{Healthy} Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Last time we went to the track I made the fruit and nut muffins, which were great, but I wanted to change it up- so I browsed the Internet for healthy PB banana muffins.  But I didn't think any of them were really on the healthy side.  Either too much oil or all AP flour or ::gasp:: loads of added sugar! So after browsing numerous recipes- I just came up with my own.

This makes 12 muffins.  I was glad to see these rose a bit- the last muffin I made didn't rise as much as I thought- these were less dense.  They weren't heavy but still filling, perfect for breakfast before a big track day or even a workout.  The flavor wasn't like "pow in your face" but the subtle flavor of the banana and then the crunchy peanuts was really nice in this light and fluffy muffin. Really easy too- they aren't fussy at all- I just mix the wet, then the dry then all together, then bake!

Ingredients

Dry Stuff:

• 1/4 cup of flax seeds
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of bread flour
• 1/2 cup of oats
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• pinch of salt
• pinch of cinnamon

Wet Stuff:

• 2 bananas
• 2 tbsp of honey
• 1/3 cup of super chunky peanut butter (you can use creamy if you want, just make sure you use all natural peanut butter i.e only 2 ingredients of peanuts and salt)
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp of canola oil
• 2/3 cup of fat free plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp of water (add this if the mixture is too dry)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In one bowl add all the wet ingredients. Mix
3. In another bowl add all the dry ingredients. Mix
4. Add the dry into the wet and mix just until incorporated. 
5. Fill cupcake tins.
6. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. When you take out of the oven remove the muffins from the tin and let cool on a cooling rack (otherwise the bottoms get soggy)

Grilled Chicken w/ Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Garlic Sauce

Super excited for this weekend! The future hubby and I are driving down to West Virginia to the Summit Point Motorsports Park for our first track day together of the year!  Going for the whole weekend means a lot of food prep and BBQ'n!  This week has been a clean out the fridge week because we will be gone close to five days or so.  First one was the Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, then I made a rice, chicken and veggie casserole topped with cheddar cheese, and now this (plus the pearl barley summer salad)!

Will try and have a good portion of the weekend documented- for easy portable grill recipes and just so you guys can see what we do on our free time lol.

Not only is this recipe super easy AND healthy but it's basically a no cooking involved one. Perfect for those hot summer days/nights.

For the chicken I just season boneless skinless chicken breasts with some salt and pepper and throw on the grill, here's the sauce you top it off with (which is a no cook)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of non fat plain yogurt
• 1 roasted red pepper
• 1 garlic clove, grated or pasted
• pinch of fresh thyme
• pinch of lime or lemon zest (if making the pearl barley salad too you use the juice of this there)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of red pepper flake
• freshly cracked pepper

Directions

1. Put everything into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. If too thick add a splash of milk, water, or citrus juice.
3. If too thin add more yogurt.
4. Serve over grilled chicken and alongside the Pearl Barley Summer Salad.

South-of-the-Border Salisbury Steaks w/ Polenta

So when someone says Salisbury Steak I think of TV dinners with a mini meatloaf thingy swimming in cheap gravy along side mac and cheese or mashed potatoes.  Just another classic American creation.  I wondered why they call it Salisbury Steak, because obviously it is not a steak. So of course I Wikipedia'd it.

Salisbury steak is a dish made from a blend of minced beef and other ingredients, which is shaped to resemble a steak, and is usually served with gravy or brown sauce.  Salisbury steak was invented by an American physician, Dr. J. H. Salisbury (1823–1905), an early proponent of a low-carbohydrate diet for weight loss; the term "Salisbury steak" has been in use in the United States since 1897. The dish is popular in the United States, where it is traditionally served with gravy and mashed potatoes or noodles.

Recap: a poor man's steak that helps cut carbs...

Anyway, the whole thing sounds a bit gross to me, so maybe I should have named the recipe something like Mexican Turkey Patties with salsa/guacamole comb alongside veggie packed polenta.  But that is wayyyyy to long of a title.  So really that is what I am going to make: a healthy, lighter, spicy and way more fun take on SS. (Which will serve about 4 people)  Make this when your tired of tacos (or chicken)!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb of ground turkey
• spices for turkey: 1 heaping tablespoon of cumin, 1 tsp of oregano, 1 heaping tablespoon of chili powder, 2 tsp of salt, couple grinds of fresh black pepper
• 1 chipolte in adobe minced
• 2-3 garlic cloves minced
• 4 slices of pepper jack cheese (or cheddar is good here too)
• 1 box of quick cooking polenta**
• 2 poblano peppers
• 1 cup of corn (fresh or frozen)
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 1-2 jalapenos
• 1 small red onion
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup of non fat plain yogurt
• 2 limes
• salt
• more cumin for salsa

