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Peanut Butter Chocolate “Nice Cream” Sandwiches

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Ice cream made out of bananas?  Really?  Yes, it’s a thing and it’s awesome! If that isn’t enough smoosh two of our favorite flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on each side and make it into a sandwich.  Because, why not?!

If you have never made ice cream out of frozen bananas, let’s just say you’ve been majorly missing out!  It literally requires one ingredient and a food processor or high speed blender.  Within minutes you have this ice cream…or “nice” cream.  From there you can enjoy it as is….which is amazing, or add vanilla or cacao powder or frozen strawberries or whatever floats your fancy.

For this batch we added a splash of vanilla and cacao powder to turn it into chocolate “nice” cream.  That was definitely a good decision on our part.  Just saying…

For these “nice” cream sandwiches you want to make the cookies in advanced, wait for them to cool to room temp and then pop them in the freezer so they at least get a little chilled.  If you try to put everything together with warm cookies you will have a drippy sloppy mess = no bueno.  So don’t do that!!

One you have your “nice” cream ready and your cookies chilled you are ready to assemble.  I happened to make these on a day that it was like 100 bizzilion degrees outside so they were melting fast.  That kinda explains why there is no picture of all of them made. Oh well, the trials and tribulations of a food blogger!! I have made them on a non 100 bizzilion degree day and they were much easier to assemble.

Once the sandwiches are put together pop them back into the freezer on a sheet pan like this until frozen. These are such a fun treat you can serve up as a dessert or even an after school snack…..or maybe even for breakfast.  I’ve never done that….who would do that??  Definitely not me.

Peanut Butter Chocolate "Nice Cream" Sandwiches (flourless)
 
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Serves: 8 sandwiches
Ingredients
For the PB Cookies:
  • 1 C peanut butter
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ½ C dark brown sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp dark chocolate chunks or chips
For the Nice Cream:
  • 5 frozen bananas
  • 4 Tbsp cacao powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
For the PB cookies:
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Add peanut butter, egg, brown sugar and vanilla together with a spatula until completely combined. Fold in chocolate chunks.
  2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Use a small size cookie scooper or teaspoon and place dough on parchment lined cookie sheet (approx 16 cookies for smaller cookies or 12 for larger cookies). Use the back of a fork to score the cookie and flatten them out a bit. You may need to dip the fork in water so it doesn't stick to the cookie dough. cook for 10 minutes, allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
  3. Place cooled cookies in the freeze for 30 mins - 1 hour.
For the Nice Cream
  1. Remove bananas from the freezer and let them sit out on the counter for 10-15 minutes.
  2. Place bananas in the food processor and process until the bananas turn into the same consistency as ice cream. Add vanilla and cacao powder - you can leave out the cacao powder if you desire. Turn food processor back on and mix until incorporated.
For the Nice Cream Sandwiches:
  1. Remove cookies from freezer and line half of the cookies with the bottom of the cookie facing up on a cookie sheet. Place enough of the nice cream on top of the cookie to fill the top about ½-1 inch high. Place another cookie on top to make a sandwich. Work quickly before the nice cream melts. Place sandwiches back in the freezer (keep them on the cookie sheet) until frozen.
  2. Serve immediately from freezer as a "healthier" version of an ice cream sandwich.

No Bake Coconut Macaroons

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Coconut macaroons have always been one of my absolute favorite treats.  Growing up we used to go to Mexico every year as a family…grandparents included!  Some of my very best memories from those trips was the time spent playing cards with my Grandpa and walking to the market with my Mom and Nana to pick up coconut macaroons, which were made fresh daily.  While I don’t think we could ever really recreate the taste of those macaroons, we have come up with our own “healthy” version of coconut macaroons. Aside from being made with healthy ingredients, the best part is that they are no bake and take all of 10  minutes to put together. Big bonus points for that, right??

The secret ingredient in our macaroons is one of our favorite ingredients, coconut manna. Coconut manna is simply pureed coconut, that’s it…not other additives.  The flavor is rich and velvety and slightly sweet, just like eating a coconut.

