EAT YOURSELF WELL

Inspiration | Information | Recipes

Amazing and Easy Banana Bread

by Leave a Comment

I’m not really a baker … I’m not even a big eater of baked goods (other than an amazing long-fermented sourdough bread made by a local baker at the farmer’s market, YUM). However, after the holidays, when the weather is a little dreary, I sometimes want something warm and sweet in the oven, and this banana-forward loaf (also great as muffins) does the trick!

BananaBreadMontage

Jennifer’s Banana Bread
Makes two large loaves – feel free to halve the recipe if you like, but it’s great to have an extra loaf to freeze or share!
Ingredients
• 6 medium overripe bananas (freeze ones as they get really brown and use any time!)
• 2/3 cup high quality maple syrup
• 1/2 cup organic brown sugar
• ½ to 2/3 cup avocado oil (or your favorite baking oil)
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda (make sure it’s fresh)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup toasted pecans (or walnuts or chocolate chips or whatever you like – go crazy here!)
For Topping
• Up to ½ cup (to taste – depends how sweet you want it) mix of organic brown sugar and maple syrup – or one or the other if you only have one.

To make:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Drop parchment paper into your pan (or oil the pan, but parchment is SO easy) or use muffin pans.
2. Toast pecans lightly in a pan – just drop them in and let them toast until lightly brown and fragrant, tossing regularly.
3. Mash bananas with a fork or potato masher. I sometimes just leave them lumpy and then use an immersion blender after adding the other wet ingredients (next step).
4. Add maple syrup, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla. Stir until really well-mixed – or use an immersion blender to get a little smoother – don’t liquefy though.
5. Toss the dry ingredients (except toasted pecans) well in a separate bowl.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mix and stir everything together until just mixed. Don’t overmix or the bread will be chewy (ugh). The batter will be thicker than you think.
7. Fold in the pecans (or whatever you’re adding).
8. Place the batter into the pan and smooth out with the back of a spoon.
9. Combine the topping ingredients and immediately spread over the top. Don’t let the sugar dissolve into the syrup, you want the texture.
10. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
11. Remove the pan from the oven put it on a cooling rack. Allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing it from the pan.
12. Slice and serve.

Cantaloupe-Fig Bowl: Savory/Sweet tastes of Summer!

by 1 Comment

Cantaloupe Fig Bowl Delicious

Summer brings so many AMAZING flavors – tomatoes, corn, berries, okra … omg so much! But the first week I find figs at the farmer’s market, I tend to go a little crazy with them (last year wound up with chia-fig preserves, yummmm).

AND, they tend to come in right at the same time as the best cantaloupe – the tasty kind that reminds me of the ones you get in Italy – bursting with natural sweetness. These simple ingredients, plus a bit of thinly sliced fennel, chopped fresh almonds, and a bit of citrusy dressing, made for an amazing salad/dessert (yeah, it could be either) I’m excited to share!

Sweet/Savory Cantaloupe-Fig Bowl

Serves Two

For the bowls:
– One small cantaloupe – peeled and cut in half
– About a pint of figs – cleaned, trimmed, and cut in slices
– A bit of thinly sliced fennel – the white part (OK to leave out if you don’t have any or don’t like fennel, but adds to the flavor depth)
– Handful of raw, unsalted almonds – chopped pretty finely, but roughly

For the dressing:
– Few tablespoons of olive oil
– Tablespoon of honey
– Juice from half a lemon
– Pinch of salt
– Pepper, to taste (can be added later)

To assemble: take the halves of the cantaloupe and cut a thin slice at the bottom to help them sit evenly on a plate. Fill with the sliced figs. Sprinkle with the thinly sliced fennel and top with the chopped almonds. At least a half hour before serving, mix the dressing, shake to combine, then pour into the cantaloupe bowls. Serve at room temperature (this holds well).

Making it your own: If you’re serving this for dessert, you may want to amp up the sweetness by adding a bit more honey – as a salad, you could use even less. As I noted, I love the fennel because of the unexpected layer of flavor, but feel free to leave out if you don’t like it. And, experiment! This recipe would also work well with mint, basil, thinly sliced green onion, just as starter ideas. A bit of arugula would be fun, for a spicy bite.

Happy, healthy eating!

Serve as a side salad with ratatouille pasta!

This is a treat for your eyes as well as your body!

Healthy Breakfast: Magic Sweet Potatoes

by 1 Comment

Friends are always asking me for easy, healthy breakfast ideas – and this is one of the easiest. You can even bake 5 sweet potatoes at the start of the week, and enjoy these cold out of the fridge in less than a minute prep time (experiment with the magic sauce to keep it interesting!).

