Air Fryer Apples

 

These are healthy and amazingly delicious! Recipe and photo from Healthful Blondie. We had them over french toast, but you could pair them with ice cream, over biscuits, on oatmeal, or plain! Lots of options! And your house will smell sooo good when you make these!

Ingredients

2 red apples, pink lady, honey crisp, or gala, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch bite-sized cubes

2 Tbsp real maple syrup, divided

1 Tbsp melted coconut oil, refined has no taste

1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat your air fryer to 380°F and lightly spray with non-stick spray.

Add the peeled apple cubes into a bowl and toss with 1 Tablespoon maple syrup, coconut oil, and cinnamon.

Add apple cubes to the heated air fryer basket. Make sure they don’t overlap too much, or else they will not cook properly.

Air fry for 10 – 14 minutes, shaking halfway through. They should be golden, slightly crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. 

Remove from the air fryer and toss the warm apples in 1 Tablespoon of maple syrup. 

Enjoy warm with vanilla ice cream, oatmeal, or on its own!

3 Healthy Snack Mixes Your Kids Will Love

These 3 come from Sports Mom Survival Guide and we love them! My kids (and I!) are obsessed with trail mixes that we can customize just how we like them! These are perfect for busy days on the go, for sports snacks, lunches, or just as an after-school snack when they come home famished!

Pantry Popcorn Mix from The Baker Mama

Ingredients

4 cups popped popcorn (stovetop or a 3 ounce microwave bag)

1 cup mini pretzels

1 cup fish-shaped cheese crackers (such as Goldfish)

1 cup animal crackers

1 cup honey flavored toasted oat cereal

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup roasted peanuts

¾ cup peanut M&M’s

Directions

Pop popcorn and cool. Add remaining ingredients. 

Cheddar & Apple Goldfish Snack Mix From Southern Mom Loves

Ingredients

2 c. Cheddar Goldfish Crackers

1 c. dried apples

½ c.dried cranberries

½ c. shelled walnuts

Instructions

Add ingredients into a bowl – Mix – Serve!

Nut-Free Toddler Trail Mix from The Lean Green Bean

 

Ingredients

2 cups Rice Chex

2 cups Cheerios

¾ cup pepitas

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup chocolate covered sunflower seeds

½ cup dried blueberries

1 Tbsp brown sugar, optional

Instructions

There are two ways to go about mixing up this treat-filled surprise. 

Mix up all the dry ingredients and go.

OR

Dump cereal & pumpkin seed in microwave-safe bowl – Pour in butter & stir – Sprinkle cinnamon – Microwave for 90 second – Stir – Microwave for another 90 seconds – Spread on baking sheet & cool – Add blueberries and sunflower seeds once cooled – Pour into bags – Eat!

Rainbow Fruit Cups

This is a great idea from the wonderful My Frugal Adventures that my kids love! We will do this as an after-school snack when they are staaaarrrrvvvviiinnnggg haha or for birthday parties, and I'm planning to bring this as a snack for my daughter's soccer team after their game! (I found plastic cups with the lids on amazon and will just stick a spoon in the straw hole). You can definitely switch up the fruit or the colors even and she gives some tips below. 

layer several kids of fruit into little clear plastic cups.  I found that 3 colors or more is best and you can use any fruit that is in season.  I ran low on fruit and had a few cups that were just raspberries, pineapple and grapes and they still looked great.

A few other suggestions:

• I used Kiwi to create my green layer and found it didn’t hold up nearly as well as the green grapes (sliced in half).  You might also try Honeydew.
• Purple grapes would be a great addition if you use honeydew or kiwi for the green layer.
• I would avoid apples and bananas for the yucky browning factor.
• I used tangerines for the orange layer but mango would be fantastic as well or cantaloupe.
• Layer it all at the last minute to keep the colors nice and bright.

I just cut up all the fruit the night before- and for little ones I diced the fruit for small bite size pieces.

Oven Baked Cinnamon-Pecan Almond Butter Banana Boats

Try to say that title ten times fast haha! It's a mouthful, but don't let that name scare you--these are totally easy to whip up and I love making this as a healthier treat to curb my sweet tooth! Recipe and photo from Boys Ahoy. 

