This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® 2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own, and I hope you enjoy them.

How's your holiday shopping going? I was SO happy I knocked a few people off of my list today! Since I love to cook, I tend to give foodie presents--especially baked goods.  Plus, if I give them away, they won't end up in my stomach!  Um, that's what I tell myself at least!

As I get out all of my favorite cookie recipes (including Cranberry Hootycreeks and Cocoa Chewy Gooeys!), I try to find ways to make them healthier.  My favorite substitute is Splenda because it's almost impossible to tell they are healthified. Score!

There are many varieties of Splenda on the market now: granulated, brown sugar blend and sugar blend, to name a few.  For the most part, you use HALF the amount of Splenda as your recipe calls for.  To be sure, check the handy conversion chart on the back of the box or bag, though!

Using Splenda helps reduce the calories of your baked goods without changing the flavor or texture of what you're baking. Another great swap to healthify baking is using natural applesauce, mashed banana and coconut oil...all included in this recipe!

(Healthified) Zucchini Bread with Mini Chocolate Chips

Makes: 2 large loaves or 6 mini loaves. Also try muffins!

Ingredients

• 3 cups of flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup Splenda sugar blend
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup natural applesauce
• 2 cups zucchini, shredded and drained--about 4 large zucchini (look for markdowns at your store!)
• 1 mashed banana
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Topping: 1/2 cup mini chips 
• I like to just top the bread with chips instead of putting in the whole mix.  You can use less, but still get the chocolate flavor in the bread.

Let's Bake!

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Spray Pam on bread pans.  
3. Mix eggs, sugar, coconut oil and applesauce for 1-2 minutes, until creamy. 
4. In a bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside. 
5. Add zucchini, vanilla, banana and Greek yogurt to bowl.  Mix until combined.
6. Slowly add dry ingredients.  Mix only until combined.
7. Pour into loaf pans and sprinkle the top with mini chips.
8. Bake until golden brown.  I poke mine with a toothpick to check the centers.
• Full loaf pan- 60 minutes
• Mini loaf pans- 40 minutes
• Muffins- 20-24 minutes

For gifts, Dollar Tree has very cute baked goods boxes.  You can freeze the loaves if you want to mail them out or gift them later.

Right now, Healthy Essentials has many coupons perfect for the season, including Splenda.  My girls have been wanting the Frozen Band-Aids for quite some time now--the coupon pairs with No More Tangles which is necessary for hat hair this winter.  There are tons of Johnson & Johnson baby coupons on there too--the Intense Moisture cream is ah-mazing!

How's your holiday baking going?  Share your favorite cookie recipe below!

You Gotta Try This #StonyfieldGreek {Super Fruity Banana Bread Recipe!}

Disclaimer: I am a part of the Stonyfield YoGetter Team.  I was provided yogurt to review.  All opinions (and tasty banana bread recipe!) are my own!

Last week, I came home to a HUGE box of Stonyfield Greek yogurt on my doorstep.  Although I was excited, I think Gabby was even more so.  I'm all about sharing, but the new flavor Cafe Latte was ALL MINE.  The twins love cherry, so I let them try out the new Black Cherry flavor.  Both are super tasty! I ate my Cafe Latte with some mini chocolate chips as a mid-morning snack. 

You've gotta try these new flavors! Aside from the two newbies, they have also enhanced the fan favorite flavors: strawberry, super fruit and blueberry. 

We are trying to be a little greener this year.  Our budget doesn't allow us to buy all organic/GMO free, but we do what we can.  What I love about Stonyfield yogurt is there are always sales AND coupons...it makes this tasty yogurt affordable!  I like Greek yogurt for breakfast and the girls prefer the regular tubs of yogurt, especially the French Vanilla or Banilla flavors.

You know what else is great to do with Greek yogurt? Make banana bread!  I altered my go-to recipe a bit to try out some coconut oil I have been experimenting with.  (I'm totally loving it so far...from stir fry to baking, it's been amazing!)

For this variety of banana bread, the twins wanted to use the Super Fruit Greek flavor in it.  It gives it a subtle berry flavor...the girls said it gave them "Super Girl powers".  I also used coconut oil and pumpkin instead of butter to lighten it up.  This recipe is very versatile, you can add whatever flavor Greek Yogurt you want.  The Black Cherry would be ah-mazing with some mini chips!

Here's what you need:

•  1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 eggs (or 1/2 cup Egg Beaters)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups flour
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup flax seed (optional)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 (6 oz) Stonyfield Super Fruit Greek yogurt cup
• 2-3 brown bananas, sliced or mashed
• Optional: raw sugar to sprinkle on top before baking

Let's Bake!

1.  Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a mixer, combine sugar, pumpkin and coconut oil. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla.
3. In a small bowl (I use an old quart yogurt container!), add flour, oatmeal, flax, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir together and slowly add to wet ingredients. 
4. Add yogurt and bananas.  Mix together for about 1 minute.
5. Pour into 1 bread pan or 4 mini loaf pans.  Bake for 45-60 minutes.  It depends on your oven! For a crunchy top, sprinkle with raw sugar before baking!

What's your go-to yogurt flavor? Do you enjoy Greek or plain?

New post on Recipe4Living: Apple Pumpkin Bread!

Slow cooker "Caramel" (really it's dulce de leche)

Have you seen than Pin going around Pinterest with the slow cooker "caramel"? It's legit.  I made some apple cider caramel to drizzle on this bread recipe and it is drool worthy!  Good thing this bread is healthified! Best part: the caramel lasts for a while in the fridge, so once you make it, you'll have it for the whole season!  I would put it on apple pie, ice cream...a spoon.

