Gluten Free Banana Bread

This recipe is a great way to have something sweet without over doing it. There is no added sugar and it still tastes smooth and sweet.

Pre-heat oven to 350 Degrees F
3-4 over ripened Bananas
1/3 Cup melted butter
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
Pinch of Salt
1 Large beaten Egg
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 cup of almond flour
1/2 cup of quinoa flour
Mix everything in one bowl!
Grease pan with butter 
Bake for 50 minutes - 1 hour
Let cool, cut and enjoy  

Ideas for Garnishing:

Raspberries and Dark chocolate shavings 

Any fresh fruit 

Try adding some oats for a yummy breakfast that boosts your energy instead of just having plan toast!

* Make sure the oats are organic*

   ( if you want to add in 1/2 cup oats only do 1/2 cup of almond flour)

You can switch up this recipe and play around with it as much as you want... you can't go wrong!

 -Rachel

On the go Smoothie | Thirsty Thursday

Hello everyone and welcome to the new and improved Thirsty Thursday! We are now incorporating smoothies as a regular on our Thirsty Thursday posts! So today I have for you a super simple smoothie recipe. I was able to make this in 3 minutes right before I left for school rushing around like a crazy maniac. Everyone can relate right? This smoothie is going to keep you full and is loaded with tons of healthy ingredients! So let's get to it!

Enjoy my super simple Strawberry Banana Smoothie: 

-Giuliana 

3 Best & Worst All Natural Deodorants

 So about a year ago I decided to try to make the switch to all natural cosmetics. I switched everything: soap, toothpaste, makeup, and deodorant. My deodorant was one of the first products I switch 1. because most of them really aren't that expensive and 2. As someone with a history of breast cancer in their family the correlation between aluminum in deodorant and breast cancer made me extremely uncomfortable.
     Since then, I've tried a good handful of all natural deodorants. I have been pleasantly surprised by a lot of them but I've also been extremely disappointed by a bunch of them. It's always terrifying when you realize your deodorant is not doing what it's supposed to do. Which is why I have created a list of the top 3 Best and Worst Natural Deodorants.

Best:
I chose these based on how well they protect. All three of these last all day, come in various scents which are from essential oils, and contain no aluminum.

Schmidt's 

You can find these online: https://schmidtsnaturals.com/
or at most health food stores

Alaffia 

Find these: http://alaffia.com/ 
or Marshalls

Every Man Jack

Find this: http://everymanjack.com/ 
or Hannaford, Shoprite, Walmart, etc

Worst: 
These made the list because the three of these don't last. I tried the unscented version of all of them and within two hours needed to reapply.

Tom's 

Alba Botanica

Jason

Quinoa Burrito Bowls

If you're like me tacos are a very important food group and Chipotle is likely one of your favorite restaurants. I love Chipotle but I almost feel bad going to eat there when you can make your own healthy alternatives at home, so I give you my Quinoa Burrito Bowl. This meal is so versatile, it can be made meat and dairy free, thrown in a wrap for a burrito, or tossed on lettuce for a salad.

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup of quinoa; cooked
- 1/2 cup of black beans
- 2 Tbsp of taco seasoning
- 2 Tbsp of salsa
- 1 Tbsp of olive oil
- 1/4 cup of peppers and onions
- Taco toppings( I chose lettuce, jalapenos, cheese, tomatoes, avocado)
- Garnish with a squirt of lime and cilantro

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to directions. Microwave black beans with taco seasoning. Combine the black beans and quinoa.

2. Add salsa and stir. Sauté peppers and onions over medium heat in olive oil until fragrant and cooked down about 3-5 min.

3. Top mixture with your favorite toppings and peppers and onions.


As you can see this recipe is super versatile. You can add any toppings of your choice. Feel free to add chicken, steak or ground beef instead of black beans or in addition to them. The quinoa adds extra protein to this meal making it super filling. Enjoy a Chipotle-like meal in the comfort of your own home!

-Giuliana

Strawberry Daiquiri | Thirsty Thursday

Thirsty Thursday

For today's drink we have created a (not so traditional) Strawberry Daiquiri. 

Grab a glass. Add the strawberries,lime, and simple syrup. Before adding the lime, feel free to roll it around, this loosens up the juice so when you go to cut it open it will be easier to squeeze into your mixture. Muddle together. Pour in the ice and over that drizzle the vodka. Grab a plastic cup and put it over the glass cup and shake. Strain your drink into a new chilled glass. To garnish I have a lime that I have rubbed around the glass so that when you take a sip you get the juice of the lime every time. 

 

Thirsty Thursday is meant for adults 21 and up. Please drink responsibly and stay hydrated! 

-Rachel

Our Top 10 Favorite Healthy Snacks

Hey guys! Today we have a special post because it's a collaboration post from the two of us. We will be sharing our favorite healthy snack ideas. Snacking can get the best of all of us, but we will be sharing 10 healthy snacks to keep you full without feeling bad:

1. Celery and 2 Tbsp of Peanut Butter

Celery is great to snack on because you burn more calories eating it than it has. As long as you're using a natural peanut butter you are all good. A good rule of thumb when picking a peanut butter is it should have 2 ingredients: peanuts and salt.

2. Apple and 2 Tbsp of Peanut Butter

Same rules apply for this one on the peanut butter! Apples are chalk full of antioxidants and fiber too.

3. Handful of Grapes and a Cheese Stick 

Cheese provides a source of protein while the grapes will satisfy any sweet midday cravings you're having.

4. Veggies and Hummus 

My favorite veggies to eat with hummus is carrots and cucumbers. Hummus will keep you full because it is full of protein. On top of that it comes in a variety of different flavors. The brand Sabra also sells perfect little to-go portioned cups for us busy ladies!

5. Organic Tortilla Chips with Salsa

I personally love the organic multigrain tortilla chips from the brand Food Should Taste Good. I love a good salsa. Have leftover tomatoes from the summer? Check out the homemade salsa recipe from Squishy Bananas here!

6. Yogurt dipped blueberries

This is a refreshing sweet treat that is good for you too and a total kid pleaser. 

7. Trail mix

Quick on the go snack. I love it with some dark chocolate chunks because I'm a sweet and salty kinda girl. Super easy to customize to different personalities though!

8. Cucumber bites

Easy. Healthy. Family pleaser. 

9. Almonds dipped in Dark chocolate 

A definite moms secret snack that she inhales before her kid says, "what's that?"  

10. Bruschetta

One everyone will love. You can get creative or stick to the basics and won't be able to go wrong. Black pepper, garlic and olive oil mixed with those tomatoes to top though mmmm mmm mmm. What? I'm Italian this is totally a normal snack 😉

Snacking doesn't have to mean throwing away all the healthy eating you've done. Let us know what your go-to healthy snack is!

- Giuliana & Rachel 

Salsa Recipe

Try out our new recipe for today. 

Freshly home made salsa so easy you can make it with one hand while you hold your toddler in the other (well, at least that's how I did it).

I started with a handful of red onion and a clove of garlic roughly chopped up and put into my mini chopper. Adding in 3 medium to small tomatoes from my mother's garden and topped it off with some cilantro and a smidgen of salt and pepper (to taste). With just a half of fresh squeezed lime you can then blend it. Careful not to over blend because it can become watery. This is going to be more of a chunky salsa but extremely tasty. If you enjoy a good kick of heat feel free to add in a teaspoon of jalapeño. 

I topped my taco salad with this juicy salsa and had some chips to dip on the side!

Soon I'll give you my top secret super delicious veggie taco salad recipe, so be on the look out for it!