Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

October 19, 2011 · by · 14 Comments
Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

I’ve shared a lot of desserts and not-so-healthy dishes recently, so I figured I should balance it out and share this one.  I made these cute mini-muffins for a church potluck yesterday and they were eaten up!  No one even realized that there was no oil and made with whole wheat flour.  If I was brave I would have played around with substituting the white sugar with honey or agave nectar, but I haven’t made that leap yet.

They baked up nice and tender with just the right amount of sweetness and chocolate-y goodness.  Even with 100 % whole wheat flour, they were still light and fluffy.  I ground my wheat fresh, but any store bought 100% whole wheat flour should work just fine if you don’t have a grinder or don’t want to go to all the trouble.  Next time, I will make a double batch!

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

3 large bananas, mashed
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (instant works fine)
1/3 cup applesauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mash bananas in a large bowl then add sugar and mix well.   Gently beat an egg in a small bowl and add to the mixture.  In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, then add to the banana mixture and mix well.  Add in applesauce, mix well.  Finally, gently stir in chocolate chips.

Spray medium muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or use paper liners.  Spoon mixture into muffin tin until 3/4′s full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Yield: 12 regular muffins (36 mini…bake for 15 minutes)

Filed Under: breads, breakfasts, sweet · Tagged: , , , ,

Nutella-Banana Rolls

September 2, 2011 · by · 6 Comments
packaging

I was recently sent some TortillaLand flour tortillas to try.  If you have never had a fresh tortilla that you cook at home, then you are missing out.  They taste like homemade without all the fuss (yes, I make my own tortillas on occasion).  Seriously though, you can’t get any closer to homemade than these…they have only 5 ingredients!!!  Don’t believe me, check out their nutritional facts.

So, hubbyman liked these so much that he was coming up with reasons why he needed one.  He even woke up early one Sunday morning to make breakfast…you guessed it…egg burritos!

I created this little recipe for my 2yo son, who appears to be addicted to Nutella.  It’s like if he misses a day of Nutella then he will die or something.

Nutella-Banana Rolls

2 fresh flour tortillas
2 bananas
2 tbls Nutella (or more)

Lightly cook the tortillas on both sides until warm.  Let cool.  Smear 1 tbl of Nutella on each tortilla.  Place banana in the middle.  Fold in the ends and then roll up the tortilla tightly (like you would a burrito).  Cut the roll into 1-1 1/2 inch thick slices.  Serve as a snack.

These babies got eaten so fast that I did not get a picture!

Want to get you hands on these tortillas?  Walmart’s  that carry TortillaLand will be sampling them for a few hours sometime between September 1-5.  The samplings won’t be held every day during that time period, so there is no specific schedule to be provided. Contact you local Walmart to see if they are participating.  Find a store near you and check them out on facebook,, twitter, and youtube (you have to check out the newest video, Fried Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Cole Slaw).

Disclaimer: TorillaLand send me the product to sample in return for my honest review.

Filed Under: appetizers, foods, kid friendly, review, snacks · Tagged: , , , ,

Chocolate Banana Pudding

November 8, 2010 · by · 2 Comments

I was picked again to host another House Party only this time it was Nilla Wafers and International Delights Coffee.  YUM!   I had  about a dozen friends and family come over for a nice spread of dessert and coffee.  We had a good time eating while the kids all played outside.  This week, I will share with you the dishes I made.

 

For my first recipe, I had to change up the original Banana Pudding recipe.  My daughter is allergic to food dyes and all the vanilla puddings had a combo of dyes in them.  Go figure!  I’ve been wanting to make pudding from scratch, but I figured making it for a party for the first time was not a good idea.  Then I had a thought…chocolate and bananas are tasty together and the chocolate pudding had no dye.  YEAH!

Chocolate Banana Pudding

3 1/2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) chocolate flavor instant pudding
30-40 NILLA Wafers
5-6 medium bananas, sliced
1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed (or make your own)

 

Combine milk and pudding mixes in a large bowl. Beat with a wire whisk for 2 minutes. or until well blended. Let pudding stand 5 minutes.
Meanwhile arrange half of the wafers on the bottom and up side of a 2-qt. serving bowl; top with layers of half of the banana slices and pudding. Repeat all layers. Cover with whipped topping.
Refrigerate 3-4 hours. Top with a few more bananas when ready to serve.  Store leftovers in refrigerator.                    
Filed Under: desserts, other desserts · Tagged: , , ,

Easy Banana Bread using a Boxed Cake Mix

October 8, 2010 · by · 8 Comments

I try to make most things from scratch for my family.  However, sometimes I like to take a shortcut and this is my favorite shortcut recipe.  The taste is the same as a scratch recipe, but without all the measuring and mess.  I promise…you are going to love how easy this is.

The loaves in this picture are made with a mini-loaf pan. It makes the perfect size loaf for gift giving.

Easy Banana Nut Bread
1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
4 ripe bananas*
1/2-1 cup nuts, chopped

Smash bananas in a large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients to bananas and mix well by hand.  Spray 2 loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and fill with mix.  Bake at 350  F for 35-40 minutes.