In addition to being super-delicious, sweet potatoes are quite filling due to their high fiber content. Sweet potatoes are a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, selenium, B vitamins and vitamin C. They’re also very high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that converts to vitamin A in the body (1 cup provides 375% your daily value)!

Do you have a favorite sweet potato topping? Please share in the comments below!

Chocolate Power Balls – Delicious and Easy

by 1 Comment

This Chocolate Power Balls recipe is one of the top 3 reasons I keep a small food processor on my counter – yes, that is precious space, but I like to keep a few fresh Power Balls in my fridge to keep me from making bad choices when I. Need. Food. Now! I try not to let that happen, but … life happens!

And these make a wonderful portable breakfast with a hot cup of coffee … one of my favorites!

I’ve dropped the instructions into the graphic itself, to make it easier to save/share on Pinterest, Instagram, etc., and have also posted the full written instructions below in case that’s easier for you. As always, feel free to play around with the ingredients: walnuts are delicious, macadamia nuts … you can substitute some of the dates with dried cranberries for a seasonal sweetness. Enjoy trying new things, and working with what you have on hand.

Chocolate Power Balls Recipe

Delicious and nutritious snack to have on hand for after work or after school. And delicious with coffee!

Chocolate Power Balls

Balls
1/3 c almonds (soaked for 3 hours and drained)
1/3 c pitted soft dates
2 tbs nut butter
1 tbs hemp seeds
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp water or nut milk
1/2 c cacao

Garnish: 4 tbs ground nuts (I like to use hemp seeds and cashews, and if you have a bit of Maldon Salt on hand, crush a bit of that in as well for a salty offset to the sweet cacao!)

Put all ingredients except the cacao into the blender or food processor. Blend or pulse on low until combined. Pour the mixture into a big bowl; stir in the cacao powder.

Roll in to bite-sized balls. If it is too dry you can add more water; if it is too soft add more cacao and/or refrigerate to harden the mixture slightly.

Once all balls have been formed, gently roll each one in to the garnish mixture.

Refrigerate until you are ready to serve, and enjoy!

“Embrace the Chaos” Berry Crumble

by 1 Comment

If you’re looking for the picture-perfect, wins-the-county-fair-beauty-contest pie, keep looking, this is not it. But if you’re looking for amazing flavor from super-healthy ingredients … that is also kind of hippy-dippy perfect in a wabi-sabi way, you’re going to love this Berry Crumble recipe!

This weeknight-friendly (fast and easy!) special treat can be pulled together with whatever berries/fruit you have on hand – blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries, boysenberries, etc. … and frozen is a great stand-in when fresh berries aren’t available.

I also recently served this as a side dish with an otherwise super-savory breakfast over the holidays, and it was a big hit.

eatyourselfwell_berrypic

Eat Yourself Well Berry Crumble Chaos


“Embrace the Chaos” Berry Crumble

Ingredients:

(filling) 5 c. fresh or frozen berries – whatever is in season or you have on hand (I love mixing cherries and berries as well!)
2 tbs. lemon juice
2 tbs arrowroot powder
pinch of salt

(crust) 1/2 c. coconut milk
1 tsp. each vanilla + apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c. oat flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1/4 c. coconut sugar
pinch of salt
3 tbs applesauce
2 tbs nut butter

(topping) cinnamon, turmeric

Click the logo to below cart the recipe, or click here to see all store options.

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Use a pan that is roughly 8×8; line with parchment paper unless it is nonstick.

2. Combine + mix all of the filling ingredients. pour into the pan, cover, and bake for 30 minutes.

3. Stir together the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar. After a few minutes (for it to curdle) add the vanilla

4. Combine the dry ingredients (flour, powder, sugar, salt) in a large bowl.

5. In another small container, mix the applesauce and nut butter well. Once combined, add it to the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Then gently stir in the coconut milk until just combined.

6. Once the filling is finished cooking, take it out of the oven and reduce the heat to 350 F. Spread the crust over the berry mixture and top with dashes of cinnamon and turmeric (I like a kind of freeform tie-dye look). Cook for 25 more minutes.

7. Remove from the oven to cool; serve it warm.

(Some call this a berry cobbler, others a berry crumble, or a berry pie – whatever you call it, call me to the table when you make it!)

Chocolate Strawberry Protein Loaf

by Leave a Comment

New recipe came in from a fan – I tried it, and WOW, it was amazing. I’m not usually a fan of protein powder, but for this use I think it’s better than the alternatives, and definitely pumps up the protein count for you athletes out there. As always, use organic ingredients, and if you are vegan, use chia and water to substitute for the eggs. Here you go!

