Pumpkin Apple Date Bars - Vegan!

After making (and devouring) the Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies  I decided to take a different twist with my leftover pumpkin. I know that you can use applesauce in a lot of recipes instead of oil (just like mashed banana) but I didn't have applesauce. What I did have, were apples. So I took one of the smallest, bruised and battered ones, peeled it, cut it into small pieces, put it in a microwavable bowl with some Splenda, cinnamon and about a tablespoon of water and cooked it on high for 2 minutes. Once the apple pieces were pretty mushy I poured them onto my cutting board and smashed them with a fork. Voila! Chunky applesauce. 

Pumpkin Apple Date Bars

1 c. rolled old fashioned oats

1 c. fiber cereal (like Fiber one - the kind that looks like twigs)

1 small apple - peeled, cooked, mashed as described above (or 1/2 c. applesauce)

3/4 c. pure pumpkin

5 chopped and pitted dates

2 tbsp. sliced almonds

1 tbsp. honey

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1-2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Makes 12 bars - approx. 1 1/2" x 3". 60 calories each.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray small cookie sheet with baking spray. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and all wet ingredients in another bowl. Once both bowls are mixed well, add wet ingredients into dry. Mix thoroughly. Spread mixture out onto cookie sheet and flatten with the backside of a spatula. You may want to also spray that side with cooking spray so your batter does not stick. Try to press batter evenly across surface. You may come up short of one edge of the pan, if you do, simply use spatula to create a straight border.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cut into 12 pieces. 

So, so, so yummy. 

Stats per bar:

65 calories

1 g fat

17 mg sodium

85 mg potassium

15 g carbs

5 g fiber

2 g protein

40% vitamin A

3% vitamin C

7% calcium

7% iron

Simple Spinach Salad

I have eaten this salad with little variation at least three times a week for the last month. I cannot get enough. Added bonus: it's not only low calorie but packed with vitamins!

Spinach Cranberry Goat Cheese Salad

2 c. baby spinach

1 oz. goat cheese

2 tbsp. dried cranberries (like Craisins)

1 tbsp. sliced almonds

1 tbsp. light balsamic vinaigrette 

Total calories: 185!

Sometimes I eat this with toasted pumpkin seeds or glazed walnuts instead of almonds. Sometimes I only eat half an ounce of goat cheese. And sometimes I think about adding caramelized red onions, but get lazy since nothing else you have to cook. So go ahead and eat up! I promise you won't be disappointed.

Egg-y Cheesy Hash Browns

I'm a little in love with O'Brien Potatoes - You can find them in the freezer section, but they're basically hash browns with onions and peppers already mixed in. So all you have to do is toss them in a pan and add a little salt and pepper.

Egg-y Cheesy Hash Browns

1 1/2 cups or 1 1/2 servings of O'Brien Potatoes

1/2 cup egg substitute

1/2 serving or 1/8th cup Shredded 2% Colby cheese

Cook your potatoes as directed with a little cooking spray. Turn heat to medium-low and add egg substitute. When eggs are almost done, add shredded cheese. 

That's it! Super easy. Super cheesy.

Total calories: 200

Pan Seared Salmon and Roasted Veggies Salad

I used to not like Salmon. It was "too fishy". My favorite fish is Mahi Mahi or Tuna. But then, I had it cooked correctly. Then I learned how to make it correctly. And here you have it...

Pan Seared Salmon and Roasted Veggies Salad

Pan Seared Salmon:

1 - 4 oz. Salmon filet

1 tsp. Wegman's Shallot Thyme Finishing Butter (or make your own!)

To pan sear - Spray pan with cooking spray, turn heat to medium high. Add filet, season with salt and pepper, cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn heat down to medium, flip filet and cook another 4 - 5 minutes until fish reaches a temperature of 120 degrees at the thickest part. Add finishing butter (or garlic butter, regular butter, etc) to pan, continue to baste fish with butter on all sides until temperature reaches 130 degrees.

Roasted Veggies:

(I sped up the process a bit by microwaving veggies first for 3 minutes and used a toaster oven on 350 for 20 minutes - but you can roast it all from raw in the oven - it will just take longer - about 35 minutes at 375 degrees)

1 large carrot - peeled and cut into 1/2" slices

1 1/2 cups of fresh green beans (about 20 beans)

2 cloves of garlic - sliced

1/4 cup sliced red onion

sea salt

Time to Assemble:

Place a bed of Italian salad blend or Baby Spinach. Top with roasted veggies and salmon. Slice 10 Zima or Grape Tomatoes. Drizzle salad with about 1 tbsp. of Light Balsamic Vinaigrette. 