Ingredients

1. 2 bananas
2. 1/4 cup chopped pecans
3. 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
4. 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, plus extra for dusting bananas
5. 2-4 tbsp almond butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Melt coconut oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add pecans and cinnamon, cook, stirring continuously until toasted. Set aside.
3. With peels still on, cut each banana 1/2 inch deep (about half way through)
4. Place bananas on a sheet of foil. Crimp and shape foil around the bananas so they will sit flat on a baking sheet.
5. Fill bananas with 1-2 tbsp almond butter and 1-2 tbs toasted pecans. Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon.
6. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until bananas are soft. Let cool slightly before removing the peel and eating.

Notes

1. **use more or less almond butter and chopped pecans

Apple Nachos with Peanut Butter

 

This one from Trial & Eater is one of our favorite after school snacks! My kids get so excited to help make this and make it look pretty! I very loosely follow this idea, but basically we slice up apples, drizzle with warm peanut/almond/cashew butter, then sprinkle with chips and coconut!

Ingredients

• 1 Fuji apple, (or slicing apple of your choice), cut into 32 thin slices*
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter, , melted
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, , melted**
• 1 handful of chocolate chips, (I used a combination of mini semi-sweet chips and regular sized dark chocolate chips), for sprinkling **

Instructions

1. Arrange apple slices on a plate.
2. Drizzle melted peanut butter over apple slices with a spoon, and do the same with the melted chocolate.
3. Sprinkle handful of chocolate chips over the plate as topping.
4. Serve immediately.

Notes

I used an 8-piece apple corer, cut each piece in half, and then each in half again.
*If you are vegan, double check the labels, as not all brands of dark and semi-sweet chocolate are vegan.

**You can reduce the amount of chocolate + peanut butter by half or more if you want to cut down the calories - I just like to overload it sometimes!

Chocolate Workout Brownies

I love anything Chocolate Covered Katie makes, and these were eaten up pretty quick by everyone in my house! Give them a try!

Ingredients

1 cup overripe mashed banana or applesauce (for low carb, try these Keto Brownies)
2/3 cup nut butter of choice, or allergy-friendly sub
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp chocolate protein powder (such as this one), OR sub additional cocoa powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave, OR additional banana
optional mini chocolate chips, crushed walnuts, etc.

Instructions

Notes: If using applesauce or unsweetened protein powder, or if planning to eat the brownies unfrosted, I recommend including the sweetener of choice. Using peanut butter gives a peanut-butter flavor, while almond or cashew butter taste more neutral. Sunbutter or pumpkin seed butter can be used for allergy-friendly brownies. You can use regular unsweetened cocoa or a combination of regular and dutch.
Preheat oven to 325 F. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. If using natural nut butter, gently warm it until it is easily stir-able. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir until completely smooth, and spread into the prepared pan (see video). Bake on the center rack 20-25 minutes (20 for super fudgy brownies) – they will be undercooked when you take them out. Let cool, then loosely cover with a paper towel and place in the fridge overnight, during which time they will firm up without losing their fudginess. They are also much sweeter the next day! Once cut, the brownies can either be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to a month. You can even eat them straight out of the freezer if you wish! As mentioned, they are more of a healthy snack than a decadent dessert – if you enjoy healthy desserts and snacks, hopefully you will love these!

Dark Chocolate Detox Bites

Photo/Recipe from Hayley Hobson. These are perfect snacks to make ahead for the week and even store in the freezer. We love them! 

Chocolate-Dipped Almond Butter Banana Bites

These are one of my favorite indulgent, guilt-free snacks! I bought these, loved them, and quickly realized the price tag didn't reflect the ingredients so I made my own! This specific recipe/technique comes from A Healthy Slice of Life, but the basic idea is a peanut butter-banana sandwich dipped in chocolate and then frozen. You can sub the peanut butter with a nut butter, you can sub the dark chocolate for milk, you could even add jam with the filling! It's just enough sweet and protein to satisfy your cravings, minus any sugar hangover!

Ingredients

• 3 large bananas
• 1/3 cup nut butter of choice
• 1/2 cup melted chocolate of choice

---

Instructions

1. Slice bananas into slices about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
2. Spread a little nut butter onto a slice and sandwich two slices together.
3. Place on wax paper on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid, at least an hour.
4. Melt chocolate in a double boiler and remove frozen banana bites from freezer.
5. Dip each banana bite in chocolate and place back on wax paper. Freeze for another hour.
6. Transfer and keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Protein Lovers Trail Mix

Everyone in my house loves this trail mix, especially the guys! This is a great go-to for our sports and stuff, too, since nothing melts! Recipe and photo from The Big Man's World. 

