Green Monster Halloween Banana Avocado Pudding

I was inspired to make this pudding after seeing avocado breakfast pudding on theKitchn awhile back.  This corresponded with our naturopath telling me I needed to get more good fats into my two little picky eaters.  I figured that, other than the chocolate avocado ice cream I've been making and have yet to post, this was probably my best bet.

After tasting the original recipe on theKitchn, I decided to throw a banana into ours.  Though I like avocado, the pudding just tasted a little too avocado-y for my likes.  So I figured that there weren't high hopes that the two kiddos would eat it.

I made it pre-Halloween and called it dinosaur pudding, in the hopes that that would make Logan eat it.  Yeah... he didn't fall for it.  Though he did at least try it.  But he was not a big fan.  Chloé, on the other hand, just gobbled it up.

This is super fast to whip up and is healthy enough that you can really serve it for breakfast.  Or for a nice, healthy dessert, as we did.  And it is perfect to serve as a healthy Halloween treat.  Nothing says Halloween more than monster green pudding :)

1 ripe avocado
1 ripe banana
1/2 C milk (I used coconut milk - from the carton, not the can)
1 tbsp. maple syrup

we go through mountains of bananas in our house these days

 

    
Throw everything in the blender and mix.

Chill for an hour before serving, if you prefer it cold.  

Difficulty level: easy

Fat-Free, Sugar-Free Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

This simple recipe is just a twist on the chocolate banana spinach ice cream I recently posted.  Which is based on that delicious banana soft serve.

Strawberry banana is one of my all-time favourite combinations.  Right up there with chocolate and peanut butter.  I'd say that 90% of the smoothies I make are strawberry banana.  Strawberry banana yogurt, ice cream, this delicious strawberry banana bread... you name it.  So I had to tag this in amongst "Lindsay's favourites". 

We've been eating this every single day after dinner since I first made it.  I think I've made three batches in less than a week.

As with the chocolate version, this couldn't be easier to make (or healthier).

All it takes is 4 frozen bananas and about a cup of strawberries.  I used fresh, since they are in season, but I'm sure frozen would work well too.  If using frozen though, I think I would partially defrost prior to using, to be sure that they blend well (unless you want chunks).

First, I just stuck the strawberries in the food processor and blended until smooth.  You can also just pulse if you prefer to leave chunks.  But you know Logan and his food issues.  So no chunks for us.  That's ok.  I prefer it this way anyhow.

Then you throw in the frozen bananas

and mix until smooth.

See?  Couldn't be easier.

I decided to throw some chocolate chips into our first batch for Logan.  See, he's a bit selective in his texture issues.  He will sometimes branch out and try mixing textures if chocolate is involved.  So I am now using this as a way to encourage him to try mixing textures of foods.  Teehee...

I just threw in a handful of dark chocolate chips and stirred with a spoon.

Personally, I much prefer the version without chocolate.  I find the chocolate wrecks the whole delicious strawberry-banananess of it all.  And I've never really been a fan of chocolate chip ice cream anyhow.  Plus, Logan ended up just picking out the chocolate chips and eating only them.  In true Logan style.  So we've been back to the plain version ever since.

Ter, do you like how I'm putting my deli day skills to use?

As with the original version, you can either serve immediately as a soft serve, like in the picture, or place in the freezer to harden.  

Enjoy!!  I'm just back from zumba and think I'm gonna head upstairs to get a bowl of this.

Difficulty level: easy

Super-Powered Granola Bars

I think I have died and gone to heaven.

Our naturopath gave me this recipe during our appointment for Chloé the other day.  It was almost worth the price of the consultation just to get this recipe ;)  These granola bars are one of the tastiest snacks I have ever eaten.  This also happens to be an allergy/intolerance-friendly recipe that is packed to the brim with all things healthy.  

