New Nut Butter Smoothie

Oh, yum....

I have a new smoothie recipe... It is so good....

• 1 banana
• 3 tablespoons of  Justin's  nut butter
• 2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1 tablespoons flax chia blend
• 3 ice cues
• 1 cup coconut milk
• a squeeze of honey

put all the ingredients in a blender. blend for 3 minutes or until smooth.

There is enough fiber and protein in this drink to keep you full and energized
all morning
I love simple.

My Breakfast Smoothie

Smoothies are very poplar. That might be because they are so easy. Put fruit, juice, and ice in the blender, and instant smoothie!

1 banana 

1 small orange 

1/2 cup cranberries 

2 tablespoons flax with chia seeds 

1 cup coconut milk

3 ice cubes 

Break up the banana. Put in the bottom of the blender. 

Peal the orange, add the rest of the ingredients. 

Blend until smooth. 

Makes almost 2 cups. 

Oh, and of course it's dairy and gluten free.

Enjoy 

Banana Split Pie

1 graham cracker crust
1 pkg vanilla pudding, made to package directions
18 maraschino cherries
2 sliced bananas
1/2 cup crushed pineapple well drained
1/4 cup chocolate fudge sauce
3 tbls Carmel sauce

I made the vanilla pudding for this recipe, but instant vanilla pudding can be substituted.
Start by slicing two bananas. To keep them from turning brown, put them in a bowl of water with 1 tsp of lemon juice.

Drain the pineapple and squeeze as much of the liquid out as possible. Set aside. Next drain the cherries.

To assemble the pie, add the pineapple, and banana slices. Then add the fudge sauce. Pour the pudding on top.

Bake until set. About 20 to 25  minutes. Drizzle the Carmel sauce on top.

Let it cool completely before serving.

Banana Cake

Well it's pot luck time again. At work we seem to do this about once a month. 

I discovered the jalapeño cream corn. For this one I made a banana cake.   

3 mashed bananas

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

 1 1 1/2 baking powder

1/2 cup butter

1 cup butter milk

1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Frosting

In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients.

In a second bowl melt the butter in the microwave for 1 minute. 

Add the buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs to the melted butter. 

Add the dry ingredients to the butter egg mixture. Add the bananas and chocolate chips. 

Mix well. 

Pour into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. 

Frost with your favorite frosting. 

Hummingbird Cake

This sounds so good., and it looks so pretty.  We are just going to try it. if there is such a thing as healthy cake... hm.... it's got lots of fruit. This comes from Midwestliving.com.
Makes: 12 to 16 servings
Prep: 50 mins
Cool: 10 mins
Bake: 35 mins at 350°F


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple (juice pack), drained
1/2 cup cooking oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped bananas
1 cup chunky-style applesauce
2/3 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
1 1/2 cups toasted, chopped pecans
2 tablespoons toasted, finely chopped pecans (optional)



Directions

1. Grease and lightly flour two 9x1-1/2-inch round cake pans; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add drained pineapple, oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer till combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Stir in bananas, applesauce and walnuts. Divide batter between prepared pans.

3. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool cake layers on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool thoroughly on wire racks.

4. Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting; frost cake. Lightly press the 1-1/2 cups pecans into sides of cake. If you like, sprinkle the 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans on top of cake. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups sifted powdered sugar

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with electric mixer till light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth and of spreading consistency. Makes about 3-1/2 cups.

A Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 large)
1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter (unsalted and unsweetened)
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins


Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, milk powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir the oat mixture into the banana mixture until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.

2 Using a ¼-cup measure, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. With a thin metal or small plastic spatula dipped in water, flatten and spread each mound of dough to a 2¾-inch round, about ½ inch thick.

3 Bake, one sheet at a time, for 14 to 16 minutes or until browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days or freeze for up to up to 2 months; thaw before serving

Easy Fruit Salad

Ingredients


1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 orange  peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 apples, peeled and sliced (dipped in lemon water)
1/2 pound grapes, picked off stems cut in half.
1 large banana peeled and slices. (dip in lemon water)
1 pint any seasonal berries

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice and milk.
In another small bowl squeeze 1/2 a lemon and mix in 1 cup of water.
Place the banana slices and the apple pieces in the lemon water. This will keep them from turning brown too quickly.
 Place cut up fruit in a large salad bowl, pour orange juice mixture over fruit. Taste and adjust seasonings with more lime or sugar as needed. Refrigerate 1 hour.



Foodnetwork.com

Pistachio Candy Trifle

1 box pistachio pudding mix
2 cups of milk
1 1/2 cup M-M's
1 banana
1 1/2 cup  mini marshmallows
pan of brownies
1 tub whipped topping

Cook brownies to package directions. Let them cool completely. Then cut into 1 inch squares
Mix pudding mix with milk
slice the banana.
In a large glass bowl, or trifle dish, put down one layer of brownie pieces. layer 1/3 of the pudding. Next, add some banana slices, 1/2 the M-M's. and 1/2 the marshmallows.
repeat one more time.
finish with the rest of the pudding and top with the whipped topping.
Refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving.

