Bless me blog-readers for I have sinned. Sort of.

Ok, let’s just say there are a few things that I may or may not do behind the scenes of Fitness & Spice and I thought I’d better come clean.

For example:

I may or may not eat protein powder straight from the container. Dry. With a spoon. You know how some people drink milk right from the carton? Well, that’s just gross, but it’s kind of like that. I don’t recommend trying this at home because it may or may not be a chocking hazard.

I may or may not eat PB2, powdered peanut butter, the same way I may or may not eat protein powder…straight out of the container. Don’t judge.

I may or may not swallow gum. Yes, I am well aware of what the rumor mill has to say about this one!

I may or may not have used ketchup in place of salad dressing last night. Not because I’m a ketchup person, I don’t put ketchup on my eggs or anything wrong like that, but because I was out of salad dressing and was too lazy to make any from scratch.

Speaking of salads, Chef Ann Cooper and the good people at Whole Foods are sponsoring a project to put salad bars in schools. Their goal is to get a new salad bar in at least one school near each of its U.S. based Whole Foods locations by January 2011—that’s nearly 300 schools! Check out the Salad Bar Project for more information and see how you can apply for a grant for your school or donate to the campaign.

Now I really may or may not have to back to the confessional but before I do, I need to wish Mom and Dad Spice a very happy and healthy anniversary!

Everybody’s going bananas lately.

Gina, Marisa, Sahar, and Brittany have all been monkeying around with frozen banana sensations over the last few weeks.

Maybe it’s because they know that in addition to a nice dose of potassium bananas pack 3-4 grams of fiber, are moderately low on the glycemic index, and are only about 100 calories. Or maybe it’s because they just know what tastes refreshing and what’s easy to make?

But I wonder if they know that the inside of the banana peel contains a ton of nutrients? To reap some additional benefits from your bananas just scrape down the inside of the peel and blend it into your favorite homemade ice creams and smoothies.

Anywho, now it’s my turn to give frozen banana ice cream the ole Fitness & Spice twist.

Here’s how you make…

Unchunky Monkey Soft Serve Ice Cream

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 T or more of peanut butter or PB2 (powdered peanut butter)
• 2 T chocolate protein powder (like Protein Freeze)

Blend the banana in the Vitamix (or blender) to your desired consistency. Toss into a bowl and fold in the peanut butter and protein powder.

You’re welcome.

Now I really must grab a quick bowl of Joanna Banana soft serve before I split.

My Dad makes THE BEST popcorn.

When I was little, I remember watching my Dad in the kitchen whipping up a batch of stove top popcorn and waiting patiently for him to fill up our  bowls. His bowl could feed 5,000 and my bowl was big enough for a cricket’s lunch…but who’s complaining?

Last week a bag of locally produced popcorn was added to my Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSA) grocery bag. Get this…I can’t remember the last time I’ve had popcorn and I know for sure that I have never made popcorn on the stove in my entire life.

But, I figured it out.

I hopped into the Fitness & Spice test kitchen, tossed a towel over my shoulder (like my Dad does), threw about a tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 cup of popcorn in a pan, covered it with a lid, and glided it over the hot burner for a few minutes. My first batch was topped with good ole sea salt and it was almost as good as Dad’s, only this time I had the entire bowl for myself.

The next day I experimented with a top coat of Pam Olive Oil Spray, Parmesan cheese, and a dash of Tabasco Sauce—we don’t call this site Fitness & Spice for nothing!

When watching the Biggest Loser grand finale, I topped my popcorn with (wait. for. it.) RANCH seasoning.

And last night I was craving something sweet so I called Carrie and we came up with…

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Popcorn (Sorta)

• Step 1: Pop a batch of popcorn
• Step 2: In a shaker combine a tablespoon or two of chocolate protein powder and powdered peanut butter (PB2) along with a packet or two of stevia
• Step 3: Lightly coat popcorn with butter flavor Pam
• Step 4: Sprinkle chocolate and peanut butter mixture all over the popcorn

Was it perfect? Not quite.

Did it taste like Crunch ‘n Munch or Cracker Jacks? No, whey.

Did I eat the entire bowl? Guilty!

Would I make it again? Don’t mind if I do!

What’s your favorite popcorn topping?

Now I really must go hit the gym before I say something corny!