Vegan Cookie Recipe: Healthy Rolled Oats Oatmeal Nut Cookies

While we normally go deliciously rich and decadent desserts—as witnessed here and here—there are times when we want a snack that’s good for us and not filled to bursting with sugars and carbs. Today, we decided to come up with a vegan cookie that has no added sugar and yet still has tasty flavor that gives us a little boost whenever we taste it.

The base of these cookies is oats and cashews (though you can choose any nut butter you like), and it’s packed with seeds and peanuts and dried fruit, and everything comes together to form this perfectly crunchy and chewy bite-sized treat. If you want to make it a little sweeter, you can always add some honey or dates into the mix, but we’ve gotta say, we like them just how they are!

Rolled Oats and Nut Cookies

Yield: 1-2 dozen

Ingredients

• 3 large, very ripe bananas
• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F, position oven rack in the middle of oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Combine ripe bananas, cashews, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until mixture is smooth and there are little to no lumps remaining.
3. In a bowl, combine oats with dried fruit, sesame seeds and chopped peanuts, and pour wet banana mixture into the dry ingredients.
4. Mix together so everything is fully incorporated and combined, then, using a spoon or your hands, begin forming your cookies and transfer them to your baking sheet.
   Note: you can place them close together since the cookies won’t rise.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until edges just begin to brown, but centers are still a little squishy.
6. Remove from oven, let cool 10 minutes and serve warm (or warmed up in the microwave).

Recipe adapted from Yummly

Tropical turmeric weight loss smoothie to banish your belly

I've really been enjoying starting my days with a smoothie lately. It's a great way to make sure that I don't go breakfast-less and that I start off my day with a big dose of good-for-me nutrients. A recent addition to my smoothie rotation has been an incredible spice: turmeric! Amigas, turmeric is a miracle spice. It fights bloat, it's an anti-oxidant, it aids in weight loss, it helps detoxify the liver and I don't know about you, but I don't get enough of it in my diet that's why I've started making this tropical turmeric smoothie.

Turmeric is popular in Indian cuisine and it's quite delicious, but if you are not used to cooking with it aren't quite sure how to incorporate it into your meals to reap its health rewards, "hiding" it in a smoothie is a great way to go.

Of course you could just add a half teaspoon of turmeric into just about any smoothie you make and it would probably be fine, but I've been making mine with frozen mango and pineapple chunks as well as some cinnamon and ginger because I think all the flavors really complement each other. Check it out!

Tropical Turmeric Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk
1 ripe banana
1/2  cup frozen mango chunks
1/2  cup frozen pineapple chunks
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a blender, press vrrroom and mezcla it all up until it is a smooth consistency.

If it's too thick for your liking, you can always add more almond milk. Also, it's a smoothie recipe, not the blueprint for the Sistine Chapel, so feel free to play around with how much of the spices or what kinds of fruits you put in it until you get one that makes you crazy happy

http://quemas.mamaslatinas.com/health_fitness/132175/turmeric_smoothie_weight_bloat_loss

Turmeric Smoothie Recipe Makes A Delicious & Powerful Antioxidant

by Joe Martino
 

 

How would you like to start your day with an awesome antioxidant packed smoothie that has a ton of medicinal properties as well? This turmeric smoothie recipe is perfect for that.

The Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family. The average person may best recognize turmeric as a spice commonly used in Indian cuisine. The active compound curcumin is known to have a wide range of medicinal benefits including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumour, antibacterial, and antiviral activities. In India, turmeric has been used for thousands of years as a remedy for stomach and liver ailments. Turmeric can also be used topically to heal sores due to its antimicrobial properties.

Turmeric is also the liver’s favorite spice and helps boost liver detox. It does this by assisting enzymes that actively flush out dietary carcinogens. Be sure to check how powerful turmeric can be in treating depression as well.

Turmeric Smoothie Recipe Ingredients:

For these ingredients, try and use organic as much as possible. Also try not to substitute actual milk for hemp or coconut milk. If you need, you can try almond milk as well.