Bubble gum Pie

Bubble gum Pie is a favorite at my house. Remember the idea, everything but the kitchen sink...? just like Bubble gum casserole... only dessert...

1 graham cracker  pie crust 
1 package of pistachio pudding
1 1/2 cups of cold milk
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cups peanuts
1/4 cup m&m's
1/4 cup raisins
1 banana
whipped topping.

Slice the bannana in 1/4 in slices and layer in the bottom of the pie shell. Mix the pudding and the milk with an electric mixer unil smooth and a little stiff. Stir in the chocolate, m&m's, peanuts, and raisins.

Chill for 2 hours,

Before serving, top with whipped topping. 

Road Trip!

Well It's about that time. I'm planning a road trip next week. Reminds me of road trips when I was a kid.  Often, I would walk in the house on the last day of the school year, and Mom would be putting stuff in the car. She'd tell me  to pack a bag, and with in an hour we'd be at the grocery store buying deli ham, Longhorn cheddar cheese, diet Coke and ice. This would all put put into a small Styrofoam cooler behind the driver's seat.

In the car, would be a selection of cassettes. Music ranging from folk, country, and pop. A fill up at the gas station, a quick read o the map, and we were off.

The old Toyota didn't have air conditioning, so we'd put bandannas in the ice and then wrap them around our necks. There we were out on the road, singing to the radio, eating ham and cheese, drinking diet Coke, and having the best time. A  day or two later, we'd be at the Grandparents, where we were often given a cold dry meat loaf sandwich. 

We'd cross the border of Kansas into Oklahoma just around sun rise. the light would be start to shift, then the sky would slowly turn purple, then lighter and lighter. If there were any clouds around they would start to take on an orange then pinking hue. When the sun finally rose it would be a big red ball on the horizon. then slowly turn brighter and brighter. I remember a feeling of true peace watching this.

Well this year will be a little different. We're a bit older;  we're not driving 1100 miles in less than 24 hours. Sure, we'll still play music, sing off key. have a ham sandwich or two, but i lot can be said for a comfortable car, and air conditioning.  

 

Today what is good car food?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take a whole wheat tortilla, spread 2 tablespoons of Nutella, add a peeled banana, roll up. wrap in plastic wrap.

 

another yummy treat: frozen grapes.

lay out grapes in a single layer on a cookie sheet of plate. place in the freezer for 1 hour.
for the cooler put them in a zip lock back. keep in the ice.

Hummus and chips.
 

 

Cut up a package of pita bread into small triangles, put them on a baking sheet in one layer. leave them in a 250 degree oven for 10 minutes.

 

when the chips cool put them in a zip lock bag. 

for the hummus,

 

Ingredients:

1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
paprika
Preparation:

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.

Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with paprika (optional).

place in an air tight container, keep cold in the ice. until ready to eat.

Ham and cheese roll ups.

one large slice of deli ham

1 ounce of longhorn cheese.

roll the ham around the cheese.  also can be wrapped in plastic wrap for the cooler

 

Enjoy the holiday.

Tropical Fruit Salad

. Dressing


1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons apricot preserves or orange marmalade
1/4 teaspoon poppy seed

Salad

1 small pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
1 mango or papaya, peeled, seeded and sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium banana, sliced (about 3/4 cup)
2 kiwifruit, peeled, sliced (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup seedless red grapes
2 tablespoons coconut, toasted if desired*

In small bowl, mix dressing ingredients
 
On serving platter, arrange fruit in decorative pattern; sprinkle with coconut. Drizzle dressing over salad.

Breakfast Wraps

Are wraps still popular? I like them. I usually use whole wheat tortillas. I like the nutty flavor, and I get a little more fiber. I like mine for breakfast. They are fast, and I can eat them anytime.

Anyway, I thought I would share a few ideas.

Chocolate/Banana

One tortilla,
2 tablespoons Nutella
1 banana, sliced

Spread the nutella on the tortilla, warm in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. This will soften the tortilla enough for rolling. Add the sliced banana roll up.




Ham and egg

1 tortilla
2 slices deli ham
1 fried egg.
1 tablespoon salsa
2 tablespoons cream cheese

Put the ham and cram on the tortilla and the ham and microwave for 45 sec. add the fried egg. Roll up, and enjoy

The original

1 tortilla
1 scrambled egg
1 table salsa
1 oz of sausage crumbles
½ cheeses
6 tater tots

Cook the sausage, scrambles the egg. Put the cheese on the tortilla, micro wave 45 seconds. Top with the rest of the ingredients and roll.