peanut butter banana oat cookies & arugula swiss stuffed mini chicken breasts

LONG TITLE I know but this is my first recipe post and I did make two things today :)
So my health kick actually started a while ago (beginning of summer) but only recently have I been trying to alter and make my own recipes to make desserts healthier! Healthy and dessert don't really seem to go together in a lot of recipes but I'm trying to make it happen in my kitchen :) 

I LOVE peanut butter and I LOVE bananas and infusing them with oatmeal and ground flax seed and other stuff = fiber-filled delicious health cookie (except for maybe the peanut butter but eating it in moderation is not too bad! Peanut butter is a good source of magnesium and contains healthy fats :))!

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Cookies

 yields 5-6 mini cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 banana (mashed)
3 tbs oats (steel-cut or rolled would be best)
1 tbs ground flax seed
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 tsp brown sugar 
1 tbs peanut butter

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat (I avoid using foil because it requires butter or spray).
- Mash up the banana in a small bowl. Then add in the peanut butter and brown sugar and mix until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. Then pour the dry with the wet ingredients and stir until it becomes a smooth creamy mixture.
- Scoop the batter with a tablespoon onto the parchment paper or silicone mat and flatten into circles.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until the top is no longer gooey to the touch. 
- Transfer to a wire rack to let cool, then serve.

I sometimes wish I were a photographer so I can take better food pictures.

I've finally made a dish my mom really likes, and it's arugula and Baby Swiss cheese stuffed mini chicken breasts! Arugula has a slight bitter herb taste that perfectly complements the Swiss cheese, and these mini rolls are easy to eat! Even my baby sister likes them :) though she's not a big fan of arugula.


Arugula Swiss Stuffed Mini Chicken Breasts

adapted from Martha Stewart
yields 4 mini rolls, about 1 serving 

Ingredients:

one 4 oz chicken breast sliced into 4 thinner pieces
1/2 cup arugula
1/4 cup grated Baby Swiss cheese
salt and pepper
toothpicks (about 2 for each roll)
olive oil

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 400° F. 
- Lay the chicken breasts on a cutting board and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Gather a few pieces of arugula and bunch them together, folding the stems inward. Place the small bundle on the narrow end of one chicken breast and roll inward, adding the cheese along the way. Continue to add bits of arugula and cheese until you reach the end, then seal the end with two toothpicks.
- Repeat the above step until you have 4 mini rolls in total
- Lightly drizzle olive oil over a heated skillet and place the rolls onto the skillet about 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove the toothpicks once the roll has sealed itself and continue turning them on the skillet until all sides are slightly cooked through.
- Transfer the chicken onto a baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes until the meat is opaque throughout the roll.
- Remove, cut if desired, and serve.