Tag Archives: recipe

Mama’s Famous Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread2So my mom’s famous chocolate chip banana bread is actually from a recipe! She does make a few tweaks to the recipe (like the addition of chocolate chips!!!) and she uses honey instead of brown sugar for a moist bread. I gotta give the woman some credit. She also has a secret trick–after she butters the loaf pan, she dusts a little sugar on pan so when baked, the outside of the bread has a sugary crunch. So good.

Chocolate Chip Banana BreadThis bread takes me back. Way back. I’ve been eating this bread since I was a wee thing. Home to me smells like freshly baked banana bread. Unfortunately, I don’t eat it now because of the wheat, but I love giving it as a gift. A small loaf of bread is such a good gift, don’t you agree? This is also a great recipe to use up those too brown bananas. It’s super versatile, ya’ll.

This recipe makes two small loafs or one large loaf.

Banana bread recipeNotes: Try honey instead of brown sugar, add 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of nuts and make sure to dust that pan with sugar! We don’t want to be too healthy 🙂

Do you have recipes that remind you of home? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

love,
melanie

 

 

Protein-Packed Pancakes

protein packed pancakesI’ve yet to find a protein powder that doesn’t taste like chalky chemicals or dirt. I’ve tried the organic, pea proteins, the body builder proteins, I’ve tried the ones that taste like “cake” (aka toilet bowl water) and the ones that taste like “cappuccino” (aka toilet bowl cleaner). I’ve yet to try a protein powder that I can drink just mixed with water. But not wanting to be wasteful and knowing I couldn’t gag down another smoothie (there’s only so much berries will cover up), I started making protein pancakes. God knows what Pinterest/blog/Internet hole I fell down to find my original recipe. But here’s the one I usually use. It’s not quite your usual fluffy pancake, but it gives you almost 30 grams of protein and doesn’t taste like dirt, so that’s an improvement!

protein packed pancakes with peaches!Ingredients
1.5 scoops of vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of cinnamon
2 tbsp of all-purpose gluten-free flour
2 eggs
A splash of milk

2 tbsp butter
Cinnamon and honey or maple syrup for topping

Melt 1 heaping tbsp of the butter in a pan over the stove top on low. Mix the 1st 6 ingredients together in a bowl. Put about 1/3 of the batter in the hot pan. When batter begins to bubble, flip over the pancake. Repeat until batter is gone. To finish, top with butter, cinnamon and honey or maple syrup.

Easy right?

Is there a protein powder that you love? Let me know about it in the comments!

love,
melanie

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup

slow cooker mexican chicken soupThere are days when even simple meals seem like a chore. I’ve had a rough day, there are still blog posts to write and the sink is already full of dirty dishes. On those days I rely on the easiest slow cooker recipe on the planet. Ok, I admit it, all slow cooker recipes are easy. But this one, my friends is extra easy because you only need 5 ingredients.

slow cooker chicken soup, mexican style!Ingredients
2 chicken breasts (frozen or fresh)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 onion, diced
1 bag of frozen, diced peppers or 3 large multicolored peppers, diced
2 tbsp. of taco seasoning

Throw all ingredients into the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours. If your chicken is frozen, throw it in first. I turn on the slow cooker and then go to sleep, when I awake the magical slow cooker has produced a delicious, filling soup. By the morn’ the chicken is falling apart, just shred it a bit with a fork and add a few toppings– my favorite are sour cream, cheese and avocado. A complete and easy meal that used only a handful brain cells.

Do you have any easy, slow cooker recipes? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

 

Gluten-Free Ginger Snap Cookies

Gluten-Free Ginger SnapsI don’t know why I decided to make ginger snaps to celebrate the Super Bowl. A football is brown and these cookies are brown? These cookies are hearty like our football player friends? Regardless of my reasoning, the ginger snaps were a hit and a snap to make. Get it? A snap?! Onward to the cookies!

Gluten-Free Ginger Snap Ingredients (will make approximately 36 cookies)

  • 1 bag Jules Gluten Free™ Graham Cracker/Gingersnap Mix (includes 1 bag of brown sugar & one bag of GF flour ingredients)
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 3/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze Ingredients

  • 2 cups of powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp of milk
  • 2 dashes of pumpkin pie spice
  • An orange for zesting (optional)

gluten-free cookies and milkBeat the sugar and coconut oil together until creamy. Next, mix in the molasses and vanilla extract. Slowly add the flour and the pumpkin pie spice until fully incorporated. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes or until cold.