This recipe originates from EcoParent.  The naturopath gave me a couple of recipes she had gotten from this magazine, and they all sound super delicious.  And, of course, are uber healthy.  My fave :)

I don't really consider myself to be a crunchy mama.  But I came across this video on youtube earlier this week (as well as the follow-up video) and laughed as I found myself identifying with more than a few things.  Then I took a peek on-line at EcoParent, which I didn't know about at all, and found myself wanting to get a subscription.  

Hmm.... maybe I'm a little crunchier than I thought??? 

After all, I buy into alternative therapies, such as osteopathy and naturopathy.  I breastfed both kids, wore them in slings, co-slept and used cloth diapers until their sensory issues became evident.  And though I do find myself on occasion using processed foods for convenience when life is just too busy with the kids, I am definitely all for eating as little pre-packaged and processed foods as possible.  And I get super excited over recipes such as these with all sorts of random superfoods.

Yup.  Probably a little bit crunchy... lol.

But I digress.

After getting this recipe from our naturopath, I walked into our house, went straight to the kitchen and immediately got to work on these.  That's just how yummy I thought they were going to be.

These are a little more time consuming to make than other granola bar recipes, such as my no bake hemp seed granola balls.  You've got to roast a few of the ingredients and later, melt a few things together.  It's not terribly tough, but just a few more steps than many other traditional granola bar recipes.

But let me tell you... these are soooooooooooooooooo worth the effort.  I think these must be the best gosh-darned granola bars I have ever tried in my life.

Now, I'm usually pretty able to make delicious treats, have one, and then leave them in the kitchen without further obsessive temptation.  For instance, I can control myself without effort around peanut butter brownies, even though I LOVE peanut butter.  Same with some of my favourite sinful muffins, such as muffins that taste like donuts and maple syrup muffins.

But I somehow had a repeat of when I made that delicious homemade French brioche earlier this year...

I think I had two of these bars in the afternoon before picking the kids up from daycare.  And then another upon my return.  And I then had to use every ounce of willpower in me to prevent myself from having a fourth before going to bed.

Even Logan is in LOVE with these.  Yesterday, I packed two HUGE pieces for our visit to the hospital for his eye blinking.  I figured that that would be plenty of food for both him and myself, even if we got stuck there a long time.  

Nope...

He had polished off BOTH of the huge squares by 10:30 a.m., barely leaving me a bite!!!  And each was a big portion even for me!

Ah well... This'll be a great way to stuff him full of healthy things.

Because not only are these delicious.  But they couldn't be healthier if you tried.  Flax, chia, hemp... what else could you ask for??

Now, I'm not sure what exactly makes these so darned delicious.  So I'll tell you how I made mine so that you can replicate.  Or choose to do differently.  Whatever suits your fancy.

As an aside, this is the first time that I've ever used coconut oil (which I had coincidentally picked up at the health food store just a few days earlier).  So I'm not sure if that's part of why they were so good too.  

I used:

•  brown sugar, because I didn't have any coconut sugar
•  maple syrup, only because I prefer it's flavour to agave 
• dried cherries because I didn't have goji berries or dried cranberries.  Mmm... I think that the mix of slightly salty with the sweetness of the dried cherries is part of what I loved so much!
• chocolate chips, because I didn't even know what cocoa nibs were until googling them!

I omitted the lemon zest, only because Jérôme doesn't love lemon and I thought it kinda sounded weird in a granola bar anyway.

Just a quick note also, that I get my hemp, chia and ground flax at Costco.  Which is also where I had gotten my dried cherries.

2 C oats (or gf oats) (I used large-flake)
1 C sunflower seeds (I used raw unsalted)
3/4 C unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 C hemp hearts 
1/4 C chia seeds
1/2 C ground flax seeds
1/3 C coconut oil
2/3 C maple syrup (or agave syrup)
1/4 C coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C goji berries (or cranberries)
1/2 C cocoa nibs (or chocolate chips - for dairy-free chocolate chips, you can buy these ones here) 
1 tsp. lemon zest

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Line an 8 x 12 inch baking dish with parchment paper.

