Healthy Twinkies

Fun fact about Twinkies: The original filling was banana flavored! It wasn't until bananas were being rationed in WWII that Hostess changed it to vanilla.

Another fact that is probably NOT surprising: Twinkies are not so nutritious.

So, I went on a quest to make a healthier version of the beloved Twinkie. They came out totally cake-like with a perfect creamy vanilla filling!

I get my flours, extracts and stevia from Vitacost (cheap, and delivered right to your door!).

Ok here's the recipe!

Healthy Twinkies

Ingredients for the Twinkie:

1/4 cup light spelt flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup granulated stevia
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or butter extract
1 egg
1/3 cup almond milk
1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

Filling:

1/3 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon sugar-free vanilla Jell-O pudding mix

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the egg, milk, and Greek yogurt to a blender or large food processor and blend until combined. Add the dry ingredients and blend until smooth (Don't overmix!!).

3. Spray a canoe pan with cooking spray (I got mine on clearance at Sur La Table- mine has 6 "canoes"). Divide batter evenly amongst pan. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until knife comes out clean.

4. To make the filling, combine the Greek yogurt and pudding mix. Add mixture to the bottom corner of a small Ziploc plastic bag. Cut a small hole in the bottom corner of the bag (this is where the filling will come out).

5. To add the icing to the Twinkie, use a chopstick or a knife to hollow out the Twinkie by pushing it through horizontally (don't go all the way). Pipe the frosting in each Twinkie.

Keep in the fridge!

Serves 6

Nutrition Facts Healthy Twinkie (per one): 65 calories, 1.8 g Fat, 9.1 g Carbohydrates, 5.5 g Protein, 2.7 g Sugar

Nutrition Facts Original Twinkie (per one Twinkie): 140 calories, 4.5 grams Fat (2.5 Saturated Fat), 24 g Carbohydrates, 1 g Protein, 18 g Sugar

Italian Turkey Meatballs

My mom makes the best meatballs- so these turkey meatballs are based off her original recipe, but I swapped out some of the ingredients to make them more nutritious. This is a leaner version, but still full of flavor. I love serving them over spaghetti squash with homemade tomato sauce.

Italian Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb 94% ground turkey
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup low-fat (or regular) shredded Mozzarella cheese
5 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Salt
Pepper
Oregano

*I used my Ninja food processor to chop the onion, garlic, and garlic

Directions:

1. Add oatmeal to a food processor and blend until it becomes oat flour.
2. Lightly beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly (don't overmix).
3. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Roll the turkey mixture into uniform balls (I made 18) and place on the baking pan. Cook for about 12 minutes. You can add them to your favorite sauce, or eat as is!

For one (out of 18) meatball: 47 calories, 2 g fat, 2 g carbohydrates, 6 grams protein

Healthy Cookie Dough

Cookie dough that's actually good for you! Slightly modified the recipe from PopSugar. 

So easy to make, and a great way to get a good source of fiber, protein, and manganese.

Healthy Cookie Dough

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and pat dry
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon honey
Optional: Add 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder  

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Wasabi Salmon Sandwich with Ginger Garlic Mayo

I used to make this sandwich all the time. So full of flavor! The original recipe is from Cooking Light Magazine, but it magically disappeared from their archives :(. I've modified their version, and it still came out amazing!

Wasabi Salmon Sandwich with Ginger Garlic Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

For the Fish: 

1 (6 oz) salmon fillet
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 packet stevia

Ginger Garlic Mayonnaise:

2 teaspoons low-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon wasabi paste
1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of garlic powder

Other:

Small handful spinach
Whole wheat ciabatta roll

Directions:

1. Combine the rice vinegar through the stevia. Place 3/4 of the mixture in a plastic bag. Set the rest aside (in fridge). Place the salmon in the plastic bag and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Combine the ginger garlic mayonnaise ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Preheat broiler. Coat a baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Cook salmon for about 10 minutes, or until it easily flakes with a fork.  

4. Mix together the leftover 1/4 of the marinade mixture with the handful of spinach.

5. Scoop out the inside of the ciabatta roll (to fit all the good stuff inside!). Spread the ginger garlic mayonnaise on both sides of the roll. Add spinach and salmon and eat like a sandwich!

I've always eaten this with cucumber salad. Just goes together so well:

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
Rice vinegar
Ground ginger
Garlic powder 

Directions:

1. Combine the cucumber and red onion with a few splashes (3 T?) of rice vinegar. Add a dash of ginger and a dash of garlic powder. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Serve cold. 

Coconut Flaxseed Pancakes

I had been sticking to my usual pancake recipe all week, but decided to switch it up this morning and use some ground flaxseed in the batter. These came out so delicious and fluffy- I could've had 3 more stacks.

Ingredient note: I buy my flour, flaxseed, stevia, oatmeal, psyllium husk and more from Vitacost. They have the best prices and deliver right to your door. Click the link for a discount off your first order!

Coconut Flaxseed Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/3 cup riced cauliflower (I used my Ninja to finely chop it)
1/4 cup egg whites
2 tablespoons Cellucor Cinnamon Swirl Whey Protein
3 tablespoons coconut flour
1 tablespoon flaxseed
1 teaspoon psyllium husk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Stevia to taste
Almond milk

1. Microwave the riced cauliflower for 45 seconds (you do NOT taste it- it makes the pancakes moist).
2. Combine all ingredients together in a food processor, except the almond milk. Slowly add almond milk until the batter has a slightly pudding-like consistency.
3. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Once hot, add pancake batter by the spoonful. Cook like regular pancakes (be patient- they take longer to cook than regular pancakes- you don't want to flip too soon!).