Category Archives: recipes

Smoothie bowl recipe, almost ice cream!

It’s the time of year when I want a sweet cold treat. I found one that’s healthy too! How cool is that?

Smoothies always sound so delicious but I really don’t like to drink my calories.

I prefer the hand to mouth experience of eating.

So I went on a search for a smoothie recipe that I could have in a bowl and eat with my spoon.

Someone else was thinking the same thing and I found lots of recipes for a smoothie bowl.

I adapted a couple and came up with my own based on the fruit I had available.

Banana and Pineapple Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients

1 medium frozen banana

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks

1/2 cup of milk or milk alternative

Garnishes

4 sliced strawberries

2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

I think I have found another use for those bananas that get over ripe before I use them. Now I will freeze them for a smoothie bowl instead of banana muffins.

Cut the banana into slices and add the pineapple to a food processor. I have a mini processor and it works really well for this smaller recipe.

Add milk or milk alternative.

Then pulse until frozen fruit begins to break down. Stop occassionally and stir to rearrage large chunks.

Continue to pulse until all the fruit has broken down and the smoothie has the consistency of ice cream!

Then place the smoothie in a bowl. I was excited to see that the smoothie filled a regular cereal bowl!

I could hardly believe that a banana, some pineapple and only a half a cup of milk could fill this bowl with such creamy goodness. The banana really helps the texture be similar to ice cream.

Then I added some garnishes: strawberries, flaked coconut and slivered almonds to add more nutrition. The garnishes also make the smoothie bowl look really appealing.

I like to eat my smoothie bowl right away. In fact I ate this one as I wrote up this blog post! It was filling, nutritious and delicious. It tasted too good to be healthy!

Here’s a link to check out: smoothie bowl recipes. You may be more adventurous than me and try a green smoothie bowl. If you try one let me know how it turned out!

TODAY’S little STEP: Try a smoothie bowl recipe. It satisfies the sweet treat craving and gives your body healthy nutrients!

Remember every little step makes a difference!

Cinnamon maple chickpea nut – snack hack!

Are you ready to try a fun new snack? I saw chickpea snacks in the grocery store but the price was too high for my liking. So I took a look and found a snack hack.

Cinnamon-maple chickpea nuts

Here is the recipe!

Cinnamon-maple chickpea nut snack

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 tsp. white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1) Rinse and drain the chickpeas.

2) Pat very dry with paper towels. Discard any loose skins

3) Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. I have a Pampered Chef baker that I like to use, because nothing burns when I use it! Don’t worry, it’s supposed to look brown like that, it means it’s well seasoned.

4) Add olive oil, tossing to coat the chickpeas well

5) Place in 425 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes total baking time. Remove from oven and shake or stir occasionally, every 10 minutes.

6) The chickpeas should crisp during baking. Continue additional cooking testing for crispness.

7) Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with seasonings – maple syrup, (my son is part of the Superior Maple Syrup business- give it a try) sugar and cinnamon.

Toss to coat.

8) Return to the oven for 5 more minutes to caramelize.

9) Chickpeas will continue to crisp as they cool.

10) Once cool, enjoy! They aren’t very sweet and have a really nice crunch.

cinnamon-maple chickpea nuts

11) Store in an airtight container.

The chickpeas have 8 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein, for 1 cup that makes this snack a better choice.

Here’s the link for you to check out. There have other suggested seasonings too, Parmesan-herb, BBQ, Honey-sesame, and Spicy buffalo. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/a40814/chickpea-nuts-recipe/

TODAY’S little STEP: Give a new snack a try!

Remember every mountain is climbed one little step at a time.

If you have found this helpful please share it with a friend.

Delightful pina colada yogurt, too yummy to be healthy?

1 Reply

Pina Colada parfait! Try this delightful combination for breakfast or as dessert. As an added bonus there are 9 grams of protein, which helps us feel full longer. Most women need to eat more protein. Here’s the recipe with step-by-step directions and pictures too!

littlestepstohealth.com

Ingredients:

1 cup of frozen pineapple chunks

2 teaspoons of flaked coconut (1 tsp. for garnish)

1 container of coconut flavored Greek yogurt (I like Wal-Mart’s Great Value brand best)

littlestepstohealth.com

I like to use my mini food processor for this recipe. It’s great for the small quantity.