2.  Toss the oats, sunflower seeds, and coconut in a bowl and spread out on a dry sheet pan and toast for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  (Don't skip this step - they're not nearly as tasty if you don't toast everything).

Oops!  I can't read directions.  I also toasted the hemp seed.  Turned out fine :)

3.  In a small pot, melt the coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and salt on medium heat until it boils.  Stir for one minute and take off heat.  

 
4.  Add vanilla and toss over oat mixture, adding all the rest of the ingredients, and combine well.  (Note: the chocolate chips melt into the mixture as you stir.  If you prefer they be whole, wait for the mixture to cool before adding chocolate chips.  Though I liked it this way, as it gave the entire bar a bit of a chocolatey flavour).

  

  
5.  Pour mixture into parchment lined 8 x 12 inch baking pan.

6.  Bake at 300 degrees Farenheit for about 20 minutes, until golden.  (Note: I cannot read directions and only noticed the temperature change while typing.  I baked mine at 350 degrees and love how they came out a bit crunchy.  But if you prefer less crunchy bars, you'd be better to follow the original directions).

7.  Let cool in pan before cutting in squares. (Or just scoop it all directly into your mouth!).

Makes 30 squares

Tip:  If using the goji berries, try eliminating the lemon zest for a slightly more conventional granola bar flavour.

Difficulty level: moderate 

Homemade No-Drip Yogurt Popsicles

This post is a follow-up to yesterday's jelly smoothy.  Logan didn't make his way through the whole jello/yogurt batch on his own.  And, though it tasted just fine, I didn't have much interest in eating it myself.  So I thought I'd try to stick it into some popsicle molds to see what would come of that.

And, low and behold... it led to no-drip popsicles!!  The kind you can give to your two year old in the car without fear that they will be covered from head to toe when you arrive at your destination.

Now, of course, I cannot guarantee that these will not get all over your child.  Since he or she could just stick their hands into this once it is no longer frozen and rub it all through their hair like they could with regular yogurt.  With a gelatin touch.  Which just might be a lot of fun to clean up!!

But I've had much success letting Logan eat these both in the car and while walking through our house (and he can usually be pretty messy!!).

Simple as can be.  Just follow yesterday's super quick recipe for the jelly smoothy and then scoop it all into popsicle molds and freeze.

I tried to make a version with just yogurt and fruit.  But those dripped all over my house.  So back to the jello version I went.  Just for a bit of sanity.

Logan enjoyed these all summer!

Difficulty level: easy

Child-Friendly Dessert: Jelly Smoothy

As you can probably guess from the types of recipes I post, I'm not a huge fan of all things processed.  

However, my husband loves Brazilian jello.  Not the regular Jell-O brand stuff.  But the Brazilian equivalent.  Because it comes in all sorts of tropical flavours like passion fruit, mango, pineapple and coconut.  A good friend of ours, who happens to be Brazilian, always brings some back from Brazil for him every time she goes home to visit.  So we always have a stash of it in our basement pantry for Jérôme's Brazilian jello cravings.

But then we found out that he is diabetic.  So this stuff isn't the best for him.  So it just so happens that it's been sitting in our pantry ever since.

I came across this recipe here and thought that it might be a way to get Logan to eat away this jello stash of ours, while at the same time getting some protein.  I used Greek yogurt so that it would have that much more protein.  Plus, it's what I happened to have in the fridge when I first made this and it worked well ;)

1 package jello (which, you could fly to Brazil to pick up, if you're needing an excuse to travel)
1 C boiling water
2 C plain yogurt
 
1.  Mix together the jello and boiling water and stir until dissolved.

pineapple???

2.  Once cooled a bit, stir in the plain yogurt.  Place in the fridge until set and enjoy. 

I'm sure you could stir some chopped fruit into this before letting it set.  But given Logan's texture issues with foods, I didn't dare!

Difficulty level: easy
 

The Healthiest Ice Cream on Earth: Chocolate Banana Spinach Ice Cream

Now, I know that, having read the title of this post, you're all thinking this has got to be gross. 

