Banana Oat Cookie Recipe: Healthy & Baby Led Weaning Friendly

When our daughter Rae was about 6 months old, we decided to begin introducing her to solid foods. We did so using the "Baby Led Weaning" technique. If you haven't heard of it before, give it a quick google. It's really fascinating!

In a nutshell, baby led weaning is intended to be a more "natural" approach to food introduction that skips purees/baby foods entirely & goes straight to solid foods from milk. All while following your baby's lead through the process & trusting their bodies/instincts. I could go on, but I won't. Ha.

After a few months of BLW, we had 3 structured meals built into Rae's day {in addition to breastfeeding}. But I was needing some snack ideas for those in between times or on-the-go days. So I began looking for healthy "snack" options that weren't puffs.

PS, we love us some puffs, but just like to have options.

No judgement here, fellow mamas!

Okay, on to the cookies..

Anyone else struggle with healthy snacks for their kiddos?

Well, that's how I was feeling when my older sister shared THIS recipe with me.

This recipe is a slight variation of the original recipe from TastingPage.com. Be sure to hop over there for some other awesome, healthy recipes!

Healthy Banana Oat Cookies

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

1 cup of oats

(whatever oats you prefer, just not instant oats)

3 tablespoons of nut butter

*any other adds in you might want - such as dried fruit, nuts, spices, etc.

This will likely depend on the age of your child if you are making the cookies for them! Always consider the safety of your ingredients*

NOTE: you can make these without nut butter!

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350.

Mash the bananas in a bowl.

Then fold in the oats & nut butter.

And stir in any other add-in ingredients to the mixture.

 

I personally used chunky natural peanut butter & added chopped, dried blueberries & cinnamon in our cookies.

Drop mixture onto a cookie sheet or baking stone & bake for about 15 minutes. This recipe should make roughly 12 small cookies.

Cool after baking so they "set" before eating.

Store in the refrigerator.

They should keep for a few days!

We LOVED this recipe - not just for Raegan, but for ourselves too!

These are a PERFECT snack when you're on the go, needing something light pre/post workout or even as a healthy dessert alternative!

Also, the #frugalfelicia side of me really appreciates that you (1) use those bananas that are overly brown/soft/border line bad (2) can basically adjust the recipe to use whatever you have currently in your pantry.

Need a little more convincing to whip these up?

Picture this:

Double the recipe.

Split the banana/oat/nut butter mixture in half.

Stir in add ins of choice to each separate mixture.

meaning: make a selfish batch!!!!

Make 12 cookies for the kids with whatever THEY like..

& 12 cookies for mama with some gooey dark chocolate chips!!

Even better - make a batch of these & freeze them for the future!

I hope you enjoy these as much as we have.

And be sure to share in the comments whatever you try!!

Happy baking, friends!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites: 80 Day Obsession Approved Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter BITES

Ahhhh, another week of this 80 day program down &

another "refeed" {aka glycogen boost} day is UP.

Read more about what the heck we're doing HERE in my post about 80 Day Obsession!

I decided to choose a new approved treat to try this week - although the chickpea brownies I've made twice now are my SOULMATE SNACK - so they better be good, right??

This recipe is actually from my trainer for these 13 weeks - who also just so happens to be the creator of a life-changing meal/recipe plan called "fixate" that I've been following for a larger part of the past 3 years.

Any meal plan that allows some freedom for chocolate & peanut butter is a win in my book, am I right!?

I'm slapping my own name on these tasty nuggets + sharing a couple of my own personal tweaks. BUT.. I gotta give credit to my girl Autumn for being the OG creator of this one!

Ready for the recipe??

Here we go..

Ingredients:

1 cup All-Natural Peanut Butter

(the original recipe called for smooth, but I went CHUNKY!)

1 tbsp Cornstarch

3/4 cup Coconut Flour

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

(next time I'll probably try honey or agave instead)

8 oz. Semi Sweet Chocolate, 62% cocoa or higher, chopped

2 tsp extra virgin organic coconut oil, unrefined

*I also used a little pink himalayan sea salt!*

Directions:

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper & set to the side.

Combine the peanut butter, cornstarch, coconut flour & maple syrup in a bowl; stir with a spatula until the mixture forms a uniform dough.

 

Using {clean.. duh} hands, shape the dough into 24 one inch balls. If you want to make the next step easier, place a toothpick in the center of each ball.

Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet & refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

Fill a small pot with about 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low.

Place a heat-proof mixing bowl over the pot & add the chocolate and coconut oil. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just melted.

Remove balls from the refrigerator.

If you used them, hold a ball by the toothpick and dip into chocolate, swirling to completely coat. I personally just rolled them in the chocolate & dropped them on the sheet. It's a bit messier, but I like working with my hands.

 

Return to baking sheet. Repeat with each ball.

If you want to amp up your flavah, sprinkle a SMALL amount of himalayan salt on the balls, before the next step.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until chocolate has hardened.

Finally, store in airtight container & try not to eat them all!

They are SO darn good, y'all.

