Cherry Coconut Chia Pudding

Good morning!

If you're like me and you sometimes wait until last minute to decide on a dessert to make or serve to your family or for a special occasion, I've gotcha covered with this SUPER EASY, no-bake option.

Cherry Coconut Chia Pudding
(Serves 3)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup frozen cherries, chopped (plus extra for topping)
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 2-3 T coconut flakes, unsweetened
• 1/2 tsp stevia (or substitute with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup)

Directions:

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl the night before you're having company over.
2. Leave overnight in the fridge.
3. The next day, spoon into 3 of your prettiest bowls and garnish with more cherries and/or coconut flakes.

Voila!  Enjoy.

If you try this one, please drop a comment below and let me know what you think!

In good health,

Tara

Healthy Freezer Fudge

Hey there!

Come on in a little closer.  Tell me, do you ever have cravings for chocolate?!

Yeah...most of us do!

A few days ago here in New York, the whole family was 'stuck' at home in a big Spring snowstorm and it was both awesome and HECTIC.  You mamas out there know what I mean!

So, in search of both an activity to do with the kiddos AND a healthy snack that would feel like a complete indulgence for all of us, we gathered together and made Healthy Freezer Fudge...without a recipe.  

(Gasp)

This non-recipe "recipe" is sooooo easy and requires only 4 ingredients.  It's pretty hard to mess up.

Watch the video for more details and to get a peak into the hecticness and cuteness I referred to above.  ;-)

Now it's your turn to tell me - what's your go-to snack or dessert when you're stuck in the house all day?

In good health,

Tara

Banana Bread ---> grain-free, dairy-free

It's Spring break, Easter, and Passover all this week!  You may need a good dessert that doubles as breakfast and snacks for the kids this week.  It should hold up well in the freezer, be delicious, taste like a treat, and be nourishing to you, your kids, and your guests.  Am-I-right?!?!  

This Banana Bread was born out of the need to use up my mushy bananas.  I already have a freezer stash to use for smoothies and to make 'nice cream', so I wanted to make bread.  For us, it needed to be gluten-free, dairy-free, no refined sugars, full of healthy fat, protein, and fiber.  I'm fueling my busy & active body along with my family's.  And, with the things my toddler says on the regular, let me tell you, her brain is very happy with the kinds of fuel it's been getting!  ;-)  

Example from today:

Magnolia to Jagger:  "Jagger, please stop jumping in your crib.  We worked very hard for that bed and I wouldn't want to have to buy a new one and put it together again."

So, I'm sure your kiddos are just as hilarious - especially when they're getting in that good nutrition!  Leave me a comment and tell me what funny things they've said recently.  

And, make this bread immediately (if there are no egg or nut allergies in the house).  It's a good one to have on hand for a busy & special week like this one.

Banana Bread

(gluten-free, dairy-free)

Ingredients:

4 large eggs

4 bananas (ripe or overripe)

½ cup almond butter (sub: peanut butter)

4 T coconut oil, melted (plus extra to grease pan)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/5 cup hazelnut flour (sub: almond flour)

1 T cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp sea salt

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2.    Combine all wet ingredients in a blender.

3.    Add dry ingredients to blender and mix well.

4.    Grease an 8X8 cake pan (ok to use loaf pan, but cooking times will vary).

5.    Pour batter into pan and bake for 35-45 minutes. (or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean).  Top of bread should be golden-brown and center should be set.

6.    Allow to cool before slicing and serving. 

Stretch and Relax….and eat muffins!

You know what I love almost as much as helping people for a living?  I love, love, LOVE, the diversity in my days and weeks.  I enjoy working one-on-one with my clients, and then heading to a corporate wellness event.  With a parent expo, speaking engagement, and LIVE (what!?!?) show all coming up in the next week, taking the time to visit my friends at National Business Capital here on Long Island last week to STRETCH and RELAX came at a good time.  Besides, it was about 12 hours after the Blizzard and everyone's tired backs needed the break!

We started with a silly little game to warm up our bodies, minds, and hearts.  Followed that up with some deep breathing and full-body stretching.  Topped it off with healthy muffins for everyone…"You get a muffin, you get a muffin, YOU get a muffin too!" (in my best Oprah voice).

Thanks for having me back, National Business Capital.  You guys rock!

Tip for you all:  Take a few minutes extra in your warm shower.  As you're washing your body, take an inventory of how things are feeling.  What's tight, what's achy?  Then after you've shampooed (or do you shampoo first?  Hmmm), do a little self-massage on tight areas and practice some range-of-motion right there under the warm stream of water.  Your muscles will be looser and more forgiving when they are warm. Plus, it's a nice quiet place to get an uninterrupted minute or two.  Well, unless you have young children.  :-/  They follow us everywhere.  

Let me know how it goes.  Disclaimer:  NO slipping allowed!  We're not talking about big, sweeping movements that should leave you off-balance, but if you're a bit unsteady on your feet, do the stretching after the shower instead.

Happy Thursday, everyone.

In good health,

Tara

Snack Attack - Pumpkin Pudding

Raise your hand if you're on the pumpkin-everything-until-January bandwagon.