Truth is, much like a green monster smoothie, you can't even taste the spinach.  

This isn't true ice cream.  Which is what makes it so healthy.  But it's incredibly delicious and a fantastic substitute for ice cream.  And it's so close to ice cream, your kids may not even notice the difference.  

Mine didn't.

We even did an experiment where we gave Logan a little bit of real chocolate ice cream, followed by this.  And he didn't even notice the difference. 

Maybe I shouldn't be so excited about that???  This may indicate there will be no Nobel-prize winning going on in this household...

Now, I have to share the history of this ice cream in our house.

It seems that in my excitement to use my ice cream maker (see my recent posts here and here), I may have inadvertently sent an unintended message to Logan.  A message that ice cream is a breakfast food.  Since we went through a phase where he was waking up every morning, screeeeeeeaming for ice cream.  

A message that ice cream can be eaten 3 times a day.  Since he was asking for it at every meal.  Every.single.meal.

Wait - I think it may have actually been a message that ice cream can be eaten 5 times a day, since he was also asking for it at each snack too.

The other night after dinner... scratch that... before he'd even eaten dinner, he started screaming "biiiiiiiiig ice cream".  When dinner was finally over and I got him out a little homemade popsicle, he kept loudly insisting "nooooo BIG ice cream". 

Now let's not get all crazy here.  He's not actually getting ice cream 5 times a day.  Nor is he getting the BIG ice cream he demands.  I've been saying an awful lot of no's to him lately.

But when I read recently on Oh She Glows about this banana soft serve ice cream (made only with bananas and milk), I knew I had to start making this for Logan instead.  However, I didn't get around to making it until Angela posted her recipe for her peanut butter, jam and banana popsicles made with banana soft serve. 

I'm not exaggerating when I say that I pretty much dropped everything, ran to the kitchen and whipped up a batch.  And then ate almost half of it.

What???  I'm breastfeeding ;)

So since I already had everything out to make Angela's version of this ice cream (which was delicious beyond words!!), I figured I'd also whip up a batch of something similar, that my sister recommended to me way back when.  This also combines Angela's banana soft serve with her green monster smoothies. 

And this invention is this chocolate banana spinach soft serve ice cream right here.  

Perfect for my little Logan who screams his head off all day long that he wants ice cream.  Here ya go little guy.  Eat your heart out :)  He can now enjoy ice cream whenever he wants.  Even for breakfast.

Best part?

He loves putting tons of "sprinkles" on his.  Which are really chia seeds.  He's so gonna hate me when he gets older! 

Check out this video here to see his excitement over his chia sprinkles. 

And yes - he does insist on eating his ice cream with the ice cream scoop.

As for the recipe, it's super simple.  All you need is:

2 cubes of frozen spinach, defrosted (mine didn't blend well when I didn't defrost them first)

 4-5 frozen bananas

 

1-2 tbsp. cocoa powder

a couple of tablespoons of milk (I used coconut milk, since we're now dairy-free) 

And then you just blend all of it in your food processor until smooth, adding more milk as necessary.  

This makes a delicious soft-serve "ice cream" that you can serve immediately.  Or pop it in the freezer for a harder consistency.  You'll just need to take it out a few minutes before serving to let it soften enough to scoop out.

 

Or you can just eat it out of the mixing bowl.

Just don't forget to add your chia sprinkles for all of these health benefits.

Difficulty level: easy

Healthy No-Bake Hemp Seed Peanut Butter Balls

This recipe comes from my good friend Heather.  I've been in a bit of a snack rut lately and this is my new favourite afternoon snack.  Along with a glass of iced chai.  Remember my chai latté addiction?  Well it has now morphed into an iced chai latte addiction.  I've just started buying the Tazo chai concentrate and making myself iced chai at home.  Next on my to-do list?  Figure out how to make a homemade version that tastes just as good.  Stay tuned.

This is super, super quick to make, is no bake and is fully of all things good and healthy.  A perfect snack or treat anytime.

