clean eating

EASY Banana Bread Nut and Seed Butter

March 29, 2015 by Bethany And Rachel 17 Comments

I’ve am now obsessed with making my own nut butter! It’s super easy and you can save lots of money! I have always wanted to try Nuttzo, a type of nut and seed butter, but its so expensive that I will not dare even to go near the stuff! Seriously, $15.00 for a jar that I can polish off in a week, no thank you.

Homemade Nut and Seed Butter

Thank fully I made my own homemade nuttzo, and I believe that its even better then the store bought! I added my own banana bread flavoring (all natural and refined sugar-free of course), and voila, the most amazing, cheapest nut (and seed) butter you will ever taste!

Banana Bread Nut and Seed Butter

(adapted from My Healthy, Happy Home)

1 cup almonds
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup walnuts
2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 Tbsp. coconut sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Place all nuts and seeds on a cooking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until slightly toasted (you can skip this step if you would like).
Place all nuts and seeds in a food processor and blend until a butter forms, about 3-5 minutes.
In a small sauce pan, add banana, coconut sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Place on low heat for about 5-7 minutes, or until mixture resembles a sauce.
Add banana mixture to nut and seed butter and blend in food processor for another 2-3 minutes, or until blended evenly.
Enjoy!

Health Benefits

All-natural
No preservatives
No artificial ingredients
No artificial sweeteners
Refined sugar-free
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Grain-free
High in fiber
Healthy fats
Paleo
Vegan
Vegetarian
Whole 30

Paleo Banana Nut Donut Holes

March 15, 2015 by Bethany And Rachel 10 Comments

My favorite muffin flavor is banana nut (igf your’e wondering my motivation behind making these banana nut donut holes). There is just something about it that makes the world go round! My mom used to by the prepackaged banana nut muffins for my lunch in middle school and they were the highlight of my day (I hated middle school!!). They were no where near healthy, with artificial banana flavoring and a chock-full of sugar (yuck I do not know why I ate them!)

I have made a few types of muffins the past few days so it was time to recreate something else. Banana nut munchkins came into my mind and they are amazing! They literally taste like a banana nut muffin transformed into a donut!

Homemade Banana Nut Donut Holes

No artificial flavoring or added sugar in here, just the good stuff! Wheat and Gluten-free and perfect for all you paleo guys out there in need of a donut!

Banana Nut Munchkins

Makes 15-20 donuts

1/3 cup coconut flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 Tbsp. unrefined cane sugar (I used chancaca) or honey
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 banana mashed
2 tbsp. crushed walnuts,
more walnuts to roll donuts in, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place all ingredients in a food processor. Blend for 20 seconds or until dough is form.
Roll dough into 15-20 balls and roll in crushed walnuts.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until fully cooked.
Enjoy!

Health Benefits

Coconut flour

Packed with fiber and protein
Healthy fats
Wheat-free
Gluten-free

Bananas

Packed with many vitamins and minerals such as potassium, manganese, magnesium, folate, vitamin B6, C and A
Plenty of fiber
Natural sugar

Like This Recipe? Try This One!

Paleo Maple Banana Donuts

Recipe Redux: Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake!

February 21, 2015 by Bethany And Rachel 5 Comments

This month’s Recipe Redux theme was a combo of chocolate and something else. So naturally, I decided to make a chocolate and peanut butter cake! You can never beat that combo!

I always loved making birthday cakes ever since I knew how to turn on an oven. I’ve made all my friends cakes, my uncles, my aunts, my grandparents, my parents and my siblings. This year my mom requested a chocolate peanut butter cake, and since she is on a clean eating diet, I’d figure I would make it with all-naturak ingredients. I did, and it turned out fabulous! Its not too sweet like cake normally is, and its super duper moist! A little sliver goes a long way!