Head on over to Recipe4Living to see my new recipe.  This is one you won't want to miss!  The bread flavors are inspired by doughnuts that I used to get growing up at a local cider mill here in Michigan: The Country Mill. 

Apple Pumpkin Bread: after baking, you roll it in a pumpkin spice/sugar mixure.

I hope you enjoy your weekend!  We're headed to Chicago for the night!

Make Your Own: Naan bread

For some reason, making bread scares me.  It totally has to do with waiting for the yeast to rise.  I tend to be a cook who just throws ingredients into the pot as I'm cooking...which you can't quite do with baking.  Now, breakfast breads...that's my jam. This banana bread recipe is AMAZING!

I happened to find a recipe for Naan on Pinterest one day and I was shocked at how easy it seemed.

That recipe bombed and even Rambo was confused if it was food or a Frisbee.  (#pinfail)

Second round, I wasn't expecting much either but it turned out AMAZING!  It is almost as tasty as Olga's bread, which I wasn't expecting.  This naan is light and fluffy, yet doesn't get soggy when you use it for wraps or pizza.  Score!

Best part?  You can freeze either the dough or the prepared pieces of Naan.  Double up your recipe and save even more time and money.

When you buy Naan at the grocery store, it runs from at least $2.50 for 4 pieces.  You can make it for MUCH cheaper.

What do you do with Naan?  I love to make individual pizzas, wraps or break it off for a soup dipper.

As you saw earlier, I like to make Tzatziki sandwiches at least once a week.

I found this recipe from Budget Bytes and I made some changes.  I used Grapeseed oil (I'm a new fan) and I used our Ultragrain flour from Costco.

Love Pompeian!  Always look for the great 50% off sales at Meijer!

Ingredients

• 2 tsp dry active yeast 
• 1 tsp sugar 
• 1/2 cup warm water 
• 2.5 cups flour (I like Ultragrain or 1 cup whole wheat and 1.5 regular), plus more to sprinkle
• 1/2  tsp salt 
• 1/4 cup Grapeseed Oil (or Olive Oil)
• 1/3 cup 0% Greek yogurt 
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. In the bowl of your Kitchen Aid (or regular bowl, if mixing by hand), add yeast, sugar and water.  Stir and allow to dissolve and get frothy...about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in yogurt, oil and egg.
3. In a smaller bowl, mix together flour and salt.  
4. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time.  You may need more flour if it ends up sticky.  Kneed for 3 minutes.  (Your stand mixer might jump...no worries!) 
• If you are mixing by hand, kneed until no longer sticky (at least 3 minutes)
5. In the end, the mixture should be smooth and NOT sticky.  Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes (should double in size).  Punch down and break into 8 pieces.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pieces until they are very thin (about 1/8-1/4 inch thick)
7. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat, spraying with Olive Oil spray. Place one piece in the pan at a time.  Cook until golden brown on each side. Bubbles are okay!  
8. Finish by brushing with butter or garlic oil and seasoning with herbs of your choice.

Once you try this recipe, it gets faster once you know the process.  I tend to double the batch (making in 2 separate bowls) and cook up 8 pieces, freezing 8 pieces of dough.  You must let the dough rise BEFORE freezing.  

Whole pieces of cooked naan can be frozen, I like to use the Perfect Portion bags for individual pieces, then put 2-3 in a gallon sized freezer bag.

How do you like to eat your Naan?

Like this recipe? Make sure to check out my Facebook page for more recipe & money saving updates!

Fill 'em up Banana Bread

This summer I have been experimenting with a bit of freezer cooking.  One thing we always like to have on hand for a quick snack is bread.  I saw this recipe for a banana bread on my fellow blogger friend's site (Mrs. Weber's Neighborhood).  I have been searching for a great recipe that isn't too mushy or dry and this one is perfect!  It freezes so well, we usually make 3 loaves at a time.

I have made it a few times and this time I changed it up.  I know, I know...why mess with something good?  Here's why:  I have little toddlers that can throw down some food.  Not quite where it all goes, but their appetite is the main reason it is absolutely necessary for us to shop at Costco.  I am lucky they like to eat healthy foods, at least!  My new trick is I have been adding flax and other forms of fiber to anything I can: smoothies, pancakes, etc.  It fills up their bellies!  Just be careful at first...haha.

So here it is, my crazy fill 'em up banana bread.  It has extra protein (Greek yogurt) and fiber from the flax and oatmeal, yet you can't tell at all!  This is a perfect way to use up markdown bananas in your freezer.

Thank you, Lauren, for the inspiration!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup of Egg beaters (or 2 eggs)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1.5 cups flour 
• 1/2 cup plain oatmeal
• 1/4 cup ground flax 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plain 0% Greek yogurt
•  2-3 bananas

Mix it up!

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. With a mixer (or by hand in a bowl), combine the butter and sugar.
3. Add egg beaters and vanilla.  Mix until combined completely.
4. In a small bowl add flour, salt, soda, oatmeal and flax.  Mix it up with a spoon ans slowly add to big bowl.  Mix for a minute or so to combine.
5.  Add yogurt and bananas.  
6. Pour into a bread pan (or cupcake tin!) and bake for 50-60 minutes.  I always cook it a bit longer than expected to get the center cooked.  It won't burn, it adds a great crust to the bread.

Enjoy!