smoothie: chocolate-banana

This has become our go-to after school snack. A sweet treat full of nourishing ingredients to power the kids until dinnertime.

Chocolate-Banana Shake

(make about 4 cups)

• 2 ripe bananas
• 2-4 pitted Medjool dates (to sweeten)
• 2-4 heaping Tablespoons nut butter (I tend to use almond)
• 3-4 cups almond milk (or other non-dairy or dairy milk, of choice; our favorite is Calafia coconut-almond milk)
• 1-2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (or you could use a scoop of chocolate protein powder, if you have one you like)

Combine everything in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Store any leftovers in the fridge and simply shake or whisk before serving if the smoothie separates. 

smoothie: probiotic berry-banana

A favorite before school breakfast, or after school snack. 

Probiotic Berry-Banana Smoothie

(makes about 4 cups)

• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 cups kefir (sweetened or unsweetened, plain or flavored, your choice)
• 1 cup non-dairy or dairy milk (I usually use hemp or almond milk)
• 1 cup organic strawberries (or mixed berries)
• optional - 2-4 pitted dates to sweeten

Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth. Store any leftovers in the fridge, and simply shake or whisk before serving if the smoothie separates. 

smoothie: "peanut butter and jelly"

Packed with protein to fuel my kiddos through sports, playing in the yard, and homework.

"Peanut Butter and Jelly" Smoothie

(makes about 6 cups)

• 2 cups non-dairy or dairy milk (our favorite for smoothies is vanilla hemp or almond milk)
• 2 cups whole milk kefir (we like these ones from Lifeway)
• 1/2 cup nut butter (I use almond butter)
• 2 cups frozen organic mixed berries
• optional - you can add maple syrup, honey or a few pitted dates for sweetness, though this probably won't be necessary

Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. My kids like their smoothies thick, but you may add water if you want to thin the smoothie out. Store any leftovers in the fridge and give them a shake or whisk before serving if the smoothie separates. 

easy clean eating: banana-walnut chia pudding

Whipped this up to rave reviews this week...

As one commenter said on the Facebook page, "I love chia pudding  But I think you have to like tapioca pudding to deal with the texture. Just my opinion….." and I'd totally agree. We happen to love it around here.

As you can see, I had some ripe bananas just begging to become a wholesome snack, so this go round, I decided to make the chia pudding banana-flavored… but then at the last minute I added walnuts too for some extra good fat. If you have nut allergies, you can absolutely omit the walnuts, no problem, and you can use whatever milk your family enjoys-- be it dairy, seed, soy or nut.

OK, so the preparation is super simple-- first you blend 2 cups of milk {whichever type your using} + 2 bananas + 1/2 cup walnuts {optional} + 1 Tablespoon vanilla + 1 teaspoon cinnamon {or more, to taste-- I like our cinnamon-y so I added as much as a Tablespoon} + a dash of ginger {optional, start with a scant 1/2 teaspoon and go from there til you get to desired taste}. Once this mixture is smooth...

you'll simply pour it over 2/3 cup of chia seeds, then either stir well-- or shake-- and place the bowl into the fridge overnight. In the morning you'll have a thick pudding to enjoy for a protein-packed breakfast, or a special after school snack.  

Banana-Walnut Chia Seed Pudding

{makes 6 servings}

2 cups of milk {dairy, nut, seed, or soy-- your choice}

2 bananas

1/2 cup walnuts {optional}

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon {or more, to taste}

a dash of ginger {optional}

2/3 cup chia seeds

Blend all but the chia seeds until mixture is smooth. Place chia seeds in a bowl or jar large enough to hold whole batch of pudding. Pour banana mixture over the chia seeds and stir-- or shake-- to combine. Place container in fridge overnight. 

snow day baking: banana chocolate oat muffins with almond meal

On a recent snow day,

when the playroom looked like this {by 7am},

I'd made my coconut oil coffee and

snuck into the living room to quietly read. Dinner was made, thanks to a well-stocked freezer. But something nagged at me. I couldn't go a whole day without cooking something…. and, truth be told, I wanted chocolate.

I'm not a big baker, but three ripe bananas winked at me from the kitchen counter. I had some cashew meal in the fridge, along with a few eggs and oats... Perfect, banana-chocolate chip muffins it would be. I improvised a recipe, adding a little of this, a little of that, while asking myself whether baking soda was really necessary? But imagine my dismay when I realize the bag of chocolate chips I thought I saw in the pantry was actually black beans. Dismay doesn't adequately describe my emotions at that moment. 

I blame Captain Holly Short for distracting me. {Artemis Foul reference, for those who aren't listening to the book on CD during drives to and from skiing this winter…} But the bananas were mashed, and the nut-based batter was ready to go. All I needed was chocolate.

I had some high quality, unsweetened cocoa on hand and, after a little more scrounging, I sprinkled the last of my foodie crush Cacao Prieto hot cocoa into the bowl.

And then I popped those bad boys into the oven and 

went back to my fire, as the smell of molten chocolate and baking bananas filled our house.

Oh my.

I ate more than my fair share. I gave some warm muffins to the snow plow guys. I had the kids walk some to a neighbor.

And continued to enjoy them for snacks the next few days.

They were so good that I was a little miffed that I hadn't jotted the recipe down. Who knew if I could recreate them?…

As a ate the last muffin, I decided this recipe was worth figuring out and saving.

The second go round, I made sure to have chocolate, not black beans.

