banana+peanut butter=delicious!

anything that combines peanut butter and bananas makes me happy and if you mix chocolate in as well, it can't get much better. sometimes i think i could live off of those three ingredients. 

i found on pinterest some chocolate covered banana bites. after reading the recipe closer, i realized peanut butter was also on the ingredient list and i had to make them asap! you can find the original recipe here. 

i adjusted the recipe a little to fit my taste and they turned out perfect.

banana bites

2 bananas sliced into bite size pieces

1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 T peanut butter

crushed peanuts, coconut, sprinkles... to garnish

melt chocolate and peanut butter for 1 minute in the microwave, mix until nice and smooth. dip sliced bananas in the chocolate mixture {they don't have to look perfect}. garnish with whatever you feel like, i used crushed up peanuts, which turned out great. i placed mine on a plate covered in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer for an hour until hardened. i then placed them in a plastic bag and put back in the freezer until ready to eat.

here is the banana butter from chocolate covered katie that i decided to make. i eat a lot of peanut butter, i think i have an addiction. i thought it might be better for my waste line to make some banana butter to cut some calories. it is a fantastic hint of banana to my peanut butter fix, you should try it! find the recipe here. you can store it in the fridge and it is wonderful on a slice of toast.

enjoy!

spinach pancakes

i have been searching the internet, trying to find the perfect spinach pancake recipe to try. i decided to be money smart and use ingredients i already had in my pantry. 

my inspiration came from spabettie originally, which i found on pinterest. i then came up with a recipe of my own to fit my taste.

keally's spinach pancakes

ingredients:

1 cup spinach

1/2 cup flour {flour of your choice}

2 eggs {or egg substitute}

2 T chilled water

1 tsp peanut butter

dash of salt

blend spinach, water and eggs until smooth. add remaining ingredients and mix again until blended together. mixture will seem thin, but it is just fine. i let mine sit about 5 minutes while my non-stick pan heated up. cook like regular pancakes, they only need about a minute on each side.

healthy spinach pancake sandwich

i made a sandwich for dinner using my spinach pancakes. they turn out a bit denser than regular fluffy pancakes, but are great for a savory treat. i added my favorite ingredients to create the perfect sandwich; tomato, cheese and avocado-absolutely delicious! 

have a happy st. patty's day everyone!

st. patty's day oats

i really love adding spinach to my smoothies to make them green, so why not add spinach to my oats for a healthy does of iron first thing in the morning?!

i loved the result! it was very fresh tasting and you cannot taste the spinach at all {i promise!}

mine turned out more like a pudding because i blended all my oats in the blender, but you can make it thicker by following the instructions below.

ingredients:

40g of oats

handful of spinach

1/2 ripe banana

1 T plain {or vanilla} greek yogurt

1 T of peanut butter

1/4 tsp vanilla extract {can omit if using vanilla yogurt}

1/4 cup almond milk

sweetener: agave nectar, or raw sugar {optional-i omitted}

i cook about 20g of oats in the microwave with extra water and a pinch of salt the night before, and let it sit in the fridge over night. 

blend the refrigerated oats, spinach, banana, yogurt, peanut butter and milk {and sweetener if you are going to use it}. blend until smooth, cook the rest of your oats as usual and mix by hand into the blended mixture. 

garnish with some slices of banana and a dollop of yogurt.

enjoy!

training while under the weather

should you train while you are sick? in my opinion, it all depends on how sick you really are. this past week, i was feeling very under the weather and i took a day off of training, i had two rest days and felt a lot better on my next run. i decided that instead of trying to make up for my lost run, i would run a mile more than i was supposed to on my next scheduled run and focus on getting better. 

i also ran my longest run to date this week, despite being sick. 8 miles! i feel like i am on track for a good half marathon. i have learned a lot about running so far, from reading running blogs and from personal experience. some blogs to check out are walk to the mail box and fit chick in the city.

running tips from a beginner:

-make a schedule and stick to it {lots of good sites for this, check out this post}

-listen to your body {if your body screams NO because of an injury or sickness, listen and slow down}

-every one is different when it comes to nutrition {i have learned that i need to eat something before a long run, but only if it will take over an hour, otherwise i run on an empty stomach}

-invest in good shoes {your feet are one of the most important tools in your running, treat them well}

-chafing sucks! {i have learned this the hard way... ill be buying aquaphor and good quality sports bras soon}

i have also learned that you don't have to deprive yourself of tasty foods while keeping up a healthy lifestyle. i like to treat myself and stay healthy at the same time. as you can see, i have posted lots of healthy {yet tasty} recipes and have learned to cook along the way.

this strawberry banana "milkshake" is one of my latest favorite treats. 

recipe:

blend

frozen strawberries

 one ripe banana

1 tsp of peanut butter

2-3 T of plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup of almond milk {of your milk of choice}

i added some semi-sweet chocolate chips to my milkshake for an extra sweet treat!