Ingredients

1 cup Blue Diamond slightly salted almonds
2 x sticks organic sugar free nitrate free pepperoni sticks
1 x stick sugar free nitrate free beef jerky
1 cup peanut butter filled pretzels
1 cup crackers or other dry snack of choice optional

Instructions

Chop the pepperoni sticks and beef jerky into bite size pieces.
Mix all the ingredients and put in a baggie/jar for easy transportation!

Frozen Yogurt Bark with Berries

Recipe & photo from Diethood. My kids are obsessed with snacking on this and I love having a container full of this in the freezer! I throw whatever I have on-hand on top; granola, fruit, chocolate chips, coconut...

Ingredients

• 2 cups nonfat plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup agave (honey or maple syrup are also OK to use)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• pinch salt
• strawberries, sliced
• blueberries
• raspberries
• chopped pecans, for garnish

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine yogurt, agave, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt; whisk until thoroughly combined.

3. Transfer yogurt mixture to previously prepared baking sheet and spread it around to an even thickness. 

4. Top with berries.

5. Garnish with nuts (optional)

6. Freeze for 2 to 3 hours, or until firm.

7. Cut into pieces and serve.

8. Keep in the freezer.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

Recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie. Delicious!! They can be gluten-free / dairy-free / sugar-free / egg-free / grain-free / soy-free / and oil-free

(Makes 12-16 bars)

• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 cup peanut butter OR allergy-friendly alternative (nut-free recipe here)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp flour – you can use spelt, white, sorghum, oat, almond, even or buckwheat (50g)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar of choice or xylitol
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (can be omitted)
• up to 2 tbsp milk of choice, only if needed

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch baking pan and set aside. In a mixing bowl, gently heat your nut butter if it is not already stir-able, then stir in the applesauce and vanilla extract, and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the baking soda, salt, flour, sugar, and chocolate chips. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and keep stirring—it will seem very dry at first, so you’ll need to break up the nut butter and stop occasionally to scrape it off your spoon. Only if needed, slowly add up to 2 tbsp milk of choice as you stir. Don’t add more milk; it will eventually get gooey like cookie dough. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth down evenly with a spatula or spoon. Press some chocolate chips into the top if desired. Bake 10 minutes. When you take the peanut butter bars out, the top will look set but they will still be very undercooked underneath. This is okay! Leave them to cool for at least 20 minutes, during which time they will firm up. (They also firm up even more overnight.)

Whole Wheat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Usually when I hear words like "whole wheat", "healthy", "low-fat", I automatically associate it with foods that taste like cardboard. I've switched our family to all whole wheat recently though and have been trying out some new recipes that my kids will like. This is a winner!! These cookies are even better than white flour cookies! I loved them! And the kids approved, too. ;) Thanks, Momables for the recipe!

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2¼ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1¼ cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
2. Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the eggs, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough.
3. When ready to bake, heat oven to 375F.
4. Scoop chilled dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
5. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 7 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning -this depends on your oven. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Healthy, Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

These were light and fluffy and not too sweet. My 4 kids devoured them! Thanks, Prevention RD for the recipe!

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or white wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond or coconut milk
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners or lightly grease; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until well-combined. Add the milk, applesauce, and honey; whisk well.
4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry with a spatula until moistened throughout. Fold in blueberries. Scoop batter evenly into muffin wells and bake for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick is cleanly removed. Allow to cool for several moments in the muffin tin before transferring to a wire baking rack to cool completely.

Applesauce In the Crockpot

This is such a wonderful way to make your own healthy applesauce! My baby is starting to eat solid foods, so I made up a batch for her today that she can eat off of for the week....that doesn't mean I'll be able to keep the rest of the family from eating it though! We all love it!

Apples--any kind, any amount (I usually use Fuji because they're sweet)
Cinnamon
Brown Sugar (optional--I don't use it if I'm making it for baby)

Peel and core apples, then throw slices or chunks into the crockpot. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar, if you're using. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high 2-4, depending on how many apples you used. (I just check it after a few hours with a fork to see how tender they are). You will LOVE how it makes your house smell while it's cooking!!

