Posts Tagged ‘Banana’

Mar
16


Please forgive me as I haven’t been blogging as much as I normally do. You can blame the following recipe which is so simple that I’m making a batch every two days. What’s not to love? All you need is a blender and a few ingredients. I’m also loving the fact that there’s NO FLOUR, NO SUGAR and NO BUTTER in this recipe.

blender - ingredients

This recipe is saving me in the morning as I tend to sleep in till the last possible moment. As a result – there’s always a mad dash out the door WITHOUT eating anything. Now I simply grab a zip lock bag and enjoy these muffins in my car. Can anyone else relate?

I’m not going to keep you waiting much longer for the recipe. Here it is!

Recipe: Blender Oatmeal Muffins (original recipe can be found here – www.wellplated.com)

Ingredients

2 cups oats (quick cooking or old fashioned – I used old fashioned)
2 large ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 to 3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cups of mix ins – chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, chopped dates – whatever you want!!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Mix all ingredients in the blender. (how easy could this get?).

blender - blender

3. Drop batter into a well greased muffin pan. Fill no more than three-quarters of the way to the top. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips or nuts as desired. Bake for 15 minutes, until the tops of the muffins are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

FINAL RESULT!!

blender - finalHappy Baking!!

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Feb
09


I make a batch of banana muffins about twice a month. They are the perfect snack, freeze beautifully and the muffins are a nice addition to a lunch box as well.

Recently I was introduced to the Guiding Stars program which is now available at No Frills, Loblaws and Real Canadian Superstores. Next time you are shopping, look for these signs which indicates a “better choice”.

PC - Guiding Stars

Here are two examples of Star Ingredients:

Egg
★★ White Eggs – Large
★★★ Omega-3 Eggs

Flour
★ White Flour
★★ Whole Wheat Flour
★★★ Whole Spelt Flour

Therefore you could take my amazing banana recipe and make it even healthier just by using an Omega-3 Egg or by adding a high-fibre cereal, flaxseeds, hemp hearts and/or your favourite nut to turn this snack into a healthy breakfast option!

See what I mean? It doesn’t take a lot to make an ordinary recipe a much healthier recipe!! Plus the Guiding Stars program is an easy way for you to accomplish this.

Once again, look out for these blue stars!

pc - two stars

Not to mention, that certain Loblaws stores have In-Store Dieticians to assist you as well!!

Here’s my banana muffin recipe but feel free adapt it with Star Ingredients!

pc - ingredients

Ingredients

2 cups of mashed bananas (about 5) Note: the darker the better
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg (see options below with Star Ingredients)
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (see options below with Star Ingredients)

Star Ingredients

Egg
★★ White Eggs – Large
★★★ Omega-3 Eggs

Flour
★ White Flour
★★ Whole Wheat Flour
★★★ Whole Spelt Flour

Note from In-Store Dietitian, Lauren Baker:
Add Ground Flaxseed
Add Hemp Hearts
Add Cinnamon + Vanilla
Add “crunch” with Bran Flakes or Quick Oats

I really do believe that homemade muffins are a convenient snack for on-the-go routines, and can be lower in saturated fat, sugar, and calories than store bought or fast-food alternatives! For improved portion control, try making mini-muffin and enjoying only one or two with your morning coffee. Its a win-win!!

Happy Baking!

Disclosure: I was compensated for this blog post, however all opinions are my own

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Jan
23


I tried this recipe yesterday morning and it was so delicious that I believe I’ve washed my Blendtec  three times in one day! Oh how I hate cleaning up but I do love discovering new recipes.

This is one of those easy recipes that requires ingredients that most likely you have hanging around your kitchen.

OK here’s the recipe for your healthy frosty!

All you need is the following:

2 frozen cut up bananas

frosty - banana

1 cup of milk (almond, regular, soya, rice – whatever you like)

2 tablespoons of real cocoa

2 tablespoons of all natural peanut butter

Instructions:

Put all ingredients into your mixer and mix till smooth.

 

frosty - blendtec

We are totally addicted to this drink. However I would really like a cleaning fairy to help me rinse out my Blendtec.  Not kidding – I really do hate cleaning up.

ENJOY.

frosty - final

PS Next Blog Post will be written from Puerta Vallarta. Totally excited about this upcoming vacation.

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Nov
13


I try hard to participate in Meatless Mondays and thought I would share what I made last week. This plate contains; arugula salad with shaved parmesan and tomatoes, wilted spinach, and cucumber noodles topped with sesame seeds. Not bad for Meatless Monday eh?

banana-healthy-meal

This meal should be called: Three Shades of Green!!

An hour later, I had a “not-so-healthy” moment as I had discovered a recipe on Pinterest (click on the link to see my Food Board. Hint)  that I always wanted to try: Banana Fritters.

