Banana Oat Cookies

I make these as a healthy snack or dessert for Logan, but they go pretty quickly since everyone else can't keep their hands off them, including me. They never held together well though, so I pretty much had to follow Logan around with a broom. But in a stroke of genius, I used coconut oil instead of safflower, in hopes that the cookies wouldn't crumble as easily. It worked!

There is no added sugar in this recipe, making it the perfect snack for kids, and even adults who are looking for a heathy alternative to regular cookies. They're a breeze to make, and have only 5 ingredients.

Banana Oat Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes. The coconut oil needs time to solidify and hold the cookies together.
4. Drop the mixture on greased cookie sheets.
5. Bake for around 17 minutes, or until the cookies start to brown on the sides.

Blueberry Cocoa Smoothie

I wish I could remember where this recipe came from so I could give credit. I took a snapshot of it with my phone awhile ago, but didn't record what website it came from. It's simple and relatively healthy, and I already had everything for it in my kitchen. I love when that happens. The original recipe listed Medjool dates, for sweetness I assume. I don't have those, so I used pure maple syrup instead.

After blending, I couldn't believe how delicious it smelled. Right away I could smell the co-dominant scents of the blueberries and chocolate. That combination never occurred to me, but I sense chocolate covered blueberries in my future. Or maybe chocolate blueberry muffins or scones. I was very surprised when I took the first sip. Initially I thought I didn't like it, but then I realized I was just in sensory overload. I could taste every ingredient in each sip- the tart blueberries, the bitter chocolate, the sweet syrup, the nutty almond milk, the smooth vanilla. Yum!

Blueberry Cocoa Smoothie

Serves 2

• 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
• 1 cup homemade almond milk 
• 2 tsp. pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
2. Divide between 2 cups and drink immediately.

Don't forget a coaster! I made this one last night using a tutorial I found on Earth911. It took awhile to get the hang of it, but overall it was pretty simple. The instructions say to use 16 strips to create an 8 x 8 pattern. In order to be able to tuck in the ends once all the strips were woven together, I had to leave out a strip. So I had 8 strips going one way, and 7 going another.

I can't wait to make more of these. I'm such a dork.