Clean-Eating Gluten-free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

2 cups brown rice flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. instant coffee granules
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 eggs, beaten (or two flax eggs for vegan option)
1/2 cup almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
3/4 cup coffee, cooled
1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 oz. dark chocolate, melted (or semi-sweet)

Filling (adapted from Minimalist Baker)

1/3 cup coconut cream
2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. agave nectar/honey/ maple syrup

Chocolate drizzle

3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. maple syrup/agave/honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients except melted chocolate. Mix well and add to dry ingredients. Scrape sides of the bowl while mixing to ensure all ingredients are evenly mixed.
Add melted chocolate to batter and stir well.
Spray cooking spray in two circle layer cake pans. Add batter evenly between two pans and bake for about 45 minutes, or until done.
For filling, use a hand mixer to beat coconut cream until smooth and fluffy. Add in peanut butter and agave and beat for another 15 minutes or until evenly mixed.
Once cake is cooled, take out of pans carefully and spread filling on top of bottom layer and place other layer on top.

Health Benefits Peanut Butter:

Healthy fats
Protein
Vitamin E
Magnesium

Cocoa Powder:

High in antioxidants
Low in calories
Fiber
Magnesium

Recipe as a whole:

Clean Ingredients
Healthy fats
Gluten-free
High in fiber
Protein
Refined sugar-free
Can be vegan

An InLinkz Link-up

Dark Cherry Mocha Granola

January 29, 2015 by Bethany 8 Comments

I absolutely love making my own granola! I love making my own unique flavors and being in control of the ingredients. I didn’t have much oats left, but I did have some rice chex on hand, so I decided to use some of that. It was a really good idea because adds a nice crunch to the normal granola! I also had some cherries I needed to use up, so they made a sweet flavor when paired with the more bitter coffee granules and cocoa nibs! This is super easy to make, not to mention much healthier then store bought granola and cereal!

Dark Cherry Mocha Granola

2 cups rice chex cereal
2 cups gluten-free oats
1 cup dark cherries, pureed
1/4 cup apple sauce
2 Tbsp. instant coffee granules
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. sliced almonds
2 Tbsp. cocoa nibs or dark chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. dries cranberries or raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cover a cooking sheet with parchment paper. Spread chex and oats onto cooking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until slightly toasted.
In a medium size bowl, combine cherry puree, apple sauce, coffee granules, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix well.
Once cereal is toasted, mix in cocoa nibs and dried cranberries.
Add cherry mixture to cereal and mix well, making sure all ingredients are evenly spread through out.
Bake for another 25 minutes, or until done.
Enjoy!

Health Benefits:

All-natural ingredients
No preservatives
No artificial flavors
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Refined sugar-free
High fiber
Vegan
Vegetarian

10 Amazing Healthy Pancake Recipes you MUST TRY!

January 11, 2015 by Bethany And Rachel 28 Comments

Hey there! I don’t know bout you, but I LOVE pancakes! They can easily be made into a filling ,healthy and nutritious breakfast in the blink of an eye! Let me share with you a few of my favorite amazing healthy pancake recipes from me and other incredible bloggers!

Zucchini-Cornbread Pancakes From Athletic Avocado

2.Paleo Mocha Almond Pancakes From the Healthy Maven

Photo from thehealthymaven.com

3.Buckwheat Pancakes with Almonds and Honey Roasted Peaches From Food Faith Fitness

photo from foodfaithfitness.com

4.Chocolate Zucchini Bread Pancakes From Athletic Avocado

5.Healthy Cannoli Pancakes From Kitchen Tested

photo from kitchentested.com

6.Chai-Spiced Banana Bread Pancakes From Athletic Avocado

7.Healthy Red Velvet Pancakes From The Big Man’s World

Photo From thebigmansworld.com

8.Chocolate Chunk Maca Banana Bread Pancakes From Honey and Figs Kitchen

photo from honeyandfigskitchen.com

9.Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Pancakes From Breakfast Drama Queen

photo from breakfastdramaqueen.com

10.Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cakes with Blueberry Glaze From The Housewife Training Files

Photo from houseworktrainingfiles.com

We hope you enjoy these Amazing Healthy Pancake Recipes!

Banana Cinnamon Cranberry Muffins with Maple Sunbutter Frosting+ Sunbutter Review!