Before I knew it, I was whipping up dry ingredients and mixing them into the wet ingredients. Then I was DEEP FRYING. I even brought out a thermometer to make sure the oil was hot enough!

banana-final

Here’s the recipe for this super easy but not-so-healthy-dessert:

Banana Fritters (recipe courtesy of OMG Chocolate Desserts)

Ingredients

Approximately 4 large bananas

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup plain greek yogurt

1 egg white

Vegetable oil for frying

Powdered sugar for dusting…(I used cinnamon)

Instructions

  1. Peel bananas and cut into 1.5 inch long pieces .
  2. In a bowl mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
  3. Add egg white and yogurt into dry ingredients and stir well with a wooden spoon until it’s smooth.
  4. Heat about 2 inch oil in a frying pan.( Be careful not to over heat the oil or the fritters will be too brown, it should be about 350F). This is an important step!!
  5. Using a fork dip each banana slice into to batter to coat it well and transfer it into oil and fry until it’s golden brown. Work in small batches because you have to work fast. (agreed – I had to work fast. Do not answer the phone or do anything else)
  6. Remove fried fritters to a paper towel lined plate to drain .
  7. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve

Happy Meatless Monday Everyone!!

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Mar
02


When I went to the Bruce Springsteen concert in Buffalo, I knew that the trip would include a visit to Trader Joe’s.  A trip to Buffalo would simply not feel complete without stopping at a grocery store. (in my humble opinion)

I bought a mixture of old Trader Joe favourites and some new products that I’ve never bought before.

For example…these dried baby bananas caught my attention.

trader - bananasI have no idea what I will be doing with them but something tells me I will be incorporating them into a brunch dish one day soon!

Here’s what they look like on a plate. Can’t decide if it looks pretty or if it looks creepy!!

trader - banana on a plate

There was a section at the back of the store with a sign over it that said “new product”. How brilliant. I couldn’t resist buying these Preserved Lemon Slices even though I have no idea what I will be doing with them. But for $1.99 I couldn’t resist.

trader - lemon I’m a huge fan of Trader Joe’s chocolate and this time I bought a PB & J chocolate bar.  As you can see from the photo, most of the bar is now gone. Why oh why did I only buy one bar?

trader - chocolate

 

I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Buffalo.

Website; www.traderjoes.com

Address: 1565 Niagara Falls Blvd, Buffalo, NY
Phone:+1 716-833-4687

 

 

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May
25


I stumbled across this banana cake recipe online and it intrigued me for these two reasons:

a) You bake it at 275 degrees for 1 hour and 10 min.

banana cake - 275

b) You transfer the cake right from the oven into the freezer for 45 minutes.

So I tried it and it was SO good that I made it three times in one week. Not to mention I had these two compliments;

a) my mom said it tasted similar to the Sara Lee Banana Cake (that we use to eat decades ago)

b) my aunt actually tried it and then made the recipe the following week. She’s an amazing baker so this was a huge compliment!

Here’s the recipe for you to try (in your spare time ..of course)

CRAZY BANANA CAKE WITH CREAM CHESE ICING (credit: www.happyhooligans.ca)

  • 1.5 cups very ripe bananas (3 fresh bananas or 4 thawed, previously frozen bananas)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  •  3/4 cup soft butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1.5 cups buttermilk (OR milk soured with one tbsp vinegar or lemon juice….I used this method as I didn’t have buttermilk hanging around my fridge)

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 275º F, and grease and flour (or spray), a 9×13 cake pan.

Mash banana and mix with lemon juice and set aside.

In a med bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

If you’re making your own buttermilk, combine milk and vinegar (or lemon juice) in a small bowl, and set aside.

banana cake - ingredients

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. ( I used a mixer for this step to make it light and fluffy)
Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Stir in vanilla.

Beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.

Stir in bananas.

Pour into greased/floured (or sprayed) cake pan and bake at 275º F for 1 hour and 10 mins (or until knife comes out clean).

banana cake - in pan

HERE’S THE INTERESTING STEP:

Immediately place in the freezer for 45 minutes. (if not completely cool upon removal from freezer, let cool further before icing).

No need to cover the cake, but you’ll want to place it on a thick, folded towel to protect items underneath.

FINAL RESULT:

banana cake - final

Cream Cheese Icining: (which as you can see from the photo I did’t make as I think it’s amazing on it’s own)

  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temp.
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3.5 cups icing sugar (also known as powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar)
  1. Cream butter and cream cheese.
  2.  Beat in vanilla and icing sugar on low until combined, then high until smooth.

Note: This makes a ton of icing so you might want to halve the recipe.

Happy Baking!!

 

 

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Mar
23


Disclosure: In the past, I’ve been known to buy imperfect fruit and vegetables. Yes – I’m that woman lurking around the stand for over ripe bananas and slightly bruised apples. You see, I really like using them when I bake.

Now Loblaws has made this easy for me as they have recently introduced no name® Naturally Imperfect line of fruits and vegetables.. Starting with apples and potatoes, no name Naturally Imperfect produce costs up to 30 per cent less than traditional produce options found in store. You gotta love it!!

dapple - bag

Smaller misshapen produce that tastes great and is good for you, is now available at Real Canadian Superstore® and select no frills® locations in Ontario and select Maxi® stores in Quebec. Furthering its commitment to offer affordable, quality products to customers. YAY.

