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Up to my Old Banana Tricks

Yay, y’all share my sweet potato love!

And my excitement about the Coconut Banana Butter.

Yesterday, I ate another sweet p with the luscious spread. But this time, upon my discovery that you can melt the banana a bit (pre-blending) things skyrocketed to a whole new level of deliciousness!

znyc 212

You know how much I *heart* the Melted Banana Trick.

(For the record, the “melted banana” in the photo went into oatmeal. I didn’t melt the banana quite so much for yesterday’s coconut spread; just enough to bring out the caramelized taste.)

In other coconut news: I snagged a Chocolate-dipped-Coconut Luna Bar to try out. Normally, Luna Bars aren’t my favorite, but I was curious. How can you go wrong with chocolate and coconut?

 

As it turns out, you can’t. I think this is one of Luna’s best flavors to-date (their only other flavor on which I’m keen is the Nutz-over-Chocolate).

chocolate coconut luna bar

Not as good as my homemade Coconut Bars.

But pretty darn good for a packaged product. I’ll probably buy another one, just to throw into my purse for an emergency snack. Once every few months, I’ll get an unexpected Luna-Bar craving out of nowhere. Weird.

NYC2010 1101

I’ll leave you with something that has nothing to do with either chocolate or coconut: Henry, a.k.a. the laziest doggie in the world. He must get like 23 hours of sleep every day! (And in that other hour, he’s either mooching for food or rolled over on his belly, hoping someone will pet him.).

Do you like Naps?
And how much sleep do you normally get?

Am I the only one who hates naps?? I’ve hated naptime since preschool. (Wait, does anyone like naptime in preschool?) Even power naps just make me more tired upon waking up.

As for sleep, I usually get 7-ish hours. But every now and then, I wake up in the middle of the night and cannot fall back to sleep. It’s so frustrating to just lay there, staring at the wall! But sometimes, I get the most-creative ideas during those times. For example, the other night I came up with a recipe for fudge.

Here’s a sneak peak:  Healthy Vegan Fudge.

Published on January 19, 2011

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
featured on The 
Today Show, CNN, 
Fox, The 
Huffington Post, and 
ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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117 Comments

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  1. Meg says

    That new Luna looks SO GOOD I’m sad I can’t try it! Boooo gluten…will you enjoy an extra one for me? 😉

    I can’t wait for FUDGE 😀

  2. Liz @ Tip Top Shape says

    omg omg omg CHOCOLATE DIPPED COCONUT?! Just when i think Luna Bar cannot come out with better flavors (Chocolate Peppermint Stick, anyone?) they go ahead and do it. I need to find this flavor stat!!

    • Sabine @ thefruitpursuit says

      bahahah I just woke up from a nap too (I think my phone made a sound when I got a mail about katies update :p) but its because I’m sick! again!

  3. Kelly says

    I’m loving Luna’s Chocolate Coconut Flavor – I’d say it’s my favorite and I hope they keep it around. Tried the new Chocolate Chunk and was not as impressed.

    I can’t take naps – once I’m up, I’m nonstop all day. I find that a tall glass of water and a piece of chocolate or handful of nuts will usually give me a boost of energy.

  4. Healthy Chocoholic says

    If I nap, I can’t sleep at night!!!!
    I love the Nutz over chocolate Luna Bars as well, and I wish that I could try the coconut chocolate ones! I’ll make your version very soon…..now I’m craving the coconut chocolate combo!

  5. Leslie says

    I love naps! But only when they’re power naps. Too long and I think I’ve been asleep all night and it should be the next day!
    Trying your coconut banana butter today! 🙂

  6. Gloria says

    I used to loooove napping and would nap almost every day in high school and college. But then I would stay up til 2 or 3am every night. It was a nasty cycle. Now that I have a big girl job, own house, etc. etc, I don’t have the time to nap. And ever since going vegan after college, I haven’t even needed naps. I even hate sleeping in past sunrise! But I still absolutely love the occasional Sunday afternoon rainy-day snooze on the couch 🙂

  7. Julia says

    I HATE naps! I always feel horrible after I take one. I don’t get much sleep at night (prob abt 5 hours if I’m lucky).

    Everytime I go grocery shopping, I try out a different Luna Bar. I have yet to find one that I really like. 🙁 Oh well…I’ll just have to keep making my own. 🙂

    • Amanda says

      I don’t get more than 5 hours a night either. Do you feel energized even after getting just 5 hours? People think I’m strange, but I just don’t seem to need any more. I feel fine during the day.