Chocolate Strawberry Protein LoafDARK CHOCOLATE & STRAWBERRY PROTEIN LOAF

From: Ross Edgley at http://www.facebook.com/rossedgleywriter Visit his page for more great recipes!

This not only tastes great but all the ingredients are healthy, ‘functional’ and especially good after a hard gym session :- ) and here’s why. It’s made of foods that all have health and performance benefits. From the flavanoid content of the dark chocolate to the vitamin C content of the strawberries. Essentially it’s very nutrient dense! Plus, has a great carbohydrate to protein ratio to help the muscles and body recover immediately after training.

Ingredients:
– 30g Whey Protein (dark chocolate flavour best)
– 2 whole eggs
– 50g dark chocolate (ideally 85% cocoa since far healthier)
– 30g coconut flour
– 20g oats (can be gluten free oats)
– 200ml almond milk
– 1 banana
– 20g of strawberries and blueberries
– Baking powder (1/2 a teaspoon)

Method:
– Pre heat oven to 250
– Mix ingredients into a bowl (whey, eggs, coconut flour, oats, almond milk and ½ a tsp of baking powder)
– Mash a banana and add to mixture
– Whisk until mixture is light and almost frothy
– Add more almond milk to achieve the right consistency, like batter
– Then add dark chocolate and berries into the mixture
– Line loaf tin with greaseproof paper or coconut oil
– Pour in the mixture
– Place the loaf tin into oven and cook for 40-60 minutes (if you have a good oven it may be shorter so be sure to pay attention to your loaf whilst cooking and use a toothpick or knife to check as it’s baking)
– Remove, top with a few berries and enjoy

Nutritional Information (for 1/6)
– 190 Calories
– 21g Protein
– 38g Carbohydrates
Serving suggestions:

*Also goes very well with natural yoghurt. Especially if you find the texture too dry, this balances it out perfectly.

*Note: A little science to finish Some people are concerned about eating too many carbohydrates but the truth is immediately after training you can pretty much eat what you want and it won’t be stored as fat! It will only be used to help the body recover. This is because your muscles are depleted and your insulin sensitivity (how we absorb and use carbohydrates) is elevated so anything we eat is absorbed like a sponge by the muscles. Don’t believe me check out this study below Basically if you’ve trained hard, go home, eat and enjoy this completely guilt free. You’re body will actually thank you for it

References:
Veikko A. Koivisto, Hanele Yki-Järvinen andRalph A. DeFronzo (1986) “Physical training and insulin sensitivity” Diabetes/Metabolism Reviews, Volume 1, Issue 4, pages 445–481, 1986

Farmer’s Market Peach Crisp

by 2 Comments

Farmer's Market Peach Crisp

Peaches are naturally juicy and sweet … so they need very little added to them to be amazing! Take this basic recipe and experiment all Summer – try adding a handful of raspberries … basil … even some grated ginger!

Buy organic peaches for your health and the health of our planet … and ask the growers at your farmer’s market whether they have any “scratch and dent” peaches with bruises or other imperfections. Not only are they a fraction of the price of perfect peaches, they’ll be the fruits that are ripe and ready to use when you get home!

Farmer’s Market Peach Crisp

Ingredients

6-10 medium scratch/dent (or other) peaches
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp almond extract

1 cup whole oats
½ cup almonds
½ cup walnuts
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
½ cup brown sugar OR 1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
pinch of salt

Preparation
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel the peaches, remove any soft or bruised areas, and chop into about 4-5 slices per peach
3. Combine the peach slices with the lemon juice, coconut flour, and almond extract in a large bowl. Toss until the peaches are well coated.
4. Put the peaches into a casserole dish or lasagna pan.
5. Add the the oats, almonds, walnuts, and coconut flakes in a processor and pulse to break up into a coarse but fairly even mixture. Be careful here, don’t over-mix or you’ll wind up with nut butter!
6. Put this mix in your bowl, add the coconut oil, brown sugar, and salt, and mix with a spoon.
7. Place this mixture over the peaches.
8. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the peaches are bubbling and the topping is lightly browned.

Top with greek yogurt or a small scoop of high-quality vanilla ice cream.

Most important: sit and really ENJOY the amazing taste of summer … preferably sharing with family and friends who share your love of healthy, delicious food!

5 Fresh & Fast (and simple) Fig Recipes

by Leave a Comment

Five Fresh Fast Fig Recipes - Eat Yourself Well

Last week, my figs were tiny and green – this week, they’re ripe – ALL of them! Following are a few ways I’m going to make use of these amazing fruits – in addition to eating them right off the tree, when the birds don’t get to them first!