enjoy!

homemade hummus

it's march! so in honor of st. patty's day, i came up with a green hummus recipe. i have been wanting to make my own hummus for a while and didn't realize just how easy it is. i always thought it was a daunting task, but with our new kitchen gadget, it is oh so easy!

husband recently bought a cuisinart smart stick, it works great to make hummus. he bought it to make single serve smoothies while he is on the road racing, so ill have to take advantage of it while he is home. i definitely recommend getting one if you make many recipes that require blending. it will save your blender and is a lot easier to clean too.

ingredients

our cuisinart smart stick

spinach hummus

keally's homemade green hummus:

1 {15 ounce can} of chickpeas/garbanzo beans

1 to 2 cloves garlic, diced

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp chili powder {optional}

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder {optional-i love garlic!}

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 cup fresh spinach

drain beans, reserve liquid. blend together all ingredients {except spinach}, slowly adding extra liquid from beans until you reach your desired texture. add spinach and blend again until smooth. 

enjoy with tortilla chips, bread, pita chips... or just with a spoon!

keally's green hummus

for the love of kale

husband and i have added kale as a staple on our grocery list. it is one of those foods that lately has become very popular and i was never interested in eating it until now. leafy greens never really interested me, but now that i realize how many different ways there are to eat them, i think they are delicious.

i found this nutrition breakdown from wholeliving.com 

Nutrition Breakdown

Per 1 cup cooked, chopped:Calories: 36 kcalFat: 0.52 gFiber: 2.6 g = 10 percent of DRI*+Vitamin A: 885 mcg** = 126 percent of DRIVitamin C: 53.3 mg = 71 percent of DRIVitamin K: 1,062.1 mcg = 1,180 percent of DRICalcium: 94 mg = 9 percent of DRIIron: 1.1 7 mg = 7 percent of DRI
i have made lots of different recipes using kale.

remember my green smoothie... it is even better with kale than spinach. and my spaghetti squash pizza that i made for myself on valentines day.i recently made this pizza using whole grain dough from whole foods. i topped it with chicken, onion, and garlic. i put kale on one side with olive oil and pizza sauce and cheese on the other.

i have also made kale chips. they are great to snack on by themselves. or you can enjoy them with popcorn, mixed in dishes, or here i made cheesy baked black beans with avocado and enjoyed them on top of a plate of kale chips!

kale chips:

break the kale leaves from the stemswash and drybreak into bite size pieces and spread on a baking sheetsprinkle with olive oiladd spicesi used salt and pepper and a small shake of chili powder
bake for 15-20 minutes at about 350 Fbe sure to watch your kale chips so they don't burn
enjoy with all sorts of different combos, or by themselves!

homemade lara bars

my husband is a cyclist for the competitive cyclist team. he has to eat a lot of calories to get energy for long rides and all those power/energy bars get expensive! while browsing the recipes section of the chocolate covered katie blog, i came across these! 

i just had to make them, and they turned out delicious. i was a bit skeptical that they would stay together. as you see below, i put them in plastic bags, weighed them out to about 50g or less and smashed them together while in the bag {they bind together great}. i shaped them into bars and squares, wrapped them in plastic wrap and stored them in the fridge for husband {and me} to grab on the go. 

mixing the ingredients

weighing out the ingredients in a plastic baggie 

shaping into bars while keeping my hands clean

oatmeal raisin cookie bars--recipe found here

hot fudge brownie bars--recipe found here

the recipes for these bars can be found here. i made the oatmeal raisin cookie bars and hot fudge brownie bars. while making both, i used a mix of nuts rather than walnuts {only because i didn't have walnuts at home}. i used a mix of unsalted peanuts, almonds and cashews. also, while making the hot fudge brownie bars, i used dates and raisins. i doubled both recipes, to make more bars and stored them in the fridge. 

i definitely recommend making these bars! 

half marathon training update:

i am up to 16 miles total this week running. i know that is not much compared to many runners, but i am proud that i am sticking to my training schedule {despite lots of snow on the ground at the moment}. i am gradually increasing my miles each week to get up to 26 in my longest running week. speaking of my training, i am off for a run! happy friday everyone :) 

pumpkin pancakes

i had a half a can of pumpkin puree sitting in my fridge and i was about to go on a wonderful trip to visit my best friend and meet her beautiful babies... what to do with the pumpkin so it doesn't go bad? pumpkin pancakes of course! 

ingredients:

3/4 cup of pumpkin puree

1 cup of milk {i used almond milk}

1 cup of flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

2 Tbls sugar {i used agave nectar}

oats {i subbed some of the flour for extra oats}

directions:

mix all dry ingredients very well. add wet ingredients and mix again.

heat a non-stick skillet, add cooking spray or oil. 

pour your pancake batter and wait for it to bubble before flipping.

makes about 7-10 silver dollar size pancakes.

i enjoyed mine with a dollop of greek non-fat yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

i found an amazing new blog on pinterest called walk to the mailbox, it is the perfect place to get running inspiration if you are looking to enter any sort of long distance running race. also check out fit chick in the city.

my half marathon training

i have decided to train for a half marathon... call me crazy, but i am determined to see this through!

below is an example of the training schedule i have written for myself. making a schedule is the best way to keep myself on track and i cross off my days as i go to track my progress. it feels so good to cross off each run as i finish it!

