Clean Eating: Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana, Oatmeal Cookies

Have a few ripe bananas sitting out?  Try this chocolate-peanut butter cookie recipe!

Clean Eating: Chocolate, Peanut-Butter, Banana, Oatmeal Cookies

3 large, very ripe bananas, peeled
1/2 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter
1 tbsp coconut oil, warmed but not melted ( I buy Nutiva Organic EVCO)
3 tbsp agave nectar or honey (I like Madhava's Organic Light Nectar)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

2 tbsp ground flax (optional) (I like Bob's Red Mill Organic Flaxseed Meal)

1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas, then stir in peanut butter, coconut oil, agave, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.

*Note:  If you use frozen bananas, their cold temperature will make the coconut oil congeal.  Make sure your naner-mix is room temp before adding the coconut oil!  (I learned this the hard way.)

In a separate bowl, stir together the oats, flax, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet until they are fully combined.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and spoon out small spoonfuls of dough. 

This mixture made 36 small cookies.  

Bake for 12-13 minutes, and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least three minutes before moving to a cooling rack.  

Enjoy!

Clean Eating: Spicy Cucumber Salsa

A co-worker brought two crates of giant cucumbers into work on Friday.  I couldn't pass up fresh (and free) produce, but I wasn't sure what to do with four cucumbers.

After searching on pinterest, I found a few cucumber salsa recipes for inspiration, and then got creative.  Here is what I came up with:

Clean Eating: Spicy Cucumber Salsa
4 cups chopped, seeded, and peeled cucumber (about 2 large cucumbers)
1 medium-sized tomato, chopped
1/2 medium red onion
1 sweet pepper (green, red, yellow, orange - your choice)
2 jalapeños chopped (leave seeds in for extra spicy)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
4 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced (but I probably put in more because I love cilantro)

1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime

Directions: 
Simply mix everything together.

You can eat it right away or let it chill in the fridge.

I was pleasantly surprised by the crisp, coolness of the cucumber and the spicy kick of the jalapeños mixing with the other flavors. 

Let me know what you think of it.

Clean Eating Oatmeal Bites

I've been trying to come up with a tasty yet easily portable breakfast that I can take with me when I go to the gym in the morning.

This is what I came up with:  Clean Eating Oatmeal Bites

Topped with Chocolate Chips and Blueberries

1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 ripe banana (mashed)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)
2 1/2 cups oats
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp chia seeds (I buy Organic Nutiva)

Toppings of your choice.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix wet ingredients together in a large bowl: egg, vanilla, applesauce, banana, honey, milk.
Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl: oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, chia seeds.
Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet.

Line muffin pan with paper liners (or with foil if you run out like I did).
Spoon mixture into the cups so that they are a 1/3 full.  Add a few toppings here, then cover completely with the mixture.  Add more toppings to the top of each muffin. 
This mixture made 12 full muffins.

Bake 25-30 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean).

Oatmeal Bites: Gooey Chocolate Center