3’s!)
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Gather all of your ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and blend them until everything is very smooth. I used a food processor and it did not come out as smoothly as I wanted it to be. Better luck next time! Once blended, place the  mixture in a  bowl and add your chocolate chips.

Scoop your goop into a lightly greased 8×8 baking pan. I used light Smart Balance buttery spread to grease the pan. Bake for about 38-40 minutes. Be sure to not overcook them. They should look somewhat undercooked when you take them out of the oven because they will  harden when they cool if you’ve kept them in the oven for too long. Take a toothpick and insert it in the middle of the blondies. If it comes out clean, then they’re ready!

I can’t wait to make these again. They were satisfying to me and were chewy and moist, just how I like them!
😉

Try and fail, but don’t fail to try.

I’ve never really been a “health nut,” as some folks have called me recently. I love food, so much that I lost control of my portions my first year of college and fell victim to “the freshman fifteen,” or actually 20 in my case. Over the last few months, I shed the excess pounds, finally reached a healthy BMI, and hopefully will never repeat that dreadful time in my life again. After much perseverance,  consistency, and self-restraint, I succeeded.  With the help of my mother transforming our kitchen into that of Dr. Oz’s, all unhealthy food is out of sight, out of mouth. My current lifestyle is a revelation to me. The term may spark a religious connotation, and to me, I would have to say that I’m a convert. I have converted to better choices to improve my well-being, to carry out these practices for the rest of my life, to religiously perform the good habits I’ve established, but above all, I thank Allah for ultimately being the root of my accomplishment.
I had this agenda planner from middle school that contained weekly inspirational quotes. The one that has stuck to me to this day is, “The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.” For me, starting anything generally takes a while because I  feared failure. However, not only has losing weight improved my health, but it has motivated me to work harder in other areas, like religion and my education. If I am able to unrelentingly reach my goal weight, I can do the same in every situation I want to succeed in. All it takes is hard work. It may be easier said than done, but I’ve learned not to give up regardless of how many times I’ve fallen off the wagon. I’ll tell myself, “You’ve already made it this far, do you really want to give up now? Really?” Whatever struggles you may acquire or whatever goal you wish to accomplish, keep up the good work. Keep doing what you’re doing.  You won’t want to surrender when you invest a great deal of time in your work. Always remember the reason behind working on this goal for so long. You’re probably closer than you think you are. Smile, breathe and remember the light at the end of the tunnel. And trust me, the result is fabulous.
😉