*I use bananas that are too ripe to eat, so I throw them in the freezer until I have enough for this recipe.  Just thaw them and then mash them up.*

Filed Under: breads, brownies/bars, desserts, gifts · Tagged: , , ,

Banana Coconut Smoothie

October 1, 2010 · by · Leave a Comment

Well, I’m officially out of Friday Favorites for a while.  I have a few ideas, but I think I will do them randomly instead of every Friday.  This is my final recipe in the Thai Kitchen party series.  I hope they have inspired you to try something new.

The first time I made this, I made it exactly per the instructions.  However, I found the taste a bit watered down and lacking in coconut flavor.  So, since I had cream of coconut in the fridge from last weeks Pina Coladas, I decided to add a splash of it to the second round of smoothies.   If you are wondering what cream of coconut is….see last week’s recipe.  Try it both ways to see which way you prefer.

 

Banana Coconut Smoothie

1 ripe banana, sliced
1/2 cup Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk
1/2 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup pineapple or orange juice
1-2 tbls cream of coconut

Place all ingredients in blender container; cover. Blend on high speed until smooth.
Pour into tall glasses. Top with whipped cream and shredded coconut.  Serve immediately.

Serves 2.

 

Filed Under: beverages, smoothies · Tagged: , , , , ,

Princess Tea Party Ideas

August 9, 2010 · by · 9 Comments
Princess Tea Party Birthday Ideas

For my daughter’s 6th birthday party she wanted a tea party.  I had a blast planning the event and all the little girls had so much fun.

I bought a lot of cheap dress up items from the dollar store and allowed the girls to dress up before the party began.  We set the table with tea cups (which the girls were able to decorate themselves and kept as party favors along with their dress up goodies).  There was a game of stack the sugar cubes and it all ended with a fashion show.  Also, each place setting was adorned with white and pink balloons.  Each girl took home her set of balloons.

Princess Tea Party Ideas

Most of the food was made the day before and was ready to go the morning of the party.  Clean up was easy, since the girls took home the tea cups and balloons everything else went in the trash except the platters the food was served on.  I made sure the washer was empty so that everything would fit in when the party was over.  Twenty minutes after the last girl left, I sat down on the couch with my big girl to cuddle and my house was clean!

Now…onto the menu.  Keep in mind this was a kids party, so the food was made to entice the kids, not the mommies.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites
Tea Sandwiches
Mini Crust-less Quiches
Fruit Kabobs with Dip

 

Princess Tea Party Ideas: Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites

I found this recipe over at 5 Ingredient Fix…though it only has 3 ingredients.  They were super easy to make and delicious to eat.  I made them a day ahead and the banana chips got a little soft.  Next time, I’ll make the same day.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites 

1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter
4 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups dried banana chips

Put the peanut butter and chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place over a pot of simmering water (be sure the bowl does not touch the water). Heat the peanut butter and chocolate until melted; continue stirring until mixture is very smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until room temperature and the mixture has thickened.

Next, transfer the mixture into a quart-sized resealable plastic baggie or a disposable pastry bag without a tip. Snip one corner with scissors to create a piping bag. Squeeze about 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture onto one banana chip and top with a second chip.  Continue making banana chip sandwiches until the mixture is used.

Let the chocolate set completely at room temperature.The banana bites can be stored covered at room temperature or refrigerated.

Princess Tea Party Ideas: Crustless Sandwiches

Every tea party needs some dainty sandwiches.  While most tea parties use white bread, I just couldn’t feed it to my guests, so we ended up with a multi-grain oat bread.  It looks and feels like a white bread, but it has all the goodness of whole grains.  Don’t forget to cut the crusts off of all your tea party sandwiches.

Tea Sandwiches
-peanut butter & honey
-ham & cheese
-turkey & cheese
-cucumber & cream cheese

 

 

Filed Under: appetizers, birthdays, parties, party food, party themes, snacks · Tagged: , ,

Monkey Milkshakes with a Secret Ingredient

July 21, 2010 · by · 4 Comments
Having two young children, I have learned some creative ways to increase their veggie content, protein content, etc.  This milkshake is perfect for hiding my secret ingredient.  Oatmeal!  Yes, oatmeal in the shake.  Who doesn’t need a little extra fiber in their diet?!?
My one year old loves this one.  He sips on it using his sippy cup.  I just smile because I know how much good stuff he is getting.  I tend to whip this up when the bananas are to ripe to eat by themselves.  This is even perfect for a quick breakfast and your kids will think you are the best mom EVER for giving them a milkshake for breakfast.
Monkey Milkshake
3 very ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbls natural peanut butter
1/4 cup uncooked oatmeal
2 tbls chocolate syrup
1-2 cups ice
Add all the ingredients to your blend and blend away.  Start slowly with the ice and add until you reach your desired consistency.
Serves 2-3
The better quality ingredients you use, the better.  Use old fashioned rolled oats or steel cut oats, natural (unsweetened) peanut butter, and homemade chocolate syrup.  If you control the quality of ingredients, the better it will taste and the better it will be for you.

Filed Under: beverages, smoothies · Tagged: , , ,