Healthy Guilt Free Banana Loaf that Actually Tastes Great!

Posted in Breakfast, Vegan Baking by Vegan Mommy Dee

Hi everyone! Hope all is well with you all. It’s still quite cold and damp in my neck of the woods. The rain and dampness has made me crave comforting baked goods so I’ve been revamping my banana bread. It’s just a cold, cold Spring!

I’ve enjoyed baking and creating lots of cozy meals lately. It’s all about the comfort meals this time of year. I have so many recipes to share with you all this year and I’m hoping to get them posted soon. I’ve been recipe testing and trying my best to create healthy versions of my favourite meals. Many of them have been a huge success but a few still need to be tweaked a tad.

I’ve recreated my original banana bread and made it as healthy as possible without sacrificing the taste of this epic treat. I’m so very happy with the result! This is the most often made treat at my house. It’s easy to make, includes staple ingredients that pretty much everyone has on hand and it’s guilt free. It’s healthy and delicious! No need to have any guilt about indulging in this banana bread. You’re fueling your body with nutritious ingredients instead of the typical store bought version that’s full of sugar and fat.

I also love using this recipe for mini muffins and mini loafs. Just bake them for a shorter period of time. I love how versatile this recipe is.

I really tried to break this recipe down to minimal ingredients so that everyone can feel like they can make it easily. It doesn’t matter what your skill level is in the kitchen either. This recipe is so easy that anyone can make it, and end up with a perfect snack. I also like to create meals that children can make as well. My son is usually my assistant in the kitchen. I want him to learn the importance of making home cooked meals and desserts. My recipes are easy enough for him to help me with and learn some skills. If you have little ones too, then you can definitely make this recipe with them!

My recipe is less calorie rich than my original version. I decided to eliminate the nuts and oil to save on calories. I realized that they were honestly unnecessary ingredients in the recipe. Any type of oil is still refined and not healthy by any means. It provides no nutritional benefits and makes baked goods very calorie rich. I know the hype right now is eat all the fat you can because it’s said to be healthy for us in our diet. The reality is, it’s not. Yes we need some fat in our diet but it really should be from the whole food source such a yummy avocado.

I will add my video version of this recipe below. I know a lot of you enjoy watching the recipe video on my YouTube channel. Thank you for the continued support on my channel. I really appreciate it. If you haven’t already Subscribed to my channel then please consider doing so if you enjoy health and wellness videos. I make healthy yet satisfying meals on my channel and provide wellness tips as well.

Ok so let’s get to the good part …

Here is probably one of my most favourite recipes that I’ve ever created! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Healthy Guilt Free Banana Bread

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups of oat flour

1 cup of oats

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 cup hemp hearts (optional)

2 Tbsp. Ground Flax

Optional : 1/4 – 1/3 cup Vegan Chocolate chips/chocolate chunks or cacao nibs

Wet Ingredients:

6 Tbsp. Warm Water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 of a cup of plant-based milk

3 regular sized spotty bananas, mashed

1/3 of a cup of sugar. I use coconut sugar, brown sugar, or maple sugar.

* Preheat oven to 350 F *

Method:

1. In a large bowl place 2 cups of oat flour and 1 cup of oats. Next add in 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/3 cup sugar of choice. Combine well. Toss in the 1/4 cup of hemp hearts if you are using them in your banana loaf.

2. Add 2 tablespoons of flax meal to a small bowl with 6 tablespoons of warm water. Mix well and allow to thicken up

3. In another large bowl mash three spotty bananas well. Add in 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and the 1/2 cup of plant-based milk. Mix well.

4. Add the flax egg into the wet ingredients. I use a fork to mix it well.

5. Next add the wet ingredients into the dry and combine everything very well.

6. Transfer your batter into your baking dishes or loaf pans. Bake at 350° for approximately 40 to 50 minutes.

ENJOY! 💛

Let me know if you try my recipe out in the comments below! Have a wonderful week everyone!