6 tbsp. of any nut butter (I've used chocolate soy butter and sunbutter, though I'm dying to try them with natural peanut butter)
3 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. hemp seed
1 C quick-cook oatmeal or quinoa flakes (be sure to use quinoa flakes and not quinoa itself - you can get this in any health food store in the hot cereal section)
1/8 C mini chocolate chips

1.  Mix all ingredients together.  Press into balls.  Eat.
 

Then eat some more.

Then just one last one.  Before you hide them away.  For 10 minutes later.

And yup.  Logan likes these guys too.

Makes 16-18 balls.

For a bigger batch (about 4 times the original recipe):

1 1/2 C of any nut butter (I used chocolate soy butter) 
3/4 C maple syrup
1/2 C hemp seed
4 C quick-cook oatmeal or quinoa flakes
1/2 C mini chocolate chips

Difficulty level: easy 

Gluten-free if you use certified gf oats or quinoa flakes for added protein.  If you use certified gf oats, you may want to pulse them briefly in a food processor if they are not quick-cook oats.
Dairy-free if made with dairy-free chocolate chips

Health-Packed Pumpkin Bran Muffins

Before I get going with my recipe, I wanted to quickly share this week's favourite moments with the kids:

- Logan came up with the nickname "babykins" for Chloé, a mixture of "Chloékins", which we call her, and "baby", which he almost always calls her.  I LOVE her new nickname!!

- ever since we finally got around to opening up our pool, Logan has been running around the house shrieking "Logan in a pool" non-stop.

- when I had to brake quickly the other day, Logan told me "whoa! careful car".  God that kid makes me laugh.  When he isn't making me pull my hair out.

Now onto the good stuff.

Today's recipe comes from the amazing cookbook Simply Great Food.  In my quest to empty my freezer as quickly as possible, I whipped up these muffins this weekend with some leftover canned pumpkin I had frozen awhile back.  The thing with this freezer challenge is that you take out a small bag of pumpkin, only to transform it into a mountain of muffins, which can't possibly be eaten before they go bad.  And back in the freezer these bad boys go, only now, taking up 20 times more space than the pumpkin originally did.  I don't think I'll ever see the end of it!

I made half of these into mini-muffins and the other half into regular sized ones.  Logan liked them almost as much as he liked these muffins here and scarfed down 4 of the mini muffins as soon as they came out of the oven.  Guess I could have made them all just regular sized and saved myself the headache of washing those tricky mini-muffin pans!

I made my muffins with 3/4 C of pumpkin and 1/4 C of unsweetened applesauce, only because I didn't have quite enough pumpkin (just an idea, for when you get to the bottom of your canned pumpkin).  I also made them entirely with whole-wheat flour instead of a mixture and they turned out fine.

I like these muffins because they're full of all things healthy: whole-wheat flour, flax seed, sesame seeds, wheat germ... and even some sneaky vegetables!

2 C bran cereal (I used All-Bran) or 1 C natural bran
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 1/4 C whole-wheat flour
1 C raisins
1/2 C sesame seeds
1/2 C ground flaxseed
1/4 C wheat germ
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 C buttermilk or sour milk (1 tbsp. lemon juice/vinegar added to each cup of milk)
1 1/2 C lightly packed brown sugar
1 C mashed cooked pumpkin or canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 C vegetable oil

1.  In a large bowl, combine bran cereal, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, raisins, sesame seeds, flaxseed, wheat germ, baking soda and salt.

As you can see, I cheated, and mixed the wet ingredients in first

 

2.  In a very large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, pumpkin and oil.  Gradually fold in bran mixture until well combined.  Bake immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.

3.  Scoop about 1/3 C batter per muffin into prepared muffin cups.

4.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are firm to the touch and a tester inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean.  Let cool in tins for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 24 muffins.

Difficulty level: easy to moderate

Healthy, Veggie Packed Morning Glory Muffins

Happy Mother's Day to all you mommies out there!!!  I hope that everyone was spoiled and enjoyed a day of relaxation in the sun.

