Strawberry Banana "Bread" Cake

Do you see the strawberries on the cake?  They're fresh!

After waiting practically all winter for fresh berries they're finally, finally back.  And don't cost an absurd amount at that.

What better way to celebrate than cake?

In all honesty, this may not be the cake you're expecting.

Instead of a fluffy texture and a light crumb, this cake is dense and ultra moist.  Think of banana bread turned cake with a ton of strawberries thrown in.  Sounds pretty good, right?

Trust me, it totally is.

Ok, and more thing.  A cake that has the texture of banana bread = a cake that's 100% OK to eat for breakfast.  And that is certainly a cake that everyone is going to love.

Is it just me or do desserts taste 10x better before 8am?

Strawberry Banana "Bread" Cake

• 1 cup spelt flour (all purpose is OK too)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsap salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup yogurt (greek, coconut, etc)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 ripe banana, mashed
• 1 1/4 cup strawberries, chopped + 2-3 more for slicing on top of cake

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  In another bowl, mashe banana.  Add applesauce, yogurt, milk, honey, balsamic, and vanilla to bowl with banana.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until a smooth batter forms.  Mix in chopped strawberries.  Pour batter into a greased 8 or 9 in circle pan.  Thinly slice 2-3 strawberries and place on top of batter.  Bake in preheated oven for 30-34 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Slice into 8-12 slices and serve with more strawberries or whipped cream.

Have a great Mother's Day everyone!

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Strawberry Cake - a more classic and fluffy version of this cake

Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip

Greek yogurt has a special place in my heart.

I used to not like yogurt at all.  In fact, when I was a kid, just the smell of it made me gag.

So, even when Greek yogurt started to pop up everywhere, it wasn't something I necessarily wanted to try.  That is, until I started to hear about all it's amazing nutritional benefits.  Especially the protein.

Protein is always something I've struggled to get into my diet.  I eat a mostly vegetarian diet, and eggs and nuts have never really been my favorites, so sometimes it's hard to be sure I'm getting enough of that essential nutrient.  Greek yogurt helped me fix that problem.

At first I didn't like it.  It was too tangy for me, and the only way I could even slightly enjoy it was with lots of honey and fruit.  I kept trying it different ways though.  You see, I wanted to like Greek yogurt really really bad.  And eventually that happened.

One day, something just clicked.  I'm honestly not really sure what happened, but I had a bowl of plain Greek yogurt with nothing on it at all, and then, I wanted more.  And more and more and more.

Greek yogurt went from being something I extremely disliked, to something I eat almost every day in just a matter of months.

Now, I use Greek yogurt in almost everything.  Sure, not everything works out, but the things that do are absolutely delicious.  Like this fruit dip, for instance.

It's creamy and tart with just a hint of chocolaty-goodness.  Dip in strawberries, bananas, or maybe even spread some on your morning toast!

Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip
(makes about 1 cup)

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (vanilla would probably work too)
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp melted chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp chocolate sauce (homemade if you like)
• sweetener of choice, to taste (I used just a bit of date paste, because I wanted by dip to be pretty tart)

Mix all ingredients together in a cereal bowl until little to no clumps remain.  Alternately, if you want a very smooth dip, you can blend everything together in a blender.  Serve dip chilled with fruit or cookie/crackers (spoons work too :)).  Store any leftovers in the fridge.

If your a Greek yogurt newbie, I suggest this dip.  It's a good introduction to everything Greek yogurt has to offer, and on top of it all, it's really tasty.  I bet if someone had given this to me while I was in the "trying to like yogurt" stage, my love would have blossomed right then and there.

And, If you have leftovers, you can't go wrong with chocolate Greek yogurt dipped strawberries!  Just coat strawberries in already made dip and freeze.

Enjoy!

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Peach Blueberry Breakfast Crumble

Banana Split Bowl with Cinnamon Cake Crumble

Take a good look at the Banana Split Bowl below.

Do you see the cake crumble on top? How about the creamy ice cream base? Or maybe you're eyes are drawn to the drizzle of chocolate sauce, just waiting for a spoon to run through it.

However you see it, this banana split looks pretty darn good, right?

Now, what if I told you it was healthy?

It's true.

This banana split bowl is actually so good for you, it could even qualify as breakfast.

I know, I know. It's hard to believe. But I'm not lying. This indulgent dessert really is guilt-free, even if it doesn't look or taste it.

