A Healthy Cookie Recipe

A Cookie Recipe That’s Actually Good for You

Try this prunetastic recipe to tame your sweet tooth and protect your skin from a harsh winter.

Brrr! It’s cold out—and the Arctic Vortex isn’t exactly helping our skin. What’s more, the cold also makes us crave sweets, which can get in the way of our attempts to make better food choices. But here’s a healthy and incredibly enjoyable way you can both protect your skin and satisfy your sweet tooth: this gluten-free and vegan oatmeal, prune and raisin cookie recipe.

Why It’s PrunetasticDried plums, with their wide array of phenolic compounds (plant nutrients that contribute to the flavor and color of produce and have potential health benefits), are rich in antioxidants. In fact, dried plums have one of the highest levels of antioxidant capacity, with more antioxidants per weight than many other foods. These antioxidants can help protect skin cells from damaging free radicals that form from outdoor exposure, which may help to guard against premature aging and wrinkle formation. Just five dried plums contain 3 grams of fiber and 30 percent of your daily recommended intake of vitamin K, along with potassium and vitamin A.




Eat Less and Feel FullThe oatmeal in this recipe provides a good source of dietary fiber—a key player in weight loss and long-term weight maintenance. A number of studies have shown an inverse association between fiber intake and body weight. This association is likely explained by fiber’s ability to promote satiety and feelings of fullness.

Unlike store-bought cookies, there’s no added sugar or empty calories. Instead, these cookies are fabulously sweet because all of the sweet goodness comes from the natural plant sugars found in the prunes, raisins and bananas. You can easily freeze bananas that are getting over ripe and then you’ll always have them on hand to make these cookies. To make it easier, peel the bananas first and then freeze them in a plastic re-sealable bag for easy removal.

This is also a great recipe to make with your family, especially with children. Kids love to smash things, and the first step when making these cookies is to mash the bananas and then just fold in the remaining ingredients. Your family will love helping, and you’ll love knowing that these cookies are not manufactured and are good for you.

Gluten-Free, Vegan Oatmeal, Prune and Raisin Cookies Recipe
Makes 36 cookies
Ingredients:3 bananas, ripe
½ cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
¼ cup pecans, toasted, chopped
¼ cup prunes, dried, pitted, no sugar added, chopped
1 cup yellow raisins
2 cups oatmeal, plain, old-fashioned whole oats

Directions:In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas with hand masher, combine and mix in canola oil, vanilla, walnuts, pecans, prunes and raisins. Add oatmeal and mix all ingredients together until well mixed. Using a 1-ounce scoop, measure and drop mixture onto parchment-covered cookie sheet. Slightly push down mixture with fingers to lightly flatten. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.  Remove, let cool and serve.

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aricle source-youbeauty.com  

Spa Recipe: Acai Breakfast Bowl

Start your day off on a healthy note with this guilt-free treat!

by Carolyn Meers

The period just after the holidays is reality-check time for anyone watching their weight. The scales insist on registering every last buttery indulgence and, for many clients, those New Year’s resolutions fade faster than the final bars of “Auld Lang Syne”.

Kick-start your January regimen with this satisfying yet healthful recipe, the Açai Breakfast Bowl. 
It’s refreshing and restorative and, according to chef David Reardon, “a favorite because of its health benefits and invigorating combination of flavors and textures. It’s our top seller in the mornings!”

The recipe’s fruit base is a sweet, slightly tart blend of blueberries, strawberries, açai berries and goji berries. (The gojis should be parboiled for 15 minutes to rehydrate and soften them.) A splash of orange juice lends a smoothie-like consistency, while granola provides crunch.

The dish delivers a powerful antioxidant punch: açai berries are high in anthocyanins, a form of plant antioxidant thought to help lower cholesterol; strawberries and goji berries are rich in vitamin C, which helps fight free radicals and bolster the immune system; and blueberries are an excellent source of bone-strengthening vitamin K.

You can boost the bowl’s benefits by pairing it with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice or, in winter, a warming cup of green tea. Whatever the accompanying beverage, this is one tasty wake-up call!

Açai Breakfast Bowl

1 oz. organic açai purée
1 oz. frozen blueberries
1 oz. frozen strawberries
4 oz. fresh orange juice
¼ oz. goji berries, parboiled
1 oz. fresh blueberries
1 oz. granola
1 oz. fresh strawberries, sliced
1 banana, sliced
1 Tbsp. agave syrup
1 sprig mint
Purée the first five ingredients in a blender. Garnish with fresh blueberries, strawberry and banana slices, granola, agave syrup and mint.

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Spa Recipe: Debloat Smoothie from Celebrity Cruises

This fiber-rich treat will get you on board the health train in no time!

by Lesley McCave

iStockphoto.com 

 

Just as the cruise ship spa business is booming so is the trend for healthy eating while on board. Gourmet banquets still have their place, but these days cruise ship cuisine is steering more toward overall wellness.