Health, Joy & Positive Vibes,

29Oct2021

Easy Butternut Squash Soup

Posted in Holiday Meals, Lunch/Dinner by Vegan Mommy Dee

We are definitely in the heart of the fall season and cozy recipes are required! It’s the time of year where we feel the need for those comfort meals as the days get darker, quieter and colder. We crave the cozy warm recipes that just make us feel good inside. This is my favourite season to create recipes. I get so inspired by all the foods in season during this time. Everything looks absolutely delicious and I start to think of all the recipes I want to try making. It’s just simply a wonderful time of year!

Many people will say that during this time of year they typically put on weight because they eat more decadent meals. Some say they crave “bad” foods. I feel like anything that’s a favourite cozy fall meal can be made into a healthier version. You can enjoy the wonderful much loved meal and still stay on track with wellness goals. I love to create meals that are guilt free and healthy but still taste fabulous. I know I’ve said this before but you CAN have it all! No more beating yourself up about eating naughty meals! You just have to get in the mindset of adjusting the recipe to meet your health and wellness goals. Also I’d like to add that if you do enjoy indulgent meals here and there, that’s also totally ok. It’s all about balance in life. I say just clean up your act and eat as clean as possible after that meal. It will be just fine.

I created this very simple butternut squash soup recipe using wholesome ingredients and it tastes fantastic. This recipe is a crowd pleaser and it’s perfect for entertaining during the holiday season as well. Now that covid restrictions have lightened up and families can get together we can finally start having guests over! Wow this is exciting! Everyone will enjoy this soup! My feedback after posting this recipe on my YouTube channel was excellent. I feel so good knowing that people are enjoying this hearty yet healthy soup!

Squash is abundant in every grocery store or farmer’s market this time of year. It’s definitely easy to find because they seem to be the star of the show in October and on into the colder months. Squash can be inexpensive as well and it’s quite hearty. You can make this whole recipe using just one butternut squash. A little goes a long way. My recipe will serve 4 people, so if you want to make it for a larger gathering then just make sure you pick up extra squash. I bought mine from Costco and they actually came in a two pack which is great. They worked out to 3.5 lbs each.

What if you don’t have fresh produce available to you? Depending on where you live or your budget you might not be able to get fresh squash. That’s totally ok! You can definitely use canned squash of any variety to make this recipe if needed. They do sell butternut squash in cans so this might be a good solution for you. You can also use frozen squash if that’s all you can find as well. Find whatever works for you because my recipe is very adaptable. Creating these healthier options doesn’t have to be complicated. I find sometimes we get into these rigid rules when cooking and that is just way too stressful. We tend to over complicate things and it doesn’t have to be this way.

Butternut Squash is full of Vitamins, Fiber and Antioxidants. It’s loaded with vitamin C, vitamin A, and B Vitamin’s as well. It’s rich with magnesium and potassium which plays an important role for us in our bone health. It’s so nice to know that something so delicious is actually really beneficial to our health.

I decided to add some apples to this recipe because we had picked a whole bunch from our tree in the backyard. They needed to be used up and they taste so incredibly good! I’m not sure what the variety is but they grow perfect and I love how sweet they are. I don’t put any pesticides on my tree and they still turn out perfect. No bugs either! The only battle I have is the Toronto raccoons eating them on the tree and then throwing half away onto the ground. They basically eat half of the apple and throw away the rest! Ugh! Why can’t they just eat the whole thing?

I hope you enjoy my easy Butternut Squash Soup recipe. Let me know if you make it and if you make an adjustments to the recipe. I will post the video version of this recipe below if you would like to watch me cook this lovely soup. Enjoy this amazing time of year and the gorgeous fall season!

Easy Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

⁃ 1 Butternut Squash, peeled & chopped Look for one around 3.5 lbs.