Place pineapple in processor.

littlestepstohealth.com

Add yogurt and 1 teaspoon of coconut.

littlestepstohealth.com

Process on high until the pineapple is cut and mixed into the yogurt. Sometimes I thaw the pineapple slightly so that it cuts easier.

littlestepstohealth.com

Then place the mixture in a chilled parfait glass.

littlestepstohealth.com

Top with the remaining teaspoon of coconut and 1 small piece of pineapple as a beautiful garnish.

littlestepstohealth.com

This can be eaten right away or placed in the freezer for ½ an hour.

This is a delicious breakfast on a hot summer morning or a delightful healthy dessert.

littlestepstohealth.com

I ate this one as part of my lunch!

Here’s the nutrition breakdown.

Calories 243

Fat 2.5

Sodium 46.6

Carbs. 47

Fiber 1.3

Sugars 44

Protein 9.3

TODAY’S little STEP: Try this recipe for breakfast or dessert!

If you like what you have read, please take the time to sign up to receive new posts as a weekly email. The subscription button is located at the top of the page, to your right.

If you have found this helpful I would love it if you would share it with your friends on Facebook or Pinterest.

BEST NEW DESSERT RECIPE OF THE SUMMER!

2 Replies

I just found a delicious low calorie, low fat dessert recipe that I just have to share! It’s rich and creamy and sweet but won’t blow our healthy eating plan! I made it today and took some pictures.

Oreo fluff

These are the ingredients you will need.

1 container of ultra low fat cool whip

9 mini Oreo cookies

1 package of no fat white chocolate pudding mix

Measure out 9 mini Oreos.

Crush Oreos in a ziplock bag.

Place cool whip in a large bowl.

Add dry pudding mix. Gently fold in pudding mix.

Add crushed Oreos.

Fold gently, until well mixed.

Measure out one ½ cup serving and place in a nice little dish. Garnish with one mini oreo.

Enjoy!

You could also freeze a ½ cup portion to have instead of ice cream.

A ½ cup serving = 88 calories and 2 grams of fat

TODAY’S little STEP: Try this recipe, it’s delicious!

If you have a recipe you would like to suggest, please leave a comment and I’ll get in touch with you.

If you like what you have read, please take the time to sign up to receive new posts as a weekly email. The subscription button is located at the top of the page, to your right.

If you have found this helpful I would love it if you would share it with your friends on Facebook or Pinterest.

Rest much, talk often, and laugh regularly.

Summer is too short!

EASY KALE SUMMER SALAD

1 Reply

Do you love summer salads? My husband and I often enjoy a large salad for dinner on a hot summer night. This is our new healthy favorite.

Kale, Chickpea and Feta cheese salad

Ingredient List

1 bunch Kale, washed & dried or a package of chopped Kale

1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained

¾ cup light Feta Cheese crumbled

½ medium red onion diced

Additional vegetables of your choice, diced

Dressing

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon of honey

1 teaspoon of mustard

¼ cup of olive oil

½ teaspoon of garlic pepper

If you have a large package of kale you may need to double this dressing recipe.

Method

Combine ingredients of the dressing in order and mix well with a whisk. Set aside for later.

Rinse the chickpeas under cold water and let sit to drain.

Dice the red onion. I chose red and yellow peppers as others vegetables. Set aside for later.

Prepare kale and place ½ in a large bowl.

Pour ½ the dressing over the kale and mix well with your nice clean hands. Rub the dressing onto the leaves. I know it’s pretty messy but the kale needs to be well coated.

Then add the rest of the kale and the remaining dressing. Mix well with your hands.

Then add the chickpeas and veggies. Mix well with a spoon this time.

Add ½ the feta cheese and mix well. Then add the remainder of the feta cheese and mix well.

Refrigerate until ready to serve-preferably 1 hour.

Enjoy as a side salad or alone!

TODAY’S little STEP: Find a summer salad recipe that you love,make it and eat it! Enjoy these beautiful days they are are a gift from God!

Remember our key verse. “And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up”. Galatians 6:9 New Living Translation

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If you have found this helpful please share it with your friends.

A Valentine Treat for you!

Valentine’s day brings lots of love and sweet temptations! I need a yummy sweet treat that won’t wreck my healthy eating plan. Here’s a recipe that does just that!

Continue reading →

It’s the time of year when I want a sweet cold treat. I found one that’s healthy too! How cool is that?

Smoothies always sound so delicious but I really don’t like to drink my calories.

I prefer the hand to mouth experience of eating.

So I went on a search for a smoothie recipe that I could have in a bowl and eat with my spoon.

Someone else was thinking the same thing and I found lots of recipes for a smoothie bowl.