Crispy Broiled Figs: Melt a bit of coconut oil with honey (just a little of each). Lay figs halves on a baking sheet. Brush with melted mix. Broil until the fig tops bubble and start to brown on the edges. Serve as a side dish with veggies, or add a bit of marscapone for a wonderful earthy dessert.

Fig Bruschetta: Finely dice fresh figs, and toss with a splash of balsamic vinegar and one good grind of black pepper. Top toasted baguette slice with a bit of ricotta or marscapone cheese, top with fig mix

Cheesy, Melty Figs: Chop the top half off the fig (reserve for Bruschetta, above :-)) and slightly “open” the bottom half. Add a soft cheese: a nice ripe bleu, robiola, or a bit of brie. Place under broiler until cheese is melted, serve immediately, alone or over mixed greens as a salad.

Fig, Walnut, and Goat Cheese Salad: Cut/crumble all into pieces and toss with mixed greens. Top with a quick mix of balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, and the best olive oil you can find.

Gingered Fig Martinis (over 21 only): Blend 2 cups figs, 1 small knob of ginger (less for less spicy, more for more) 2 tsp water and the juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon (depending on size) in the blender. Pour over ice in cocktail shaker, add vodka to taste and shake well. Pour into chilled martini glass.

From Jennifer Silverberg at www.EatYourselfWell.com and facebook.com/eatyourselfwell Please maintain link as you copy and share recipe with others!

All of the Fig – None of the Newton – Bars!

by Leave a Comment

All of the Fig, None of the Newton, Bars - Eat Yourself Well

Sometimes you – or your kids – want something sweet, which can wind up being a mess for your healthy, whole-food diet. Recently, Food Babe posted about one sandwich bar that we used to think was healthy, but has a dizzying (sometimes literally) array of unnecessary chemicals in the ingredients.

That inspired me to grab the simple fig paste I’d made yesterday out of the fridge and try an easy, healthy, replacement for my less-healthy childhood treat. It turned out to be even easier than I’d thought – check this out!

Simple, Healthy Fig Bars

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ground dried organic figs, ground to a paste (instructions for grinding, below)
  • 1/2 cup organic hemp seed
  • 1/2 cup salted pumpkin seeds, ground – I used sprouted, salted (I used Go Raw brand)

    • Cut the figs into smallish pieces and process by pulsing in a strong food processor. If you do not cut them up into bits, they will gum up in your processor, and possibly burn out the motor – trust me on this one :-). Once the processor is running easily, leave it in the “on” position until the fig bits gather into a ball, about 1 minute.

    Take about 1 cup of the fig paste on put on a large plastic cutting board or silicone baking mat. Press with your hands or a rolling pin into a disk about 1/4 inch thin.

    Sprinkle a mix of the hemp seed and pumpkin seeds over the disk and press in with your hands. Flip the disk and repeat. Do this a few more times until the figs are holding as much of the seed as they can.

    IMG_1463Start cutting the disk into rectangular strips that when folded over (see pic) form a sandwich bar square.

    Store in fridge, if they aren’t all grabbed up right then!

    From Jennifer Silverberg at www.EatYourselfWell.com and facebook.com/eatyourselfwell Please maintain link as you copy and share recipe with others!

    Summer Peach and Basil Salad, with Delicious Options

    by Leave a Comment

    Peach Basil Salad + Variations
    This is a perfect salad for summer – fruity, delicious, and full of cooling flavor. Experiment with the savory and spicy options for lunch and dinner, and consider the sweeter options for dessert!

    Summer Peach and Basil Salad

    4-5 medium peaches, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces (leave skin on)
    1/4 red onion
    1/2 cup fresh basil
    1/2 lemon or 1 lime, juiced
    1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil – choose a fruity, cloudy one
    Pinch of coarse salt
    Freshly ground pepper, to taste

    Options: Take it sweeter: Add Strawberries and/or mint; or, serve with a dollop of marscapone sweetened with honey

    Take it savory: Add Feta (just a tbsp, crumbled – you need much less than you think – or it will overpower the fruit) or other white cheese, grated

    Make it spicy: Add grated ginger

    Preparation

    A bit of attention on the preparation will make a big difference in this recipe – start with a sharp knife!

    Roll basil leaves together into a “cigar” shape and thinly slice across the “cigar” to make thin basil strips. Then, quarter a red onion, and slice very thinly across the cut side, to make tiny strips of that as well.

    Add everything you are using in a large bowl, toss, adjust seasoning if needed, and serve.

    Recent Posts

    Popular Posts

    101 Fast/Healthy/Fabulous Snack Ideas