Banana Split Bowl with Cinnamon Cake Crumble
(makes enough for 2-3 relatively big servings)

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas, frozen
• 1 tbsp flour (use a gluten free type if you like)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• chocolate sauce (use vegan brand for vegan split, or make your own)
• about 1/2 cup strawberries chopped

Method:

1. Blend your frozen bananas in a food processor (not blender) until smooth.  It may take a while, but eventually the bananas will turn into an soft-serve ice cream like consistency.  Pour blended bananas into a shallow container and freeze until hard.
2. Once blended bananas have hardened, start making cake crumble.  To do this, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and vanilla in a small bowl and mix to combine.  Spread batter thinly onto a sprayed microwave safe dish, or a piece of wax paper, and microwave for 90 seconds.  If cake is still not cooked, microwave in 30 second rounds until there are no more wet spots of uncooked batter.  Let cake cool and then crumble into small pieces.  Set aside.  
3. Now, it's time to assemble your banana split bowl.  Take banana ice cream out of freezer.  Allow to thaw a bit if desired, and then scoop like you would normal ice cream, into serving dish.  Drizzle chocolate sauce over ice cream, and top with strawberries and cookie crumble.  Serve Banana Split Bowl as this time, or freeze, and let thaw before later serving.  Enjoy!

Since this recipe is so easy, and so healthy, and soooo delicious, I'm not really sure why anybody wouldn't make it.  But, if for some reason you're hesitant, I know something to give you that boost you need.

This Saturday is Banana Split Day!

See?  You totally have an excuse to make this.

Plus, a healthy banana split, especially a delicious and healthy one, is so much better than any old banana split.  Because, c'mon, isn't it everyone's dream to eat a whole banana split without feeling guilty?

So, you guys, please make this.

It's super simple, and certainly pays off.  I'm sure it will put a smile on your face, and whoever else you serve it too.

And remember, there's nothing better than the feeling you get when you make someone smile (whether it's from a healthy banana split or not).

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

5 Minute Bread Pudding

Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies

Isn't it great when a mistake turns into something wonderful?

The times when you accidentally forget to save the blog post you were writing, but when you go to re-write it, it comes out much better.  Or when you find out you can't get a table at your favorite restaurant because you forget to make a reservation, and instead end up at a hidden gem you never knew existed.  And, of course, I can't forget the times when you make a split second decision to change a recipe, because you can't find the ingredient that you know is hiding somewhere deep inside your fridge, and the end result comes out even better than you imagined.

That's what happened with these cookies.

They were meant to be lemon.

I had wanted so badly for them to be lemon.

But, alas, when it came time to add the lemon, every single spot of my kitchen was lemon-less.

With the yummy cookie dough waiting, and a preheated oven warming up the house, I had to make a decision fast.

And so I grabbed the strawberries... and made strawberry oatmeal cookies.

Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies
(makes only about 8 cookies)

• 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup flour
• pinch salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp  raw cane sugar (or white sugar)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp plus 2 tsp milk of choice
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• About 4 strawberries chopped into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a cookie sheet.  Mix together first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.  Then, add vanilla, cinnamon, and milk.  Stir in rolled oats and chopped strawberries.  Scoop circles of batter onto cookie sheet (the batter will be a bit runny and sticky, and therefore very hard to shape) and bake for only about 3 minutes.  The bottoms of the cookies may brown, and though they look burnt, they taste just fine.  Let cookies cool before eating or serving.

Admittedly, this was not a planned recipe.

More of a mish-mash of of whatever I could find, if you ask me.

However, sometimes that's how the best recipes are made.  When you don't have a clear recipe to follow, it stretches your creativity, and allows you to add anything that you think will taste good, not just what the original recipe states.

Honestly, I'm not even sure if I'll ever make the original lemon cookie recipe.  These Strawberry Cookies just turned out too delicious!

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Chocolate Oatmeal Parfait

Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie

This smoothie with transport you to the tropics.

You will feel like you're on the beach, with the waves lapping at your heels and the sun beating down of your face.

Don't blame me if you actually end up in Hawaii.  Because this smoothie tastes so good, I bet you just might.

Fresh pineapple, frozen berries, and a healthy protein boost make it the perfect breakfast or snack for a hot summer day.

Or, the world's cheapest plane ticket to paradise.

Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie - based on this recipe
(makes one serving)

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup fresh pineapple
• 1/3 cup egg whites (or, for a vegan version, omit and add an equal amount of non-dairy milk)
• 1/3 cup milk (I use soy milk)
• 1 tbsp ground flax

Put all your ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth.  If your blender is not strong enough you may need to thaw or cut up the strawberries first.  Once blended, enjoy!

Lather on some sunscreen, grab a towel, and get ready to relax because just one sip of this refreshing and delicious smoothie will magically bring you to your dream location spot.

No, really.

You'll be basking in the sun before you even know it!

Strawberry Blueberry Protein Smoothie

Fact: Smoothies are awesome.
Another fact: I don't like the taste of protein powder.

A little while ago, I was faced with a problem.

With the weather getting warmer, in order to cool off in the mornings, I really wanted to make some smoothies for breakfast, in place of my usual oatmeal, which just wouldn't do on hot days.

However, in order for a smoothie to officially qualify as breakfast, it needed to contain enough protein to keep me going all morning.

Needless to say, an all fruit smoothie was not the answer. And, after trying, and disliking, a recipe with protein powder, I knew that it wouldn't do either.

