My Week in Meals

I have come to the conclusion that healthy eating does NOT have to be boring. I can still eat my favorite foods, just healthier homemade versions of them. :)

This week I made:

Gluten-Free Banana Nut Bread and Baking without Sugar

This week I've been cooking up a storm! With my new diet I am trying new recipes and trying to keep myself motivated by making food fun. I've been doing great so far and am already down 4.5lbs since I started! I know the diet is more for health reasons rather than losing weight, but it's definitely an added bonus.

I think the hardest part of my diet change so far has been avoiding sugars, not like processed sugars in candy and soda's but sugars in baking. As a baker I want things to look and taste the same as before, though I know that will not always be the case.

This week when my hubby and I went grocery shopping we came across Truvia® Baking Blend. While its not sugar free it does reduce the sugar content in recipes significantly and it has 75% less calories than sugar. I decided to give it a try. :)

The first thing I decided to make with it was Banana Nut Bread which is one of my favorite desserts. Not only is this Banana Nut Bread low in sugar its also gluten-free. 

Banana Nut Bread:
(Makes one 8x4 loaf; 12 pieces)

1 1/4 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs 
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (I used 3 whole bananas)
1/4 cup Truvia® Baking Blend
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup chopped walnuts





1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and walnuts in a medium bowl. 
2. Mix together eggs, bananas, apple sauce, and sugar in a separate bowl. 
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Lightly grease loaf pan with cooking oil and transfer banana mixture to pan. 
5. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 
6. Cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan. Set on wire cooling rack to continue cooling.

*FYI There are about 111 calories per slice according to My Fitness Pal. (That is just an estimate though) 

This recipe came out so good! My husband didn't even realize it was Gluten Free! :)

Homemade Peanut Butter

So I don't know about you, but I absolutely, positively LOVE Peanut Butter. I love it with apples. I love it with Bananas. I love PB&J. I love it with Chocolate. I even love it by the spoonful. 

I love it so much I decided to make my own and guess what! It was SUPER easy!. Although homemade peanut butter is not really too much healthier than the store bought kind, you can control whats going in it which is a plus for me and it just sounds impressive haha. :) 

I bought the whole peanuts since they were cheaper, but you can use any kind you'd like. After I got all the peanuts out of the shell I only landed up with about 2 cups which was only enough for a little less than an 8oz Mason Jar full of Peanut Butter so you many want to buy more. 

Homemade Peanut Butter:

-2 cups whole peanuts

-salt (to taste)

-sweetener of choice (I used honey)

-cooking oil of choice ( I read somewhere NOT to use Olive Oil because it affects the taste. I used canola oil since it was all I had other than olive oil.)

Add peanuts to food processor and blend until lump of peanut butter starts to form. Add a little salt and/or sweetener until you get peanut butter to a taste you like. Add about 1-2 teaspoons of oil and mix until combined. Transfer to jar. Enjoy! :)

A New Year. A New Me.

I've debated writing this because diets and exercising is something I'm horrible at and rarely stick to. I am going to try my best to get into shape. I realized yesterday while in tears in the dressing room at Kohls that I am living a very unhealthy lifestyle. My clothes do not fit me and I rarely find anything flattering. I could blame McDonalds or Taco Bell, or even Hostess for making those yummy chocolate cupcakes, but who am I kidding. It is all me! I need to learn to have self control and get motivated. Hopefully by putting it all out there on the internet I will hold myself accountable for my actions and eating habits. I know I will probably never be a size 1 again, and that is ok with me as long as I am healthy! Being that it is the beginning of a new week (and a new year) I figured it start my diet first thing today!