Once your apples are nice and tender, you can either mash them right in the crockpot or throw them in a blender and pulse until you reach desired consistency. As you can see, I made them very smooth, but you can leave it a little more chunky if you like. Store in the fridge.

Healthy Banana-Oat Cookies

These cookies come from Skinny Taste and while they're not the tastiest cookie, they are loaded with lots of good stuff and I didn't dislike them, if that helps. ;) Either way, I think you'd curb your sweet cravings if you had them and didn't want to cave on your diet. I will tell you though that my kids LOVED them and kept sneaking them, so if nothing else, give them to your toddlers for a healthy treat!

2 medium, very ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup of uncooked quick oats
1/4 cup crushed nuts (I used pecans)
1/4-ish cup mini chocolate chips (optional--mandatory for me!)

*Combine bananas and oats in a bowl. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips, if used. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Clean Eating Berry-Banana "Ice Cream"

Found this awesome little recipe over at The Gracious Pantry and we all really liked it! I am excited to try different variations to it, too. And just FYI, I cut the recipe in half and it was plenty for my family of 5. Also, it stays very soft in the freezer if you need to save some for later. :)

• 4 cups sliced, frozen bananas
• 2 cups frozen, unsweetened strawberries (I used frozen mixed berries)
• 1/2 cup rice, almond, light coconut or regular milk (any milk will work)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until you have a “soft serve” consistency in your ice cream.

Note: You will have to take the lid off and scrape/move things around with a spatula several times through this process. It WILL get smooth, so don’t give up. Just keep blending and scraping.

Peanut Butter Protein Bites

Got this recipe from my friend's blog, Eating Clean & Building Dreams. These are very similar to the No-Bake Energy bites that we love. So now there's two that you can try!

1 c natural peanut butter
1/2 c honey
2 cups rolled oats
1 scoop chocolate protein

*Stir in a bowl, then chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Form into balls and store in the refrigerator.  These are a great post-workout snack!

Glowing Green Smoothie

Found this recipe on Linda Wagner's site. She is a nutrition and lifestyle coach in TX. She says she has had clients whose lives have changed because of adding this healthy smoothie into their diet. Anyway, it tastes great and is very healthy. Remember---strong is the new skinny!All you need is a blender and the following ingredients:

• 1-2 bananas
• 1/2 cup frozen peaches
• 1/2 cup frozen mango
• a couple handfuls of spinach
• water
• ice (if desired)

Add enough water to blend and enjoy, that’s it!

Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I am so excited to share this recipe with you! I told you I've been scouring the Internet for yummy, healthy snack foods for all of us trying to stick to a healthy diet! It seems that no one can make a cookie that is not either lacking in texture or taste when it's made somewhat healthy. Soooo I decided to make up my own recipe! I combined lots of things we love and voila! Cookies that don't taste like diet cookies! I have to tell you though; these are low-fat, but be careful because they taste good enough you could eat 6! Just look at that gooey chocolatey center! Enjoy :)

Makes 18 cookies with a 1.5" cookie dough scoop

1/4 cup Sun Crystals (all-natural sweetener w/ half the calories of sugar) or 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg white
2 tbsp apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. honey
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 cup quick oats
1 tsp. ground flax seed
1 cup mini chocolate chips

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray cookie sheets with Olive oil cooking spray. In mixer, whisk the sugars, butter, egg white, applesauce, honey, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. In another large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir to blend.

*Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the batter is very well blended. Fold in chocolate chips.

*Drop by level spoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto baking sheets. Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let them stand 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the pans to cool on wire racks.

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets

This picture turned out terrible, but just know these tasted delicious! I put little toothpicks on the table so my kids could stab their nuggets and dip them. We all loved how they tasted! Thanks, Gina at Skinny Taste for yet again, another great recipe that's healthy!

• 16 oz (2 large) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into even bit sized pieces
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 6 tbsp whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp panko (these are Japanese-style bread crumbs. I found them in the ethnic aisle)
  
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• olive oil spray
  

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.

Put the olive oil in one bowl and the breadcrumbs, panko and parmesan cheese in another.

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then put in the bowl with the olive oil and mix well so the olive oil evenly coats all of the chicken.

Put a few chunks of chicken at a time into the breadcrumb mixture to coat, then on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the top with olive oil spray then bake 8 - 10 minutes. Turn over then cook another 4 - 5 minutes or until cooked though.