-run: monday, wednesday, thursday, saturday

-rest days: tuesday, friday and sunday

-start with 3 miles and increase by approximately one mile every saturday

week 1) 13 miles total

week 2) 15 miles total

week 3) 16 miles total

week 4) 19 miles total

week 5) 21 miles total

week 6) 24 miles total

week 7) 26 miles total

week 8) 22 miles total

week 9) 18 miles total

week 10) race week! 21.1 miles total

{i tried to include the chart i created, but it wouldn't work}

i researched online a lot of different half marathon training schedules, and combined some together to come up with what would suit me best. on thursdays, if i am feeling sluggish or tired, i will do some weights and walk 2-3 miles, or do other cross training.

the reason you choose to run any distance race determines how successful you will be in completing the race. my reason is to accomplish a goal. i have wanted to run a half marathon for a while now, and i want to see it through. if you just want to loose weight, you might loose motivation once you reach your goal weight or start loosing weight at all. keep in mind that your goal should be to FINISH the race, not just to loose weight.

below is a photo of a my new favorite breakfast oatmeal. it is great to get more energy before or after a long run. i love oatmeal, but even if you don't like it, you will like this... it is so sweet and delicious!

pumpkin oatmeal with cream

i found inspiration for this oatmeal from chocolate covered katie's blog, her recipe can be found here.

i changed the recipe up a little bit. i didn't used the flake cereal, just oats, pumpkin puree, almond milk, agave syrup, and cinnamon.

i mixed the pumpkin puree with the oats and other ingredients, then let it sit over night with a bit more water. i microwaved the oats in the morning to take the chill off and made some delicious "cream" to go on top.

almond milk cream:
1 banana
3 T of almond milk {or any milk of choice}
cinnamon
1 tsp nut butter

directions:
mix all ingredients in a blender until thick and creamy, you can add more milk if the consistency is too thick.


enjoy! 

healthy chocolate mousse?

is it possible to make a healthy chocolate mousse? i promise it is! i found this recipe on pinterest, originally pinned from here. i was skeptical... tofu as the main ingredient in a chocolate mousse recipe? i gave it a chance, and it was well worth it! 

here is the original recipe i found, my mousse wasn't as beautiful as this photo, but it tasted delicious! i don't have a magic bullet or a food processor, so i just used my blender... the tofu doesn't blend as smooth, but it doesn't effect the taste. 

photo courtesy of chocolate covered katie

i enjoyed my healthy chocolate mousse with a glass of red wine while watching the movie valentines day, on valentines day... perfection!

ill have to make this for husband when he is home. i am so glad i found CCK's blog so that i can still satisfy my sweet tooth and stay fit and healthy at the same time.

ill be posting my training schedule and updating on my half marathon training progress. i'm new to running such long distances, so it will be a learning process for me... any tips to succeed in a long distance race?

half marathon and sweet treats

i have been talking about running a half marathon for years now, and i finally signed up for one! yes, on april 21st, i will be running 13.1 miles... the training has begun and i think i deserve lots of healthy sweets for all the running i will be doing the next 9 weeks.

here are some photos of some very tasty {husband approved} sweets i found on the chocolate covered katie blog. visit her blog for the recipes, they are delicious and you won't feel guilty eating them, promise!

cookie dough fudge bites

raw peanut butter cookie bites

so good, they deserve another photo!

i have also been coming up with a few healthy recipes of my own, involving lots of kale, ill be sharing them soon!

green smoothie

i love a green smoothie, it is so easy to make and delicious too!

 

ingredients: (for single serve, just double the ingredients to make for two people)

 

1 banana (ripe)

generous handful of spinach or kale

a few table spoons of greek non-fat yogurt (plain or vanilla)

almond milk (or any milk of your choice)

2 tablespoons of quick oats (optional)

1 tablespoon of peanut butter (optional)

all the ingredients ready to go, minus the peanut butter

 

just throw all ingredients into a blender, add the peanut butter and oats to make it a more subtantial meal. i add enough milk to make it the consistency i like, you can also add water instead of milk if you want to reduce calories. almond milk is pretty low on calories though, and lactose free.

ingredients ready to be blended together

i enjoyed my green smoothie today with some avocado spreaded on toast, it was a green day today and a totally delicious light lunch!

 

anyone out there have a favorite green smoothie recipe you want to share?