• 1 small half-frozen banana, peeled
• 1/4 avocado, peeled and pitted
• 1 key lime or 1/2 regular lime, peeled and deseeded
• 4 ounces of fresh almond milk
• Vanilla from 1 vanilla bean, or use 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup or 1 medjool date, pitted and soaked for 20 minutes

It is simple to make this Key Lime Pie Smoothie:

Start by adding the liquid to your blender, followed by the soft fruit.  Blend on high for 30 seconds or until the smoothie is creamy.

Tip: Blend with “half-frozen” bananas that are partially thawed to improve the key lime pie texture of the smoothie.


Note that this particular smoothie is a rich source of folate, vitamins B5 and B6, copper, magnesium, manganese and potassium.


Source: Tracy Russell

The post Enjoy This Popular, Tasty & Nutritious “KEY LIME PIE” SMOOTHIE! appeared first on Top Morning Recommendations.

Start by grabbing a cutting board and knife … then watch the following 2 minute segment in this video to see how this is made:

The post [Video] A Quick & Easy Breakfast Recipe: Delicious “SUSHI-LOOKALIKE” appeared first on Top Morning Recommendations.

After you watch this, let me know if you have some more creative ideas to share. (My personal favorite is the High Protein Banana Oatmeal.)

By the way — you’ll also need a spoon, bowl, water and a microwave oven!

And when you’re done with breakfast, here’s an idea (on the next page) to use up some of the leftovers.

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The post [Video] 5 Awesome BREAKFAST HACKS to Make in 5 Minutes or Less appeared first on Top Morning Recommendations.

Bananas are one of the best fruits you can be eating, and the list of great things they do for your body seems to go on forever!

But you may want to consider the color of a banana’s peel and it’s ripeness before consuming:

Too green?

The fruit inside will be tough and lacking flavor.

Too brown?

The riper a banana is, the richer it is in TNF, or Tumor Necrosis Factor. TNF is a protein that helps detect and eliminate abnormal cell growth in the human body. Essentially, it aids our immune system response by directing cells to the parts of our bodies experiencing inflammation or infection. While bananas are certainly not a cure for cancer, the TNF they contain has been confirmed to inhibit tumor growth, in addition to helping our immune systems in other ways.

Here are more ways that bananas can affect your health and well-being:


1. Heartburn

Bananas are a natural antacid and the perfect solution for those suffering from heartburn or acid reflux. Skip the Tums and enjoy some fruit instead!

2. Blood Pressure

Bananas are great for your heart. They’re low in sodium, high in potassium, and even higher in taste. Incorporating heart-healthy foods into your daily routine is a great way to protect against heart attacks.

3. Energy

Packed with vitamins and minerals to give you a boost, bananas are the ideal pre- and post-workout snack. Their potassium also combats pesky muscle cramps.

4. Anemia

Anemia refers to a condition in which someone experiences low levels of red blood cells. The iron in bananas increases the production of red blood cells.

Bananas are a super-fruit and eating lots of them are good for you. Add them to the food that you already love!

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Source: Jake Brannon

The post The Facts: How BANANAS Can Seriously Affect Your Health! appeared first on Top Morning Recommendations.

This recipe makes 2 servings, so you could also enjoy this as a refreshing dessert, in addition to breakfast. Double up on the ingredients if you want to share!
 
 

All you have to do is mash a banana, stir in some oats, almond milk, peanut butter, and chia seeds, put the mixture in the fridge while you get your beauty sleep, and BOOM. You’re done. (I like to refrigerate the oats in mason jars because they’re cute and portable, but they’re obviously not essential.) Personally, I’m partial to dressing up my oatmeal with sliced banana and a little bit of honey and cinnamon or dark chocolate shavings, but the topping possibilities are endless.