While the dough is chillin’ (straight chillin’) preheat the oven to 325 degrees and prepare the glaze. To create the glaze beat together all the glaze ingredients except for the orange zest.

When the dough is cool, roll the cookies into quarter-size balls and smush down on a buttered cookie sheet with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool snaps on a cookie rack and glaze. Get crazy and zest a little orange on top. You deserve it.

love,
melanie

Super-Easy Snow Cream

snow cream recipe  I was told from some old country folk that I couldn’t eat snow cream from the first snow of the season or from yellow snow (ha!), but the second snow was fair game. Yellow snow is never fair game. This week we had the second snow! Since I had never tried it, ya’ll know good and well that I was determined to make some snow cream.

how to make snow creamThere are a million different variations of snow cream. I stuck with the easiest I found and the one with the ingredients I had on hand. There is no way I’m driving in the snow to the store for extra ingredients.

Here’s how I made super-easy snow cream:

Ingredients:

  • One gallon of fresh snow
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 3 tablespoons of vanilla (I like mine very vanilla.)

When it begins to snow, set out a gallon bucket. When the bucket is full bring it inside, add the sugar, milk and vanilla. I mixed mine with a stand mixer and it was so much easier to bring the ingredients together. That’s all there is to it!

a close up of snow creamNote: I want you all to know that yes, I considered the implications of using real snow that fell from the sky. I know all about acid rain and chemicals and in no way am I claiming that this snow cream is organic or good for you or even safe. I’m not feeding this to children or anyone against their will. We all know what’s in snow cream and that’s that. Eat at your own risk.

Have you ever had snow cream? I want to hear about it in the comments!

love and snow!
melanie

Nuts About You: Valentine’s Day Recipe and Free Printable

Nuts about you

I secretly love Valentine’s Day. I know it’s not cool to like the lovey-dovey holiday, but George and I had our first date on Valentine’s Day and I can’t help but be nostalgic about it. This year instead of the heart-shaped cookies, candy and cakes, I wanted to do something a bit different.  Who comes to the rescue once again? Our beloved friend, nuts!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup of walnuts
  • 1/2 cup of pecans
  • 1/2 cup of cashews
  • 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips
  • Sea salt for sprinkling

Melt the coconut oil in a skillet over low heat. Throw in the nuts and toast until slightly brown. Remove from heat and spread nuts on a cookie sheet lined in wax paper. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or impromptu double boiler (a larger pot over a slightly smaller pot 1/4 full of water.) Stir chocolate constantly and when smooth drizzle over nuts. Sprinkle with sea salt. Chill nuts in fridge until chocolate sets.

Chocolate covered nuts

To make the bags, I took a Ziplock bag and cut off the resealable edge. Then, I added the nuts. To make the printable, I drew a little peanut cartoon (then George told me it sucked and re-drew it) and scanned it in Photoshop. But you don’t have to do that because I created a downloadable one for you right here! Just click on it for the full image!

Nuts about you printable

Finally, I cut out the image, punched a hole and tied it to the bag. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Make them for anyone and everyone you are nuts about!

love,
melanie

 

 

 

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Chops

Pork Chops I’m a grown woman and I have irrational fears of the broiler. It’s going to set the house on fire! It gets too hot! If a recipe calls for using the broiler, I won’t use it. I never said I was brave, people. But this weekend I conquered my fear of the boiler and somehow managed to not set the trailer ablaze.

Bacon-wrapped anything is a good idea, but bacon-wrapped pork chops were extra delightful. It’s pork wrapped in pork. You can’t get much better than that. By baking these chops, I was able to avoid the dried out quality of pan fried pork chops. And I stuck it to the broiler.

Bacon Wrapped Pork ChopsIngredients
Bacon (pieces depend on the size of ya chops!)
Pork chops
Salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap bacon around pork chops. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Then crank up that broiler and broil those babies for 5 minutes or until bacon is crispy.

