Frozen Chocolate Banana Bites!

Real quick one for you guys tonight! This summer has been a hot one and I am always craving a cold treat, which leads to a big bowl of ice cream. I found this easy recipe for a healthier option and they are super easy to make! Keep on reading to learn how to make frozen chocolate banana bites!

You will need:

2-3 Ripe Bananas

Peanut butter (or other spread of your choice)

Dark chocolate morsels

Start off by peeling and slicing your bananas into bite sized pieces. Don't slice them too thin or they will be hard to handle.

Get rid of these nasty bits!!

Then, spread a little peanut butter onto a banana slice. Just eyeball it and make a little banana/peanut butter sandwich. Place on a piece of waxed paper on a baking sheet. 

Freeze your banana sandwiches for an hour. 

After an hour passes (or more.. if you need to go run an errand or accidentally get stuck binge watching Orange is the New Black...) you will need to melt your chocolate. There are a few ways to do this, but I like to do a double boiler by placing water in a pot and melting chocolate in a glass bowl, stirring often. 

Once your chocolate is melted, take your banana/pb sandwiches and coat them in chocolate. Just drop one in, cover it in chocolate, scoop it out - trying to hake off some excess chocolate and place back on the waxed paper. This isn't rocket science and they don't need to look pretty - they will taste just as good! 

Freeze for at least 2 hours, or over night on your baking sheet. Transfer to a tupperware container and keep in the freezer to snack on! 

I hope you try these out on your own and enjoy a healthier frozen snack this summer! 

Hot or Cold? Pesto Pasta Salad!

Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by! 

With my mom down the shore for the summer, I am back to packing my own lunches (oh the perks of still living at home) *le sigh* I take the opportunity on Sunday evening 

to make a quick and easy dish that I can divide up for the week of lunches, 

so I am not scrambling every morning trying to get out the door. 

Today, I made a quick pasta dish that an be served hot or cold 

depending on your mood that day - or how long the line for the microwave is! 

You will need:

1lb medium pasta of your choice (I did whole grain medium shells to add an extra boost of healthiness)

1 bunch of asparagus

1/2 a small jar of roasted red peppers

3 heaping tbs. pesto sauce

8oz. Monterey jack cheese, cubed

Thin chicken cutlets (optional for added protein)

Cook your pasta as directed on the package, drain and set aside.

To prep your asparagus, cut off the thick white ends, and roughly chop into bite sized pieces. Since I was using my grill for the chicken, I made a little tin foil home for the asparagus, added some olive oil, salt and pepper and placed that on the grill while my chicken was cooking. Otherwise you can simply sauté the asparagus for ~8 minutes in a large skillet in some olive oil. 

If you can find julienne cut peppers, use those. If not, simply slice your roasted red peppers until you have a nice little piles worth.

Next, cube your cheese and set aside. 

 Now that you have all of the ingredients ready, transfer your pasta into a large bowl. Add in your asparagus, pesto and roasted red peppers. Stir until completely mixed through. Lastly, add your cheese and gently toss. 

If you are serving this as a dinner, simply place your chicken cutlets on top of the pasta, or you can cube the chicken and mix throughout. 

After that, I simply divided the pasta mixture into tupperware containers to take to work for lunch! 

I hope you enjoy this recipe and are having a great summer!

(P.s. Sorry about that splotch on the photos. I need to get my camera cleaned!)