Today's Eat's & A Gift From Larabar

I thought I'd try something a little different today by posting my clean eats for the day, but don't worry I'll have another recipe for you next week. I have quite the mix of delicious meals to share with you too. I might even make a thing of this and continue to give you a weekly peek at my eats for an entire day. Sort of like a food diary. Of course I'm a eat-whole-foods nutrition nut, so you can expect nothing but the best. Maybe I'll even inspire someone to start doing the same.

Looking back at a full day of meals can benefit your healthy eating goals so much. I know I love getting meal inspiration from many of the what-I-ate blogs out there (many of which are Registered Dieticians or one's in the making).

Now let's get to it shall we?

Breakfast: 7:30am

If you're an edible sound bites reader, you already know that oatmeal is my first breakfast love. It's stick to your ribs good! Todays bowl was the usual with cinnamon, chia seeds, banana, and almond butter. Plus a cup of David's Tea delicious organic Some Velvet Morning green tea. I forgot to take a picture but it looked exactly like this only with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Snack: 10:30am

A little bit of low-sodium water packed canned tuna and chopped cucumbers to tide me over until lunch. Not overly appetizing but definitely the perfect combination of protein and water based carbohydrates to keep the metabolism burning.

Lunch: 1:30pm

Most day's I aim for a salad - the best way to get green's and veggies in! Bright leafy greens are just so cleansing for your body. In the mix was romain and red leaf lettuce, sliced cucumbers, 1 chopped medjool date, baked chicken (recipe coming soon!), and a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar for dressing.

Afternoon Snack: 4:30pm

Today was a gym day. A weight lifting gym day that is, which meant that I had a new routine with repetitions of 5x10 + heavy weights. I needed some serious energy so I had a Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar to fuel me.

Dinner: 7:30pm

Dinner was an incredible piece of bbq'd rainbow trout, steamed veggies and roasted sweet+russet potatoes. And that was all she wrote.

Speaking of Larabars, this arrived on my doorstep the other day.

After posting my cashew cookie dough bars, a recipe for homemade larabars, I was sent a gift from the wonderful people at Larabar:

• 9 different flavours (some of which you can't buy in Canada...I'm looking at you Ginger Snap & Carrot Cake!)


• A cute Larabar bag that they came in.


• And a pretty apron from anna's apron's etsy shop. I love the pattern and colours.

I've been a fan ever since I first spotted them a few years ago. What I love about them so much is their minimal, healthy ingredient lists. No preservatives. Only fruits and nuts with the occasional added spice. The Peanut Butter Cookie one is made up of 3 ingredients; peanuts, dates, and sea salt. That's it! Simplicity doesn't get much better than this.

That's it for me today. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Banana Ice Cream

Happy New Year everyone!

New Year's resolutions are flying left and right right now, so what better post could I start the year off with than the healthiest ice cream in the world?

If you are looking to try something new or make some healthy changes or additions to your diet this year then please give this a try. It's magical and you'll love me for it.

Behold. BANANA ICE CREAM!

Unless you've been living under a rock you probably know all about banana soft serve ice cream. I admit I'm a little late to the party on this one, but if you're anything like me, that is ice-cream obsessed, then this could quite possibly change your life. Especially if you are vegan or lactose intolerant. I should also mention that this "ice cream" is completely guilt free. What could be better?

Ice cream has always been one of my favourite cheats. Mint chocolate to be specific. The stuff is like crack! Thanks goodness for this alternative...and my self-control, hehe. I think I first discoverd banana ice cream from the lovely Angela over at Oh She Glows. It was her healthy vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie 'Blizzard' that got me interested.

100% natural and vegan. No chemicals or preservatives. 100% dairy free. Totally kid-friendly and so so easy to make.

If you've never done this before all you need is a food processor, some frozen bananas and a few mix-ins. It's that simple. Just take your frozen banana's and whiz 'em up, scraping frequently, until you have silky-smooth ice cream. Next time you find yourself craving a big bowl of ice cream give this a try and I promise you will be satisfied.

When you process the banana's, you'll first notice that they turn granular. They might even turn into a single ball that spins around the food processor, but not to worry, just keep processing and the banana's will start to turn creamy around the edges. This is when you'll want to stop and scrape down the sides, then continue blending and scraping creamy consistency. You can always add a little splash of milk (non-dairy if you wish) to help it along. The whole process should take about 5 minutes in total.

It's great plain just the way it is, but if you're feeling extra decadent, definitely give this recipe a try.

Chocolate Ginger Banana Ice Cream gluten free, vegan (serves 2-3)

Print or Email this Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 peeled banana's, cut into chunks and frozen for easy processing
• 4 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• splash of pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp crystallized/candied ginger, chopped

Directions:

1. Peel and cut your banana's into smaller chunks, then freeze in a zipper bag for at least 2 hours (I will freeze them over night and often have some in the freezing handy at all times - perfect for smoothies too).
2. Blend banana's in a food processor, stopping to scrape down the sides every so often until they resemble soft serve ice cream.
3. Next add in your cocoa powder, ground ginger and vanilla and process until combined. Then with a spatula or spoon stir in chopped ginger.
4. You can enjoy it right away or transfer to a freezer friendly container to store in the freezer. If you do store it in the freezer it will become solid again, just use an ice cream scoop when you are ready to serve it. Just like real ice cream!

**Note** Please don't try to make this in a blender. There isn't enough surface area for the blades to chop the banana's and will not turn out. Bring out the food processor for this one.

Have you discovered banana soft serve yet? What's your favourite ice cream flavour?