In a saucepan you want to add the coconut manna, a little bit of coconut oil, almond milk and pure maple syrup.  Allow those ingredients to melt down and simmer.  Once you’ve reached a simmer remove from heat and add vanilla extract, unsweetened coconut flakes, rolled oats and salt.  Mix everything together with a spatula until combined.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and use a cookie scooper to spoon out even sized macaroons. Melt chocolate and 1 tsp coconut oil in the microwave.  Mix together and drizzle over the top of the macaroons.

 

Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes until set, pull them out of the freezer and you are in macaroon heaven!! Store macaroons in an airtight container in the fridge.  There you go, coconut macaroons with a healthy spin!!

 

No Bake Coconut Macaroons
 
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Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp almond milk
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil + 1 tsp for chocolate
  • ¼ C pure maple syrup
  • ⅓ C coconut manna (coconut butter)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ C unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 C rolled oats
  • ¼ C dark chocolate chunks
Instructions
  1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add almond milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, and coconut manna and bring to a low simmer. Remove from heat and add vanilla, salt, coconut and oats and stir to combine.
  2. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Use a cookie scooper to scoop out batter onto cookie sheet. Melt chocolate and 1 tsp coconut oil in the microwave until melted. Drizzle the chocolate over the top of the macaroons. Freeze for 10-15 minutes to set before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Flourless Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

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If you are a peanut butter fanatic, these are the cookies for you. They are rich and ridiculously moist – sorry to use the “M” word but it’s necessary when describing these cookies! The best part is that they can be in your mouth in 15 minutes flat.  Only 4 basic ingredients go into these cookies with 1 optional but really (NOT optional) ingredient..the m&m’s or dark chocolate chunks.  We say they are optional but who are we kidding? Just do yourself a favor and throw the m&m’s in too. If you are gluten free these cookies should be an absolute staple in your life.  Oh and by the way, you might as well double the recipe because we guarantee they won’t last long!

flourlesscookies

Flourless Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
 
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Serves: Makes 12 cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 C peanut butter (We use Skippy natural for this recipe)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ½ C dark brown sugar, packed
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ¼ C mini m&m's or dark chocolate chunks (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Add peanut butter, egg, brown sugar and vanilla together, mixing thoroughly. Either fold in m&m's or top with m&m's. Using a cookie scooper, drop cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Use the back of a fork (may need dip fork in water so it doesn't stick to the cookie dough) to score and slightly flatten cookies. Top with m&m's if they weren't folded into the dough. Cook for 10 minutes, let cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe, Mushrooms, Roasted Red Peppers & Goat Cheese

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Last night was one of those nights, like many nights in our house, that I had absolutely nothing planned for dinner. I had 4 hungry mouths looking at me asking what I was making and 3 of those mouths had been asking me what they were having for dinner since the second I picked them up from school. I guess that means that they think about food as much as I do! Sometimes I tell them that I have no idea what I’m making for dinner but secretly I have a few options up my sleeve; this was not one of those nights. I had to scramble and scrounge for a few ingredients I could throw together to make a meal.  Often times it’s those nights that I end up making something very easy and simple that becomes a family favorite.  This was one of those nights, all four of those hungry mouths absolutely loved this dinner…including mine, so that makes five!

The last of my produce was a large stalk of broccoli rabe and a package of crimini mushrooms, and I happened to have a bit of goat cheese left.  I found a jar of roasted red peppers, gluten free brown rice pasta and some chicken broth in the pantry.  These few ingredients mixed with a couple of other kitchen staples turned into an awesome dinner that I’m pretty sure you will be happy that we are sharing with you.  Now don’t be like me with no dinner plans, go grab these ingredients and serve this awesome pasta dish up tonight!

brocollipasta1

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe, Mushrooms, Roasted Peppers & Goat Cheese
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 10 oz GF brown rice pasta - or pasta of choice
  • 1 bunch broccoli rabe, bulky stems removed
  • 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
  • ¾ C roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp good quality olive oil
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • ½ C dry white wine
  • 1 C chicken broth
  • 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled into chunks
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes - optional
  • S & P to taste
Instructions
  1. Fill a large stock pot with water, generously salt and bring to a boil. Add broccoli rabe and remove with a mesh strainer after 30 seconds. Place broccoli into ice cold water (blanche), and then drain. Add pasta to the same pot of boiling water and cook according to package instructions.
  2. In a large skillet over medium heat melt butter and olive oil. Add shallots and sautee for 1 minute. Add sliced mushrooms and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add white wine. Let the wine cook off for about 1 minute. Add roasted peppers and chicken broth and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and season to taste with S & P, add red pepper flakes for spice (optional). In a large serving bowl add pasta, pour in the vegetables and sauce from the skillet and fold together. Top with goat cheese and additional red pepper flakes if you like it extra spicy!
Good Thyme Tip - Chicken is a great addition to this dish if you want to add protien.

