Banana Bread

 

Banana Bread always disappears quickly in our home.  My family loves this recipe, and it slices so nicely once it is completely cooled.  I love that this bread is not crumbly.   This makes one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, but you may want to double it like I do.   

Banana Bread

3 large ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine bananas, sugars, eggs, milk and canola oil.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix till combined.  Do not over mix.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Remove carefully from pan and cool completely on wire rack.  Enjoy!
 

 

Breakfast Cookies

 

There are no sugar or eggs in this recipe, yet they are not even missed. I just love these, and they are rather simple to make. It will bake in the same size and shape you make them, so what you see is what you get. The only dried fruit I had on hand was dried Cranberries, so that is what is in the picture, but anything you like will do.

Breakfast Cookies
1 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup Flax seed Meal
1/2 cup chopped, Mixed nuts
1 cup dried fruit(a combination or just one fruit)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup Canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a baking sheet, or line with Parchment Paper.

In a large bowl, combine Oats, coconut, Flax seed Meal, nuts, fruit, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Stir till well distributed.

In another bowl, combine, oil, banana and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine well.

With your hands, roll about two Tablespoons of batter, squeezing tightly. Place onto prepared baking sheet, press down and shape into cookies. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

 

I saved the seeds from our pumpkin carving night, and toasted them up the next day. This is one of my favorite things about this time of year! It was EXTREMELY difficult NOT to eat these all up before I could snap a photo. Now we can eat freely- such a relief.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
3/4 teaspoon olive oil
kosher salt

After separating the seeds from the stringy-innards, rinse them in cold water, and dry them thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, add pumpkin seeds and olive oil then stir to coat well. Spread the seeds on a baking pan, in a single layer. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake 15-20 minutes being careful not to let them burn.

Granola and Fresh Fruit Topped Greek Yogurt

 

This is a great breakfast or perfect as a snack. I've never been a fan of yogurt, but I am a fan of Greek Yogurt. I use the non-fat, and it's packed with protein, and it's so healthy.

1/2 cup Greek style Yogurt
1 Tablespoon honey
Granola
Fresh Fruit

Mix yogurt and honey, mix well. Top with Granola and fresh fruit of your choice.

Whole Wheat Cheese Crackers

 

These are very similar in taste to the Goldfish Crackers that you can buy from the store. To get that cracker crunchiness to them, they have to be rolled very thin. Either Sharp or Extra Sharp Cheddar works best with these.
My kids love and miss the packaged gold fish crackers. I refuse to buy them because of their ingredients, and so they were THRILLED that I made these. I chose to make them into triangles as you can see, but no matter the shape, they will taste the same. This recipe makes a little over 100 triangles. This was a fun treat for my kids, and next time I make them, I'll double the batch and keep them in an airtight container.

Whole Wheat Cheese Crackers
Yield: About 100 crackers

6 ounces (1 1/2 cups coarsely grated) sharp cheddar
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, and whir until the dough forms into a ball, about two minutes.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface(parchment works great), with a lightly floured rolling pin until very thin(this will help them crisp). Transfer dough to an ungreased baking sheet, and score, using a pizza cutter or any tool you may have. If using a small cookie cutter, cut the shapes and then place on baking dish, re-roll dough and repeat. Bake 12-15 minutes or until slightly browned on the edges. Place baking dish on wire rack to cool. Once cooled, carefully break apart the crackers, if scored.



On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick. Form shapes with a cookie cutter, dipping it in flour from time to time to ensure a clean cut. Gently transfer crackers to an ungreased (though mine were parchment-lined, because they are in despicable shape) cookie sheet with a 1/2 inch between them. Bake the crackers on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are barely browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool. Store in airtight container.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets(Baked)

 

I don't know about your kids, but my kids LOVE Chicken Nuggets. Not only do they taste MUCH better than the pre-packaged ones, they are healthier and have that awesome crispiness to them. This is a recipe I've been meaning to post forever, but never got around to it. Gwen, you're keeping me going here, thanks. It is a recipe that is very versatile. In place of Crispy Rice cereal, I've used bread crumbs or Panko Bread Crumbs, and I always change the seasonings each time I make them. I've added Parmesan Cheese, Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder, Cajun Seasoning, Montreal Chicken Seasoning and some of the same seasonings I use to flavor ground beef for burgers, and of course just plain.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets
3/4 cups all-purpose flour(sometimes I use whole wheat)
coarse salt and ground pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups crispy rice cereal (bread and Panko crumbs work also, or a combination)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pound chicken, cut into small pieces for nuggets (I always use thighs)

