skinny chunky monkey cookies

I found this recipe floating around on Facebook. May be worth a try? :)

Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies
(Makes 30 cookies)

3 ripe bananas
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash bananas in a large bowl, then stir in remaining ingredients. Let batter stand for approximately 20 minutes, then drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.

Freezing Directions:
Cool completely, then place cookies in a freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.

Nutritional Information (per cookie):
47 calories; 7.5 g carbs; 1.6 g fat; 1.5 g protein; 1.3 g fiber; 1

Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies

You guys! These cookies are totally legal!! You can make them and eat the entire batch for breakfast and not even feel bad about it (that's what I did today, actually). These totally satisfy my craving for a warm, soft, chewy cookie with absolutely none of the guilt after I eat six of them. I am so happy about this I want to sing!

Nutritionally, this is like eating a bowl of oatmeal, minus the milk. The walnuts give you essential omega-3 fatty acids, and you're getting a serving of fruit from the banana, and whole grains from the oats. The other nice thing about this is it's totally adaptable. You can put whatever you want in them. The first time I made them I only used a banana, oats and chopped walnuts and they were still good!

Are you ready for the best part? If you make these as described below, the entire batch only has about 400 calories.  If you just make the basic cookie with only the banana and oats it's about 240 calories for 6-8 cookies. I know. I know. You can thank me later.

Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Cookie base:

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs quick oats

The above ingredients are actually all you need, but I added a few extras:

dash of salt

splash of vanilla

2 Tbs chopped walnuts

1 1/2 Tbs craisins

1 1/2 Tbs shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together ingredients. Form into cookie shapes and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray (they will stick to the pan without one of these precautions). These don't change shape, puff or rise while baking, so form them into the shape you want them to end up. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Makes 6-8 cookies.

Banana Nut Oatmeal

1/2 cup whole rolled oats
1 cup water (for microwaving)
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
1 whole banana, sliced
1/8 cup walnuts (or nut of choice)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (to taste)
Dash of nutmeg (to taste)

Microwave oats, water and salt until done (about 2:00 minutes or so), stir in the rest of the ingredients and it is filling, satisfying, delicious and guilt free!

Favorite Oatmeal Cookies

From fellow Gi8ers Scott and Kristin...

1/2 c. mashed avocado (1 small or 1/2 of a large avocado)

2 c.  brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour

2 c. old-fashioned oats

Cream avocado and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Add salt, soda, powder, and flour. Mix. Stir in oats. Roll into 2 inch balls. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.After taking them out of the oven, flatten using the bottom of a glass or something flat. Let cool.  Store in an air-tight container.

Makes 26-ish cookies. For calorie counters, they are 136 calories each.

ENJOY!

Ground Turkey Meatloaf

From:  Lillian, Team:  California Girls

3 oz. = 173 calories

1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup egg substitute or 3 eggs

One 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with garlic and basil (Italian style)

1 packet onion soup mix

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In large bowl, combine turkey, oats, egg substitute or eggs, and soup mix until blended thoroughly.

Place in 4" x 8" loaf pan.

Bake until well done, about 1 1/2 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

(3 ounces can be weighed on a kitchen scale.  Or, I find, from a bread-loaf size meatloaf, 3 ounces is the same as a slice the width of my pointer finger.)

five ingredient granola bars

This comes from Gi8er Julie...

Five Ingredient Granola Bars

2 cups quick cooking oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup raisans, dried cherries or cranberries, M&M's, mini-chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, or anything  you like

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray or line with foil and spray. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Press into prepared pan and bake for about 18 minutes, or unitl light and golden.  cool 5 minutes, cut into squares and cool completely before serving. Store in airtight container. Makes 18 bars. 

(and obviously you would not use the chocolate)

oatmeal pancakes

this recipe comes from biggest-loser-recipes.com. go there to see the original or to look for more!

Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients:

6 egg whites
1 cup rolled oats, dry
1 cup cottage cheese
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. Heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. For each pancake pour 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle. Flip when they start to bubble. Cook until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batches, spraying the griddle as needed. Makes about 10 pancakes.

Number of Servings: 3

Nutritional Info Per Serving:
181 Calories, 2.7g Fat, 10mg Cholesterol, 361mg Sodium, 20g Carbs, 2.8g Fiber