It's Fall! Smoothie Bowl

It is officially fall and I am celebrating with a fall (color) inspired smoothie bowl! So, this was one of my few attempts at a smoothie bowl but there will be more recipes to come :) I would like to share that a smoothie bowl is filling and it CAN be a nutritious breakfast... with the right ingredients.

Smoothies are known to be high calorie and full of sugar. If you substitute the sugary ingredients like fruit juices and yogurt for less sugary foods like water or natural sugars from fruit, you can enjoy a smoothie or smoothie bowl without the added sugar guilt! 

This wonderful combination includes spinach, natural sugars from my favorite fruits, water and chia/flax seeds. ENJOY!

Fall Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients:

• 1 large banana, frozen
• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced
• 1 mango, diced (save some for topping)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds
• 1/4 cup homemade granola, try my classic granola recipe (for topping)
• 1/4 cup fresh blueberries (for topping)

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine banana, strawberries, 1/2 mango, water and spinach. Blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Place in freezer for 5-10 minutes.
2. Take out of freezer and top with chia/flax seeds, granola, other 1/2 mango and blueberries. Be creative with your design and enjoy!

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Walnut Bread

There are soo many yummy ingredients in this recipe, I don't even know where to start!

Let's start with how awesome peanut butter is. It is full of protein, fiber and can be added many foods besides bread, such as baked goods, yogurt, smoothies and MANY MORE. 

I was in need of a homework/study break while at home and decided to bake since it is therapeutic for me. I looked in my cupboards for some ingredients and the first items I saw were peanut butter and a chocolate hazelnut spread... then I looked down and saw overly ripe bananas in the fruit bowl. I thought to myself, I love all of these ingredients on toast so why not put them all into banana bread!

So of course, I grabbed my walnuts and chia seed/flax seed mixture and began my therapy!

I replaced the oil/butter with applesauce and added a heaping tablespoon of my chia seed/flax seed mixture. And 1 hour later I enjoyed a delicious PB + Chocolate Hazelnut Banana BREAD. YUM and now I'm full!

ALSO, this banana bread was the perfect protein bar for a long day of school and work-- I was fueled and ready to go!

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Walnut Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons chocolate hazelnut spread
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1/3 sup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons flax seed/chia seed mixture

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together bananas, peanut butter, chocolate spread, applesauce, egg and sugars.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stir and combine well. 
5. Fold in walnuts and flax seed/chia seed mixture. 
6. Pour batter into a prepared pan. 
7. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy.

Check out some of my other banana bread recipes:

• Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Blueberry Banana Bread Pops
• Carrot Cake Banana Bread

Baked Egg & Avocado

This month's Recipe Redux theme "Stir up some of your earliest culinary recollections. Did you stand at your grandmother’s elbow to learn to cook? Or did you learn by stumbling through a cookbook by yourself? Share a healthy recipe and the accompanying story about one of your first cooking memories." -- really got me thinking!

I loved being in the kitchen as a kid and I loved showing my parents that I could cook for myself at such a young age. So for this month's theme, I wanted to share one of my favorite family memories and the first time I got to cook food in front of the camera! What was I cooking you may ask? Scrambled eggs, of course!

Momma Sloan and I scrambling some eggs!

While growing up, my mom always had us helping out in some way in the kitchen. It could be with organizing the ingredients, decorating pizzas, cracking eggs or simply setting the table. Whatever it was, we were happy to do it. And I'm glad we did. My mom wrote an article many years ago (shown below), encouraging parents to "let the kids in the kitchen" (and this is where my rise to fame all started! haha). I also think it is important to get the kids in the kitchen and to show them that cooking can be fun and that you can get creative-- I certainly found a passion for it and I enjoy sharing it on my blog.

Clockwise from Top: Me cracking some eggs. Right: My brother, David, showing his awesome pizza decorating skills. Bottom: My sister, Jennifer, grating some mozzarella cheese.

Now as an active food blogger, I have my mom's early introduction to cooking to be thankful for and my dad's culinary skills to live up to.

SO, I would like to share a healthy and simple way to eat an egg by combining it with some healthy fats! Here's some avocado love <3

Baked Egg & Avocado

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 avocado, cut in half and pitted
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Salsa or hot sauce, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. With a spoon, widen hole left by pit in avocado by scraping out about 1 teaspoon of avocado flesh.
3. Place avocado halves in a small baking pan facing up. 
4. Crack an egg in each half. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until eggs are cooked the way you like!
6. Top with salsa or hot sauce and enjoy!

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