Now today’s recipe comes with warnings! LOL! First, definitely use something non-stick, but even then, prepare for stickiness.

Second, watch out for the hot honey/sugar/caramel that will develop. There is nothing worse than a sugar burn because of how hot it gets.

So having limited my liability, here’s today’s Cook’s Treat! Cinnamon Honey Bananas.

I know we’ve talked about the benefits of both cinnamon and honey in other blogs. You can’t go wrong with having both in your diet on a regular basis since they are miracle foods. As for bananas, they are another great addition to your diet. They are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and a good source of various vitamins and dietary fiber.

They come with their own packaging for ease of transport (LOL!) and you can use them in various ways, including substituting them for butter in baking recipes.

Today’s recipe is about them all alone, whether as a side dish to a meal if you like the sweet on your plate or as a dessert.

Directions

Pre-heat a non-stick skillet and add a tablespoon of butter.
Slice two bananas in half and place in the skillet.
Drizzle honey over the bananas.
Sprinkle cinnamon over the honey.
Cook for about 3 or 4 minutes (depends on how hot the pan is) and then flip.
Repeat on the honey and cinnamon.

You should have a nice sugary glaze on the bananas from the honey and the caramelization as they cook. If not, flip again, but don’t add more honey or cinnamon. The sugars will caramelize from the heat of the pan.

Serve alone or over ice cream/yogurt.

Voila! Hope you enjoyed today’s recipe!

I love oatmeal and oats are great for you! They are high in fiber and protein, may help lower bad blood cholesterol, help regulate sugar levels, may reduce the risk of cancer, reduce high blood pressure . . .

I could go on, but enough said about the wonders of oats and oatmeal! But with the hot weather, it’s tough to think about a steaming bowl of HOT oatmeal.

So today, we’re talking about an Oatmeal Smoothie, but I cannot take credit for these recipes. Please take a moment to visit TheYummyLife.com for an assortment of Make-Ahead Oatmeal Smoothie recipes.

I used the Apricot Orange mix, but substituted strawberries and mango/orange juice. I think I needed to up the juice and/or strawberry factor, but even with that, I had a smooth, thick delicious smoothie. I doubled the recipe and had enough for two mornings worth of cool smoothies to take to work.

Take a moment to check out the recipes and play around and create your own for a healthy snack. FYI – If you’re wondering where to get the chia seeds, Costco had a big bag (when aren’t they big) and most health food stores should have them.

You can also just sprinkle the chia seeds in salads for extra fiber and omega 3 fatty acids!