Defrost your chicken, cut into small pieces for nuggets. You will need three bowls(I use pie plates) and a cookie sheet(prepare with non-stick spray). Put the crispy rice cereal, olive oil and any seasonings if you like(Parmesan Cheese, Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder, Cajun Seasoning, Montreal Chicken Seasoning or some of the same seasonings you use to flavor ground beef for burgers, or just leave them plain), in a blender, blend till it's crushed into very small pieces. Pour into one bowl. Put your beaten eggs in another bowl and flour with salt and pepper into another bowl. Do this assembly-line-style. Start by dipping your chicken into the flour till it's coated all over, then into the egg making sure it covers the entire chicken, then into the crispy rice mix, then onto your pan. I don't like my hands to get too thick and gooey, so I use one hand for the wet and the other for the dry ingredients. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Dip into whatever dips you like(my kids like ketchup, but I like BBQ sauce, or honey mustard too. I like to serve cut up fresh carrots, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, green beans, or other fresh veggies as well with this meal. Enjoy.

Crepes

It's been years since I've attempted to make Crepes. Kelli went to a Mutual activity where they made crepes, topped them, and then ate them. When I went to pick her up I got to try one of them. Mine had Nutella and Strawberries and it was SOOO good! So, rather randomly this afternoon, I decided to make some for a snack. I popped the ingredients into my blender, and whisked the dry ingredients into a small bowl, then slowly, with the blender on, added the dry mixture. Then I poured it right from the blender- EASY. This recipe is from Bonnie Weeeks' blog, the recipe Kelli helped make at the activity. If you click on the title it will take you to her post, she even has a video with pictures to go along with it. I liked the quick video, since I really didn't know what I was doing when I made these. She's got some other great looking recipes I need to try, as well as Crafty things I may take a stab at trying. I found the picture from www.skinnytaste.com(another fabulous food blog, which I will be trying and hopefully posting some recipes from soon).

Crepes
About 5 servings (if you are really serving 5 adults, I would double it to have leftovers)

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup water
4 eggs (if you only have 2-3 on hand, still doable)
1/4 cup oil
1-2 tsp vanilla (almond also tastes good)

Mix all ingredients together with electric beaters. Spray frying pans with non-stick spray. Ladle into pans and cook on 1st side just until the top looks dry and the pancake won't break when flipped. Cook on the 2nd side for 1/2 the time on the first. Eat and enjoy.

Lavosh(Wheat Thins)

I have the last batch of these in the oven right now. These are so fun and easy to make. You do them a batch at a time, like making cookies. I found the picture at castsugar.blogspot.com(just click on the title), but the recipe I found is from http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_detail.php?rid=764 Just copy and past this to see for yourself. Of course it's here below as well. The first two batches I did turned out too soft(I didn't roll them thin enough), but after that they were PERFECT(I rolled them paper thin). I was surprised at how thin I had to roll them, but it is the key to these crackers. I found this recipe about a year ago and I finally got around to making them. I'm so glad I did.

Lavosh(Wheat Thins)

Ingredients
•1-1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
•1-1/2 cups White Flour, Unbleached
•1/2 tsp Sea Salt
•1/2 tsp Baking Soda
•1/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed (can be less if desired)
•4-5 Tb Sesame Seeds (White Hulled)
•1 stick Butter, melted
•1 cup Buttermilk

Directions
Mix together the first 6 ingredients (whole wheat flour through sesame seeds). Add the melted butter and buttermilk; mix well. Form batter into several balls the size of a tennis ball. Roll each out as thinly as possible on the back of an ungreased cookie sheet(use extra flower to roll them out, like a super mini-pizza). Score into 2" x 2" squares. Do not separate.

Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.

Options: Seasonings such as garlic salt, onion salt, poppy seeds or cracked black pepper can be used.

Makes about 3 dozen crackers.

