I'm Peelin' the Love. Are you?

Hey y'all!  Have I ever told you what my favorite fruit is?  No?  It's the banana.  I love everything that I've ever tasted that's made with bananas.  Banana bread, banana sandwiches, banana in my oatmeal, banana ice cream, banana everything! 

Did you know that bananas are super healthy?

• They help regulate and/or lower blood pressure
• Studies have shown that kids who eat a banana a day are 34% less likely to develop asthma
• Bananas can help reduce the risk of childhood leukemia and they are associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer
• They support heat health and can help reduce a person's risk of cardiovascular disease
• They help reduce the risk of stroke, muscle loss, and preserve bone density and aid memory
• Lowers blood glucose levels in Type 1 diabetics and improve blood sugar, insulin and lipids in Type 2 diabetics
• Can be used to treat diarrhea

When I was contacted by Dole to be a Blog Ambassador for their Peel the Love Tour I was so excited.    What is Peel the Love?  It's a year long Dole campaign that celebrates the fun, irreverence, and whimsical side of bananas.  They are doing a Peel the Love "Banana Cabana" Tour that is traveling coast-to-coast.  It's going to cover 26 cities and luckily Jacksonville is one of them!

Here's the dates that they will be at the Winn - Dixies in the Jacksonville area. 

7/20 – Winn-Dixie (96076 Lofton Square Ct., Yulee, FL) – 10am-1pm

7/20 – Winn-Dixie (947 Amelia Plaza, Fernandina Beach, FL) – 3-6pm

7/21 – Winn-Dixie (450078 SR 200, Callahan, FL) – 11am-2pm

7/24 – Winn-Dixie (1545 County Rd. 220, Orange Park, FL) – 10am-1pm

7/24 – Winn-Dixie (290 Solana Rd., Ponte Vedra, FL) – 3-6pm

7/25 – Winn-Dixie (703 Chaffee Rd., Jacksonville, FL) – 10am-1pm

7/25 – Winn-Dixie (5647 Roosevelt Blvd., Jacksonville, FL) – 3-6pm

Not in the Jacksonville area?  Click HERE to find out when the Peel the Love "Banana Cabana" Tour will be coming to a city near you!

Here's one of my favorite banana desserts.  I even made this for myself for dessert on vacation!



Grilled Peanut Butter Banana

Ingredients
1 banana
1 T PB2 mixed with .5 T water
1-2 T sugar free maple syrup
Cinnamon

Directions

1. Spray a piece of aluminum foil with pan spray
2. Slice your banana in half lengthwise and lay on the foil
3. Spread the PB2 on one half, sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle half of the syrup
4. Put the two halves back together, drizzle with the other half of the syrup, and wrap the tinfoil tightly around the banana
5. Place on the grill for 10-15 minutes until the banana is warm, soft and brown.
6. Let cool for 2-3 minutes before eating

{It can also be done in a 350 degree oven for 15-25 minutes}

Option 2:  

Directions

1. Wrap whole banana in sprayed tinfoil
2. Grill for 10-15 minutes
3. When it's cool enough to handle {but still warm} mush it with a fork
4. Lay out 8 graham cracker halves
5. Spread PB2 on 4 halves, and top with a chocolate square.  
6. On the other 4 halves spread a thick layer of the warm banana mush.  
7. Put a PB2 cracker and a banana cracker together

Voila!  A Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana S'more!  Perfect, healthy camping dessert!

What's your favorite banana recipe?  Are y'all going to join me at Winn-Dixie???  

Pure Lyft Review

I got the chance to sample Pure Lyft Energy Sticks.  I stuck it in my purse and ended up testing it out while I was waiting for Kaylee at swim practice.  It gave me just enough of a pick me up.  

I have been trying to cut back on soda and MiO and this was perfect.  The energy is an all natural green coffee bean extract.  It has vitamins A and B, and no calories.  It has just as much caffeine as a tall cup of coffee.  You just put the stick in your drink and let it sit for atleast 20 seconds.  I stuck it in my water bottle and just left it there.

