Healthy Baked Apple Crisp Dessert

I have always loved a good apple crisp, but I wanted to make something that would be delicious yet not quite so loaded with sugar!  Or at least be a more "clean" type of sugar (i.e. honey and maple syrup).  So after looking at tons of recipes, I'm attempting to build my own version of a Healthy Apple Crisp!!

First, you've got to have a base of green apples!  They're my favorite and any Apple Crisp must have a "tart" base!!

Apple Filling

• 5-7 green apples
• 1/2 to 1 tsp of cinnamon (I love cinnamon, so more is always better for me!)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp maple syrup

Crumb Topping

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup almond flour (or whole wheat flour)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (I told you I love this stuff)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2-4 Tbsp honey (per your desired sweetness)
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil (melted)

Direction:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Peel and core the apples ( I have an Apple, Peeler, Corer, Slicer from Pampered Chef that I used and it worked awesome!!).  If you don't have one of those cool gadgets, then peel and core apple and slice in thin slices after cutting apple in half!
3. Coat the apples with the cinnamon, nutmeg and maple syrup and pour into a 9 x 9 dish.
4. In a medium bowl combine the oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and 
5. salt together and stir.  
6. Combine coconut oil and honey together and then add to the dry mixture.  Make sure they are completely combined together.  
7. Top the apple mixture with the crumb topping!
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes or until topping is browned.  

Serve warm (and yes, we're going to put some vanilla ice cream on top!)

Skinny Nana Cookies

So I'm always in the search for a healthy treat to share with my family!  I really try and limit the amounts of sugar they get in their diet.  It's hard to do that because now that they are getting older I don't have all the control...there's sweets everywhere, at school, church, friends houses, parties...the sugar doesn't end!  So...this will be the true test, my children!!!

So this recipe is SUPER easy and has only 3 ingredients!  I found it off Pinterest and thought I'd give it a shot!  I love that there was NO extra and added sugar!

Skinny Nana Cookies

Ok, ya ready?



2 medium ripe bananas
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
(you could even add some extras, cinnamon or chopped walnuts)

Mash the bananas
Mix bananas and oats together
Gently fold in dark chocolate chips
Spoon out the batter onto a cookie sheet
Bake 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Recipe from Six Sisters Stuff

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shakeology Ice Cream

Ice Cream and 4th of July simply go hand in hand!  I remember as a little girl our neighborhood would have a pot luck and every family would bring out their own homemade ice cream (ohh so delicious!!!), so this recipe just shouts 4th of July for me!!

Seriously, can it get much better than this?  All of my favorite foods in ONE recipe...chocolate, peanut butter, Shakeology and ice cream!  Why NOT combine them all together for a delicious healthy dessert! 

Here you go...4 ingredients, 10 minutes to make (plus freezing time) and a healthy ice cream all in one!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shakeology Ice Cream

Total Time:  4 hours 10 minutes

Prep Time:  10 minutes

Cooking Time: none

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 medium banana, cut into chunks

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 scoops Chocolate Shakeology

2 Tbsp. al-natural smooth peanut butter

Preparation:

1. Place banana in plastic bag; freeze for 4 hours or until completely frozen.
2. Place almond milk, bananas, Shakeology and peanut butter in blender (or food processor); cover.  Blend until smooth
3. Serve immediately!!

Containers for 21 Day Fix:  1/2 yellow, 1 red, 1 purple, 1/2 orange

Interested in joining a 21 Day Fix Challenge Group?  Click here to fill out an application!

Recipe & picture compliments of teambeachbody.com

Black Bean Peppermint Brownies

Yep, you read that right!!  Black Bean Brownies...are you brave enough to try?

So, if you love brownies like I do, then you'll probably be willing to try something that will not throw you completely off track of your nutrition plan.  I've got to say, this is still a splurge, but a "healthier" splurge.  Now, even though these are gluten free and ohh so yummy for a "healthy brownie", it doesn't mean you can eat the entire batch of brownies (although I'd love to!).  And, I'm going to be totally honest with you...I have no idea what the breakdown for the 21 Day Fix would be.  This one is a little more complicated for me!  I'm sure Autumn has figured these things out but, I just don't know!  I'd just consider it a "cheat" (on the healthier side of cheat)!

Black Bean Peppermint Brownies

Black Bean Peppermint Brownies:

• 1 (15 oz) can no-salt-added black bean, drained and rinsed
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup honey (or agave nectar)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped nuts, pecan or walnuts for topping (optional)
• handful of dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.

Combine beans, eggs, coconut oil, cocoa powder, vanilla, honey and peppermint extract in a food processor (I used my Vita-Mix) and make sure the beans are completely pureed and everything mixed together.  Pour batter into the prepped baking dish.  Sprinkle with nuts (if desired) and dark chocolate chips (you can leave them on top or mix them in a bit).

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until center is set.  Let brownies cool, store in fridge!

(recipe adapted from https://blameitonthegrain.wordpress.com)

Shakeology Mug Cake - a.k.a Heaven in a MUG! (21 Day Fix Approved)

Oh my goodness...So I was searching for a new Shakeology recipe to just change it up a bit and happened upon a new recipe!!  Ummm...can you say, really great new "sweet tooth recipe"!?!?

The best part about this recipe is that it's 21 Day Fix APPROVED Recipe!!  It's easy to break up into your  containers and just hits the spot!  I just had mine for snack and it was perfect because it was nice and hot and warmed me up!!

Here it is...