I'm right there with ya!  ;-)  If you answered no, first of all, what's wrong with you?  Kidding!  Or am I?  Regardless, you may know someone (like a child, a spouse, a friend) who DOES love pumpkin everything.  Here's a super-quick, easy, and healthy recipe that works well as a snack, a dessert, a dip for fruit, mixed into oatmeal, under granola, or on top of yogurt.  The kitchen is for creativity!  How do you plan to eat this Pumpkin Pudding?

In an earlier social media post, I promised you guys some nutrition facts.  I think there's a time and place for counting calories, protein, etc.  I don't believe it's for everyone or forever, no matter what your situation is.  I'm a strong believer in listening to your body, balancing hormones, reducing stress and cravings, and eventually being able to be so in tune with your own needs, that there's no food journaling or strict tracking needed.  That being said, it IS helpful sometime.  Example: If you want to start your health journey and have NO IDEA how many calories you take in on a typical day, you may want to track for a few days to get a baseline.  Or, as in this case, I created this recipe custom for a client of mine that has Gestational Diabetes.  She needed something high in protein, high in fiber, low in carbs/sugar, and wanted it very "pumpkin-y".  Haha!  So, here you have it...

• 150 Calories
• 8g fiber
• 12g net carbs
• 11g protein
• 1 full serving of veggies

Pumpkin Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 4 T peanut flour (a.k.a. powdered peanut butter)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp stevia
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. This is the easy part - mix all ingredients together in a bowl / mug / cute cup.  That's it!  Enjoy immediately, store in fridge up to 3 days, or freeze and serve at a later date for your holiday party.

Enjoy.  In joy.  In health!

Tara

Hummus Among Us

Guys…guess what?  If you rethink your hummus strategy, your whole world opens up.  ;-)

If you buy (or make) a plain, classic-style hummus, use it as a base to mix in other condiments, herbs, spices, produce, "things".

Consider adding:

• Avocado for a good mayo replacement
• Tomato sauce for a creamy pasta topping or veggie dip
• Sriracha or hot sauce if you like it spicy
• Pumpkin or beets for a filling, sweeter, healthified dip or sandwich topper.  Or, try this on zoodles (zucchini noodles)
• Herbs, spices, oil, vinegar, and/or lemon juice for a creamy salad dressing.  This also works well for cold pasta and potato salads and spiralized veggie-pasta dishes.

Make your hummus work for you!  It's a happy medium between eating more real/whole foods and not becoming overwhelmed with too much time or energy in the kitchen.  This tip saves your money too!  Buy your hummus (or chickpeas to make your own) in bulk and customize it for each person and meal afterwards.  No more buying 1,284 different kinds of hummus at the store and draining your wallet.

Need help in the kitchen with meal prep or learning HOW and WHY we should be eating a certain way for our individual bodies and health goals?  Let me know!  I work with my one-on-one clients to catapult you towards your healthiest version of yourself.  I aim to get you on your feet so you don't need me anymore!  I provide nutrition, fitness, and overall wellness assistance. I am your health buddy!  I am the front lines.  Let's see if we can save you time and money by increasing your energy, your vitality, your productivity, and boosting your immune system,  Let's decrease your reliance on meds, your grocery bill, your sick days, and your days missed LIVING because you have brain fog, pain, and fatigue.  

Email me!  We can chat about how I can help you.  Tara@TaraAllenHealth.com

Regular hummus mixed with pure tomato sauce and some herbs came together in about 45 seconds and became a delicious dip for our colorful veggies!

Banana Sushi Shenanigans

Do you ever plan to make something really elaborate to bring to a party only to realize you have 5 minutes left to pull something together?  Please tell me it's not just me!

This weekend I was busy working hard and momming harder until nearly the time we had to leave.  That's ok!  This is where creativity shows up at just the right time.  I saw my banana hammock and knew I wanted to make something that looked and tasted fancier than it really was.  ;-)  Enter… Banana Sushi! 

P.S.  It truly took only 5 minutes to make.  Then I dropped it everywhere.  Batch #2 took another 5 minutes.  So if you're clumsy like me, allot 5 minutes (batch 1) + 5 minutes (batch 2) + 3 minutes (clean-up) = 13 minutes…still totally doable, right?! 

Side note:  This "chocolate" works for just about any chocolate-y recipe you want.  Feel free to add peanut butter too if you're feeling extra indulgent.  Just please, please, please - for the love of nut butter - make sure your peanut butter has nothing but peanuts listed in the ingredients.  Sugar, hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup have NO business being in YOUR peanut butter.  

Enjoy!

Banana Sushi

Ingredients:

Bananas

Cacao powder

Coconut oil

Honey

Hemp seeds

*Note: no measurements are listed because I just played around with the ingredients until I got the consistency and taste I wanted.   For me, I didn't want it to be too sweet, so I didn't use too much honey.  

Directions:

1. Cut banana in 1/4 inch slices.

2. In one bowl, mix coconut oil, cacao powder, and honey in a bowl.

3. Pour hemp seeds in a seperate bowl.

4. Dip bananas in chocolate mix until coated and then spoon hemp seeds on half of them.

5. Place coated bananas on wax paper.

6. Freeze for at least an hour before devouring.  ;-)

Banana Sushi waiting for their dip in the freezer