Toast With Cream Cheese and Fruit

Here's one more after school snack that I wanted to include. This was also from the Martha Stewart Everyday food magazine. Again, it's my photo of the magazine page, so the quality is poor. However, you can still see what it looks like. I hardly ever buy cream cheese, but when I do, Kelli takes full advantage of it. This is her favorite.

Toast With Cream Cheese and Fruit

Whole-grain bread is nutritious and high in fiber; and luckily, it's also delicious.
Serves 2
1. In a toaster oven or under the broiler, lightly toast 2 slices whole-grain bread on both sides.
2. Layer 1 Tablespoon cream-cheese spread on each piece of toast and top with 2 teaspoons Strawberry jam and two or three slices banana.

Peanut Butter Apple Rings

These are so simple and so fun to snack on. Another great after school snack. This was found in one of the Martha Stewart Everyday food magazines. I searched for a photo of it, but couldn't find it. So, this is a picture of the magazine page that I have here at the house. Now you know why the quality isn't that great, but you get the idea of what they look like.

Peanut Butter Apple Rings

Core 1 apple. Cut a thin slice off top and bottom, and discard. Slice apple crosswise into 3 thick rings. Dividing evenly, spread one side of the rings with peanut butter, and a total of 1/4 cup topping (such as granola, cereal, toasted coconut, or anything else you can think of), and pat on gently.

Banana-Nutmeg Smoothie

Kelli likes to make these smoothies for an after school snack. It's nice to have a variety of options for an after school snack, and this is on the list. We found it at Marthastewart.com. Just click on the title and it will take you there.

Banana-Nutmeg Smoothie
Ingredients
Serves 4

3 bananas, ripe but firm, broken into pieces
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 cup ice cubes
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
In a blender, combine bananas, broken into pieces, with milk, and puree until smooth.
Add to the fruit mixture yogurt, ice cubes, and nutmeg, and blend until the ice is finely crushed and the drink is frothy. Serve immediately.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

The title will take you to Emeril's recipe at the foodnetwork, but this picture I found at http://meandmypinkmixer.blogspot.com/2011/01/peanut-butter-granola-bars.html. This is what they look like, only she has Organic Koala Crisp cereal in hers(not a bad idea). Brandon usually stays clear of Peanut Butter, but he tried these and he really liked them. These I'll be making again, and I might add some mini chocolate chips for something fun next time.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Ingredients
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
1/4 cup hulled green pumpkin seeds (can find these in the bulk section)
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup(I used Real Maple Syrup)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter(I used Adam's Peanut Butter)

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 by 8-inch baking dish and set aside.

In a small saucepan melt butter with honey over low heat, stirring.

In a large bowl stir together oats, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon and salt. Pour butter mixture over oat mixture and stir until combined well.

On a large baking sheet, spread the granola evenly in a thin layer. Bake, stirring every 5 minutes to keep from sticking or burning, until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes. (Do not overcook; the granola will crisp more when cooled.)

Cool the granola in the pan on top of the stove and stir in the raisins. When the granola is completely cooled, place in a large bowl.

Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup(maple syrup), and peanut butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is at a boil. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the granola, stirring to coat well. Cool slightly and press into the prepared baking dish and let cool completely and harden. Cut the mixture into ten 1 1/4-inch bars and serve at room temperature. (The bars may be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.)

Stove Top Kettle Corn

The title will take you to the recipe and picture. I've only attempted this one time, and I admit, I burned the bottom pieces, so I had to pick out the ones that weren't burnt. It's funny, as I was making this, my mind started to wonder. Ever happen to you while you're cooking? Mine does, especially when I have to "stir constantly", and now while I make popcorn. Next time will be better. Next time I'm out, I'll be picking up some popcorn kernels to give this another try. I can't wait to have a whole batch of kettle corn the way it's supposed to be.

I recommend clicking on the title of this one because she gives detailed tips and instructions for this with great pictures.

Stove Top Kettle Corn
Recipe by Our Best Bites

3 T canola or vegetable oil
1/3 C popcorn kernels
3 T granulated sugar
kosher salt

The recipe for kettle corn isn't complicated--it's the little tricks that matter. So I'm going to teach you all of my little tricks!(obviously this isn't me talking here, I burnt mine a bit)

1. Place a large stock pot on the stove top. Set heat to medium-high. Add oil. While your oil is heating (it won't take long), measure out your popcorn into a small bowl. Add sugar to the kernels. When it's time to cook, everything moves very quickly, so it's important to have it all ready to go.