Ingredients
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1 scoop Shakeology/protein powder
-1 tbs sweetener of your choice ( I used liquid Stevia, about a dropper full was enough)
-dash of salt
-1 egg
-optional mix in: peanut butter, unsweetened cocoa powder (I used both...1 tsp of PB and 1 tbsp cocoa powder)
-2 or 3 tbs water/milk

Directions
-In a mug mix Shakeology, baking powder, salt, cocoa, and sweetener.
-Next, mix in an egg and  2-3 tablespoons of water/milk.
-Mix until dry ingredients are wet.
-If you’d like to add peanut butter, put one dollop in the center and push it down a bit.
-Microwave for 90 sec. (mine only took about 60-70 sec)
-When it is done the edges will pull from the sides.
-Enjoy!

21 Day Fix Containers

1.5 - RED

1 - teaspoon (if you have Peanut Butter)

Flourless Blondie Cookies - Delish!!

Well, ever since I made the Dark Chocolate Flourless Brownie Muffins last week, it got me wondering what else could I find to add to my book of healthy desserts!!  Let's face it, the holidays are coming up and we all love to enjoy some sweets during that time, so why not find some healthy recipes that are super yummy and aren't going to bust a belt!!

Success...I found a recipe!  It was exactly what I hoped it would be...a keeper!!  And yes, they are made with chickpeas!!!

Mine weren't as pretty so I used pic from site!

Ingredients 

• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup all natural almond butter or peanut butter
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar (you can also use honey if you're not vegan)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup vegan (or regular) chocolate chips plus 2 tablespoons
• sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray 8x8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a food processor, add all ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth. Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips, I like to use dark chocolate (because they're the best!!).  Note: Batter will be thick and super delicious, so you could actually just eat it on it's own!
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on top. (The batter may stick to your spatula, so I like to spray my spatula with nonstick cooking spray first.) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are a tiny bit brown. The batter may look underdone, but you don't want them to dry out!
4. Cool pan for 20 minutes on wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt then cut into squares. Makes 16 blondes.

Serving size: 1 bar (1/16th of recipe) 

Calories: 120 

Fat: 6g 

Carbohydrates: 13.5g 

Sugar: 6.9g 

Fiber: 1.8g

Protein: 3.5g

Recipe found on Ambitious Kitchen.  www.ambitiouskitchen.com

I'd love to know how your Blondies turned out.  After you make these go to my Facebook page www.facebook.com/HealthyFitFocused, take a picture of them and tell me how they turned out.

Dark Chocolate Flourless Brownie Muffins

Anything titled "dark chocolate" I'm a fan of!  These are super delicious and surprisingly healthy!!  PLUS, it's 21 Day Fix APPROVED!!

Dark Chocolate Flourless Brownie Muffins

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Yield: 12 servings, 1 cupcake each

Ingredients:

• 1 (15oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Prepare 12 muffin cups by lining with muffin papers or coating with non-stickcooking spray; set aside
3. Place chickpeas, eggs, maple syrup, cocoa powder, baking soda, coconut oil and extract in blender or food processor, cover.  Blend until smooth.
4. Divide batter into 12 prepared muffin cups
5. Top each muffin with about 4 chocolate chips; push into batter.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool completely and enjoy!

21 Day Fix Containers (per serving, 1 muffin)

1 Yellow
1/2 Blue/Orange
(recipe from teambeachbody.com recipes)

Chocolate Mousse

Did you ever think you could have a healthy, clean chocolate mousse?  Well…here you go.  I'll be honest, I haven't tried this yet.  This is a recipe from a friend, but I just was given a ton of avocados and thought this would be a great recipe to try out!  (Plus I didn't want to lose the recipe!)  :)

So here it is…

4 ripe avocados
1/3 cup maple syrup or coconut nectar
7 medjool dates, soaked
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
sea salt to taste


In a high speed blender or food processor, blend all the ingredients until smooth.  Add salt to taste.  Serve chilled!

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Shakeology Power Balls

It's the holiday time and to be honest, it's really hard to stay on track with all the holiday treats and parties all over the place!  But, as I've made a commitment to live a healthy life, that doesn't leave room for me to OVERINDULGE in junk (mainly sweets) like I have in the past years.

I came across this recipe today and am so excited to try it out.  I've run out of a couple ingredients so need to restock….but as soon as I do, I'm making these!!  It's perfect timing as the kids are getting off school tomorrow for Christmas break!

What I plan to do is keep these in the freezer for those "gotta have something sweet" kind of evenings where I would love to reach for something that I would regret later!  Can't wait to try them!

Shakeology Power Balls

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons PB2 (low fat, high protein powdered peanut butter)
• 3 tablespoons Natural Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Shakeology
• 3 tablespoons raw honey
• 1/2 cup quick oats

Directions:

Mix PB2 with water until it is a paste like consistency.  Mix all ingredients, including PB2 mixture together in a mixing bowl.  May take some time to blend all the ingredients together.  If it's too sticky, sprinkle in additional protein powder so that it's a dry/crumbly texture.

Next, roll mixture into small individual balls and place on a wax sheet.  Makes about 12 balls, 1 ounce each.  Put in freezer until firm.

Optional: You can make these with 6 tbsp of PB2 and 1/2 cup of natural peanut butter, but the calories and fat are higher.  If the recipe above is too chalky tasting, add the extra peanut butter (and do some extra push ups!).

Enjoy!  Hopefully these will be a great alternative for you to satisfy your sweet tooth!