Gluten Free Pesto Pasta with Sautéed Baby Hierloom Tomatoes, Fresh Spinach and Feta

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We are obsessed with this dish. How can something with so few ingredients be bursting with so much flavor? Well, the answer is easy…Pesto!! We have a little bit of a love affair with pesto. It can honestly be life changing…okay, that could be a stretch but seriously, that’s how strongly we feel about it. Making up a batch of pesto takes only a few minutes and then you can easily transform anything into the most flavorful dish ever. So for this amazing creation, we just boiled up some gluten free pasta that we had in the pantry, sautéed some gorgeous baby heirloom tomatoes in a little olive oil and then tossed it all together with some fresh spinach and feta cheese and voila! There you have it folks, an easy peasy healthy pasta dinner. The great thing about this dish is that the leftovers are amazing too.  Hopefully you have some left so you can enjoy this one again tomorrow!

pestopasta

Pesto Pasta with Sautéed Baby Hierloom Tomatoes, Fresh Spinach and Feta
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ½ lb GF brown rice pasta (TJ's - or pasta of choice)
  • 1 small container mini organic hierloom tomatoes, halved
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 3 C loosely packed fresh spinach, stems removed and chopped
  • ⅓ C feta cheese, crumbled
  • approx ⅓ C pesto - (see homemade recipe below- can also use store-bought)
  • approx ½ C reserved pasta water
  • S & P to taste
For the Pesto:
  • 2 C packed fresh basil leaves
  • ¼ C toasted pine nuts
  • 1 cloved garlic, chopped
  • ½ C grated parmesan cheese
  • ½ C good quality olive oil
  • S & P to taste
Instructions
For the Pesto:
  1. In a food processor combine basil, cheese, garlic, pine nuts and ¼ C olive oil. Slowly drizzle in the remaining ¼ C olive oil while the food processor is running. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Store remaining pesto in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
For the Pasta:
  1. Boil large pot of generously salted water. Add pasta, stirring occasionally. While pasta is boiling, heat olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes and cook for approx 5 minutes until they begin to break down. Remove from heat and set aside. When pasta is done remove approx ½ C of water before draining. Drain pasta and place back into original pot. Add spinach and stir to incorporate, add pesto and water, pouring water slowly as to not add too much. Add tomatoes and feta and fold into pasta. Season with S & P and transfer to a serving bowl. May need to adjust pesto measurements depending on how strong of a pesto flavor you prefer.

Apples with Oatmeal Cookie Dip

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Whose kids are not starving after school? I don’t know about you but the minute mine walk in the door, they act as if they haven’t eaten in days and are totally famished! I mean, I don’t blame my son who’s in 4th grade, given that he eats lunch at 10:30am! Poor guy. That’s a mid- morning snack in my book! With that being said, I really try to capitalize on this ravenous hunger and have healthy choices available to them immediately. This is a perfect time to have fruits and veggies on hand. That seems simple enough but we all know how easily kids can get bored of the same old thing. To make fruits and veggies more interesting, pair them with fun, easy dipping sauces or spreads. This Oatmeal Cookie Dip is a perfect example of providing a healthy treat that is so crazy good but is also loaded with nutrition. It also only takes about 3 minutes to make, you can’t beat that. My kids gobble this one up and I’m not going to lie, I have been known to gobble it up too!! Trust me. I am confident that you will Love it!

appleswithcookiedip

Apples with Oatmeal Cookie Dip
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • small pinch of salt
  • sliced apples
Instructions
  1. Toast the oats in oven or saute pan for about 1-2 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.
  2. Transfer toasted oats to a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until well combined.
Good Thyme Tip - This dip is delicious served warm but can be enjoyed at room temperature as well. May need to adjust the amount of peanut butter depending on the consistency of peanut butter used,