• 1 cup hemp or coconut milk
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple or mango chunks
• 1 fresh banana
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (can be increased to 1 tsp)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon maca (optional)

Add all ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. Try to drink this smoothie in the morning before you have anything to eat. It’s a solid way to start your day and pack your body full of antioxidants.
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/08/04/turmeric-smoothie-recipe-makes-a-delicious-powerful-antioxidant/

Don’t Forget to Eat the Peel

Joanna Douglas


Most of us toss fruit peels in the trash, because what else are you going to do with them? Eat them! It turns out they’re not just edible, but the skin and rind of some fruits is actually loaded with fantastic beauty and health benefits. Kimberly Snyder, celebrity nutritionist and author of The Beauty Detox Foods, says there are many great ways to incorporate these nutrient-rich peels into your diet.

“The peel can contain up to three to four times higher a concentration of fiber as the fruit inside,” says Snyder. “Fiber is an important part of the body’s process when it comes to cleansing toxins from the body. Peels also contain a bevy of anti-aging antioxidants and vitamins.” By the way, they’re also very low in calories, fats, and sugars.

“For some citrus fruits like oranges, the peel has even higher levels of vitamin C than the juice,” says Snyder. The peel of fresh orange also contains vitamin A, B vitamins, and minerals such as zinc, calcium, selenium, and manganese. But how are you supposed to eat them? Snyder suggests zesting citrus peels with a grater into your salad dressing or tossing a piece of the peel into smoothies. “I was recently in Thailand doing a few weeks of a cooking intensive, and we threw kaffir lime peel into the mortar and pestle for certain chili pastes.”


What about banana peels? Sounds gross, but they actually increase serotonin levels, which can boost your mood. Like the fruit, they’re a good source of potassium, but Snyder says they contain much more soluble fiber (which makes you feel full and help lower bad cholesterols) and insoluble fiber (which keeps your gastrointestinal tract moving). In some parts of the world like India and Asia it’s common to cook or fry banana peels or use them in desserts. Try adding a piece into a smoothie or pureeing a few tablespoons and mixing into your cake recipes. Waiting till the fruit is more ripe will yield thinner, tastier skin.
Watermelon rinds are another great option since they contain vitamin C, vitamin B6, and citrulline, an amino acid that helps dilate blood vessels to improve circulation. Peel off the green skin and put the white rind into your juicer along with the juicy pink parts.

Snyder does offer one important piece of advice when eating peels: buy organic. “Not only are organic foods generally more nutritious since they are usually grown in better quality soil, but they also do not contain pesticides,” she says. While organic bananas are not typically much more costly than conventional ones, some organic produce can be pricey. When in doubt, consult the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” items with the most pesticides used. (Check out the full list here.) “If you plan on using the zest or peel of fruits, I would stick to organic as the pesticides can seep into the peel and it may be not possible to truly remove them through washing.”

Don’t forget the cores and seeds! “Pineapple cores are less juicy and a bit harder, but are still very nutritious and filled with the enzyme bromelain, known to have anti-inflammatory and cleansing effects in the body,” says Snyder. She also says eating a small amount of papaya seeds can have anti-parasitic, anti-bacterial effects, and can help with liver detoxification—hello, hangover cure.
https://www.yahoo.com/health/dont-forget-to-eat-the-peel-91875621007.html#

Mind blowing facts about banana

By DNA

This is interesting. After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.

But energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

DEPRESSION

According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS:

Forget the pills – eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

ANEMIA

High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

BLOOD PRESSURE:

This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

BRAIN POWER

200 students at a Twickenham school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

CONSTIPATION

High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

HANGOVERS

One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

HEARTBURN

Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

MORNING SICKNESS

Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

MOSQUITO BITES:

Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

NERVES

Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system..

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

ULCERS

The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronic cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Many other cultures see bananas as a ‘cooling’ fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has FOUR TIMES the protein, TWICE the carbohydrate, THREE TIMES the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, ‘A BANANA a day keeps the doctor away!’

http://topinfopost.com/2014/03/08/mind-blowing-facts-about-banana