I adapted a couple and came up with my own based on the fruit I had available.

Banana and Pineapple Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients

1 medium frozen banana

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks

1/2 cup of milk or milk alternative

Garnishes

4 sliced strawberries

2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

I think I have found another use for those bananas that get over ripe before I use them. Now I will freeze them for a smoothie bowl instead of banana muffins.

Cut the banana into slices and add the pineapple to a food processor. I have a mini processor and it works really well for this smaller recipe.

Add milk or milk alternative.

Then pulse until frozen fruit begins to break down. Stop occassionally and stir to rearrage large chunks.

Continue to pulse until all the fruit has broken down and the smoothie has the consistency of ice cream!

Then place the smoothie in a bowl. I was excited to see that the smoothie filled a regular cereal bowl!

I could hardly believe that a banana, some pineapple and only a half a cup of milk could fill this bowl with such creamy goodness. The banana really helps the texture be similar to ice cream.

Then I added some garnishes: strawberries, flaked coconut and slivered almonds to add more nutrition. The garnishes also make the smoothie bowl look really appealing.

I like to eat my smoothie bowl right away. In fact I ate this one as I wrote up this blog post! It was filling, nutritious and delicious. It tasted too good to be healthy!

Here’s a link to check out: smoothie bowl recipes. You may be more adventurous than me and try a green smoothie bowl. If you try one let me know how it turned out!

TODAY’S little STEP: Try a smoothie bowl recipe. It satisfies the sweet treat craving and gives your body healthy nutrients!

Remember every little step makes a difference!

Share this:

Like this:

Are you ready to try a fun new snack? I saw chickpea snacks in the grocery store but the price was too high for my liking. So I took a look and found a snack hack.

Here is the recipe!

Cinnamon-maple chickpea nut snack

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 tsp. white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1) Rinse and drain the chickpeas.

2) Pat very dry with paper towels. Discard any loose skins

3) Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. I have a Pampered Chef baker that I like to use, because nothing burns when I use it! Don’t worry, it’s supposed to look brown like that, it means it’s well seasoned.

4) Add olive oil, tossing to coat the chickpeas well

5) Place in 425 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes total baking time. Remove from oven and shake or stir occasionally, every 10 minutes.

6) The chickpeas should crisp during baking. Continue additional cooking testing for crispness.

7) Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with seasonings – maple syrup, (my son is part of the Superior Maple Syrup business- give it a try) sugar and cinnamon.

Toss to coat.

8) Return to the oven for 5 more minutes to caramelize.

9) Chickpeas will continue to crisp as they cool.

10) Once cool, enjoy! They aren’t very sweet and have a really nice crunch.

11) Store in an airtight container.

The chickpeas have 8 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein, for 1 cup that makes this snack a better choice.

Here’s the link for you to check out. There have other suggested seasonings too, Parmesan-herb, BBQ, Honey-sesame, and Spicy buffalo. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/a40814/chickpea-nuts-recipe/

TODAY’S little STEP: Give a new snack a try!

Remember every mountain is climbed one little step at a time.

If you have found this helpful please share it with a friend.

Share this:

Like this:

Pina Colada parfait! Try this delightful combination for breakfast or as dessert. As an added bonus there are 9 grams of protein, which helps us feel full longer. Most women need to eat more protein. Here’s the recipe with step-by-step directions and pictures too!

Ingredients:

1 cup of frozen pineapple chunks

2 teaspoons of flaked coconut (1 tsp. for garnish)

1 container of coconut flavored Greek yogurt (I like Wal-Mart’s Great Value brand best)

I like to use my mini food processor for this recipe. It’s great for the small quantity.

Place pineapple in processor.

Add yogurt and 1 teaspoon of coconut.

Process on high until the pineapple is cut and mixed into the yogurt. Sometimes I thaw the pineapple slightly so that it cuts easier.

Then place the mixture in a chilled parfait glass.

Top with the remaining teaspoon of coconut and 1 small piece of pineapple as a beautiful garnish.

This can be eaten right away or placed in the freezer for ½ an hour.

This is a delicious breakfast on a hot summer morning or a delightful healthy dessert.

Here’s the nutrition breakdown.

Calories 243

Fat 2.5

Sodium 46.6

Carbs. 47

Fiber 1.3

Sugars 44

Protein 9.3

TODAY’S little STEP: Try this recipe for breakfast or dessert!

If you like what you have read, please take the time to sign up to receive new posts as a weekly email. The subscription button is located at the top of the page, to your right.