January 6, 2015 by Bethany And Rachel 4 Comments

Before a few days ago, I have never tried an other nut butter beside peanut and almond. Now I can say I went outside of my comfort zone and tried the incredible SunButter! I can even say I think it may be better than peanut butter (gasp)! The flavor is just unreal, so perfect and so creamy, I’m obsessed! I just knew I had to make a recipe where this beauty would shine through, and these muffins are the perfect thing! Who knew bananas, cranberries and sunbutter blend perfectly together?

Banana Cinnamon Cranberry Muffins with Maple-Sunbutter frosting

1 cup oat flour
1 ripe banana
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp dried cranberries

Frosting

2 Tbsp. creamy sunbutter
2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1. combine all ingredients except cranberries in a food processor and blend until well mixed

2. Put batter into a bowl and mix in cranberries

3. divide batter into muffin liners/cups and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until done.

4. Mix maple syrup and sun butter together and spread on top of muffins.

5. Enjoy!

Health Benefits:

Sunbutter:

Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Nut-free
High in vitamins E, magnesium, copper, niacin and zinc
High in fiber and protein

Nutrition Facts: 200 calories, 16 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar and 7 grams of protein per serving.

Recipe as a whole:

All natural
No refined sugar
Natural sugars
No preservatives
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Nut-free
High in fiber
High in protein
Vegan
Vegetarian
High in vitamins and minerals

Top 10 Recipes of 2014!!!

December 29, 2014 by Bethany And Rachel 14 Comments

Hey Everyone! Hope your celebrations before the new year are going well! Just wanted to post about my top 10 most popular recipes of the year! It’s been a great 6 months for the Athletic Avocado! Can’t wait for 2015, there are gonna be a lot of new and big things coming! Hope you enjoy! 🙂

1. Peanut Butter Banana French Toast Rollups

2. Zucchini-Cornbread Pancakes

3. Paleo Banana-Nut Breakfast Cereal

4. Burrito Bowl Stuffed Peppers

5. Carrot Cake English Muffin

6. Pumpkin-Ricotta French Toast Rollups

7. Gluten-Free Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins

8. Peanut Butter and Banana Hand Pies

9. Papaya-Avocado Slaw

10. Lemon-Blueberry Pie Bars

What are your plans for the new year?
What is your favorite all-time dish?
Do you have any new year resolutions?

Have a safe and happy New Year!

Thanks to Jenn for linking up!

Spiced Winter Fruit Compote

December 25, 2014 by Bethany And Rachel 1 Comment

One of my favorite winter dishes is this winter spiced fruit that my mom makes every year. Its seriously so good and a nice change from pies and cakes for dessert. The recipe calls for canned peaches, cherries, and cranberries in syrup. It’s full of added sugar and unnecessarily sweet, so I wanted to make my own version. I used a little honey in place of the syrup and its just as good, if not better! Using fresh fruit instead of canned makes all the difference! This is perfect stirred in oatmeal, yogurt, drizzled on top of angel food cake or simply eaten by itself! So easy to make and very healthy, you have to make it!

Spiced Winter Fruit Compote

2 apples, chopped
2 pears, chopped
1 cup frozen cranberries
1 cup frozen peaches or apricots
2 cups frozen black cherries
1/2 cup orange slices ( or about 1 whole orange)
1 cup grapes
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup honey/maple syrup or 2 Tbsp. Nunaturals simple stevia syrup
1 lemon, sliced
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cinnamon sticks, optional

1. Add all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and let simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until apples are soft

2. Serve on top of ice cream, yogurt, toast or simply enjoy a bowl on it’s own

Health Benefits:

All-natural
Refined sugar-free
Full of fiber
No preservatives
No added sugar
Tons of antioxidants and vitamins
Vegan
Vegetarian
Paleo
Primal
Whole 30
Gluten-free
Grain-free
Dairy-free
Egg-free

GF Cinnamon Apple Cheesecake Muffins +Daisy’s Cottage Cheese Product Review

December 21, 2014 by Bethany And Rachel 9 Comments

As much as I love trying new foods, I have to admit there are certain foods I HAVE to eat every day, Cottage cheese being one of them! I’ve been becoming obsessed with the stuff lately, and been choosing it over my greek yogurt (gasp!). I’m hooked on the creaminess and distinct texture it adds to certain foods. You can add it to smoothies and oatmeal for added protein or sub it with cream cheese or ricotta cheese in baking and cooking! I was very grateful when Daisy Brand send me over some coupons to try their amazing cottage cheese! I was amazed at the quality of the 100% all-natural ingredients that the 90 year old company uses! Daisy uses no preservatives which sets them apart from any other dairy products!

