Doin' Some Cookin'... Strawberry Banana Smoothie

This smoothie is made with a classic combo of strawberries and banana making for the perfect afternoon snack. But could obviously be made anytime of the day.

Smoothies are a great way to suck up vitamins and nutrients into your diet.

Knowing that tomorrow is Thanksgiving and having intentions of stuffing myself on all the yummy eats I knew my eating has to be on point. I've been good since Monday following the Whole30 diet and actually making it a point to workout too. Patting myself on the back.

After I sucked this down I ended up throwing on my workout clothes and heading to the gym. This smoothie provided the perfect energy boost to get me through my workout.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Adapted From: Ultimate Paleo Guide

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 3/4 cup strawberries
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• ice, to taste

And Action:

Pulse all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Banana Pancakes

Mother's Day is right around the corner and spoiling myself with pancakes from Union Kitchen for brunch has become sort of a tradition but not this year because I've embarked on my weight loss journey and my body is loving the Whole30 program.

Because I'm committed to getting the weight off I don't feel I'll be missing out on their pancakes after giving this recipe for Banana Pancakes a try. These pancakes tasted better than imagined and reminded me of banana bread. So flippin' good!! Pun intended. In fact, I don't think they could be batter. Ha! I crack myself up.

Make sure you do not blend the batter ingredients because the "mushing" is what helps to create a fluffy texture.

This recipe is super simple to make and you'll be surprised that breakfast is ready in under 10 minutes. Perfect for rushed school and work mornings and I can almost guarantee that you probably have all of the ingredients on hand to make these.

Because these hit the table quickly you can keep hitting the snooze button longer. I'd chose sleep over breakfast but now I don't have to.

I served these Banana Pancakes with a side of fully cooked breakfast sausage links that I browned in a skillet while the pancakes were cooking. This made for one tasty breakfast, the maple syrup wasn't missed at all, and I didn't end breakfast feeling heavy. These pancakes are light, airy, and something you can indulge in. If you're really hungry I would suggest spreading them with almond butter and sliced bananas and serve with a side of strawberries.

This breakfast gave me energy to get laundry done and get the house cleaned up. The added energy could be coming from the extra sleep but I'm crediting the pancakes. Ha!

Banana Pancakes

Adapted From: Something Swanky

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1 banana
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp coconut almond butter
• pinch of baking soda
• cinnamon, to taste
• splash of vanilla

And Action:

Preheat a skillet coated with nonstick spray over medium.

In a bowl, mash the banana until mostly smooth. Whisk in the egg until incorporated. 

Mix the rest of the ingredients folding them into the batter.

Pour half the batter into the skillet and cook for 3 minutes, flip, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Enjoy! 

Doin' Some Cookin'... Strawberry Banana Spritzer

I made this Strawberry Banana Spritzer as a quick snack before heading out to have lunch with my best friend for her birthday. The weather has warmed up here in Texas during the days and this was so smooth and refreshing. I chose to use fresh fruit but you can use frozen if you want more of a slushy texture.

Strawberry Banana Spritzer

Adapted From: Juice It! Energizing Blends for Today's Juicer

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1 cup strawberries, quartered
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup tropical kombucha

And Action:

Pulse all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Coconut Mango Smoothie with Banana and Lime

I know, I know... "don't drink your calories."

But... this smoothie is a meal. I forced myself to suck it all down and went hours before I was hungry again. I made my smoothie for breakfast but you can enjoy this anytime of the day.

This is one of my favorite smoothies I have made to date. Tropical flavors excite me!

Coconut Mango Smoothie with Banana and Lime

Adapted From: Kitchen Meets Girl

Makes 1 Smoothie

Stars of the Show:

• 1 cup mango, chopped
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1/4 cup water
• ice cubes, to your liking
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/4 tsp unsweetened coconut flakes

And Action:

Combine all ingredients in the blender and pulse until smooth. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Strawberry, Apple, and Banana Smoothie

I have big plans to make my way through a list of almost 100 smoothies. Just because I effin' love smoothies that much and not to mention they can be a fairly healthy option for any meal of the day.

Because the weather in Texas has been known to jump from winter to spring in February I'm so not ready for t-shirts and shorts. That is why I am so dedicated to my weight loss this time around. I get it, my track record hasn't been the best but for the last month I've got it together losing an average of 2.5 lbs a week!! Down 9.5 lbs so far. Yay!