Now, wait until you see your oil smoke. This is one little trick that a lot of people overlook, but it's important. The smoke is very faint, but if you just stare at the pot (it helps to get down parallel to it), you'll see little billows of smoke coming up. That's your cue!

Pour popcorn kernels and sugar into the pot.


Immediately stir using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, scraping sugar from bottom of pan. This step should only take about 10 seconds because I don't want a lawsuit from someone who got pegged in the eye with a popping kernel. Got that? There's your disclaimer. 10 seconds people!

Cover pot with lid. You will need to shake the pot with your hands and you'll want to make sure the lid stays on, so I get a dish towel and drape it over.



Hold the pot by the handles in a way that you're securing the lid on as well. Shake the pan side to side in all directions and up and down a few times. Do this every 20 seconds or so. It will keep the sugar from burning on the bottom and help the kernels to be evenly coated.

After a few minutes you should start hearing the pops. (If it doesn't start popping after a few minutes, crack the lid to let some of the pressure out. Chances are when you put the lid back on, it will pop away). Continue the shaking every 20 second or so until you can tell almost everything is popped. Remove the lid and stir immediately.


Sprinkle Kosher salt to taste and then keep stirring. You can eat it warm right out of the pan (Disclaimer #2: caramelized sugar it HOT so don't eat it right away.) or let it cool completely. It's great either way!

Fruit Smoothies

 

These smoothies are thick, made with frozen fruit and milk, no sugar added. Trust me, they are sweet. During the school year, I make these as an after school snack, and now that it's summer, it's still a great treat.

Fruit Smoothies

Blueberry Smoothie
2 frozen bananas(frozen at least 3 hours or over night)
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
enough milk(fat free), to make it whir in your blender.

Add all ingredients and whir in a blender till smooth, you'll want it thick. I personally, don't measure the blueberries, I just pour them in till I think there are enough.


Chocolate Peanutbutter Banana Smoothie
2 frozen bananas(frozen at least 3 hours or overnight)
1 Tablespoon hot cocoa mix
1 Tablespoon peanut butter(I use Adam's Peanutbutter)
enough milk(fat free), to make it whir in your blender, you'll want it thick.

Add all ingredients and whir in a blender till smooth.


Idea:These are simple and can be made with any type of frozen fruit(cherries, peaches, raspberries, strawberries, apricots, blackberries, pears, whatever you have on hand. I like serving these to my kids because there are no added sugars, corn syrup, or ingredients I can't pronounce.

Cherry Almond Fudge Pudding Pops

Again, the title takes you to the Bestbites site. I miss the old Jello-Pudding-Pops from when I was a kid. All these pops come in a close second as a replacement.

Cherry Almond Fudge Pudding Pops
1 small box instant Chocolate Fudge Pudding
1 3/4 cups half and half
about 20 cherries (1 1/4 cup) pitted and halved(I chopped mine in my food processor for tiny pieces)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup mini-chocolate chips(or chopped chocolate chips)

Blend pudding mix, half and half, and almond extract in blender until smooth. Add in cherries and pulse 2-3 times. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Place in molds and freeze. (Again, I just stuck it all in the blender and whirred, then poured mine)

Mint Chocolate Cookie Pudding Pops

The title will take you to the Bestbites site where there are more of a selection to choose from, but I chose two for now since my freezer is usually pretty full. I'll be trying the others later. Got a blender? These just mix right in the blender, then pour it straight into the molds. Perfect! I used the regular instant pudding for ours, and non-fat milk. She says that half and half milk, 2% or 1% will turn out creamier, but I always have non-fat on hand, so that's what I used. Kaleb wanted to eat his as soon as it was poured and was bummed when he realized that he had to wait. It's been so hot here the past few days, that we have seriously been living on watermellon, burgers and ice cream. Too hot to cook, but not too hot for milkshakes and pudding pops!

