So apparently I really like breakfast foods…
This should not come as a shock in the slightest. Most food bloggers I know have this quality embedded in them. It’s like a rule or something. If you could live off breakfast foods than you were probably meant to be a food blogger.
Another thing I could live off? Cookie dough. It’s pretty safe to say I am speaking for most of the world when I say this. Oooo and peanut butter…and dark chocolate + Zinfandel wine + soft french bread. Okay so my list of foods to live off of is pretty long but you get the point
Unfortunately living off that sinfully delicious oatmeal-buttery-brown sugar-chocolate chip studded dough is not a manageable approach to life. I mean we need to make room for other fun things like margaritas, deep dish pizzas and oh yeah vegetables… 
To balance everything out, healthier cookie dough is in order. Healthy cookie dough that is completely acceptable to eat in the wee hours of the morning for breakfast or in the wee hours of the night for dessert. This is probably one of my favorite parts of having a food blog and studying to be a Registered Dietician. Getting to channel my inner cravings and creativity towards cookie dough that has nutritious benefits. It’s a rough life…
Earlier this month I had the pleasure of receiving some samples of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts and I couldn’t help but form these little health seeds into cookie dough indulgence.
This was my first time trying hemp seeds and I have been eager to get my hands on them due to all the health buzz. These babies are loaded with fiber, plant-based protein and those Omega-3’s we all know and love.
A lot of vegetarian/vegan diets like to include hemp based foods for the great source of protein it provides. I am not a vegetarian but am always on the hunt for plant-based sources of protein because it does the body good. You can’t beat all those vital nutrients!
Health aside, these seeds didn’t have a specific flavor to them which makes them easy to add into your daily foods like yogurt, smoothies or meal toppings. Part of me was hoping for something a little more flavorful or almond tasting but these were still enjoyable…especially when you make them into banana hemp hearts cookie dough parfaits
Banana Hemp Hearts Cookie Dough Parfait
- Yield: 1 servings 1x
Ingredients
Hemp Cookie Dough
- 3 Tbsp oat flour
- 1 Tbsp Mannitoba Harvest hemp hearts
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1/2 overripe banana, mashed
- 1/2–1 tsp sweetener of choice*
- Sea salt + cinnamon to taste (optional)
Parfait
- Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla fat free)
- Granola of choice
- Banana slices
Instructions
For the cookie dough
- Combine the oat flou and hemp hearts in a bowl. In a seperate small bowl mash banana with a fork and mix with peanut butter and sweetener of choice. Maple syurp works well here or a few drops of vanilla/chocolate stevia. Stir in your banana mixture into the dry ingredients with a spoon and mix until a dough forms.
For the parfait
- In a small jar lay down half your cookie dough mixture on the bottom. Next layer a few spoonfuls of yogurt, then a few spoonfuls of granola and banana slices. Top this with the rest of your cookie dough, more greek yogurt and extra granola, hemp seeds or banana topping if desired. Eat immediatley or store in the fridge overnight for the next morning!
Notes
*The type and amount of sweetener to use is up to you. It depends how sweet you prefer things. I used a few drops of vanilla stevia for this recipe and have tried maple syrup.
The amount of greek yogurt and granola you want to use is dependant on your prefereance as well. I like a good amount of greek yogurt if I am having this at breakfast to help keep me satisfied.