Banana Chip Muffins Filed under ( bananas, bread, Breakfast, chocolate, muffins, quick and easy )

I really think those bears have the right idea.

Every winter, after eating a few fantastic Thanksgiving feasts, they hunker down in their cozy caves, wrapped in their plush fur coats, and dream away the winter.


I want in on that. Especially early in the morning when there aren't enough layers in the world to combat that freezing cold wind while dropping my daughter off at school. And then there are days like today, where, barring high-tech warming devices, it might actually be impossible to warm up. Even my fuzzy socks are failing me today. And to think, I used to constantly fight with mom to even wear a coat in the winter!

Well, since I don't get to hibernate like a bear, baked goods like these will definitely help me get through the cold cold days of winter. I grew up on these muffins, and after losing the recipe my mom gave me, I was convinced that any old banana chocolate chip recipe would suffice. WRONG. I actually tried quite a few different recipes, but soon realized that I wasn't going to be satisfied until I had the ones that reminded me of home.

These are everything a good banana muffin should be, moist, flavorful, and rich, but not too sweet. They are also a total snap to whip together, no mixer needed, just a good wooden spoon. Next time you have a few bananas ready to turn, give these a try. And stay warm out there friends!


Banana Chip Muffins
Provided Sweetly by My Mom

Ingredients

1 3/4 c flour
1/2 c sugar
3 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c choc chips
1 egg
1/4 c oil
1/4 c milk
3 mashed bananas

Directions

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center.

Beat egg until frothy. Mix in oil, milk and bananas. Pour into the flour mixture. Stir to moisten.

Bake @ 400* for 20-25 minutes.
Yummy!

Banana-Butterscotch Upside-Down Chocolate Cake Filed under ( bananas, cake, chocolate, dessert, fruit )

I recently bought this book, because if there's one thing I need, it's a cookbook dedicated to nothing but chocolate cakes, am I right?



I haven't made too many things out of it yet, mostly for the sake of my never-ending diet, but it did come in handy when I had a few bananas that were reaching the end of their lives. What is it about those last two or three bananas? We are never able to finish off that bunch. But when you get something like this as a result it's hard to complain too much. It was fun to make a cake so different like this, and my favorite part was the butterscotch sauce. The recipe is a bit extensive, but it's still a surprisingly easy cake to put together. Enjoy!

Banana-Butterscotch Upside-Down Chocolate Cake
By Chocolate Cakes

Ingredients

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup golden corn syrup (I just used light)
3 large ripe but firm bananas, cut into 1/2 inches

CAKE:
1 cup cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk


Directions

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 350. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan with side 2 inches high. Line with a piece of aluminum foil long enough to extend over opposite sides of the pan.

2. To make the butterscotch sauce: In a medium saucepan, cook the cream, butter, brown and granulated sugars, salt, and corn syrup over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter and sugars are melted. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring the sauce to a boil, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Pour the sauce into the prepared pa n, tilting the pan if necessary to spread it evenly. Arrange the banana slices in rows over the sauce, placing them close together. Set aside.

3. To make cake, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and granulated and brown sugars until smoothly blended, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each is blended smoothly into the batter and the batter looks creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it. Mix in the buttermilk to blend it into the batter. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter is smooth. Scrape the batter evenly over the bananas. Gently smooth the top.

4. Bake just until the top feels firm when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake, but not the bananas, comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack. Carefully remove and discard the foil. If any bananas stick to the foil, replace them on the cake. Cool the cake thoroughly on the wire rack for about 1 hour. Transfer the cake to a serving plate.

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose when trying new recipes. This chocolate peanut butter mousse cake was unfortunately a loss for me. The cake was too dry, the mousse was too sweet and the ganache was a bit bitter for my taste, such a bummer because it was SO MUCH WORK! Oh well, live and learn right! Here's hoping for a win on my next cake!

Bananas Fosters Topped Overnight French Toast Filed under ( bananas, bread, Breakfast, light recipes, main dishes )

Maybe I'm way off, but eating healthier doesn't seem to be as hard as it once was. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that as a society, we've become much more aware of what we are putting in our bodies. Grocery stores offer a large variety of fresh produce, whole grain foods, and low-fat products. Restaurants are now required to put the amount of calories next to every dish they serve. Even fast-food restaurants are helping us out by offering healthier sandwiches and sides and making portions smaller.

But another change I've noticed since the first time I did Weight Watchers over ten years ago (TEN!) is that we're learning how to cook really good food without compromising on taste. Gone are the days of a dry piece of chicken with steamed veggies (I literally dry-heaved having to type that) and in are beautiful dishes packed with colors and flavors, as well as nutrition. Less weird ingredients, and way more delicious meals on our plates. I have rarely felt deprived since starting Weight Watchers again in January, something of which I am very grateful of, and has consequently helped me to lose twenty pounds.

One website that I have fallen head-over-heels in love with has been Gina's Skinnytaste blog. All of her recipes have the old and new points value, and every single thing she posts looks crazy delicious, you don't need to be dieting to appreciate her recipes. My husband made this awesome french toast for me for Mother's Day, and as a non-breakfaster, I couldn't have been more excited to gobble this up. It.Was.Amazing. So sweet, so rich, so filling, you must give this a try, the whole family loved it. Check it out here and enjoy!

Breakfast Cookies Filed under ( bananas, Breakfast, chocolate, Cookies, peanut butter )

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm not much of a breakfast person. Nothing sounds worse to me first thing in the morning then eating. Luckily for my kids, my husband loves breakfast. Being the baker-man that he is, my kids are always enjoying waffles, pancakes and cinnamon rolls. So when he took off to Texas for two weeks, I had to step it up in the morning and take on the role of the fun breakfast maker.



Imagine how much fun I had greeting my kids first thing in the morning with the phrase "I'm making cookies for breakfast!" Yeah that's right, mom can be cool too! But these aren't regular cookies, they're packed with banana, peanut butter, wheat germ and dried fruit. For good measure I threw some chocolate chips in there, because, well, you know. They're fluffy and have more of a cake-like texture, but they're so delicious and go great with milk. So go ahead, make cookies for breakfast!



Breakfast Cookies
By Food.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup wheat germ
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins or 1 cup other dried fruit
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine peanut butter and butter and beat on medium with an electric mixer.

3. Add brown sugar; beat until combined.

4. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined.

5. Add banana, baking soda & salt; beat until combined.

6. Add flour & wheat germ, a little at a time, and beat until combined.

7. Stir in rolled oats, dried fruit and chocolate chips (if using) by hand.

Per Cookie: 170 cal, 7g fat, 23g carb, 2g fiber, 4g prot