Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Clean eating made simple. How simple? Two ingredients simple! :) These delicious soft banana cookies can have as many ingredients as you desire but the simple two-ingredient recipe is bananas and quick-cooking oats. Only add more if you so desire. My desire was chocolate, so that's what I added to mine.

Ingredients:

- 2 bananas, smashed
- 1 cup instant, quick-cook, oats
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, optional
- 1 tsp. cinnamon, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine bananas and oats (and whatever additions you chose, if any). Drop heaping tablespoons of mixture onto a cookie baking sheet and bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Cooking will be a little firm to the touch but soft and sweet to the palate. Enjoy! If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.

"If you have to be devoted to something, be devoted to dessert." 

- Anonymous

Tabbouleh Salad

This is a classic Middle Eastern salad that is chock-full of herbs and spiked with lemon juice, giving it a wonderful flavor! Made with bulgur wheat, which is high in fiber and low in fat, Tabbouleh salad is easy to make and full of healthy herbs and vegetables that will fill you up without filling you out. ;)

Ingredients:

- 2 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked bulgur wheat
- 2 cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 cup diced seeded tomato
- 3/4 cup diced green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
- 6 Tbs lemon juice
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp. dried cilantro

Combine 2 1/2 cups boiling water and bulgur in a large bowl; cover and let stand for 1 hour. Add parsley and the remaining ingredients to bulgur and toss well. Cover and chill at least 2 hours (if you can). This was difficult for me as I started eating it right away. :)  Enjoy! If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.

"Never sacrifice what you want the most for what you want in the moment." - Anonymous

Low-Point Mini Double Chocolate Brownies

Indulge!!! At less than 2 points per brownie, why not? :) The perfect, chocolatey dessert that will completely satisfy your sweet tooth!

Low-Point Mini Double Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

- 1 box Pillsbury sugar-free chocolate fudge brownie mix
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbs water
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped small
- Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy chocolate frosting
- Pam baking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Spray mini muffin pans with Pam baking spray. In a medium bowl, combine brownie mix, egg, water, and applesauce. Spoon brownie mix into muffin pans, "Kfilling 3/4 full. Bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Let cool and spread 1 teaspoon of frosting on each brownie. Sprinkle brownies with a little bit of pecans (optional). Enjoy! If you'd like a printer-friendly copy of this recipe, Click Here.

Total servings - 30
Serving size - 1
Total points per serving - 1
Total points plus per serving - 1.5

"Keep calm and eat a brownie." - Anonymous

Chocolate Strawberry Shish Kabobs

Just enough chocolate to satisfy your cravings and just enough fruit to make this dessert healthy. :)  

Ingredients:

- 1 box, Pillsbury sugar-free chocolate fudge brownie mix
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 2 Tbs water
- Large marshmallows
- Fresh strawberries
- Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy chocolate frosting
- Pam baking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine brownie mix, egg, applesauce, and water. Mix well. Spray several mini cupcake pans with Pam baking spray. Spoon brownie mix into the mini cupcake pans, filling three-fourths the way full. Bake for 10 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out dry when inserted into the middle). Let cool. Rinse strawberries and trim the tops and bottoms. Thread strawberry, marshmallow, brownie, and another strawberry onto a wooden skewer. Drizzle each shish kabob with one teaspoon of chocolate frosting. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate. If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.

"Did you ever notice there are no recipes for leftover chocolate?" 

- Anonymous

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Cakes with Avocado Salsa

These savory cakes have both a sweet and spicy taste that are only enhanced with the fresh avocado salsa! Magnificent idea for either an appetizer or an entree'! 

Ingredients:

- 2 Tbs olive oil, divided
- 3/4 cup chopped onion, divided
- 4 garlic cloves, diced
- 1 Tbs diced jalapeño pepper
- 1 3/4 cups grated sweet potato
- 3/4 tsp. kosher or coarse salt, divided
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 3 Tbs fresh lime juice, divided
- 1, 15 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained
- 1 egg
- 1 avocado, peeled and chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- fresh parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan. Add 1/2 cup onion, garlic, and jalapeño to pan, and sauté about 3 minutes. Add sweet potato, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to pan and sauté about 3 minutes. Add this potato mixture to a food processor, along with panko, 1 1/2 tablespoons of lime juice, chickpeas, and egg. Pulse until chickpeas are coarsely ground. Divide potato mixture into 5 equal portions, shaping each into a patty. Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place patties in pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side (using a big flat spatula to carefully turn them over). Remove patties to a cookie sheet and place in oven and bake for 6 minutes.

Combine avocado, tomato, remaining 1/4 cup onion, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of lime juice. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and toss. Spoon salsa over cakes and serve. Enjoy!!! If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.

"Patience is not the ability to want, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting." - Joyce Meyer

Chocolate Almond Cups

One of my favorite things to do when I have a free day is cook or bake! And today was the perfect day since we're all snowed in with nowhere to go. With a taste for chocolate, I created this perfectly sweet dessert that will have you wanting more... and more snow days too! 

Ingredients:

- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbs oil
- Pillsbury pie crust, 1 sheet

Preheat oven to 400. In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together except for pie crust. Set aside. Spray mini cupcake pan with Pam baking spray. Lay out pie crust and take a small-rimmed glass to cut out small circles. (You'll need to roll out the extra dough after cutting out about 6 to 8 circles so you can continue cutting out the rest, until you have 24 total). Lay each circle inside of the mini cupcake pan and fill with chocolate chip mixture. Bake for 11 or 12 minutes until the edges of the pie crust is lightly browned. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy with a nice cup of coffee. If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.

"Everything is ok in the end. If it's not ok, then it's not the end." 

- Anonymous