  8. Kathleen says

    I usually get about 6-7 hours, but sometimes I get 8 hours. I only take naps when I need them, like if I haven’t had much sleep the past few nights, etc. I really need to work on getting to bed earlier.

  9. Ashley (The Vegetable Life) says

    I personally love naps! I just wish I had time to take them! I cant remember that last time I took a nap (it was probabyl during my college years when I would nap each afternoon for like 2-3 hours!) … but I am a girl who loves sleep. Getting 8 hours a night is a MUST for me!

    I love Luna’s Nutz over Chocolate!

  10. Emily K. says

    I’m a nap kinda gal! By the way, that photo of you is really pretty :). And the gorgeous Luna Bar just makes it even prettier! Hopefully my Whole Foods will start carrying those soon!

  11. Disturbed says

    I am insomniac, so on my *best* nights I get maybe 4-5 hours of sleep. Usually interrupted by nightmares and such. So, naps are also out for me as it takes to long and too much medication to get me to sleep for naps to be worth it.
    O how I wish I could nap though.

  12. Kayla says

    Hey Katie!

    Today I used your Chocolate Butter recipe and I made dark chocolate almond butter! I just made regular almond butter (with 2 cups of roasted almonds in the Vitamix) and stirred in 2 batches of Chocolate Butter and let it blend some more!

    Oh man, it is SOOOO good! You HAVE to try it, it’s amazing!!!

  13. Aylin @ GlowKitchen says

    No matter what time I go to sleep, I cannot comfortably wake up early. I’ll even apportion 10 hours of sleep just to get up at 5am, but still, I’ll be tired/moody/etc.

    This is a fun thing to do though: http://sleepyti.me/

    (it tells you four different times you should go to bed if you want to wake up at, say, 6:30am–its all based on sleep cycles)

  14. Ellen @ Cinnamonalicious says

    I hate napping!
    Some of my friends go for naps when they’re finished uni for the day, but I don’t understand how they do it?!
    Just last week I napped for the first time in yeeearsss and woke up feeling soooo tired and oddly hungry too :/
    haha.
    LOVE your melted banana trick btw – my life has changed since I discovered it! 😀

  15. Meagan says

    That fudge looks amazing! Peanut butter fudge is my favorite dessert in the whole world and I have yet to find a healthy vegan recipe for it! So excited!!!

  16. Angie says

    I find that I can’t sleep when I am stressed out or having something on my mind, Usually i try to avoid not being able to sleep by working out earlier in the day and hoping that takes care of some of the stress that I have been feeling. I really am excited about the recipe sneak peak you posted. Can’t wait for that one… oh yea and I had a pizzert a couple days ago and made one for my mom she loved it!

  17. Allison @ Happy Tales says

    Sounds like litle Henrizzle is livin’ the LIFE! Ha, must be nice to just sleep and eat (well… maybe it’d only be nice for a day or so until the boredom sets in)

    I do like to nap! but not for too long… and I’m not a regular napper, either. But! On those nights when I do not get enough sleep, a solid 30 minute nap is so refreshing!

  18. melissa @ the delicate place says

    i hate naps too! i feel drained after i wake up so they just aren’t for me! i get 8-9hrs sleep each night 🙂 i have a 2hr round trip commute so i think that plus 8 hour work day + working out on some days makes me need the extra sleep!

  19. Sabine @ thefruitpursuit says

    I must have 8 hours of sleep and I calculate for 9 so I won’t get too little. Normally I don’t take naps but every once in a while I get hit with tiredness and a powernap then really revitalizes me!

  20. Felicia ( a taste of health with balance) says

    I haven’t had a luna bar in foreverrr! I use to lovee the iced oatmeal raisin ( i think thats what it was called?) I love naps on rainy and snowy days, but rarely take them. When I worked nights all I did was sleep during the day and still be exhausted! Now that I’m on a normal schedule I usual

  21. Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free says

    I can’t nap at all. It is soo hard! Even when I’m sick, or deathly tired. I just have troubles sleeping. I usually get about 9 hrs a night. I need it. I can’t function on any less. Seriously.

    My dad and my sis and I have sleeping problems sometimes…Anxiety runs in the family. When I am stressed, nervous, or thinking too much, I can’t sleep. I remember my first national tournament I played in. Ugh…I was sooo nervous. I got 6 hrs two days before. The night before i got 4 hrs, and during the tournament I got 5 hrs. I was a mess. But thank goodness I play well at night. For some reason, I got a surge of energy and won one of the matches! I played so well!

