Recipe: Baked Banana Chips
These chips are a project – they take a long time to crisp in the oven, so make them when you know you’ll be home for several hours.
The trick to making good baked chips is to check them frequently. Because the chips aren’t uniform – not only in size, but in natural moisture/sugar content – they cook at different speeds. Also, not all ovens are perfectly calibrated to a baking temperature, so the time might vary.
Keeping an eye on them makes all the difference!
Ingredients:
4 large ripe bananas
4 tablespoons of orange or lemon juice
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)
Small amount of sea salt (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut the peeled bananas into ¼-inch slices and dip into the orange/lemon juice before placing on the baking sheets. Sprinkle with optional spices/salt and put the chips in the oven.
After about 90 minutes, remove from the oven and gently peel the chips up from the parchment paper to flip them over. (Note: if they don’t easily flip and still feel really sticky, bake a little longer before you flip them all.)
Cook for another hour or so (they make take up to four hours total!) and start checking on them for doneness – you’ll know they are done when they turn light brown and are starting to become dry and crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Store in an airtight container.
Recipe by: Saara Haapanen
Photo Credit: Canva by HandmadePictures from Getty Images
Move at Work Challenge: Leg Work
Move at Work Challenge: Take Care of Your Feet
Move at Work Challenge: Quick Breathing Exercise
Workout: On the Minute Baby!
Time: 45 - 60 minutes
Equipment Needed: Stopwatch and a Chair or Weight
Warm Up: 5 - 10 minutes
Set #1:
Perform the following 3 exercises for the stated amount of reps below. The twist is, you only have a minute to complete the 5, 10, 15 reps. At the top of the minute, you need to start again. Complete 12 minutes total. Depending on your fitness level, you may want to allot slightly longer than a minute but make sure you keep it challenging.
5 Pullover Sit-Ups
10 Spiderman Planks
15 Jump Squats
Rest 2 - 3 minutes.
Set #2:
Perform windsprints. 30 second of work and 15 seconds of rest for a total of 6 sets (windsprints).
30 seconds Windsprints
10 seconds Rest
Repeat 6x
Rest 2 - 3 minutes.
Set #3:
Perform the following 3 exercises for the stated amount of reps below. The twist is, you only have a minute to complete the 5, 10, 15 reps. At the top of the minute, you need to start again. Complete 12 minutes total. Depending on your fitness level, you may need to allot longer than a minute but make sure it is still challenging.
5 Burpees
10 Bench Dips or Skull Crushers
15 Frog Jumps
Rest 2 - 3 minutes.
Set #4:
Perform butt kicks. 30 second of work and 15 seconds of rest for a total of 6 sets (windsprints).
30 seconds Butt Kicks
10 seconds Rest
Repeat 6x
Rest 2 - 3 minutes.
Set #5:
Ab Finisher. Complete 2 - 3 sets of the following ab exercises, 10 reps each.
10 Opposite Hand / Opposite Leg
10 Bench Crunches
10 Coffin
Cool Down & Stretch: 5 - 10 minutes
Workout by: Saara Haapanen
Photo Credit: Canva by MichaelDeLeon from Getty Images Signature
Move at Work Challenge: Give Your Fingers Some Love
Recipe: Palm Springs-ish Date Shake Smoothie
Have you ever heard of a Palm Springs date shake? The shake apparently were invented in that California resort city – and they’re delicious. The only downside is they are made with ice cream.
This recipe takes the best of the date shake and turns it into a treat you can enjoy any time without feeling weighed down.
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
3 Medjool dates, pitted, chopped and soaked in 1/4 cup of hot water for 10-15 minutes
¼ cup toasted walnuts
½ banana, sliced and frozen
¼ tsp vanilla bean powder or ½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of cinnamon
⅓ to ½ cup cashew milk (or other nut milk)
(optional: ½ cup of ice)
Directions:
Place all the ingredients (including the date soaking liquid) in a high-speed blender and blend until combined. Adjust the amount of cashew milk to achieve a shake-like consistency.
Pour into a glass and enjoy!
Recipe by: Saara Haapanen
Photo Credit: Canva by etorres69 from Getty Images