Low-Fat Cottage Cheese

Only 90 calories and a whopping 13 grams of protein per half cup! Super creamy and chunky even though its low in fat! There are only a few all-natural ingredients :Cultured skim milk, cream, salt, vitamin A palmitate. Whats not to love?

Gluten-free Cinnamon Apple Cheesecake Muffins makes 6-8 muffins

1 1/4 cup Gluten-free oat flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup no sugar added apple sauce
1/4 cup milk (I used almond)
1 egg or 2 egg whites, beaten
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup/ honey
1/2 cup finely chopped apple
2 Tbsp. finely chopped pecans (optional)

Filling

1/2 cup Daisy Brand cottage cheese
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl combine oat flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix well.
Add in apple sauce, milk, egg vanilla and maple syrup. Combine well then add in chopped apple and pecans and mix.
In a food processor, combine remaining ingredients for filling. Process until smooth, or about 10 seconds.
Line a muffin tin with liners and add batter one-third of the way for each slot. Then add a spoonful of the cheesecake mixture. Finish it up with another spoonful of batter. Repeat for each muffin.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until muffins are done.
Enjoy!

What’s your favorite way to eat cottage cheese?

[Tweet “#glutenfree Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake Muffins are packed with protein and fiber!”]

Thanks to Meatless Mondays for Hosting!

Gluten-free Peppermint Brownies

December 19, 2014 by Bethany And Rachel 18 Comments

With christmas peeking behind the corner, I just couldn’t help myself getting into the christmas spirit a little early. I always look forward to baking desserts for holiday parties, but this year things are going to be a tad different. Instead of using tons of butter and unhealthy ingredients, my plan is create healthy clean eating recipes without my family evening knowing! The same great taste but way less calories and tons of health benefits! Peppermint is one of the official flavors of Christmas so what better way then to make healthy clean eating peppermint brownies? Packed with loads of health benefits like fiber, vitamins, healthy fats and so on, you won’t know they are healthy!

Gluten-free Peppermint Brownies

(adapted from Fit Foodie Finds)

1 cup garbanzo bean flour (or any gluten-free flour)
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg or 2 egg whites, beaten (or flax egg)
1/4 cup agave nectar/maple syrup/honey
1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. peppermint extract (use 1 1/2 tsp if not using stevia)
1/2 tsp. peppermint stevia
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, melted (can be vegan)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Mix well.
In a separate bowl combine egg, agave, coconut oil and extracts. Combine well.
Combine wet ingredients into dry ingredients, making sure to mix well and scraping sides of bowl to ensure evenly mixed.
Add melted chocolate and stir batter well to evenly distribute chocolate.
Spray cooking spray in a glass pan. Spoon in batter and spread evenly throughout pan.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until done.
Enjoy!

Health Benefits

All-natural
No preservatives
No processed sugar
Refined sugar-free
Healthy fats
Full of fiber
Clean ingredients
Gluten-free
Dairy-free(if using dairy-free chocolate)
Vegan
Vegetarian
Tons of antioxidants and vitamins

clean eating

Homemade Nut and Seed Butter

Homemade Banana Nut Donut Holes

Banana Nut Munchkins

Like This Recipe? Try This One!

Zucchini-Cornbread Pancakes From Athletic Avocado

4.Chocolate Zucchini Bread Pancakes From Athletic Avocado

6.Chai-Spiced Banana Bread Pancakes From Athletic Avocado

We hope you enjoy these Amazing Healthy Pancake Recipes!

Gluten-free Peppermint Brownies

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