  22. Fi says

    I hate waking up and not being able to get back to sleep!sooo annoying! I’m not s banana fan in their natural form only if it’s melted or frozen ;)xx

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      OMG NO! No way!! Do you know how close Denton is to me?! Why/how did I not know this??? Thank goodness I’m friends with you! I will HAVE to check it out… maybe this weekend. Or oh heck, maybe tomorrow. My profs would understand, right?

      • Melissa says

        Totally! I’m super happy that I could tell you this! 😀 Now I get to feel all awesome all day for making you happy. :D! Report back! It looks wonderful. YAY.

  23. Jess@atasteofconfidence says

    I really like naps — but only if I actually need them. I try to get 8 hours of sleep, but it’s usually more like 6 or 7.

  24. Erika @ Food.Fitness.Fun says

    I can’t wait to try that Coconut Chocolate Luna. WHEN IS IT GONNA HIT THE STORES NEAR ME?!
    Sorry, I get way to dramatic over food. In my last blog post I freaked because they don’t sell Cinnamon Roll Larabars around me. LOL 😉

  25. chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says

    I love naps – anywhere in between 2 and 4 p.m., I crash a little and all I want to do is close my eyes. Unfortunately, we don’t do nap time in the 5th grade (I’m a teacher).

  26. Embodying Freedom says

    I love naps, but I never can take them because I’m such a workaholic. I feel so unproductive. I should probably make a resolution to take more naps, but instead my resolutions always involve working harder…great, haha.
    How could you not like LunaBars? I live for them! hehe.

  27. Namaste Gurl says

    I’m not too keen on luna bars, either- but if I see a new flavor, or need a on the go snack, then i’ll pick one up. Chocolate- coconut? I must try that one!
    I like naps, but sadly I can’t ever fall asleep as I’m a restless person during the day!

  28. VEGirl says

    As a teenager, I need to get about 10 hours of sleep every night to be at my “peak”. My body, I’ve noticed, will naturally sleep somewhere near ten hours without my even trying! Like, if I go to bed at 10:30 I wake up at about 8:15-8:30. But when I go to bed at 11:30 I wake up at about 9:15-9:30. It’s cool! That is why I despise alarm clocks– I always get woken up right in the middle of a dream :(. I don;t really nap anymore, even in the car, unless I’m REALLY REALLY tired. I always wake up a bit fuzzy after a rare nap though– annoying!

    I wish I could try a luna bar sometime but they have gluten! 🙁 grrr…. I may have to try to make my own? Or you could? your homemade lara bars are kick-butternut squash so I bet you could come up with a luna for this poor GF soul! Well, anyway, I DID eat banana though– in the form of some silken tofu banana yogurt. Your melted banana trick makes me wish I had a microwave, but the lack of one was made up for in the fact that I topped it with Alex’s bitter chocolate cake!
    VEGirl

  29. Sable says

    OMG I’m NOT alone in hating naps?!!? It really doesn’t matter how tired I am — I would rather use the time I would spend napping to get everything done so I can go to bed early. Naps make me feel more tired, gross, a little queasy when I wake up, and totally unproductive!!

  30. Lauren @ Coachlauren.net says

    No you are not alone!!! I hate naps too. I ALWAYS wake up tired and angry whenever I take a nap… Which is why I hardly ever take naps, but when I do hopefully I don’t come into contact with anyone for a good hour or two. I’ll admit it, I’m mean after a nap hahaha.

  31. Melomeals: Vegan for $3.33 a Day says

    I never ever nap ( even when I had babies who never slept ).. I think I need less sleep than most people. I’ve been staying up sooo late recently. Not good.

  32. Heather says

    I’ve never been a big fan of naps. It doesn’t matter how long I lay down, I ALWAYS feel worse when I get up! I usually get anywhere from 6-8 hours of sleep. The only thing is though that I am always up by 7-7:30am for some reason…even if I don’t have to get up for anything. The other night I didn’t get to bed until 2am (which is SOOOO unlike me) and of course, I was up at 7:07am the next morning!

  33. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says

    Thanks for the Luna review..ive read on other blogs that that flavor was excellent and a fave-to-date flavor as well…so now i need to try it!

    Hating naps..when i was in college and early 20s, I LOVED THEM! I still do love to just rest/zone out/lay down for 20 mins if I can…but that happens about as frequently as I walk on water, i.e. never 🙂

    And your poor mother…you hated naps?! Seriously, naptime is a mama’s best friend. Youll know what i mean one day…haha 🙂

  34. Ashley@Quasichick says

    I loved the melted banana trick. I use it all the time! And I have NEVER tried a Luna bar so I am gonna have to look for the coconut kind next time I’m at the store.
    As for naps, I love a nap on Sunday afternoons!