I've had a nice, quiet day.  I woke up this morning to a brand new KitchenAid mixing bowl.  Does my husband know me or does my husband know me?  Or was it just an attempt to get me to make more goodies??  So, I of course had to test run it as soon as I got home from my zumba class. 

So I made some muffins, as it's been quite awhile since I've made any and Logan has been asking for them lately.  Remember here when I said that I had found a delicious, new, healthy recipe for muffins?  I think I love these ones here even more.  I got this recipe from Katie when we were in Vancouver.  These muffins are packed with vegetables, which as any mom of a toddler knows, are almost impossible to get into most kids.  Logan has no idea that he's eating anything good for him here.

I would usually leave the cranberries and pumpkin seeds out, as Logan doesn't like to mix textures of food together.  But he has recently fallen in love with dried cranberries and cherries - I've convinced him to eat them by telling him they are candy.  I have no idea how he even knows what candy is, as I've certainly never given him any (daycare???), but it was enough to make him try (and love!) these.  We also tried to sell him on some soup by calling it ketchup, but he was a bit too smart for that one ;)

I left the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds in and it seems to be a success, as he ate one and a half of these huge muffins within a few minutes of them coming out of the oven.

Before I get on with the recipe, I wanted to share a few of my favourite moments from this week:

- Logan turning to wave to our family doctor as we were leaving his office and saying "bye Soucie".

- how Chloé has started pulling at her hair and her ear when she is falling asleep.

- watching how Chloé watches Logan's every move, wherever he goes.  She cranes her neck at insane angles to not lose sight of him and he eats it up.  It's so special to get to watch such a bond develop between the two of them.  I think of how close I am with my siblings and realize that it likely started way back in the beginning.

- seeing how excited Logan was when Jérôme took him for his first ride of the season in the bike trailer.   He kept begging "vélo, vélo" (bike) even after returning from an hour long ride.  And refused to take off his helmet for at least an hour afterwards. In true Logan style ;)

- the sound of Chloé starting to babble (what S-LP wouldn't love that??). 

- how when I kissed Logan good night tonight to go put Chloé to bed (unsuccessfully), Logan smiled and said "dance".  I usually only kiss him goodnight before he's in pyjamas on the night I go to zumba.  So much better than the tears we used to get at my departure.

Enjoy your muffins.  And your Mother's Day.  I hope you have something special planned for dinner.

Beat together with a fork:

1 egg
1/2 C brown sugar
1/3 C plain yogurt
3 tbsp. canola oil

I used plain Greek yogurt, as this is all that I had in my fridge.

Whisk together in another bowl:

1 1/2 C flour (I used whole-wheat)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix wet and dry mixtures until just combined and then add:

1/2 C grated carrot (Katie mentioned she usually puts in a fair amount more, so so did I) 
1/2 C shredded zucchini
3-4 lumps of frozen spinach, defrosted and well drained (pat with a paper towel to dry well)
1/2 C grated apple (I left the skin on for extra nutrients and fiber)
1/4 C cranberries (I used dried cranberries)
1/4 C pumpkin seeds or walnuts
1/4 C shredded unsweetened coconut

I doubled the recipe, and it took me almost an entire bag of mini carrots to get 1 C grated (didn't have any regular carrots in the fridge), about 1 and a half tiny zucchinis and about an apple and a half.  Just to give you an idea on how much to buy.  And it was maybe total 1/4 C of spinach that I put in.

Next time, I'll also throw in some combination of the following: wheat germ, ground flax seed, hemp seed, and/or chia seed.

defrosted spinach

Mix until just combined.  Do not overmix (lumps are fine).

Pour into well-greased muffin tins and bake for 16-20 minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit.

The recipe says that it makes 6 large muffins, but I got 18 large muffins after doubling the recipe.  Katie always doubles it and makes them in a mini-muffin pan, yielding close to 2 dozen mini muffins. 

Difficulty level: easy to moderate