These are most definitely still a TREAT, so remember moderation & savor one at a time.

For my readers who are following the fixate plan, one of these is equal to a "yellow container."

If you're working through 80 Day Obsession like we are, one of these is equal to a "dirty yellow container" ONLY on your refeed day!

 Give these a try & let me know what you think!

They're HEAVENLY.

Spinach Strawberry Banana Pancakes: 80 Day Obsession Approved Recipe

P A N C A K E S 

I kid you not.. they’re always nostalgic to me.

Comfort & soul food right on a plate!!

Pancakes mean:

My favorite meal

{besides tacos, of course}

They mean family time 

They mean late night dinners

They means slow Saturday mornings

I didn’t want to skip one of my favorites for 13 weeks straight during this program we’re following {read about 80 Day Obsession here}, & lucky for me, hubby found a solution!

>> Spinach Banana & Strawberry Pancakes <<

I know, I know..

GREEN pancakes.

You can't help but stop & stare, right?

And probably also wonder, "are they any good though?"

The fun coloring you see in these photos is 100% natural - from all the healthy & delicious ingredients inside of these EASY to make pancakes!

You ready for the deets!?

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup strawberries

1/4 cup kodiak cake mix

{Or you could use another protein pancake or waffle mix, I'm sure. I used a half serving!}

1/4 banana

2 eggs

1 cup raw spinach

DIRECTIONS:

..here's how seriously easy these are.

Grab ALL dem ingredients.

Dump them in the blender.

Blend until you get a SMOOTH, green "batter."

Pour the mixture into 3" pancakes on a hot griddle.

{use coconut oil spray to grease the griddle just in case!}

Be careful if you step away - these cook QUICK.

Don't be alarmed by the brown coloring, it won't affect the taste!

Flip & finish those suckers.

Top with a bit of nut butter & or fruit.

CHOW DOWN!

This recipe is for ONE serving & makes about 6 pancakes.

For my friends working through 80 Day Obsession or any of the Beachbody programs that follow a variation of the "fixate" meal plan, one serving of these pancakes {with nut butter} counts as:

1 Red + 1 Yellow + 1 Purple + 1 Green + 1 TSP

Carrot Bread Muffins: 80 Day Obsession Approved Recipe

Some of you know that my husband & I recently started a new program that we're a little over 5 weeks into.

Details on our 80 Day Obsession progress (4 week photos/results!! woowoo)

& WHAT the program is coming to the blog SOON.

Well, a HUGE part of this program is the nutrition plan - not just the WHAT to eat, but the HOW MUCH & even the WHEN to eat it.

Our first meal of the day is a little after 5am & we've gotta have some sort of veggie, grain & protein combination.

That's EARLY for a full meal, right?! So I'm sure you can see the appeal of finding some winning recipes to try!

For the first few weeks, we were chowing down on egg + spinach muffins with toast & peanut butter OR turkey bacon with cut broccoli (yes, I'm serious) with oats & peanut butter. Some days it just felt like a LOT to eat so early. Other days, it was fine but we were still becoming eager for a little variety in our mornings.

Enter THIS recipe - which we saw many variations of online, but found our own little sweet spot combination that we INHALED this morning at 5:15 & decided was going to be part of our regular meal repertoire!!

Shout out to my hubby, Nate, for making them.

You da best, boo.

So whether you're on a regimented meal plan also, are simply trying to find another healthy breakfast or snack OR maybe you're desperately needing to sneak veggies into food for your picky kids or spouse - you're going to want to give this recipe a spin.

CARROT BREAD MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup carrots

(roughly 10 large baby carrots)

1/4 cup rolled oats - uncooked

2 eggs

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

(you could also throw in some clove, dried ginger or pumpkin pie spice!!)

*optional sweetener: truvia, stevia, agave or honey to taste*

(we used baking truvia to sweeten ours & stay on track with our meal plan!)

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease muffins tins or miniature loaf pans.

(I use coconut oil baking spray).

Combine ingredients in blender & let it run until SMOOTH.

Pour mixture into muffin tins or mini loaf pans.

(One serving of this mix will "fill" 4 muffin tins OR 1 mini loaf pan)

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out of the center clean.

Remove from pan or tin & allow to cool on baking rack, before storing in fridge.

Why hello, beauties..

Oh! I can't forget!

Here's a little serving suggestion that takes this RIGHT over the top.

We added 1 teaspoon of natural, crunchy peanut butter to the top of our warm muffins before serving with a dash or three of cinnamon! Holy smokes it decadent.

{this is me literally eating my breakfast in bed this morning}

Y'ALL.

This was seriously so good. 

Simple, naturally "sweet", light & YUMMY!

And if you're working through the same program as us, it will likely fit ONE of your meal plan options to a T. For us, it's our pre-workout combo!!

For my friends following the Beachbody fixate meal plan, here is the container breakdown for 80 Day Obsession and 21 Day Fix:

Each serving is 1 red 1 yellow 1 green 1 teaspoon.