Total Calories: 400

Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Vegan Cookies... nom nom.

This morning I was searching for a way to use my overripe banana and random can of pure pumpkin when I came across a few recipes... However, being the type of person I am, I thought to myself, I can take this recipe and fit foodie it up! So I did...

Adapted from: Pumpkin Pie Banana Chunk Oatmeal cookies

Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Vegan Cookies

1 med. ripe Banana - smashed

3/4 c. Pure Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/2 c. Rolled Oats 

1/2 c. Bob's Red Mill 5 Grain Rolled Cereal with Flaxseed

1 c. Fiber Cereal (like Fiber One Original - or it's generic)

2 tbsp. toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

30 dark chocolate chips

2 tbsp. baking Splenda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray cookie sheet with baking spray. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another bowl. Once both bowls are thoroughly mixed combine the two bowls into one. Drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet or use one of those mini ice cream scoops. The cookie should be about 1 1/2" to 2" in diameter once flattened to about 1/4" inch. Because there is no flour in these they will not spread out, so you must flatten them before baking. Bake on middle rack for 12-13 minutes. 

Makes about 24 cookies - 33 calories each.

Other impressive stats:

33 calories

1 fat gram

8.7 mg sodium

48 mg potassium

6.8 carbs

2.3 g fiber

1 g sugar

1 g protein

1.8% vitamin C

20% vitamin A

3% calcium

4.5% iron

in each cookie!

WARNING! - these cookies are super addictive. At least they're good for you! The entire batch is only 800 calories - know how many calories are in 2 Oreos? 140. Which means, you could eat 11 Oreos - which would be a lot more fat and sugar - or 24 heart healthy, fiber laden, Fit Foodie Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Vegan cookies... Which will it be?! 

Pre-Workout Fuel

Maybe you don't like protein bars, or powders but who says you can't dress it up a bit!?

My go to shake has been half pre-made for me!

But sometimes, you want more than chocolate flavor. And sometimes the shakes are less than "shake" consistency... so, I crack open a bottle of Pure Protein - Frosty Chocolate - 120 calories and 23 grams of protein and add a banana and five ice cubes to it! Blend it up and divide into 2 portions - 115 each.

I've also added a banana and 1/2 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter bringing the total calories to 275 - divide into 2 servings - 135(ish) each. 

Drink half the shake 30 minutes prior to your workout and the other half immediately following (within an hour at most!). The protein will help rebuild your muscles and potassium from the banana prevents muscle cramping.

The World's Healthiest Foods.org has this to say about Potassium:

Potassium is especially important in regulating the activity of muscles and nerves. The frequency and degree to which our muscles contract, and the degree to which our nerves become excitable, both depend heavily on the presence of potassium in the right amount.


So before you hit the gym, make sure you are eating/drinking something for fuel and by the same token re-fueling after a workout so your muscles have the chance to rebuild and develop. 

Off to the "hills" of the stationary bike! Come on warm weather!

Rutabaga Fries and Veggie "Wings"

A few weeks ago I posted about new snack finds and new to me produce ....

I decided that on Superbowl Sunday (Sorry Pats!) I would have wings and fries like the rest of America - but, without all the calories. So, I compromised and had Morningstar Farms Veggie Buffalo Wings - and made Rutabaga "fries".

So, how DO you make Rutabaga fries you ask - well, it's simple. The hardest part of Rutabaga is that it's, well, hard. You must cut off each end and peel the outer skin. The inside of a Rutabaga is much like a really hard potato. Once I got to the meat of the tuber, I cut "fries" into 3/8" strips (this does not have to be exact - but to cook evenly all pieces should be about the same thickness). Spray with Olive oil or cooking spray and season with garlic salt and black pepper. Bake on cookie sheet for at least 15 minutes each side on 400 degrees - or until desired crispness. 

The greatest thing about Rutabagas? A 10 oz. serving - only 90 calories. Also, this little tuber is high in Potassium, Calcium, Vitamin C and fiber. 

The veggie wings were definitely spicy - though a small-ish portion for the calorie cost - 5 wings = 200 calories. However, they do satisfy the craving of a breaded buffalo flavor.