That’s bringing home the bacon if I’ve ever seen it. What are your irrational kitchen fears? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

Try a Green Slimer Smoothie for a Healthier Halloween!

slimerI’ve reached a new level of crazy. I’m blending up smoothies and Photoshopping Slimer into them. If you are not familiar with my green friend, Slimer is a ghost made up of Ectoplasm. He successfully made his debut in the 1984 Ghostbusters film.

But I must give credit where credit is due. George was the one who said my smoothie looked like Slimer. And I must admit, I was totally offended. I don’t want to hear that my food looks like a disgusting, fictional ghost that leaves a trail of boogers behind him wherever he goes. But George was more excited about the smoothie than any grown man should be. And if he is excited to drink veggies, I know a kid would be. 

And, I mean, what a better way to get a kid to eat drink their greens than tell them it is slime?! And it’s pretty much perfect for Halloween, right?! AND IT GETS BETTER… BUT DON’T TELL THE KIDS… it has no refined sugar! WHA-BAM! I’ve lost it.

Slimer Green Smoothie:

Ingredients
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup of pineapple
2 large hand fulls of spinach
1/4 cup of greek yogurt
1/4 cup of almond milk

Put ingredients in your favorite blender and blend that sucker up! Tell your kids husband it is Slimer. He’s going to be super excited. Use it as an excuse to throw a Halloween party.

What do you think? Have I lost my mind or will you be blending along with me?!

love,
melanie

 

Low Sugar Holiday Nuts

Maple, Holiday Nuts

Hello, my name is Melanie and I’m a snacker. I feel like there should be a support group for people like me. If I don’t have a little nosh, I’m completely ravenous during the next meal and I’ll eat everything in sight. Snacks are essential.

But snacks aren’t as easy as they might be for the glutinous. I can’t just grab a granola bar and call it a day. But that’s where nature comes in, nature’s granola bar is nuts! And I eat a lot of ’em. But lately I’ve been wanting a way to spice things up. The old, raw nut routine wasn’t cutting it anymore. I’ve also been on a low sugar kick lately, so I didn’t want to just douse them in cinnamon sugar like most holiday nuts and call it a day. Although, that would probably be delicious. And yes, I’m already talking about the holidays. Don’t act like you haven’t been mentally adding everything in Target to your wish list already. WE ALL DO IT.

Holiday Mixed Nuts

Here’s the recipe for Low Sugar, Holiday Nuts 

1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews
3/4 cup raw, unsalted pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 tsp maple syrup
Sea salt

Melt the coconut oil over low heat. I used a cast iron skillet, but you could probably get away with any kind of skillet. I just think cast iron makes everything taste better. Ok, so once you’ve got the coconut oil melted, toss in the cashews and pecans, cinnamon and cardamon. Stir frequently and toast until tan. I always like toasting cashews because they’re light in color and you can tell when they are done. It’s nature’s timer. When everything looks nice and toasty, add the maple syrup, give it a good stir and just a little more toast to caramelize the syrup. Finish with a healthy dose of sea salt.

Confession: I ate this whole plate. Worth it.

love,
melanie

 

Maple and Rum Horchatas

horchata1I like my milk heavy on the coffee. Is that how that saying goes? No? What I’m trying to say is a big glass of plain, dairy milk makes me cringe.

The first time I encountered horchatas was when I lived in L.A. I was scared to try them because I thought they were a big ol’ glass of watery milk. But we ordered one anyway and boy was I was wrong! Horchatas are refreshing, delicious and made from rice water and almond milk– which I actually enjoy. I also enjoy a little refreshing nip of rum–if you know what I’m saying.

Here’s my recipe for the perfect adult horchata.

Ingredients

  • 1  cup of uncooked long grain rice
  • 5 cups of water
  • 3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup of maple syrup
  • 4 shots of your favorite rum (We used Sailor Jerry’s for the nutmeg and cinnamon flavors.)

horchata2

Pour the rice and water into a  blender.  Blend the rice until it breaks up, but isn’t total mush– about 1 minute. Let rice and water stand at room temperature overnight.

The next day, strain the rice water into a pitcher. Discard the leftover rice. Whisk the almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, maple syrup and rum into the rice water. Serve over ice.

So much more refreshing and relaxing than a glass of milk!

What is your favorite summer drink?

love,
melanie