Please note that my bag contained smaller apples – not one was bruised – and they were delicious! Naturally I was excited to bake with them, so I pulled out my handy APPLE DAPPLE recipe that I’ve been making for years.  Notice where this recipe comes from? HOMEMAKERS! (see bottom of the recipe for proof). How funny is that?

apple

APPLE DAPPLE CAKE (taken from HomeMakers)

1 cup sugar (I always use less)

6 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup of all purpose flavour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg (if you want)

2 cups of apples (of course, I used the Naturally Imperfect apples)..peeled and cored and cut up into pieces. I didn’t peel them but I think I will next time!!

dapple - apple

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, beat together sugar, butter, egg and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

3. Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture and stir until well combined.

4. Stir in Apples.

5. Lightly pat batter in a square baking pan.

6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.

SERVE WITH ICE CREAM.

dapple - final

Happy Baking.

Disclosure: This was a compensated post however all opinions are my own

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Feb
05


I knew that there would be a snow storm on Wednesday and it would be the perfect reason to STAY HOME  and cook/bake/clean and work!! It wasn’t hard to figure out what to bake, seeing as I received a recipe that peeked my interest in my inbox the other day. This is what happens when you subscribe to a food blog!! The recipe is from Sally’s Baking Addiction and it’s called ” Banana Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake”.

It’s easy to make, moist and a great way to use up those ripe bananas!!

Banana Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake – from Sally’s Baking Addiction

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 5 Tablespoons (75g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 and 1/2 cup mashed bananas, very ripe (about 3 large bananas)
  • 1/4 cup (60g) yogurt – I used Greek yogurt but you can use any type of plain yogurt

    STREUSEL

  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar)
  • 3/4 cup (135g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup (70g) chopped pecans or walnuts, optional (I did not use any nuts as I wanted to make this as a lunch box snack)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with nonstick spray. p.s I don’t own an 8×8 baking pan (can u believe) but my oval CorningWare worked out just fine.

2. In a medium bowl, toss the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

first step - easy enough

first step – easy enough

3. Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute.  Switch the mixer to medium speed and beat in the sugar until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the mashed banana and yogurt and turn the mixer on high and beat until creamy, about 1 minute.

4. Turn the mixer off and pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. (repeat – put the DRY INGREDIENTS INTO THE WET INGREDIENTS) .Turn the mixer on low and slowly beat until combined. Do not overmix.

snow - wet

5. Make the streusel by combining all of the streusel ingredients into a small bowl.

I made a "nut free" version

I made a “nut free” version

6. . Layer half of the batter into the prepared baking pan. Top with half of the streusel. Repeat with the rest of the batter and streusel.

snow - layer

7. Bake for 40 minutes, covering the cake with aluminum foil after 25 minutes to prevent the edges from browning too quickly. Bake until the center is baked through.

FINAL RESULT

snow - final

Allow to slightly cool for ten minutes before cutting and serving. Not that this cake stays fresh  if you cover it tightly at room temperature for up to 4 days.

I also put half of it in the freezer as I’m sure it freezes well too. (time will tell).

This is the second time I’m baking a recipe from this blog however I’m sure it won’t be the last time!!

Happy Baking!!

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Dec
02


Many years ago, I was making pancakes and realized that I didn’t have any maple syrup in the fridge. I then had a “MacGyver Moment” and pulled out three ingredients that would replace the need for maple syrup: a banana, some brown sugar and butter.

Not only did it work, but I swear this sauce has totally replaced the need to have Maple Syrup in my fridge.

Ingredients:

one banana

1/4 cup brown sugar

2-3 tablespoons butter

cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. Melt the butter and the brown sugar.

melt 1

2. Add the sliced banana. *the hotter the pan…..the better, so take your time to ensure that everything will caramelize  (this is a good thing!!)melt - 2

FINAL PRODUCT

melt - final

Sprinkle with cinnamon if you want!!

I serve this sauce with french toast or pancakes and without fail it’s always a hit.

Happy Cooking.

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Oct
01


These days, I have been busy using my KitchenAid Diamond Blender. I simply can’t sop making smoothies and pureeing soups. Life is good.

One evening I got creative and put together a smoothie using some of my favorite ingredients; Chocolate, Banana and Peanut Butter.

smoothie2 In less than a minute I had a pretty satisfying snack. The list of smoothies I intend on making are endless and infact I have a list on my fridge as a reminder that I don’t have to make the same smoothie every day!!

I’m so excited about using my KitchenAid Diamond Blender on a regular basis that I’m running a contest to give away a KitchenAid Diamond Blender to one of my readers.

kitchenaid - blender Here’s what you need to know about the KitchenAid Diamond blender!!

  • Just became available in September
  • Retails for $199.99
  •  1 touch ice crush with auto stop
  •  20 second smoothie
  •  Diamond-shaped pitcher that’s has a capacity of 1.77 L
  • Available in 7 colours

Here’s what you need to know about the Contest:

-the contest is open to all Canadian Residents

-the contest will run from Oct 1 to Oct 15th at midnite. A winner will be selected using www.random.org.

-the winner will have 7 days to contact me otherwise I will be pick another winner.

-all you have to do is answer the following question: If you win the KitchenAid Diamond Blender,…..what will you be using it for?  Leave a comment below.

Good Luck Everyone!!

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