I recreated the batter, while jotting down notes.

Then held my breath...

Actually, I didn't hold my breath. I took deep inhales of sweet goodness

and went back to recipe testing for the Second Edition of Stock Your Freezer in a Snap.

Batch two lacked eggs. Because I forgot to put them in. Apparently this recipe doesn't need egg(s). And now I knew how to make them again. And again. To rave reviews.

Banana-Chocolate-Oat Muffins with Almond Meal
(makes 24 muffins)

3 or 4 large, ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups almond flour or cashew meal
1 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour)
2 cups oats (or gluten-free oats)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons vanilla
3 Tablespoons dark cocoa
1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tin with muffin cups. Add all ingredients to mixing bowl and blend using a hand mixer. Divide evenly among muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes, or until muffins sprain back when touched. 

This post contains affiliate links, meaning same price of goods to you, but the small commission I earn keeps the blog from turning into "hobby" status.

healthy dip idea: black bean hummus

Don't want to derail your new year's healthy habits during upcoming football gatherings? Or maybe you're hosting book club and are looking for a casual crowd-pleasing appetizer that you can quickly whip up between ice hockey chauffeuring and bedtime stories? In my case, I wanted a healthy, protein-packed after school snack that I could have on hand when the kids tumbled off the bus… but since then, this dip has graced Super Bowl spreads and mom's nights out! I recently shared it with shoppers at our local market, to rave reviews.

It requires just a few ingredients: black beans, tahini, garlic, jalapeño (optional), cilantro (you can substitute parsley if you're one who doesn't like cilantro), scallions and fresh lime juice.

Pop all of the ingredients into a food processor, and pulse to desired consistency. You can add water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, to thin the dip to desired consistency, then salt and pepper to desired taste. So easy!

Black Bean Hummus
(makes about 2 cups)

15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2-4 cloves garlic
1 jalapeño, seeded (optional)
2 limes, juiced
1 bunch of scallions, white parts only (about 1/4 cup)
2 Tablespoons tahini (sesame paste, usually found by nut butters)
water (to thin, optional)
salt & pepper, to taste

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse to desired consistency. Will keep, in an air-tight container, for several days in the fridge. 

Serve with sliced veggies or pita chips… or both. This is a healthy, crowd-pleasing appetizer-- and nourishing after school snack. Hope your family enjoys it as much as I family does!  -Eila

new fav after school snack: baked (portable) bean and cheese tostadas

We have a new favorite snack around here.  It's quick, protein-packed and portable. 

My kids now get home at 2 different times, both famished. 

I want to come up with a stash of snack ideas that I can make once (in a minimal amount of time... like 10 minutes max) and serve twice.

And feel good about serving. 

 That's a biggie. I'm not going to give them crappy snacks.

And if it's something I might like to munch on too? Even better. 

Baked Portable Tostadas

(makes 4 tostadas / 2 after school snacks)

4 small organic corn tortillas
about 1/2 cup shredded cheese
about 1/2 cup black beans
optional: 1/2 cup sliced veggies, pickled jalapenos and/or salsa

Preheat oven to 375. Place tortillas on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese, then black beans. Bake on lowest rack for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and tortilla is crisp (so you can easily pick it up). Serve warm or room temp.

avocado toasts with hard-boiled eggs and sriracha

I popped this photo of my pre-tennis match breakfast up on full plate's FB page last week and have received several emails either saying how AMAZING it was, or asking me to share the recipe. So, here goes! If you hard boil some eggs at the beginning of the week, this recipe comes together in minutes.

Avocado Toasts with Hard-Boiled Eggs and Sriracha

(makes a hearty breakfast for 1, or an awesome snack for 2)

your favorite bread, toasted*
1/2 an avocado
1 egg, hard boiled
sriracha sauce (optional)
lemon juice (optional)
sea salt & pepper, to taste

Toast the bread, then smash the avocado onto each piece of bread, using a fork (kids like to do this part). Slice the hard boiled egg, and place egg slices on top of avocado. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh pepper. Then drizzle with sriracha, and/or lemon juice. Enjoy!

*Depending upon where I am grocery marketing that week, I either buy a loaf of WholeG bread (which I originally swooned about here) at our local, Walter Stewart's Market , or I buy a loaf of Whole Foods' house-made "flax-quinoa bread in their bakery dept, and I have them slice it.

game day snacks

I used to think the parents who started their Saturdays bright and early, filling their car with little uniformed kids, going off to back-to-back games, were crazy. Now I am one. And I still think it's crazy.

But I am doing it because my kids are relishing all of this time on different fields. I will full admit to having no idea of the rules of the games I am spectating, but I do have the snack gig well covered.

Last weekend, I brought along sesame-almonds (from Trader Joe's nut aisle), chunks of cucumber, an apple (currently in the mouth and out of the shot), and some cinnamon letter cookies (also from Trader Joe's). When packing a snack (that has to sustain a 6-year-old for 3 hours of back-to-back tball and soccer practices and games), I try to include:

a fruit + a veggie + a protein + a treat

A quick perusal of my blog and I was reminded of few more favorite snacks that are portable:

celery and nut butter 

apple nut butter sandwiches

almond stuffed date "candies"

homemade peanut butter-chocolate granola bars

homemade granola balls

high quality granola cookies like these ones from Nothin' But

little bags of trail mix
KIND Bars

Next challenge? Dinners for the bleachers at night baseball games....