No bake banana cookies

This is a great way to get your chocolate fix the recipe came from here. They are only 80 calories and super easy to make, about 5 minutes of prep work, then you just need to wait for them to set up. I didn't use vegan chocolate chips for mine like the original recipe, I just used semi-sweet chocolate chips, I still thought it tasted good with it. It does have a very strong banana taste, basically chocolate banana treat!

No Bake Banana Cookies

1/2 C rolled oats

1/4 C chocolate chips

1 banana

1 tsp vanilla

1 T chia seeds

1 T buckwheat groats

1 tsp cocoa

sweetener to taste (optional)

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, be careful not to let them burn. About 60 seconds then stir to melt the rest. Add chopped banana and mash together. Mix with other ingredients until coated. Drop in spoonfuls on wax paper on a cookie sheet. Freeze for 1 hour. These cookies will set up, however they will remain chewy. 

Quick Alfredo

I love pasta and creamy sauces soooo much, seriously it's almost sick. I'm so glad I have discovered cashew sauces it has the good fats and so much less saturated fats and I honestly think they taste better than some other cream sauces. This Alfredo recipe is no different. I love the creamy taste and I always love the taste of nutmeg with my creamy pastas. It's very similar to other mac and cheese recipes with little less cheesy taste and more of just a creamy taste!

1/2 C cashews

1 garlic clove

3 T nutritional yeast

3/4 C + 2 T almond Milk

1 T lemon juice

2 T margarine (preferably earth balance, whipped)

1 1/2 T dijon mustard

Nutmeg to taste

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp paprika

1 lb pasta

Combine all ingredients into blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and mix in Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle nutmeg on top. Enjoy!

*you can also put any type of veggie you'd like with this, like peas, corn, broccoli whatever! Yum!

ps. ignore my thumb in the picture I never said I was a photographer :)

"Cheezy" Potato Dish

When I was in college and single (okay and maybe into my college married days) some of my favorite quick sides and "college" food were those packaged potatoes, you know the little flakes where you just add water or milk and you have instant fake potatoes!!! Yep you bet those were the days! My favorite flavor was the cheesy potatoes.

Fast forward to today and I have come to understand that real food is obviously the better option for my family and I, I don't enjoy the salty taste in those potatoes and I mean really...can you honestly beat the taste of real mashed potatoes!!!! My Grandma always used to make mashed potatoes then put them in a casserole dish and bake them for awhile! MMMMMM...they were so great and had so much less fat because it had no cheese, I used almond milk, and vegan margarine, all in all adding up to about 120 calories! Well I have found out that just because I choose a healthy diet, doesn't mean I need to give up foods I love! Really...so I decided to do a remake on my old, fake cheesy potato days with a little of my grandma's spin on things.

So instead of fake flakes and extra sodium, I've loaded this yummy side dish up with real red potatoes (or any potato you'd like) chopped some real garlic, seasonings, and for my cheesy taste, I threw in some nutritional yeast! I am pleased to announce...I ain't missin' a thing from the fake potatoes!!!! This is fast, easy, and such a great addition to any meal!!!! Get creative, and remember being a healthy eater doesn't mean you give up things or it doesn't restrain your tastes, I've never had a problem being satisfied with how I eat, I don't crave the things I used to eat so it's not a problem! Eating healthy can give you more freedom actually with health and the way you feel about yourself! You can really find ways to clean up recipes from anywhere, and personally I think it's really fun to try!

Cheezy Potato Dish

5 red potatoes

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1 garlic clove, shredded (optional)

1/2 C nutritional yeast

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp vegan margarine

milk as needed (I used Almond Milk)

Dice potatoes, skin included. Add to pot and cover with water, bring to a boil then cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Drain water from potatoes and add  margarine and milk and mash or whip the potatoes until you have your desired texture, personally I leave mine a little chunky. Add remaining ingredients and mix well, you could even whip all the ingredients again to make sure they are well combined. Place the potatoes into an 8x8 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle top with paprika! Enjoy!

*you can skip the baking and just eat them out of the pot if you'd like!

Emily's Cheeze Sauce

This is just me combining things to make a vegan cheese sauce with things I had. It turned out great, I was very happy we eat it normally on the Cheezy Fiesta Taco Pie.

Homemade Cheeze  Sauce

2/3 C Nutritional Yeast

1 C cashews

1 1/4 C water

1/4 nondairy milk

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

Place all ingredients in high powered blender. Blend on high for about 90 seconds or until completely smooth!  Enjoy

*if you don't want it vegan go ahead and add 1/4 cup of shredded cheese for the cheesier stretchy effect!

Banana Blueberry Muffins

These are super yummy and a much better muffin for you. My family really enjoys these for breakfast. The original recipe had raspberries in it, I haven't tried it with raspberries but it does sound yummy.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

1 C whole grain flour

3/4 C rolled oats

3/4 C white wheat flour

1/4 C wheat germ

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 T chia seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C blueberries

Wet Ingredients

1/2 C great northern beans

1/2 C applesauce

3 bananas

2 T almond oil (can also use canola)

1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)

2 eggs

1/2 C honey

2 T maple syrup (optional, I use maple extract)

2 T berry jam (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl except blueberries. Add all wet ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well. Lightly coat blueberries with flour and add them to the mixture. Spoon into muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake for 13-15 min. 

Cinnamon Vanilla Oatmeal

Here is a quick, easy, tasty breakfast that everyone can love. I think there will be lots of ways to adapt this and add different flavors to change it up a bit!

Cinnamon Vanilla Oatmeal

2 C water

1 tsp vanilla

2 C oats

2 T cinnamon

2 T coconut sugar (or agave)

Boil water with vanilla. Add oats. Once oats are cooked add sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle dash of cinnamon on top! Enjoy!

Tomato Basil Sauce

This sauce is super creamy for creamier tomato pasta. I'm not a super huge fan of a strong basil taste so I halved the basil from the original recipe from ohsheglows.com . But you can adapt whatever you want to fit your tastes

Tomato Basil Sauce

1/2 C Raw cashews

1/4 C water

1 T tomato paste

1 T olive oil

2-4 garlic cloves

1 tsp salt

3-4 T water

1/2 C basil

Combine olive oil and garlic in large sauce pan and saute until tender. Meanwhile combine remaining ingredients to blender and blend on high for 90 seconds or until completely smooth. Pour tomato mixture into sauce pan to combine garlic. Toss with pasta.