My apartment is overrun with black bananas.  For most folks, this would be a cause for concern, but for me it’s a gift that keeps on giving.  Black bananas lead to batches of naturally sweetened homemade granola bars, cookies and breads.  Looking for yet another way to use up these mounds of black bananas, I came up with a super moist muffin that is cross between carrot cake and a bran muffin.  Introducing Carrot Raisin Bran Muffins!  Ta-da!

These whole wheat muffins are made with whole rolled oats and wheat bran so they are loaded with fiber.  Packed with bananas and shredded carrots, you are secretly working on your daily fruit and veggie serving requirements while enjoying a delicious muffin.  Unlike most bran muffins, these are naturally sweetened with raisins and honey and packed with bananas and carrots, so they are moist, nutritious and perfectly suited for a breakfast or quick snack.

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Wait, weren’t we talking about amazing holiday cookies just the other day?  Yes, I know I just gave you those addictive Maple Jam Thumbprint Cookies a few days ago.  Too many cookie recipes, too soon!  Well, ’tis the season for homemade baked goods.  Besides, who can go to a party with only one type of homemade cookie?  Underachievers, that’s who.  These shortbread wedges are ultimate party showstoppers.  People will be raving.  You will be a party queen.  Recipe requests will come pouring in.  Holiday cookie success.

Sweetened entirely with honey and made with whole wheat flour, these hover on the border of healthy cookies.  Eh, the cup of butter aside … they might qualify.  Either way, they only have six ingredients and I can pronounce all of them which is enough for me.  Honey-sweetened and pecan-studded, these addictive shortbread wedges are drizzled with enough decadent dark chocolate to satisfy even the most demanding palette.

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Cookie season is upon us.  The social calendar is quickly filling up with parties and other cookie-appropriate gatherings. Your kitchen is probably covered in a fine layer of powdered sugar by this point.  In a sea of sugar-laden, overly-processed baked goods, sometimes you want to be able to bring something to the party you can actually feel good about eating.  Or at least not feel bad about eating.  No need to sabotage those New Year’s Resolutions before they even have a chance to get started!

I’m the first to admit that I’m a chocolate snob.  One look at a fruit-based dessert and I’ll quickly move on to something fudgy and decadently chocolate.  These jam thumbprint cookies converted me.  After one bite I was addicted … after eating nearly the whole batch, I quickly had to make a second batch so there would be some to actually take to the party!  Lightly sweet and nutty, these naturally sweetened jam thumbprint cookies are the holiday cookies you can feel good about sharing.

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I love the flavors of apple pie, but rarely have the patience (or energy) to make a whole pie from scratch.  Besides, of all the pies out there, apple pie falls into the Labor Intensive with Great Risk for Failure category.  Plus, establishing portion control rules for an entire apple pie in a house of two people is just asking for trouble.  Bleh.  No thanks.  Instead, I decided to find a way to incorporate all my favorite apple pie flavors in a simple-to-make, easy-to-hold, and light enough to enjoy with a cup of tea scone.

Made with whole wheat flour and rolled oats, these whole grain cream scones are specked with fresh apples tossed in honey and cinnamon.  Only lightly sweet, they are perfect topped with a slather of apple butter or just eaten plain alongside a warm cup of tea or cider.  All the spiced apple flavors you love from apple pie in a light, simple scone.

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Is there anything more quintessentially Fall than pumpkins?  You know that the seasons have officially changed when you start to see pumpkin-flavored-everything popping up everywhere you look.  I’ve already let you in on my favorite pumpkin scones and pumpkin pie bites, so it’s about time that I hook you up with a go-to pumpkin bread recipe.

Unlike most mass produced pumpkin breads, this one isn’t overly sweet.  Instead of tasting like orange-colored-sugar-bread, this one actually tastes like pumpkin.  Only lightly sweetened with honey, this allows the pumpkin and spice flavors to really shine through.  Made with whole wheat flour this quick bread is lightly flecked with chopped pecans.  Moist and tender, this pumpkin spice bread is the perfect recipe to welcome back the Fall.

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Summer is fruit season.  It seems hard to remember a time when we didn’t have peaches, plums and berries aplenty!  This leads to an overwhelming desire to make pies.  Lots and lots of pies.  The problem is that making pies is a pain in the you-know-what.  You’ve got to make the crust, bake the crust (which means locating your pie weights and praying the crust doesn’t shrink), make the filling, bake it again (this time, praying that it doesn’t overflow and ruin itself).  This rustic galette (aka. A Country Pie) is endlessly adaptable and cuts out at least two of those annoying pie-making steps.

Ripe apricots partner up with homemade almond paste to make this light, crumbly galette.  Tangy, sweet apricots laying over a bed of homemade almond paste wrapped up in a light whole wheat crust.  Served warm, the oozey fruit and nutty crust are just begging to be topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.  A perfect way to put all that summer fruit to use without all the fuss of a pie!

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Friday nights are pizza night around here.  A simple way to relax after a long week, Friday Night Pizza Night has become something of a religion in our household.  I’ve always insisted on making our own healthier versions of this take-out favorite.  For awhile, I was using whole wheat or low-carb tortillas for the base instead of standard pizza dough.  Once it became apparent that these tortillas were just as jam packed full of non-food items and chemicals as the take-out pizza I was attempting to avoid, I set out to begin making my own pizza dough.

This simple recipe takes almost no active time to prepare and you can easily pronounce all of the ingredients (I can’t say the same for those low-carb tortillas).  The dough is sturdy enough to support any variety of toppings and freezes well so you can stock up for future Friday nights!  The light wheat flavor is paired with a combo of Italian seasonings to give it an extra flavor punch.  You will be surprised at how quickly you get the hang of it.  Before you know it, your friends will be calling you for their Friday night take-out pizza!

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