At the forefront of the movement is Celebrity Cruises, which recently partnered with SPE Certified, a program whose team of food experts, including chefs, nutritionists and dieticians, gives its stamp of approval to dishes based on such factors as seasonality, sourcing and sustainability. “SPE” is taken from the Latin phrase, sanitas per escam, or “health through food.” An SPE Certified dish is guaranteed to be low in salt, saturated fats and processed ingredients, and dense in nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

“Consumers’ desire for healthy dining options has evolved from a small niche several years ago into the general mindset today, with developments like nutrition labeling and the banning of trans fats,” says John Suley, Celebrity Cruises’ executive chef and associate vice president of culinary operations. “At Celebrity, we’ve kept pace with those trends in our menu offerings, and have taken a particularly innovative approach to healthy dining by partnering with SPE Certified.”

The Debloat Smoothie, served at Celebrity’s AquaSpa Cafés, is a prime example of a healthy yet delicious SPE Certified dish. It’s packed with pumpkin (known for its fiber-rich properties) and banana (high in potassium, which helps rid the body of excess sodium, thereby reducing water retention). It also contains a touch of sweetness via honey and a hint of spiciness thanks to cinnamon and nutmeg. The smoothie is vegan and suitable for people with allergies to gluten or lactose.

So if you are complaining about your post-holiday waistline, this should help you get back on an even keel!

Debloat Smoothie

Serves 1
¼ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin purée
½ cup chopped frozen banana
1 cup unsweetened vanilla soy milk
1 Tbsp. protein powder
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tsp. honey
Blend all ingredients well and serve.

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Spa Recipes: Granola

It seemed too good to be true—a delicious, nutritious breakfast that could double as dessert?

by Carolyn Meers

Armando Sanchez 

San Diego’s Cal-A-Vie health spa has created a granola that hits all the marks; it’s rich on texture and flavor but light on the waistline. Chef, Jason Graham, developed the recipe to offer optimal flavor and nutritional value. Subbing in agave nectar for maple syrup was a start. “Agave is a lower glycemic sweetener,” Graham explains. “It’s about one and a half times sweeter than sugar, so you end up using less.” He also ditched heavy cooking oil for grapeseed oil to slash calories and fat.

Granola Recipe

Makes 10 cups
1.5 bananas
2 cups agave or maple syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
Small pinch salt
1 tbsp. grapeseed oil
4 cups rolled oats
1 box brown rice cereal
2 cups toasted slivered almonds or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine bananas, agave, cinnamon, salt and oil in a blender. Coat with the oats.
3. Spread mixture evenly onto 2 large sheet pans and bake for 30 minutes, turning the oats every 10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven, and stir in the brown rice cereal. Add more agave as needed.
5. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake mixture, turning every 10 minutes, for
45-60 minutes, until crispy. Remove and cool on rack for 1 hour.
6. Transfer mixture to an airtight container, and mix in the nuts.

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Spa Recipe: Honey-Roasted Carrots

Since we support healthy living here at Monterey Day Spa, I decided to implement a new feature.  Going forward I will post the occassional healthy recipe!  Leave a comment and let me know if you enjoy this kind of feature!

Spa Recipe: Honey-Roasted Carrots from Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee

Serve up some farm-fresh fixings this season with this nutritious--and delicious--snack.

by Lesley McCave

Blackberry Farm 

 

As the holiday season gets into full swing, rich dishes quickly start to take their toll leaving us feeling sluggish and heavy. Fortunately, calorie-laden cookies aren’t the only treats that can satisfy during this time. For a creative twist, why not try these warm and soothing honey-roasted carrots?

This recipe comes from Blackberry Farm, a 58-room resort set on 4,200 acres in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, near Walland, Tennessee. Here, the focus is on food, wine and wellness, with activities from cooking demos to chakra balancing.

At Blackberry Farm, local ingredients are the order of the day.  According to Josh Feathers, executive chef of the Main House, while this recipe can be made with any type of carrot—summer, baby or regular—it helps if they’re locally grown, for maximum flavor.

But this dish does more than just taste delicious: carrots are a major source of the vital antioxidant beta carotene, which is converted into vitamin A by the body, helping to maintain healthy skin and eyesight. “To get the full potential from carrots and enable the body to absorb the carotenoids, I always recommend preparing or processing them in some way, whether through juicing, shredding or, in this case, cooking,” notes Feathers. “Plus, the fat from the olive oil also aids in the absorption of the carrots’ nutrients.”

So when it comes to easy-to-prepare nibbles, these really are all sweetness and light!

Honey-Roasted Carrots

2 cups peeled baby carrots
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
Dash of sherry or red wine vinegar
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. honey (preferably wildflower)
2 tsp. fresh thyme sprigs
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Combine the carrots, oil, garlic, sherry/vinegar, salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, covered. Remove the cover and stir once, making sure the carrots have begun to soften. Add the honey and thyme to the pan, tossing to coat. Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until caramelized. Serves several people as a side dish or snack.

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Article source: dayspamagazine.com