Mint-Chocolate Cookie Pudding Pops
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
1 3/4 cups half and half
10 Oreo cookies, crushed (about 1 heaping cup)(I just use the cookie part, not the filling, but that's me)
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Blend pudding mix, extract, and half and half in a blender until smooth. Stir in crushed cookies by hand. Place in molds and freeze.(I stuck it all in the blender and whirred it all together, way easier)

Enjoy!

Mango Smoothies

This recipe is out of a Jamaican cookbook of Paula's, and goes fabulous with Jerk Chicken, Garlic Mashers and Coconut Rice-MMMMMM! Or with anything else. :) I found the picture at www.theage.com

Mango Smoothies
1 Medium Mango, ripe
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
lime juice - 1/2 teaspoons or grated lime peel
juice of 2 oranges (2/3 cup)
3-4 ice cubes
4 lime wedges

Peel mango and cut flesh around pit into pieces. Put in a blender with yogurt, honey, lime, orange juice and ice cubes. Blend on high speed until smooth. Serve with a wedge of lime as garnish on glass.

Homemade Granola

 

There are so many versions of Homemade Granola out there, and I'm sure they are good, but this one is worth trying. There are no added oils, and no refined sugar, and tastes GREAT.

Homemade Granola

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped raw, unsalted walnuts
1/2 cup chopped unsalted almonds
1/2 cup chopped unsalted pecans
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries, optional

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour onto a baking sheet, and spread evenly. Bake 30 minutes. After removing from the oven, loosen the granola from the pan, then transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Homemade Graham Crackers

This picture is from www.cookbookcatchall.blogspot.com. I tried three different recipes for homemade graham crackers, including the one from the picture, and my family's favorite is from www.everydayfoodstorage.net. The title will take you to the recipe along with a video. When these are being made, if it's too sticky, add more flour. It's like making sugar cookies. These have great flavor, and I didn't use the Crisco like she said, I used butter. The first batch I made was a recipe from Bob's Red Mill website, and it baked into a Graham Cookie instead of Graham Crackers. Still tasted good though, but not what I wanted. Couldn't wait to post this one! Tasty. Just one more not here; in the video she divides the dough in half, but in the recipe it says divide it into thirds. You will want to divide it into thirds because it needs to be thin. It puffs up some, and if it's too thick it will be like a cookie instead. :)

Graham Crackers-from Karen in Chubbuck, ID
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup plus 1 T. sugar (I use brown sugar)
3 T. honey, warmed
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup plus 2 T. water
I add in 1-2 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine shortening, sugar, honey and vanilla.
Blend until smooth. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and then
add dry mixture to the wet ingredients and blend well with electric mixer.
Slowly add water to the mixture while beating. You may have to mix by hand
until the mixture forms a large ball of dough.

Divide the dough in thirds and roll one third out on waxed paper till at
least 1/16″ thick. It should be very thin. Use a knife to trim into a
rectangle slightly smaller than the sheet pan you will be using. Grease
the baking pan with a light coating of shortening. Turn the dough over
onto the baking sheet and remove the wax paper.

Use a knife to score the dough into smaller crackers. Use a toothpick (or
fork) to poke holes over the entire surface of the dough. Bake for 22 to
24 minutes, or until the dough begins to turn light brown around the
edges. Turn the baking sheet around halfway through baking time for even
browning. Cool the crackers before breaking them apart along the scored
lines. Repeat process for remaining dough. If desired, you can sprinkle a
cinnamon/sugar mixture over the dough before baking to make cinnamon
grahams.

A More Natural Chile Con Queso

I love that this recipe doesn't use Velveeta processed cheese, it's the real deal here! I added everything on the ingredient list, except the cilantro (I like it, however Brandon doesn't like it). This was pretty good, but much better when I added it to a can of Refried Beans. I added the cheese slowly on low, like she said, but mine started to seaparate. I've made cheese sauces before, and I've always thrown all the cheese in at once, so next time I make this, I'll do that, so I can get it off the heat faster. So, this was a good Chile Con Queso dip, but better as a bean dip. Oh, just a side note here, wear gloves when you are preparing the peppers and removing seeds! It's been a while since I've cooked with any peppers, so I wasn't thinking. I barely was able to finish making dinner that night, and at about midnight my fingers stopped feeling like they were on fire. Ice packs were my friend.