A Fabulous Recipe to Work into your Weekend ...

Recipe: Banana Mousse
Banana Mousse

So this week we have a creamy concoction for you that's not only delicious, but also loaded with calcium and electrolytes. And here's a little secret: With its 4 to1 carb to protein ratio, it'll even make a great recovery snack after blasting through those workouts that you're not going to be skipping this weekend!

2 Tbsp. low-fat milk
4 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 medium banana, quartered
1 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
4 slices banana (1/4 inch each)

In a blender, blend milk, sugar, vanilla, and the quartered banana together at high speed until mixture is smooth. Pour into a bowl and fold in yogurt. Chill mixture for at least 45 minutes in refrigerator; when chilled, spoon mousse into 4 dessert dishes. Cut 4 1/4-inch slices from banana, and stand 1 banana slice on its side in each bowl. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories Protein Fiber Carbs Fat Total Saturated Fat
89 4 g 1 g 16 g 1 g 1 g

Black Bean Brownies

• 2 cups black beans (or 1 can of no salt added)
• 3 lightly beaten eggs
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil (or melted butter)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey (or other sweetener of your preference)
• 1/2 cup chopped up bittersweet chocolate (or semi-sweet chips)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

This is so simple to make! Preheat oven to 350° and grease an 8×8 pan. Add all the ingredients minus the last two (chocolate and walnuts) into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and shiny. Stir in the chopped chocolate and walnuts. Spread into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

One batch costs under $2.00 and makes about 16 brownies. Even if you are not avoiding gluten, I know you will enjoy this healthy twist on a family favorite.

I spray the pan with Pam, and I only use the whites of the eggs, or two whites and one full egg. I use olive oil, and I think I only use 2 tablespoons, not 1/3 cup. You can also try using a banana or applesauce in place of the oil if you're really counting calories. I use light Agave Nectar instead of honey or sugar. You can sub the chocolate chips with grain-sweetened carob chips (I think that's what they're called) so there's absolutely no sugar in it, but I just keep a 5 lb. bag of Nestle's chips in the freezer at all times (Costco) so I just use those. (Yes, I do bake sweets for my kiddos, and chocolate chip cookies are a fave around these parts!!! Although I go through that big bag of chips a LOT slower than I used to!!)

I make the entire recipe in the Magic Bullet using the big blender cup and just stir the chips in at the end; I don't add nuts because Daniel doesn't like them but I think they'd be better with nuts, personally.

Enjoy! Guilt-free!