Grandma’s Homemade Banana Bread

Just as quickly as my flu/cold/yuckiness struck me, it appears to be leaving! Thank G-d! And, in perfect time now that my appetite is returning and I can smell and taste food again.

I have had a hankering for baking lately. Perhaps it’s all the amazing things I see my friend Tammy create here. Plus, I have been really really really wanting to try out my stepmom’s Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer that I inherited. It’s large and beautiful and screaming to be used for cooking adventures.

I will state for the record that I, Danielle, am NOT a baker. I love to cook, but baking is not my strength.at.all. Case in point, my first time baking brownies about 7 years ago. I followed the brownie box’s directions to the T! Mix ingredients, preheat oven, fill greased pan with brownie mix, put in oven, bake for xyz minutes, blah blah blah. After they were done, I let them cool…in the oven. Yup, I thought that I just had to turn off the oven and let them (somehow) “cool” in the oven. In my defense, the box didn’t state to take out them out and let them cool outside of the oven. If I had read that vital tidbit on the box, the brownies wouldn’t have doubled as a doorstop. Just saying.

So, now I’ve got this baking itch. And, I had these 3 bananas that didn’t look so fresh anymore. My first thought, banana bread! I googled “Best Banana Bread recipe.” One link immediately jumped out at me: “Grandma’s Homemade Banana Bread Recipe.” Is it coincidental that the recipe calls for 3 bananas and I just so happen to have 3 bananas in my fridge? I think not. It’s fate!

Tonight, I was supposed to have 2 giirlfriends over for GG night (Gossip Girl–seriously, one of my guilty pleasures!) where I would then present the banana bread for consumption (Sidenote: I specifically and intentionally didn’t add any nuts since one of my girlfriends is allergic). Alas, the Hubby caught whatever I had. So GG night was nixed. And instead, I’ll be making homemade chicken and veggie soup and doting on him.

As for the banana bread: I brought several slices into work after a few coworkers heard that I’d be baking some yesterday. Naturally, I had to taste it first for quality control. But since my senses are not yet 100% and I’m not sure I can really trust my opinion, my glowing reviews from the coworkers will suffice! **Afternote: It wasn’t as moist as I was hoping. It wasn’t dry, but it wasn’t super moist either. I think it may be my oven…We’ll see how the  next bread turns out.**

Ingredients

• 1      1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2      cup butter, softened
• 3      bananas, mashed
• 2      eggs
• 2      cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2      teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3      cup sour milk
• 1/4      teaspoon salt
• 1      teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan. (I used an 8.5 x 4.5 glass pan after reading reviews that said the glass pan worked best)
2. Combine sugar, butter, bananas, eggs, flour, baking soda, milk, salt and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl; beat well. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. (It took almost an 1 ½ hours for the center to come out clean. But after 60 mins, I reduced the oven temp to 330 since I was afraid the bread would char at the higher temp.)

 

Banana Flax Strawberry Oat Spinach Smoothie

So, let’s just say that I’m, ohh, 4 or 5 posts behind. With the Half Marathon last Sunday (Will post on this later) and a special event at our house last Saturday (I’ll post that one too!), I didn’t stay on top of my blog. But, I am back!

Last Friday, I’d ran out of all other fruits, but the banana, which meant I had to make due with what was at the office. This time, I went to the market and a girlfriend brought me a whole bunch of strawberries! I was super excited to try out this recipe when I got back to work on Tuesday.

This looks so Awesome!! Banana, Strawberries, Spinach, and more...

 

Looking at this gets me so excited! This is my first smoothie with strawberries, my favorite!!

 

Doesn't this just call out to you to be drunk! (I really wanted to type "drank" and say it in a Chapelle show--for those who get the reference, don't judge! Haha)

Ingredients:

 

1    Sliced Frozen Banana

3 or 4 Sliced Strawberries

1/2 cup Spinach (add more or less to suit your taste)

1    cup Flax Milk

1/4 cup Oats

4 or 5 Ice Cubes

 

Add all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Like my last smoothie, this should render at least a 12 oz. serving.

 

*Just because Iingest 12 oz. of this awesomeness, doesn’t mean you have to do the same. Feel free to split into smaller portions and freeze or share the remainders.  Sharing is Caring!

 

Banana, Oat, Almond Butter, Flax Smoothie

For the last 6 weeks, I have had almost daily a breakfast smoothie comprised of various fruits, veggies and/or dairy-free milks (<—lactose intolerant).

The original version called for dairy milk and peanut butter. But given that I keep as a snack for work, my handy dandy tub (yes, I just said tub!) of Trader Joe’s Almond Butter with Flaxseed, I thought I’d change it up. And, what I love most about this smoothie: It’s nutritious and only 315 calories! (Calories will vary on your size of banana. For more exact calories of a banana, feel free to visit Calorie King!)

Today, I used a ripe, raw banana. Normally, I’d use a frozen banana. (Tip when freezing a banana: First, cut in small slices. Then, put in a small ziploc bag. Trust me, it’s not pretty when you freeze a whole banana, peel and all. <—Tried it for kicks.)

Welcome to my office kitchen for today’s smoothie!

Ice Cubes, Flax Milk, Oats and Sliced Banana!

In goes the almond butter with flaxseed!!Let the blending begin!! When blending, I use the "Liquify" and "Ice Crush" buttons.

Smoothie after blending. Sometimes, I have to stop blending, shake the blender to move around the ingredients and then blend again.

Breakfast time! (Yes, I drink my smoothie in a beer glass...)

Ingredients with Calories:

 1 cup    Flax Milk (50 calories)

1/4 cup  Uncooked Oatmeal (75 calories)

1           Sliced Frozen Banana (For a small banana, only 90 calories. Calories will vary with size.)

1 Tblsp. Trader JoesAlmond Butter with Flaxseed (100 calories)

4 or 5    Ice Cubes (zero!)

 Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth! Pour in a 12 oz. or larger glass—this recipe should render you about a 12-13 oz. smoothie.

 That’s it! Easy peasy!

 *Substitutions I’ve tried that also work well:  

–              Soy Milk; Almond Milk. Your smoothie may taste more “almondy,” or “nutty;”  Sliced Raw Banana in lieu of a frozen banana; Peanut Butter; Almond Butter without Flaxseed; For those with nut allergies: Feel free to omit the Peanut or Almond Butter entirely and it tastes just fine.