Directions

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Shape into something that looks like a steak.  About 1/2 inch thick. Kind of a like a burger, but thin.  (Some people like to add egg and breadcrumbs, I didn't find it necessary here, but do it if you like)
2. In a skillet heat some canola oil on high. Brown both sides and cook until done. (about 7 minutes each side, depending on how thick you made them)  Remember you need to cook ground turkey all the way through, if using beef you can cook until desired doneness.  As soon as almost done, top with cheese and let melt on top
3. Roast your poblano peppers over an open flame and then clean off charred skin and chop. Reserve in a bowl with the corn. (Roast them same as red peppers)
4. Meanwhile, chop tomatoes, jalapenos and onion and reserve in a bowl.  Squeeze first lime over the salsa. Add salt to taste and about a 1/2 to 1 tsp of cumin. Mix to combine.
5. Another bowl add the avocado, lime juice of second lime (I used only half the lime actually) and yogurt. Combine until creamy and almost saucy. Add salt to taste.
6. Quick cooking polenta should take about 5 minutes, follow the directions on the box.  When that is done stir in your reserved poblano peppers and corn.
7. To assemble: Take a steak and top with a dollop (yea had to check the spelling lol) of guac cream, then your chunky salsa.  Serve alongside your tasty polenta!

¡Buen apetito!

**Side note about polenta: ok so if you've never had it, its like corn grits- something like grainy mashed potatoes that taste like corn. Personally, I like the hard polenta cakes that you fry then eat, but I didn't have time. Also if you can't find quick cooking polenta all you need is cornmeal.  On every package of cornmeal I've ever bought it gave you directions for polenta- pretty easy just add cornmeal, salt and water and heat on heat until thick-stirring often. Anyway, hard polenta cakes are amazing- but you need to prep a day in advance.  Make the polenta then cover and put in the fridge over night.  It sets up and then you cut and fry in a pan until golden brown on each side and warmed through. Yum. Or you could always serve with rice :)

I made it in a sauce pot, then transferred to a baking dish and popped under the broiler for about 10 minutes to get all golden on top

Spicy Southwest Deviled Eggs

So here is what you do with all those left over Easter eggs (or you can throw them into salads which is one of my favs too).  I've tried a lot of different versions of deviled eggs and haven't had a bad egg yet (haha).  Deviled eggs are awesome because as long as you make the perfect hard boiled egg- you can do whatever you want with the rest!

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs:

Take cold eggs and cover with cold water in a pot.  Cover the pot and bring up to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, shut off the heat and let sit covered for 10 mins. Then carefully remove the eggs and let sit in cold water until cool enough to handle, then either refrigerate or peel and eat!

Perfect eggs every time, with no gross grey lining in the yolk!

This recipe I went for a lighter version, but used big flavors so you wouldn't notice the lack of yolks or mayo traditionally used.  This recipe can be doubled for a larger crowd, but this worked very well for 10 people.

Ingredients

• 8 hard boiled eggs, sliced in half long ways and yolks removed and reserved
• 10 yolks (which is really 10 halves of yolks), or 5 whole yolks
• 2 tbsp of low fat mayo
• 1 tsp of prepared horseradish
• 1 tbsp of mustard (whatever you have, yellow, dijon, whole grain etc)
• 2 tbsp of roasted red pepper, chopped fine
• 2 tbsp of pickled jalapenos, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup of non fat plain yogurt
• 1 big pinch of salt (can adjust to your taste later)
• fresh cracked pepper
• a pinch (about 1/2 tsp) of garlic powder
• ground chipolte powder- sprinkle a pinch on each egg for garnish
• I also garnished with slices of jalapenos, roasted red pepper and parsley leaves (cilantro would have been nice here too)

Directions

1. After you make the hard boiled eggs and split them in half length wise, remove the yolks and set aside.
2. Add 10 yolk halves to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients, except the garnish pieces and chipolte powder.

3. Combine until smooth. Taste and see if it needs more salt- adjust to your liking.
4. Put yolk mixture in a small ziplock bag and cut off the tip to make a piping bag.  Pipe the mixture back into the hollowed out egg whites. 
5. Sprinkle a small pinch of chipolte powder in each egg and garnish to your liking.
6. Refrigerate up to a day or serve right away.