pb & banana froyo

As a general foodie it only makes sense to stick to things you love eating…. tacos with double guac, bowls of pasta drowning in sauce, bagels on bagels on bagels. NO, we (us as a team) find other yummy solutions and don’t you worry I’m not talking about celery sticks and ice cubes.

With that said this year I’m aiming do my best to cut out as much salt and sugar as I can. Just typing that out makes me nervous, but I can do it & so can you. There are so many natural ways to add flavor or sweetness without using those table side villains.

So after hours on Pinterest (my worldly obsession) I decided to make this sweet treat, and yes I totally said sweet. Like how in the world is this even possible? It blows my mind that bananas alone can create this creamy goodness. It’s like a magician magically turned these 25-cent monkey-eating sticks into velvety ice cream.  Mind. Is. Blown.

Bananas and peanut butter are lovers and should forever stick together. Confession: anything with peanut butter is a go in my book (I have a crazy addition). But you can very easily over due peanut butter, I sure can. But no worries have a solution… duh.

I introduce you to the savior of my peanut butter addiction, powdered peanut butter. Powdered peanut butter is made by squeezing natural oils out of the peanut and then dehydrating what’s left, yielding a powder in which 90% of the fat is removed from the peanut. You can add water to it and make a buttery type of paste, scoop it into smoothies, bake with it or in this instance make ice-cream/frozen yogurt.

INGREDIENTS

{serves 2}

•   2 large, ripe bananas

•   3/4 cup (6.6 oz.) plain Greek yogurt

•   4 tablespoons powered peanut butter powder

•   ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

•   tiny dash of cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the bananas into small chunks and freeze until frozen solid. I also semi freeze the individual 0% Greek yogurt to keep the ice cream as cold as possible (it doesn’t need to be frozen). Once the bananas are solid add them to a blender. (Like ice cubes this may take a few minutes and may require periodic pauses). After pulsing the bananas for a bit you should start seeing a thick, creamy consistency.
2. Add the Greek yogurt. Pulse until creamy.
3. Add the peanut butter powder, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Pulse the blender quickly to stir the ingredients all together. Serve immediately. Top with a slice of banana and a pinch of cinnamon.

7 Layer Mediterranean Dip

We can all pretend we're like the most super cool, down to earth sports chicks and dig every ounce of the Super Bowl game but we don’t bullsh*t on this turf, lets be real when it comes to game day we mostly care about the food, booze and the commercials. Well maybe I’m partial because I work in marketing but food and booze for sure! Super bowl parties can be dangerous, your options pretty much consist of fried wings, greasy chips, lard loaded potato skins and chili with enough sodium to dry a sidewalk on a blizzard. When you’re trying to eat a wholesome diet, Super Bowl snacking can become quite the task (especially since your new years reso was to drop like 10 pounds- girl I am right there with you). Admittedly, the temptation is REAL. I mean duh I’d rather shove endless Doritos in my face, but beach bodies are made in the winter (remember that).

So instead of going for the chips, nosh on the veggies, replace the French onion dip for salsa, guac, and hummus, for something sweet eat the fruit salad… you get the drift. Being a guest can be tricky. You never know what the host will be serving which makes your options a little more limited. So I suggest always eat something before going. Something high in protein to keep you full. But more importantly bring something you too can enjoy, without the guilt. If you’re anything like me I never go somewhere empty handed, this is a perfect opportunity for you to bring a crowd pleaser with half the calories – win win!

Odds are you can very well predict who will bring what. You don’t want to bring something you know will already be on the table. We all have that one aunt that brings another pot of unnecessary meatballs to Sunday dinner or Christmas just to prove she can cook and the battle of the balls in ON. Like no, don’t be her. Instead you should think outside the box, be a little creative. I can bet you that there will most certainly be the classic 7- layered dip on that table. The concept is fanatic, 7 layers of yummy goodness piled on top of each other… it’s a no brainier. My version is different, same concept but Mediterranean infused flavor instead of Mexican… plus uber healthy. DUH.

Ingredients:

• 1 container of  store bought hummus

• 1 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 2 tbsp red onion, minced

• 1 cup English cucumber

• 1 cup Grape tomato

• ½ cup of chicpeas

• 1/4 cup Kalamata olives

It's as simple as this...

In an glass dish, layer the hummus, yogurt, red onion, cucumber, tomatoes, chic peas and olives. Serve with whole grain pita chips, and veggies!

enjoy!