Skinny Banana Coconut Smoothie

After sharing my Avocado Banana Almond smoothie, I thought I would post all my skinny, homemade smoothies. My morning snack is always a healthy, yummy smoothie, full of vitamins and minerals…excellent boost of energy.

Now you might say everybody knows how to make a smoothie…you’re right, but it doesn't hurt to know how others’ smoothies look like and get some new ideas and twists.

The best way to make this smoothie is to use a frozen banana; it gives sweetness and creaminess to the smoothie. Also, by using dried unsweetened coconut flakes, you end up with a natural flavour and a crunchy texture.

I use lactose free 1% milk because you get to taste the coconut flakes and the creamy banana. You can use any unflavored milk, and I say that because I tried it with coconut milk which has this overpowering flavour of coconut and it just covered the natural flavour of the coconut flakes I was looking for.

Moroccan Coconut Cookies

Moroccan Coconut Cookies are kind of macaroons, with a gooey texture in the inside and a crisp crust in the outside. They’re my favourite since I was little girl, asking my mom to make them for us.

Traditionally, those cookies are made with finely grated coconut, but I prefer to use coarsely chopped coconut. And because the dough is sticky we use orange blossom water to shape the cookies which gives them a nice flavour, in addition to the lemon zest.

My 100th Post & Homemade Granola

Paella with Frozen Seafood was my first recipe on this blog. It’s one of my “new life style” twisted recipes; since I've heard about the Clean Eating and all that healthy stuff, I've started searching and learning about processed food, calories, bad and good fat, what our body needs…etc.

I like food and I love cooking… and between us, I couldn't follow any of the diets out there. So, I chose to make my own recipes from scratch, and trust me, lowering the fat and calories does not take any of the flavors off your food. You will get the real taste of your vegetables, meat…etc and you will see some weight loss.

Family and friends love my recipes and are always asking for more. That’s how I started blogging about my food and my new life style, and I’m happy I’m doing it!! 

Okay…now my 100th post is my favorite homemade Granola. So easy to put together, and it's ready in 40 minutes. Throw it in the oven while watching your favorite TV show. And guess what? After so many tries, this granola recipe  is low in fat and sugar, and you know exactly what's in it.

In total, I used 2 ½ cups of nuts. Feel free to use the ones you like.

Apple Cake with Cinnamon and Almonds

Since last week, I’ve been checking online all kind of new fall recipes. Pumpkin, apples, spices…so many delicious dishes and treats to choose from.

Yesterday, I went back to my Fresh Blueberries Cake, and I made it with apples and added some cinnamon. It is still a non fat, skinny, moist and tender cake.
Now the addition that takes this cake to a higher level is Almonds. I sprinkled silvered almonds on top of the cake then cook it.  The combined flavour of apples, cinnamon and almonds in this cake was very appraised by my family. So let’s get started!! 

Happy Fall Season

Fresh Blueberry Cake - Skinny & Simple

Apple cake or ‘Gateaux aux Pommes’ is one of my favourite desserts. My aunty use to make us one, each time we go for a visit. Her recipe is so simple but to make it skinny, I had to change some of the ingredients. I did substitute apple sauce for oil to turn it into a no-fat cake and sugar cane for white sugar.

This time, I made this cake with fresh blueberries, now in season. There’s nothing like fresh fruits. My blueberry cake was incredibly moist with a nice bright color!!

Cubed Fruits...Great for parties

We’ve been invited to a BBQ party, last week. Nice weather and great food; I particularly fell in love with a lovely fruit salad. It wasn’t actually a salad; it had cubed watermelon and pineapple, but no dressing!!!  

This appealing and amazingly simple fruit plate was a hit at the party. And since I am blogging about skinny and simple recipes, I thought that would be good to share.

 

Ingredients:

Cubed Watermelon
Cubed pineapples

Pear Cheese Quesadillas



The sweetness from pears, honey, cranberries combined with the saltiness from Gruyere cheese, add the crunch from browned whole wheat tortillas...it just put together a great dessert and unexpected appetizer.  

Moroccan Almond Pastry...Skinny & easy way

The filling of the traditional Moroccan Almond Pastry is made with almonds, white sugar, butter, cinnamon and orange blossom. We brush the pastry with butter and egg yolk. After cooking the pastry, we pour liquefied honey on top for more sweetness.

In my version, I tried my best to make it skinny without loosing on all the flavours.

Skinny Lemony Poppy Seed Bread

If you ask me to describe this bread I would probably say "light and lemony". So please try it and let me know how YOU would describe it!!! 

 Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup sugar

½ cup oat bran

1 tabs poppy seeds

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup low fat milk

¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce (Or ¼ cup melted butter)

1 egg

2 tabs fresh lemon jus

2 tsp grated lemon zest

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray an 8x4 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, oat bran, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl mix together milk, butter, egg, lemon zest and jus.

Fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and pour batter into prepared 8x4 inch pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Transfer the loaf to a rack and let cool completely.

Cover the loaf with plastic wrap and store at room temperature or in refrigerator.

Enjoy!!

"Tea Biscuits" Cake

For this recipe, you could use any tea biscuits you like. Also the amount of sugar depend on the sweetness of the chocolate.

Ingredients:

3 cups of Arrowroot Cookies or any tea biscuits you like.
½ cup dark chocolate (I used semi sweet dark chocolate)

1/4 cup brown or white sugar

4 tabs melted butter (see tip) 

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut for toping.

Directions:

Break each of the biscuits into 4 pieces by hand and set aside.

Place the dark chocolate in a double boiler to melt.

Mix the sugar into the butter until creamy and fluffy. Add this mixture to the chocolate, stirring constantly.

Add the egg, vanilla extract and continue stirring. Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are all coated with the chocolate mixture.

Spoon the chocolate biscuit mixture into a piece of wax paper and shape it into a triangular prism. Try to fill all of the gaps by gentle pressing. Sprinkle with the shredded coconut.

shape it into a triangular prism

 Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least three hours (the more you leave it in the fridge the easier it will be to cut it without breaking it).

Serve Cold! Enjoy!!

Tip: to reduce fat, use only 2 tabs butter + 2 tabs unsweetened apple sauce.

  

Stove top "Baked" Bananas

Instead of baking the bananas in the oven, I use a non stick skillet to caramelize them. I also use nuts instead of ice cream to save on fat and calories.

Ingredients:(1 serving)

1 ripe banana

Cinnamon

Nuts mix

Peel and slice lengthwise the banana. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cook on medium heat until brown and caramelized. Serve on a plate topped with nuts. Enjoy!!