I love this stuff.  I will definitely be buying more of these.

Check out Pure Lyft Online
Or on Facebook
Or Twitter

Vega Sport Preformance Protein #FuelYourBetter

Since I am a SweatPink Ambassador I occasionally get the opportunity to review products.  I love product reviewing!  Honestly I haven't recieved a product to test and review that I haven't loved.

The review opportunity this time came from Vega Sport.  I could pick from the many Vega Sport products.  I chose the Recovery Protein.  Have you ever felt this way?

I know I do from time to time.  The theme of this campaign was #FuelYourBetter.  I drank it after each of my workouts.  {I normally have a snack at 10 after the gym} 

I definitely noticed that I wasn't as sore for the 12 days that I drank it.  It honestly helped me so I could hit the gym the next day, and the next day, and the next day.....

What is Vega Sport Performance Protein?  Well, it's a plant-based {vegan} protein powder.  It has 5,500 mg of BCAAs {Branched-chain amino acids} and 5,000 mg of glutamine {another amino acid} per serving. 

Vega Sport Performance was created to:

• Improve strength and exercise performance
• Repair and build muscles
• Reduce recovery time between training

Vega Sport Performance Protein is great because it only has 0.2 grams of fat per serving.  Perfect for people like me with fat issues.  

For more information on Vega Sport Recovery Protein and all the other Vega Sport products click HERE

Birthday Pie....Oh My!

Yesterday was Kaylee's birthday.  My oldest baby is now 11.  It's crazy how the time flies.  This little girl has been with me through so much.  I realized something Saturday though.  Many people get depressed because their kids are growing up, or that they are getting old.  That's not what upsets me.  It upsets me that as each year passes that means that I'm another year closer to her leaving for college.  Another year closer to her leaving me.

And I'm going to stop right there.  I'm starting to tear up just thinking about it and trying to type while crying isn't exactly easy.  But, in this house, we don't do normal birthdays.  When it comes to birthdays we kinda march to a different drum.  My kids know that birthday desserts aren't just limited to cake.  They know that anything that can have a candle stuck on it is acceptable.  For past birthdays I've made ice cream cakes, brownies, watermelon cakes, and trifles.  This year Kaylee decided on a birthday pie.  A chocolate mousse birthday pie to be specific.  I used a fat free cookie crust, did a layer of chocolate ganache on the bottom and filled it with chocolate Dream Whip mousse.

For the cookie crust
2.75 cups flour
.75 cups cocoa powder
1 t baking powder (optional)
.5 cup applesauce
.5 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt
egg substitute equivalent to 2 eggs
1 - 1.75 cups sugar
2 t vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and sugar in a mixing bowl.  Stir to combine.  {You'll know it's well combined when it's all one color}
3. In a separate bowl whisk together applesauce, greek yogurt, egg substitute and vanilla.
4. Pour applesauce mixture into flour mixture.  It should form a doughy ball.
5.  Grease a pie pan or large baking dish
6. Using cocoa powder, "flour" a cutting board and roll out the dough into about a 1/4" thick piece that will cover your pie pan. {If dough is too sticky knead a little more cocoa powder into it before rolling it out}
7. Lay dough in pan and cut to fit.
8. Using a fork prick holes in the pie dough {this is so it doesn't rise as much as it bakes}
9. Bake for 16-20 minutes until done.

Chocolate Ganache Layer

1 cup chocolate chips

.25 cup skim milk

Directions

1. Bring milk to a boil
2. Pour on top of chocolate chips
3. Stir until melted and combined
4. Pour in pie shell and refrigerate until hardened

For the filling

2 envelopes Dream Whip

2 (4 serving) packages of any flavor Jello pudding mix

2.75 cup skim milk
.5 t vanilla

Directions

1. Mix Dream Whip with 1 cup of milk and vanilla in bowl of mixer
2. Beat on high speed for 6 minutes until peaks form
3. Add milk and pudding mix
4. Mix on medium, then beat on high for 2 minutes
5. Fill pie shell

If you leave off the ganache this pie is fat free.  So, are the people in your house traditional birthday cake people or nontraditional birthday dessert people?  What are your favorite birthday desserts?

