Healthy Chocolate Banana Cake

Healthy Chocolate Banana Cake

Some people are still pretending to be on a health kick, so I’ll throw a few more atcha before the onslaught of Valentine’s recipes begins. JAB seeks to accommodate you!

And these are quite lovely, even though the word “healthy” appears in the title. Chocolate, banana, and no butter or oil. Plus, there’s a Greek yogurt protein kick in there. Can we all cheer?

I almost called these brownies. That’s how fudgy they are. Have I ever mentioned how difficult it can be to name some recipes? Or children?

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Salted Caramel Streusel Baked Apples

Salted Caramel Streusel Baked Apples

These apples are life-changing. How’s that for a promise?

Baked apples are a classic American dessert, but I’ve upped the ante by coring them, filling them with a simple streusel, and drizzling (pouring, maybe?) salted caramel on top. And we can totally call this a healthy dessert because, you know, apple. Right? Hey, it’s fruit!

This is a fireside kind of dessert, the kind that you share with family members on game night or some equally idyllic situation. These are impossible not to love, unless you have no soul. I’m feeling very objective today.

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Healthy Peanut Butter Pudding (Video Too!)

Healthy Peanut Butter Pudding (Video Too!)

Apparently, some of you have made resolutions for the new year. I don’t approve, but I’ll play along.

I’ve gone on for quite a while about how I believe in healthy balance and moderation all year long, and I find January 1st to be quite arbitrary a date to start getting healthy. But hey, who am I to discourage people from being healthier? After all, I’m a fitness junkie. I do barre workouts with religious zeal and fuel up with protein afterward. And this is one of my favorite ways to do it.

Three ingredients: peanut butter, tofu and powdered sugar. Blend. Chill. I’m done! Now can we start talking about the barre again?

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Honey Whole Wheat Craisins® Walnut Bread

Honey Whole Wheat Craisins® Walnut Bread

Happy New Year! It’s my first post of 2016, and I’m so excited to see what this year will bring!

If there’s one food I want to see lots of in the coming year, it’s homemade bread. We’re all familiar with the yeasty goodness of bread that doesn’t come in plastic bags from the grocery store, and it’s so easy to get a perfect loaf with just a little help from my best friend, a.k.a. the bread machine. Life was so cold and dark before we met!

Luckily, fresh bread is always possible, and this one is special. It’s made with mostly whole wheat flour, which will help you stick to your healthy eating resolutions. It’s also full of walnuts for an extra protein punch, not to mention sweet Craisins® Dried Cranberries. It’s a loaf worth making!

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Pumpkin Mini-Bundts With Maple Icing (Gluten-Free!)

Pumpkin Mini-Bundts with Maple Icing (Gluten-Free!)

Some desserts are clearly, obviously good. Nobody needs to advertise them. We’re talking brownies, chocolate chip cookies, cheesecake. Everyone loves cheesecake.

Then, there are the desserts that look unassuming and unexceptional, but they blow the popular choices out of the water. These mini-bundts are in that category. You know, the how-is-this-so-good-I-can’t-stop-eating-it category.

And they’re pretty healthy, too! These pumpkin cakes might be a baking miracle. They have no butter (I’m not counting the icing here) and they’re gluten-free. Let’s do a happy dance!

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Loaded Caramel Apple Wedges

Loaded Caramel Apple Wedges

As usual, I wasn’t sure what to call this exactly. But I went through a few different names before settling on this one.

Last year, I tried to make loaded caramel apples. I de-waxed the apples, coated them in caramel, and covered the caramel in honey roasted peanuts and mini M & Ms. And they looked great.

But an hour later, the weight of the toppings and pulled the caramel right off the apple. So I got really angry and gave up. Until now. Because if you don’t like the rules, then change them. If a caramel apple loaded with toppings is delicious, then just do the same thing, but deconstruct it. Easy peasy! No more #caramelapplefail in your life.

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Pumpkin Crumb Cake (Gluten-Free!)

Pumpkin Crumb Cake (Gluten-Free!)

This is the best pumpkin crumb cake in the world. And it’s healthy. And gluten-free. I kid you not.

In case you haven’t noticed, I waited to start posting pumpkin recipes until I saw physical evidence of fall around here: leaves on the lawn, cooler morning temps, a certain zing in the air. Unlike many of my fellow bloggers, I don’t start baking with pumpkin until September. Sorry, guys. I hate the end of summer. Hate it.

But man, do I love this cake. I made a version of this a year ago, and it stuck with me. It’s the only pumpkin cake ever that I have not been able to stop eating. It’s that good. And it’s also that good for you. Plus, all of my gluten-free friends who thought that good crumb cake was a thing of the past can rejoice. It’s easy to make a good crumb topping with dietary restrictions! You just have to know how.

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PB & J Banana Bread

PB & J Banana Bread

You may have noticed (or not, it’s cool) that I haven’t posted that many banana bread recipes on this site. Ready for my shameful secret? Please don’t hate me.

Cue stage whisper: I’m not that into banana.

Don’t go screaming now. I can’t handle that. It’s not that I hate it or anything, but in the world of baked goods, anything with banana ranks low. So take it as a sign of how much I love you all that from time to time, I produce a banana-based dessert. That is some selflessness. Of course, I did add a wee bit of peanut butter (and peanut butter chips, too) to make this more of a Mir-style dessert. And there’s strawberry jelly in there. You know, because this is totally healthy. Uh huh.

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Coffee Granita

Coffee Granita

Confession time: I am not a coffee drinker.

Don’t hate. It’s not that coffee doesn’t taste delicious. It’s more of a personal choice. See, as the daughter of a die-hard coffee addict, I just decided to go a different way in life. Plus, I don’t like the tooth stains. They’re not too pretty.

Still, the flavor is great, and I love to bake with coffee. Or make icy summer treats with coffee. This granite is quick and easy. All it takes is two ingredients and you’re on your way to icy coffee happiness!

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Crazy Quick Carrot Muffins (Gluten-Free!)

Crazy Quick Carrot Muffins (Gluten-Free!)

I may have mentioned this before, but I think I’m doing this whole blog thing wrong.

It’s been a year and a half, and I think I missed some kind of initiation or tutorial. Do any of you have that dream where you’re in college and you somehow missed an entire semester’s worth of classes? In my case, it’s always a math class, and I head to the final with no clue how to do anything. It’s the worst dream ever.

When I started JAB, I figured I would just post dessert recipes that took sugar highs to a new extreme. I hoped that with time, my little blog would grow. To an extent, that’s totally happened. Every recipe I post is 100% tried, tested, and devoured by yours truly with a crazy amount of passion and enthusiasm. If you’re seeing it on the blog, that means I love it.

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