FYI, we made 6 total servings of this at one time & refrigerated them in our portions so all we have to do is heat, drizzle with PB & eat - so that's 24 muffins at once!

BULK PREP APPROVED!

*be realistic & open minded when you taste these the first time, friends. remember that these are very healthy muffins & taste really yummy. BUT, don't be expecting carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting when you bite in. Ha!*

Give this recipe a try & let me know what you think

+ if you make any awesome substitutions, share!

ENJOY!

Crock Pot Freezer Meals: A Postpartum Mama's Best Friend

One of the things I did to prep for baby #NESTINGFEVER was to make several, like 11 to be exact, crock pot freezer meals to get us through the first few weeks of having a newborn.

I can honestly say that it was THE most helpful thing I did.

The first 30 days of parenthood are literally the equivalent of military survival training. You deserve a freaking patch for making it through AND keeping that little human alive. I'm not saying it's not a wonderful time & full of precious moments - it is. HOWEVER, the first 30 days are full of nothing but the unknown.. exhaustion.. nipple pain.. + unlimited trial/error.

Cooking was the absolute LAST thing I had time for & eating was the #1 thing I'd forget to do. But we all know, it's SO important to eat good foods regularly after baby comes for your milk supply to come in.

So first - you need food.

Secondly - you need healthy foods.

Anddddd we all know that when people BRING you meals, 9 out of 10 times, it's a really unhealthy plethora of casserole type dishes & comfort foods.

Trust me, you'll want to do this.

Make the time.

Prep at least 4 or 5 meals.

But go for 10 if you have the freezer room.

I promise you won't regret it!

I whipped up a couple of my own personal "recipes" during pre baby food prep, but I primarily used THIS post for my inspiration!

We loved the convenience of these crock pot freezer meals so much that about a month or so after Reagan was born, we made about 6 more to get us through the next month!

(our peanut had some ROUGH reflux when she was teeny so these were seriously a blessing to have on hand).

Keep in mind, these are not my original recipes.

The original link/source is a couple sentences up.

Sharing is caring, though!

So here ya go.

First up..

Mushroom Barley Stew

Prep/Bag:

1 pound Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

1 rib celery, diced

1 onion, diced

1, 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 cup uncooked pearl barley

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon black pepper

Day of:

Add 1 1/2 cups of water to slow cooker before cooking
Cook Time: 8 to 10 hours on low
Serves 6 to 8

Second..

Hearty Lentil Stew

Prep/Bag:

1 onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 cups peeled and diced (1/4 inch cubes) sweet potatoes

1 cup red lentils

½ cup washed quinoa

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

Day of:

Add 5 cups stock (I used veggie stock) to the slow cooker before cooking.

Cook Time: 6- 8 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high

Serves 6 to 8

Third..

Teriyaki Chicken

Prep/Bag:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken, thighs or breast, cut into bite-size pieces

(I recommend thighs, they don’t dry out as much in the slow cooker)

½ cup soy sauce
(I used liquid aminos in place of soy sauce)

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup maple syrup
(I used agave in place of maple syrup)

1, 20-ounce can pineapple chunks

2 cloves garlic, minced

Day of:

Cook Time: 8 hours on low

Serve with: cooked brown rice and green veggies

Serves 6 to 8

Fourth..

Vegetable Beef Stew

Prep/Bag:

2 pounds stew meat

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 cups green beans, broke into bite-sized pieces

1 cup sweet corn

2 tablespoons beef stock base (I like Organic Better than Bullion)

1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup apple juice
(I left out the apple juice)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Day of:
Add 1 1/2 cups of water to slow cooker before cooking

Cook Time: 8 to 10 hours on low

Serves 6 to 8

Fifth..

Beef Stroganoff

Prep/Bag:

1 pounds stew meat

1 pound sliced baby bella mushrooms

1 onion, diced

½ cup apple juice
(I left out the apple juice)

1 tablespoon beef stock base (I like Organic Better than Bullion)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

Day of: Add 1 cup water to the slow cooker before cooking. Stir in 1 cup of sour cream just before serving.

Day Of:

Cook Time: 8 hours on low

Serve with: quinoa or brown rice and green beans

Serves 6 to 8

*I stirred in greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
Additionally, I used turkey in meatball form*

Sixth & final..

White Chicken Chili

Prep/Bag:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed

(you can also cook this all together with the breastz whole & shred in the crock pot at the end if you prefer) 

2 cups of frozen corn

1, 15-ounce can black beans

1 can of diced tomatoes and green chilis

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

Juice from 2 limes

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Day Of:

Add 2 cups of chicken stock to slow cooker before cooking

Cook Time: 6- 8 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high

Serve with: quinoa or tortilla chips.
Top with greek yogurt, cheese, olives and/or salsa!

Serves 6 to 8

 Want more crock pot freezer inspiration??
Pinterest is where it's AT, y'all!!

And don't forget that you can find loads of recipe inspiration that you can always tweak to be healthier or to appeal to your taste buds.

If you end up trying any of these out, be sure let me know what you think and/or what you switched up.

Happy PREPPING, mamas!