  35. Mary @ Bites and Bliss says

    I try to get at least 8 hours of sleep otherwise I’m dragging all day. Actually, if I get 2 or less of sleep then I’m ok..but anything between 2 and 8 and im dragging all day lol. And I dislike naps, too. Unless I take it right in the middle of the day..but otherwise they throw my day off. Man, sleep’s tricky lol

  36. Ally (oatsandspice) says

    I HATE NAPS TOO 🙂 I live in a sorority and everyone thinks I’m crazy for not taking naps… Why would I want to waste my day and take a nap? I just go to bed at a decent time to get my 8 hours! I’m glad you agree with me!

  37. chocolate-coatedrunner says

    Lovin’ the coconut-banana butter recipe & it might be really good with almond butter too!
    I just posted a vegan choc. chip cookie recipe and realized u might want to try ’em :o)

    P.S. Did you receive my email?

  38. Ann Claire says

    I’ve never tired a Luna bars, but that one sounds really good! It’s always nice to keep a few bars around, just in case I get in a snacking emerengency. I usually get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. I always always go to bed my 11 on school nights. My friends talk about how they stayup until one in the 1 morning studying/doing homework, I could never do that! If I don’t finish everything I need to I have to wake up and do it early in the morning.

  39. Pure2raw twins says

    I wish I could take naps!! I miss them. My sleep patterns vary…sucks, but I am not the best sleeper. I try to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time, but not working so well. I will keep trying though.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      LOLOL! But guess what… I think Henry CAN eat chocolate safely! Once, at Halloween time, he climbed onto the couch, climbed onto the table, then jumped onto a table next to that in order to get a whole bunch of 100 grands. And then he was perfectly fine :-?. Not that we’d ever let him repeat the mistake…

  40. BroccoliHut says

    I’ve been keeping my eye out for those LUNAs, considering chocolate-coconut is one of my all time fave combos. No luck yet though…
    Henry reminds me of my Fred–all he does is sleep, eat, and pee. Sigh. What a life.

  41. Camille says

    Oh my gosh, I hate naps too! They seem like such a waste of my waking hours!
    I feel best after 8 hours of sleep, but I always try to get at least 7!

  42. ChrisB says

    Hi Katie! I love your blog.. I have a suggestion: could you write a post on Salt? Do you use it? a lot? a little? do you not use it at all? and why… There’s a lot of controversy on this subject some say it’s bad some say it’s essential… You look very healthy and I’d love to hear your view on salt. Thank you!

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Wow, Chris, it’s SO funny you would write this today, because I *just* thought about the very same topic last night, while writing a post on Chinese food! So yes, I would love to do a post about salt! Hopefully in the next month or so. (I have a ton of other things on my blogging “to post” list, but now “salt” is on there too!)

      • ChrisB says

        :))) Wow! Synchrony!! So cool the few times I comment here you seem to have the same thoughts. 🙂 Looking forward! I’m going to read the chinese food post now. have a lovely day! 😉 CB

  43. Cynthia K says

    Naps. I love them. I’m terrible at them, though. I only do it once in a very great while and I SWEAR to myself that I’ll be up in an hour, but when I wake up I think “Lord, it’s comfortable snuggled up under the covers…and I hear a lot of action going on out there with the child…if I just take this other pillow and place it over my ear, like this…oh, I can’t hear anything anymore. This is nice…” then I’m out again for another hour and THAT’S when I wake up and turn into a prime *****!

    And you’ve really got to take it easy on poor Henry. He’s so misunderstood. My dog has the same job Henry does and it’s hard. They’re holding the floor/couch/rug down, and it’s a neverending task! He’s taking a great risk by stopping for a few to eat and give you some love. You never know when your floor/couch/rug might just rise up and fly away without Dog on it so give him a little hug and say “Thanks Henry!”

    Have a good day, miss Katie!

  44. Jasmin says

    Yumm, that banana coconut butter thing looks sooo good!

    I love taking naps. But if they’re too long I’m more tired afterwards than before and it can be disruptive to my sleep patterns. I rather enjoy a good NIGHT’s sleep. About 7-9 hours. Although, last night, I couldn’t sleep either. 🙂

    And BTW. I’m new to the whole new blogworld. 🙂 Well, kind of. New blog anyway.

    Jasmin

  45. Danielle says

    I have a question about bananas. I know it’s a little unrelated to this post (sorry!), but I am allergic to bananas. I love to eat smoothies and milkshakes, but a lot of them seem to have bananas in them. What exactly does bananas do for smoothies and milkshakes? And is there a substitution, like can I use another different fruit to replace the banana. OK, that’s 2 questions haha!

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