⁃ 1 tbsp. Bouillon

⁃ 4 1/4 cups water

⁃ 1/2 onion, chopped

⁃ 3 medium sized apples, chopped

⁃ 3 cloves of garlic

Herbs & Spices:

⁃ Paprika

⁃ Curry powder

⁃ Onion powder

⁃ Cumin powder

⁃ Dry Oregano

⁃ Black pepper

⁃ Himalayan pink salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F

3. Peel & chop the butternut squash. Add it to a lined baking pan.

4. Peel and chop apples and add them to the baking pan.

5. Chop up onion and peel garlic cloves. Toss into the pan. Add the spices to the mixture as well.

6. Pop the baking pan into the oven at 400F for 30 minutes. I gave it a mix at the half way mark.

7. Add the butternut squash mixture to a large pot. Add the bouillon, and water as well.

8. Use a hand blender to purée the soup or add it in batches to a blender.

9. Add more spices if necessary according to you taste.

10. Add the soup to bowls and enjoy!

Note: garnish with some pumpkin or squash seeds on top if desired.

Enjoy!!!

Health, Joy & Positive Vibes,

Debbie

~VeganMommyDee~

15Jun2021

Best Ever Vegan Lasagna!

Posted in Lunch/Dinner by Vegan Mommy Dee

I’m sharing my Best Ever Vegan Lasagna with you all today! Welcome back to my blog! This recipe is seriously pretty epic and I’m so excited to share it with you!

It has such a depth of flavours and it’s easy to put together. I feel like even a beginner cook could make this lasagna pretty easily. The only time consuming part is cooking the elements for the layers of the Lasagna. Assembly goes quite fast and then it does it’s thing cooking up in the oven for 1 hour. You don’t have to keep checking it while it cooks up either. I suggest just uncovering it for the last 10 minutes.

My lasagna is made using wholesome ingredients and you can feel good about eating it all up. Trust me you will want to eat every last bite of it! As always with my recipes I always make sure I’m using easy to find ingredients. All of the components to this lasagna are super easy to find at any grocery store. I feel like there is nothing more annoying than having to search multiple grocery stores looking for certain ingredients. You won’t be doing that with this one. You actually probably already have most of the ingredients on hand at home. I love making pantry staple meals. I don’t like having to buy too many ingredients for my meals.

The cheese sauce used in my recipe is a modified version of a recipe I found on YouTube. I will make sure to add it to this post for your reference. The thing I love about homemade “cheese” is that you can customize it to your liking and needs. You can make it thick and spreadable or on the runny side depending on what your cooking.

I love how little money I spent on the ingredients needed for this recipe as well. Most of the ingredients are staple items I always have at home. I love when meals are low cost and provide an abundance of nutrition. You can find cans or a jars of tomato sauce for pretty cheap at pretty much every grocery store. Just make sure it’s pure tomato sauce without any added oil. This will keep the calories lower by skipping any added unnecessary oil to the meal. Lasagna noodles are inexpensive as well and a fantastic variety can be found depending on where you shop. Organic tofu is often on sale, and frozen veggies are the cheapest to buy at the grocery store. The only ingredient I find that can be sometimes costly is the nutritional yeast. If you can buy it in bulk that will save money. You only need a little amount for this lasagna and the rest will store for a long time in the pantry.

This recipe will be enjoyed by even the most picky eaters. I’ve even served it to meat eaters and they loved it too! I think that says a lot because they tend to be quite reluctant to try meals like this in my experience.

Best Ever Vegan Lasagna

Ingredients:

– 2 680 ml cans of tomato sauce
– 500g firm tofu
– 2 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
– 2 tbsp. better than boullion
– 2 tbsp. Garlic power
– 2 tsp. Onion powder
– 1 tsp. Dry Oregano
– 1/3 cup fresh Basil
– 3 cups frozen mixed veggies
– 1 cup frozen edamame
– 1 package frozen spinach, thawed
– 1 box 375g whole wheat lasagna noodles
– homemade cheese sauce or a bag of vegan shredded cheese

Method:

1. Thaw out the spinach before hand.

2. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

3.In a frying pan cook up the frozen vegetables and spinach. Use water instead of oil to cook them up. Add 1 tbsp. Of better than boullion, 1 tbsp. Garlic Powder and 1 tsp. Onion Powder to the vegetables. Set aside until ready to use.