Whipping up a smoothie only takes about 5 minutes making breakfast a breeze for a quick-on-the-go option as in on-the-go to work. Boo! (Not really. I love my job!) Adding bananas to my smoothies is one of my favorite additives for natural sweetness and to help thicken it up. Blend it, pour it, drink it, and breakfast is done, easy peasy!

Strawberry, Apple, and Banana Smoothie

Adapted From: Katie's Cucina

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 fuji apple, cut into bite size chunks
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

And Action:

Pulse all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Banana Almond Overnight Oats

Overnight oats are the perfect on the go breakfast option because there is no cooking involved and you make it ahead of time. Easy peasy.

Perfect for after a morning workout and keeps you full until lunchtime. I was not able to eat the entire portion and ended up finishing it up as part of my lunch.

Banana Almond Overnight Oats

Adapted From: Siggi's Dairy

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 packet cinnamon spice oatmeal
• 1/3 cup lowfat milk
• 1 (6 oz) container 2% peach Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp almonds

And Action:

In a glass jar, combine all ingredients and mix well. Let sit overnight in the fridge. Enjoy the next morning!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Clean Banana Bread

This week instead of freezing my overly ripened bananas for use in smoothies I decided to make banana bread. This is my first time ever making banana bread. Nothing compares to my Grandma's. Growing up when we spent the Summers in Utah with her she would bake a loaf, slice it up, toast it, and then slather it in butter. I remember how delicious the toasted walnuts tasted and how moist it was.

With trying to eat healthier I decided to look for a diet friendly recipe so I was not expecting my loaf to turn out anywhere as delicious as hers did. The recipe I found uses whole wheat flour and applesauce as substitute for oil. I opted to go without the dark chocolate chips. I know, I'm no fun.

While this baked an aroma of cinnamon and bananas filled the house. The smell alone was absolutely satisfying. Little Man exclaimed how good it smelled.

But the taste!! Sweet, moist, and full of banana flavor. Served a slice with scrambled eggs and enjoyed with a cup of coffee. Resisted the temptation to smear it with butter. This was the perfect brunch for a lazy football Sunday.

Looking forward to enjoying this for breakfast for the next couple of mornings until it's gobbled up.

After I cleaned up we spent the afternoon playing board games while watching football.  Again, a perfect Sunday!!!

Clean Banana Bread

Adapted From: Healthy, Fit, and Focused

Makes 1 Loaf (8 Slices)

Stars of the Show:

• 3 egg whites
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

And Action:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat egg whites in a bowl and add the mashed bananas, applesauce, honey, and vanilla extract. Mix to combine. In a larger bowl, mix the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix lightly to combine. Pour mixture into a nonstick loaf pan. Bake 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Pull the loaf out of the oven and let sit for 10 minutes covered with foil. Slice and serve. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Chocolate Banana Nutter

Chocolate Banana Nutter

Adapted From: Team BeachBody

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1 cup water
• 1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
• 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 1 banana
• crushed ice, to taste

And Action:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Banana Chai Smoothie

With everything I have going on with being a mom and work obligations I need quick, easy, and delicious breakfast options. Smoothies are the perfect go to. This Banana Chai Smoothie was so much better than I expected. Not gonna lie, when I was whipping it up in the blender I was less than enthused but after the first sip I changed my tune. This has a slight heat to it but cooled by the bananas and coconut milk.

Think I'll skip the Starbucks Soy Chai Latte and blend one of these instead when I'm craving chai spice because with a breakfast like this you skip the mid-morning hungries and gets you through to lunchtime. So much healthier for you too.

Banana Chai Smoothie

Adapted From: Wholefood Simply

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1 1/2 frozen bananas
• 2 tbsp frozen coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp each: ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, ground cloves, and ground ginger
• 1 cup coconut water

And Action:

Pulse all ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Banana Bread Overnight Oats

When you don't have time to make breakfast in the morning a grab and go breakfast you put together the night before is what you need. Oats are healthy, filling, and this takes less than 5 minutes to prepare when done in this method. You can even make enough servings to last the whole work week.

Let me tell you, this is hands down the best overnight oats recipe I have tried to date. Tastes just like banana bread and would be delicious heated up.

Banana Bread Overnight Oats

Adapted From: MyFitnessPal

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1 banana, divided
• 1/3 cup steel cut oats
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp chopped pecans
• maple syrup or honey, optional

And Action:

Mash half of the banana in a glass bowl. Add the oats, yogurt, almond milk, chia seeds, and cinnamon, stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, top with pecans and the remaining banana, sliced. Drizzle with maple syrup or honey if desired. Enjoy!