 

I was genuinely stumped for a while, until one morning when, while rummaging around the fridge, my eyes fell upon an All Whites carton. There, written on the side of the box, was just what I was looking for; an egg white smoothie recipe.

Using that recipe for guidance, I created my very own egg white smoothie, complete with at least 5 grams of protein, depending on what type of milk you use.

And the best part? It's a perfectly acceptable, healthy breakfast that has everything you need to get through the morning!

Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie
(makes one large serving)

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/3 cup frozen blueberries
• Around 1/3 of a frozen banana, cut into chunks
• 1/3 cup All Whites
• 1/3 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
• optional: a couple ice cubes

Combine ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth.  Serve while still cold.

 

*yes, it's the same smoothie in all the pictures, the lighting is just different in some, making the smoothie look two different colors.

 

Berry Cobbler

Can you guess what this is?

I'll give you a hint: It's bursting with all the flavors of berry season

It's a berry cobbler!

Doesn't it look delicious?

Strawberry Blueberry Fruit Cobbler Squares

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour (to make oat flour, you can grind oats in a food processor)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup strawberries
• 2 tbsp maple syrup or agave
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a pan of choice (I used a 10x10, which made very thin squares)  Stir together the first six ingredients.  Spread just enough of the mixture (dough) onto the bottom of the pan to cover it completely.  Put the leftover dough off to the side.  In a different bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients until the berries are all coated with the liquid-y mixture.  Layer the fruit on top of the dough that is already in the pan.  Next, put any remaining dough you have on top of the fruit.  It's ok if it doesn't completely cover it. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, and be sure to let the cobbler cool before cutting it into squares.

This is the perfect dessert for summer.  It's got a real outdoors-y feel and is full of all the flavors available during the warmers months.

However, I had a square a couple days ago while it was pouring rain outside and it tasted pretty darn good, so I guess this berry crumble could just be the perfect dessert for whenever.

Pair it with some fresh fruit and whipped cream and you're in good shape.  Also, this berry cobbler is super portable because you can cut it into squares and take it anywhere you like.

I think it's one of the best desserts out there!

Single-Serving Strawberry Breakfast Cake

I have to say, I'm not a bacon and eggs for breakfast type of gal.

Don't get me wrong, those foods sound awesome. . . for dinner.

I usually tend to gravitate more towards the sweet side when it comes to the first meal of the day.

In my opinion, breakfast is the only meal where you can get away with eating something that tastes like dessert, and that should definitely not be wasted.

In fact, it should be embraced!  With a mini strawberry cake might I add.

The recipe for this cute little cake can be found here.  I recommend upping the strawberry amount.

Making sweets in the microwave never ceases to make me happy.  I just love that one second it's a big glob of raw batter, and the next it's a fluffy little individual cake!

And a cake that you can eat for breakfast?  Even better!

But the again, what food isn't made better by the fact that you can also somewhat healthfully eat it for breakfast?

Anyway, this cake is a snap to whip up and tastes mighty fine too.  Try it with whipped cream if you're feeling fancy, and gobble it up in 30 seconds flat, whether you leave it plain or not.

Strawberry Cake

On his birthday, along with a yummy breakfast, I also treated my dad to a delightful strawberry cake.


Fluffy, light, and filled with fresh strawberries this cake is sure to please.  And it's eggless too!

I wasn't totally sure about this cake when I decided to make it.  I had originally planned on an angel food cake, but then bailed at the last minute because I was unable to find the correct pan.


I needed another cake recipe, and fast.  This particular one caught my eye simply because it was pretty.  Im a sucker for some beautiful food.  Lucky for me, this cake tasted just as good as it looked!

Strawberry Cake - original recipe can be found here

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1-3/4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup Sugar
• 1-1/2 tbsp cane sugar (you can use regular sugar too)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup yogurt, mixed with some water
• 1 (or maybe a bit more) cups thinly sliced fresh strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a cake pan (I used a 10 inch round one).  Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl beat the butter, oil, and 2/3 cup sugar together.  Once fluffy beat in vanilla extract.  Gently mix in flour mixture in multiple batches, alternating with yogurt.  Mix until just combined and don't overmix.  Fold in the chopped strawberries next.  Pour batter into cake pan and smooth on top.  Lay down more chopped strawberries and sprinkle with (cane) sugar.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cake cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.

In all honesty, I shouldnt really be surprised that this cake was as delicious as it was.  After all, it had fresh strawberries which I am absolutely in love with.


Dad ate some cake too, making me very happy because I always like to think that someone enjoyed what I created.  Also, it would stink to have a cake you didn't like on your birthday, so I'm glad he enjoyed it.


If you like fruit cakes, this is a must.  The juicy strawberries moisten the cake and make it just the right amount gooey.  You can even try the same recipe with a different fruit if your not a total strawberry lover.  


I'd love to hear about your experiments!