4. Add the tofu to a pan and crumble it up using your spatula. Saute in water instead of oil. Add 1 tbsp. of Better Than Boullion and 1 tbsp. Nutritional yeast. Cook well and set aside until you need it.

5. Add the tomato sauce to a pan and add 1 tbsp. Garlic Powder, 1 tsp. Onion Powder, 1 tsp. Dry Oregano and 1/3 cup fresh Basil. Heat up on a medium heat for 10 minutes with the lid on.

6. Make cheese sauce or skip this step and just use store bought vegan cheese. The homemade cheese sauce only takes a few minutes to make in the blender. Just heat it through in a pan on the stove top.

7. Cook the lasagna noodles as per box instructions. I splash some cool water on them in the colander just to make sure they don’t stick together too much.

8. Grab your lasagna baking dish and start to assemble the lasagna. I add tomato sauce to the pan first and the lasagna noodles. Then I add the veggie mix, a drizzle of tomato sauce, tofu mixture and then the cheese sauce on top. Keep repeating until you’ve filled the lasagna dish. Finish with tomato sauce. Add more cheese sauce on top too if desired.

9. Cover with foil and cook for 1 hour at 400° F. Uncover for the last 10 minutes.

10. Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing it up.

ENJOY!

NOTE:

I used a modified version of Jill McKeever cheese recipe. I added lots of garlic powder, extra onion powder, black pepper and extra water to the sauce when I made it. I also transfered the sauce from the blender to a pot to thicken up. Keep a close eye on the sauce because it will stick to the bottom of the pan easily.

I will add a link to Jill’s recipe video below.

I will also add my video version of my recipe below. I know many of you prefer to watch the recipe video.

Thank you for the support and love on my YouTube Channel. If you find my recipes helpful on your health journey then please Subscribe to the channel. Please give the video a Like as well because this helps my little channel tremendously. Thank you!

Health, Joy & Positive Vibes,

Debbie

~VeganMommyDee ~

27Feb2021

2 ingredient Potato & Veggie Patties

Posted in Lunch/Dinner by Vegan Mommy Dee

Who needs a recipe that can be made super fast but will still help you stick to your wellness goals? Fast food can definitely be made with a healthy twist if you put some thought behind it.

I love making Potato and Veggie patties because they taste super delicious and keep me on track with my health and wellness goals. I also love how I can use the same mixture to make a variety of things too. I make patties and veggie bites using the same simple mixture. I love easy recipes like this that can provide us with many different meal options. Let’s face it if we don’t have a variety of quick recipes then we will seek unhealthy alternatives.

Easy Potato & Veggie Patties with Hot Sauce

Super simple & delicious Potato & Veggie Patties

The number one excuse people make for not eating healthy is that they don’t have time to cook.

I just don’t agree with that because I can cook up a healthy meal using just a few ingredients on a normal basis. In the time it takes you to order food and get it picked up or delivered you can make a healthy meal at home. It doesn’t take much effort to cook up potatoes, rice, open a can of beans or legumes and whatever veggies you have on hand. Frozen or canned veggies are wonderful to have at home because they cook up really fast. I feel like these types of convience foods are extremely helpful in order to keep us on a track with our wellness goals.

I use my instant pot to cook up most of my meals because I’m short on time. You can make pretty much anything in this amazing small appliance quickly. I love to fill up my instant pot with healthy starches like potatoes or rice. Having it pre-made gives me the opportunity to make a meal super fast. I also love having precooked potatoes in the fridge so you just have to grab them and reheat them when you get hungry. Rice can also be frozen which I find very helpful when I know it’s going to be a super busy day.