Protein + Caffeine = Road Trip Bliss

Hey guys!  Sorry it's been so long since I've posted.  Life has been crazy recently.  Sunny's birthday, Easter, studying, training, cheer competitions....it's been full steam ahead with no option of stopping.  

I love protein powder.  It's so versatile and it's great for someone like me who doesn't necessarily get their daily protein needs in.  Ken likes it mixed in with his morning coffee.  It's his breakfast, and it makes a good creamer.  

When we went to Kissimmee for Mantha's cheer competition last month I didn't know if the room had a coffee pot.  {I know it sounds crazy to think that the room had a full kitchen and no coffee pot.}  Luckily, I had recieved a free sample of Nature's Best JAVAPRO Caramel.  It's made by the same company that makes IsoPure.  

JavaPro = Coffee + Protein

Each serving of JAVAPRO contains:

• 20 grams of high quality whey protein complex: a combo of whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate and whey protein hydrolysate
• 80 milligrams of caffeine
• Only 110 calories (compare that to your local barista's mocha!)
• 1.5 grams of fat and 2 grams of carbs
• Amazing, full-bodied real coffee in every serving.

It was delicious!  It actually tasted like a caramel iced coffee.  It makes you feel like you're drinking a Dunkin' Donuts, or Starbucks iced latte early in the morning.  It feels so sinful but it isn't.  I actually mixed it with milk instead of water.  {I just personally think protein powder tastes better that way}

It comes in 6 different flavors (Espresso, French Vanilla, Latte, Caramel, Mocha, Hazelnut) and is sold at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe and a few online retailers.  

For more info on JAVAPRO or any of Nature's Best's products click the link below:

Nature's Best Website

What's your favorite protein powder?

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!   Did you know that this is the 100th anniversary of Mother's Day?

Dare Foods Contest -- Gluten Free Breaded Fish

I'm pretty certain y'all have heard of Celiac Disease.  Celiac Disease is "an autoimmune disorder that can occur in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine.  It is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide.  2.5 million Americans are undiagnosed and are at risk for long-term health complications."  This is according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. 

What is Gluten?
Gluten is the protein that give wheat it's shape and elasticity. 

Where is it found?
breads
baked goods
soups
pasta
cereals
sauces
salad dressings
roux
malt
food coloring
malt vinegar
beer
soy sauce
meat substitutes

And so much more!  Gluten is found in foods you wouldn't expect them to be.  People who suffer from Celiac Disease and gluton intolerances have to read every product label to double check if the food has gluton.  

Did you know that May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month?  And to honor Celiac Disease Awareness Month Dare foods has given The Recipe Redux members a challenge.  To make a light and healthy dish using their new line of Breton Gluton Free Crackers.  They were even nice enough to send out free samples. 

Disclaimer: I received free samples of Breton Gluten Free Original with Flax and Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic from Dare Foods Incorporated mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Dare Foods Incorporated and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

When I started thinking about what to make I immediately thought of the girls.  What is one of their favorite foods that I have not seen in a gluton free variety?  Over my standard dinner of fish I realized that I have never seen a gluton free fish stick.  And that's how this recipe was born.  It's quick, it's simple and it's REALLY good.    

Gluten Free Baked Breaded Fish

Ingredients

4 tilapia filets
2 eggs, beaten
1 package Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic crackers, crushed


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Dip filets, one at a time, in egg making sure to completely coat it
3. Coat filets in cracker crumbs then lay on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with pan spray
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, flip then bake for another 10 minutes until your fish is done and breading is browned.

I serve it with rice and vegetables or a nice salad.

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