Low Fat Banana Muffins

I had a few super ripe bananas screaming at me to make something yummy out of them, so I modified a recipe I found online to be vegan and have no added sugar. By replacing the 2 eggs in the recipe with bananas (a well known vegan baking trick) I not only made the recipe vegan, but I was able to take the added white sugar out of the recipe. The extra sweetness now comes from the bananas, the applesauce, and the chocolate chips. The applesauce replaces oil for a low fat muffin. The walnuts are the only fat in the recipe. You can omit them, but they add a really pleasing crunch to the muffin. 

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Optional:

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (you could substitute some dried fruit  raisins/dates/cranberries)

1/3 cup walnuts (or nut of your choice) for topping

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2) Mash 3 ripe bananas with a fork until smooth. Add unsweetened applesauce, and milk.

3) In a separate bowl mix together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

4) Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.

5) If you want you can add a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the mixture.

6) Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.

7) Sprinkle walnuts on top and press them slightly into the batter so they stay in place.

8) Bake for 16-18 minutes.

9) Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then move muffins to a wire rack.

Enjoy your food!

Breaking Bad Nutrition Habits

A few tips to get you out of bad food habits that are hindering your well-being.

1) Breakfast:
     Very often we trade in a nutritious breakfast for a few more minutes of sleep. I am totally guilty of  "just one more snooze"ing until my husband is ready to kick my butt out of bed. We get up with just enough time to get out of bed and grab a quick piece of toast, or a carb loaded breakfast bar and run out the door. Maybe we even stop at a fast-food place for a calorie and fat-loaded, nutrient-poor breakfast sandwich. If we just take a little more time the most important meal of the day will keep us energized and satisfied until lunch.

• If you want to sleep in, prep a yummy breakfast the night before. Try a soaked chia oatmeal. http://www.theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal. Chia is high in Omega 3, and protein. A great start to the day.
• Smoothies are super fast to make and can be very nutrient dense. Have ingredients ready so you can whip one up in minutes. Make sure you have carbs, protein and a little fat so you aren't hungry again in a few hours.
• Wake up earlier and make a wholesome breakfast of eggs and rye toast, or homemade oatmeal (try to skip the prepackaged kind with tonnes of sugar added.) Use a little honey or maple syrup to sweeten, or better yet add fresh or dried fruit. Top with nuts and seeds for some satisfying crunch.
        

2) Lunch

     BRING YOUR LUNCH TO WORK!!! When you go out for lunch all the time often you end up eating a lot of fast food.

• It is super easy to make extra when you are cooking dinners so you have a healthy, and let's face it, way better tasting lunch. Anything you make at home is going to be better for you than something from a fast-food restaurant. 
• Stews, stir fries, and pasta make awesome leftovers. 
• If you are barbequing throw some extra meat and veg on the grill and eat that delicious shit on top of a salad the next day! (That's my personal fave- you should see me guard the barbeque leftovers from my husband like a momma lion protecting her babies.)
• Salads are awesome and can add lots of variety to your diet. Get different ingredients every time you shop so you don't get sick of them. And add yummy ingredients like avocado, goat cheese, nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, fresh or dried fruit (figs are the bomb) and some protein (meat, tofu, chickpeas, lentils). That salad needs to fill you up. If it doesn't, add some cooked quinoa. We are not talking rabbit food here! 
• Soup is another great option. Make homemade in a slow cooker on the weekend, or if you are going to buy it, get something without tonnes of sodium and calories. The soups that are refrigerated in jars are better than most of the canned ones on the shelf. 

3) Snacks

     Snacking is good for you. Do not feel guilty about snacks. Be sure you are truly hungry though. If you really think about it, and you are looking for food because you are bored chew on some gum, or find something to do that will occupy your body and brain like a crossword, or knitting, or housework (boo!), or better yet some exercise.

     Many sources believe that eating smaller amounts more frequently is better for our metabolism, so snack away. Stay well stocked in healthy snacks so you make the right choices.

• Have veggies cut up, eat them with hummus to make them more satisfying.
•  Fruit is perfect. It is portable and so nutrient dense. 
• Get some crackers from the health food isle (I love Mary's Gone Crackers) and have that favourite, cheese and crackers, or dip them in that magical hummus again.
• Make some popcorn. Get an air popper for the healthiest version. I prefer the stove top method using a little coconut oil. Just a light drizzle of butter or olive oil and you are good to go. 

     Stay away from sugar and salt loaded snacks like cookies, and chips. If you do need cookies, cause sometimes you just want a friggin cookie, bake some. Then you know there is no trans fat, and preservatives in it. I prefer to know what is in my food. Its ok to eat sweet things, or salty things. There is no point to living if you are always denying yourself the good things in life. ENJOY YOUR FOOD. EAT YOUR GRANDMA'S COOKIES! Just be aware of what is in your food and eat things that are not so great for you in moderation. If you make healthy choices 90% of the time a treat is not going to kill you.

Mmmmmmmmm, hummus!

4) Dinner

     Making a healthy choice for dinner is much easier if you have all the ingredients you need. I like to go through my recipes before grocery shopping. I decide what I want to make and add everything I need to my list. That way I know what I am making, and that everything I need is there. I find this easier than buying random groceries, then trying to decide what to make with them. And don't buy crappy processed food, and snacks. If it isn't there, you can't eat it. Healthy choice start at the grocery store.
     The slow cooker can be your best friend for dinner. Just throw your ingredients in before you leave for work, then come home at the end of the day and BLAMMO! Dinner is ready! Awesome. If you have time on the weekend you could even prepackage all the chopped veg, meat, etc so all you have to do is throw it in the slow cooker and go.
    Another good strategy is to precook a few things on the weekend when you have time. You can freeze portions for quick dinners or even to bring for lunch. This is a good time to bake some healthy muffins, or breakfast cookies as well.


Make yourself accountable!
     Start a food journal. You don't have to count calories or anything. Just write down every single thing you put in your body. And you have to be honest; this is just for you. Read over what you are eating every once in a while and you will realize where you are falling short in your nutrition. Are you getting enough protein? Enough healthy fat? Too much sugar and/or processed foods? Seeing what you eat will give you motivation to make better choices.

It takes a little time to break bad habits, and to be honest quite some effort. But nothing worth doing is easy, right? Treat your body well, it's the only one you get.

ENJOY YOUR FOOD!