Having time saving hacks will prevent you from going out and buying terrible junky foods. Being prepared will help you stay successful and on the right track.

POTATO & VEGGIE PATTIES

Ingredients:
– 4-5 lbs of potatoes
– 4-5 cups of veggies (I used frozen veggies, my favorite is brocolli and green beans)
– seasonings of choice (optional)

1. I cook my potatoes in my 6 quart Instant Pot (about 4-5 lbs of potatoes) for 20 minutes and allow it to naturally release. You can also cook potatoes in a regular pot on the stove if you don’t have an Instant Pot.

2. Cook up 5-6 cups of frozen mixed veggies on a frying pan using water or broth to saute them.

3. Add the potatoes into a large mixing bowl and mash them up. Depending on the size of the bowl, you may need to do this in batches.

4. Add in the cooked veggies and mix well.

5. Add in any optional seasonings or spices of choice.

6. Shape into patties and pop them into the air-fryer to cook up. You can also use the oven if you don’t have a air-fryer available to you.

I cook mine at 350 F for 14 minutes, flipping them half way. Adjust the timing according to the size of patty you make.

I dip mine in sugar free ketchup most of the time. I also like to make veggie burgers using this recipe too.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. I’d love it if you could tag me on IG @VeganMommyDee if you make the recipe.

Health, Joy & Positive Vibes,

Debbie

~VeganMommyDee~

4Aug2020

Veggie Garden Love

Posted in Uncategorized by Vegan Mommy Dee

I’m enjoying my veggie garden and it’s abundance this year more than ever. With COVID-19 happening I still only shop when necessary. I love being able to grow my own veggies so I don’t have to buy as much produce at the grocery store. Being able to just walk outside and pick my own veggies is the best feeling ever!

I also love how fresh my home grown produce is. Honestly it even tastes better! Currently I’m obsessed about how my Green peppers taste. I feel so grateful to be able to grow these healthy foods. I feel so energetic and happy during this time of year. It’s probably because of a combination of things I’m sure. I eat even healthier, fresher and more organic food than other times of year for starters. I feel way more active as I’m busy gardening and taking a couple long walks daily. The amount of vitamin D I’m also getting daily makes a huge difference in my wellness.

Continue reading →

23May2019

Fresh Start & New Goals!

Posted in Health & Fitness by Vegan Mommy Dee

Instead of starting new goals on June 1st I decided to shake it up a little and implement them now. I’m kinda in the feeling high vibrational mode and I thought why not just jump into it? New goals are a way we can say I’m important and I want to implement changes right now.

I was never one of those people who started new challenges or goals in the new year. As if January 1st will magically make you ready to accomplish all your goals. I feel like we all know when the right time is and we get that nudge to make changes when we are meant to. There is no perfect time of the year or situation. We just have to trust our intuition and roll with it. In my experiences the biggest changes are made this way.

This week my 18 year old and I signed up at a gym together. We decided that we will get healthier, fitter and work towards our goals together. This brings us an opportunity to spend one on one time together as well. I’m a mother of 5 and any opportunity for quality time is wonderful! Together we will motivate each other as well as enjoy some good laughs. After all I’m rusty and haven’t been working out hard for a long while now! My daughter has never been a gym person until now as well. Lots of learning and life experiences lay ahead.

It’s also 24 hours so even though I work 12 hour shifts I will still have ample time to fit my workout in. We made sure we picked a place that covered all the bases. No excuses! I look forward to my new challenges and I cant wait to bring myself to a healthier state. I’ll bring you guys along with me as well. I’ll post about my health journey and record videos for my YouTube channel (Vegan MommyDee).

Have you recently started implementing new things into your life? Have you set some new goals too? I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments what’s happening with you. Let’s support and encourage one another on this wellness journey!

Health, Joy and Positive Vibes,

~ Debbie (VeganMommyDee)