In addition to their deliciousness and convenience factor, these overnight oats are literally packed with health benefits. First and foremost, oats are an excellent whole grain source of antioxidants and fiber, and they help reduce your risk of practically every disease in the book (cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, etc.). Peanut butter adds protein and healthy fat, and banana gives you a nutritious dose of potassium, mood-boosting tryptophan, and even more fiber.

Then there are the superfood qualities of chia seeds!

Here’s the list of ingredients you’ll need to make Peanut Butter and Banana Overnight Oats: (Serves 2)
 
 

1 large ripe banana, mashed (about ½ cup)
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats (Do not use quick cooking oats!)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon light agave or honey (You may use more if you like sweeter oatmeal!)

Optional Toppings:
Sliced Bananas
Drizzle of Agave, Maple Syrup or Honey
Cinnamon
Dark chocolate shavings or chips
Coconut shavings

The preparation instructions are on the next page …

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The post Peanut Butter & Banana Overnight Oats (Vegan, Gluten-Free) appeared first on Top Morning Recommendations.

A salad could just mean a helping of iceberg lettuce, some shaved carrots and Ranch dressing. And loading your bowl with veggies and skimping on protein and carbs means you’re not getting enough calories to power you through the rest of your day.


Your dressing of choice could be adding to the problem. “You might think you’re doing the right thing by eating a salad, but if you add a dressing like honey mustard or raspberry vinaigrette, both of which are usually high in added sugar, that’ll probably lead to an energy crash later,” says Marisa Moore, RD, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Do you regularly consume dairy products? This is another category of foods that is often sleep-inducing:


2. Cheese and Yogurt

Dairy could be behind your fatigue. You may have digested it just fine when you were younger, but intolerances to the proteins in dairy (casein and whey) can develop as we age, and tiredness is a hallmark symptom.

The mechanism isn’t entirely clear, but it’s believed that the body mistakenly develops an immunological reaction to the proteins, building an army of antibodies to mobilize against the proteins whenever they show up, resulting in fatigue.

And then there’s a third category of sleep-inducing foods on the next page …

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The post Here are 3 Sleep-Inducing Foods to Sleep Longer and Wake Up Later in the Morning, or … appeared first on Top Morning Recommendations.

… bring 4 cups of water to a rapid boil, stir in one cup of oats, let that boil for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and cover with a tight fitting lid. Leave it on the stove overnight and in the morning you wake up to a bowl of healthy goodness.

Using steel cut oats is highly recommended because the texture is infinitely better than quick oats.


Some useful notes:

– In the morning when you check your oats, there may be a little liquid on the top. Just give them a stir.

– You can heat them in the pan or heat them in the microwave.

— I like to double this recipe so we have oats all week long. I just store them in the fridge and quickly heat a bowl in the microwave.

– Berries, nuts, honey, maple syrup–all of those are good things to top it with. I like to top mine with my cinnamon-coconut sugar.

Continue on to the next page for the full recipe …

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The post Easiest Overnight Steel Cut Oats with Bananas and Pecans appeared first on Top Morning Recommendations.

… bring 4 cups of water to a rapid boil, stir in one cup of oats, let that boil for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and cover with a tight fitting lid. Leave it on the stove overnight and in the morning you wake up to a bowl of healthy goodness.

Using steel cut oats is highly recommended because the texture is infinitely better than quick oats.


Continue on to the next page to see additional notes, recommendations and the full recipe …

Next Page »

The post Popular Overnight Oats with Bananas and Pecans appeared first on Top Morning Recommendations.

#1 – You can’t overeat on them and they stop you bingeing on fatty foods
 
#2 – Excess carbs from bananas are burned up through dietary thermogenesis
 
#3 – They are low in fat so they aren’t fattening & high in carbs so they make you want to move
 
#4 – They are high in potassium and low in sodium
 
#5 – The X Factor.

She provides convincing arguments with conclusions that eating more than one banana every day is good for you in terms of adding fiber to your diet, feeling “full” so you eat less, gaining extra energy and nutrition without extra fat, and numerous other advantages.

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