Healthy Banana Bars

A little while ago I came across this recipe for Peanut Butter, Banana and Honey Road Cake. And this morning, as a reward for the busy day I had yesterday, I decided to finally enjoy some quality baking time. Unfortunately I didn’t have one of the title ingredients — honey. But the fact it was the healthiest banana bread I had stumbled across in some time (possibly ever) made me decide it was worth trying anyway. And the substitutions I made seemed to work out perfectly. The only thing I think I could have added but didn’t think of until it was too late was chopped walnuts. Walnuts are always a great addition to banana bread. Oh well — next time! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup Splenda (or other sweetener of choice)
• 1 egg (or flax egg if making vegan)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 heaping tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons apple sauce
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine banana, Splenda, egg, vanilla, maple syrup, peanut butter and apple sauce in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Ensure all banana lumps have disappeared.
3. Stir in flours, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
4. Pour mixture into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan. Even out mixture.
5. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes. You can check on it at 25 minutes but I find the bananas cause the mixture to take a long time to cook.
6. Let cool for 10 minutes or so as bread will continue to cook on the inside and then serve.

Note: Loaf can easily be cut into squares which are convenient to take with you as a quick snack or breakfast on-the-go.

58 Days Until Christmas!!

I am a huge fan of variety. Buffets are one of my favorite things because like I say – “why would I go somewhere where I can only try one thing when I can go somewhere where I can try everything“. I have the same mentality when it comes to making Christmas cookies. I honestly can’t wait to get started. Halloween is just around the corner but making orange and black treats just doesn’t tickle my fancy the way ones that sparkle and are shaped like Christmas trees do. My mom picked out the best recipes a long time ago and over the last few years I’ve begun to take over the baking since I love it so much. Last year I made these:

- Gingerbread

- Shortbread

- Shortbread with chocolate chips squares

- lemon squares

- Skor bars

Some are tradition and some were experiments that were so awesome they got added to the permanent list. This year I’m thinking about experimenting with icing on the gingerbread and shortbread which I’ve never done before. But I’m always on the hunt for new possibilities and I’d really like to add a new recipe to the list this Christmas. So if you have any recipes to share – please do!!

Carrot Bran Muffins

I decided I wanted to make use of some carrots I’ve had sitting around and also finish off a box of All Bran Buds that were past their expiry date. I came across a recipe on food.com which got me started and then made  substitutions and alterations based on what I had lying around.  So if you give this recipe a whirl – don’t at all feel obligated to stick to the ingredients rigidly. I had a lot of fun making things up as I went along and encourage you to do the same. So here’s the recipe to get you started:

Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup bran (I used All Bran Buds and ground them into a powder in the food processor)

- 1/4 cup all purpose flour (to help the muffins rise a little)

- 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground flax

- 1/3 cup dried fruit (I used dried blueberries but raisins would be great too)

- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

- 1/3 cup sugar (I used Splenda)

- 1 tablespoon cinnamon

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 egg

- 1 3/4 cups milk

- 2 tablespoons lemon juice

- 2 tablespoons melted margarine

- 2 tablespoons apple sauce

- 1 rounded cup shredded carrot

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In medium mixing bowl combine flours, bran, flax, sugar/Splenda, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.

3. In large mixing bowl combine egg, milk, lemon juice, margarine, apple sauce and carrot.

4. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and combine thoroughly.

5. Divide mixture evenly among 12 muffin cups (do not use paper liners).

6. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. When removed the tops should be firm to the touch. Let them cool before removing from pan and placing in an airtight container for up to a week.

I strongly recommend enjoying them warm with a little bit of butter or margarine. They can also easily be frozen and taken out and warmed up whenever you need a quick breakfast. Enjoy!

Tropical Muffins

Other than dessert I would have to say that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. It just has so much delicious potential – and can really set you up right for the rest of the day. Nothing puts me in a good mood quite like a nice, healthy muffin. I based this delicious recipe off one found on Kitchen Catharsis. It caught my eye because it has a delicious blend of fruits and nuts and is low in sugar. Hope you like it!

Ingredients for 12 Tropical Muffins:

For muffins:

- 1 and 1/2 cups flour (I did 1 cup whole wheat and 1/2 a cup all purpose so they would be healthy and still rise properly)

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

- 6 tablespoons margarine

- 1 egg

- 1/2 cup sugar (I did 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated Splenda)

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- 2 ripe, mashed bananas

- 1/2 cup heavily diced pineapple

- 1/2 cup nuts (I did 1/4 pecans and 1/4 cup walnuts because that is what I had around but I’m sure any nuts would work)

- 1/4 shredded coconut (optional – it wasn’t in the original recipe but I really love coconut)

For topping:

- 3 tablespoons very chopped nuts (I did walnuts but it’s totally up to you)

- 2 tablespoons brown sugar

- 3 tablespoons shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Chop nuts and toast in oven. Check on them often to make sure  they don’t burn.

3. Place 12 muffin liners in muffin tin.

4. In a small bowl mix together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg).

5. In a large bowl thoroughly mix wet ingredients (margarine, egg, sugar and vanilla).

6. Add half the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix.

7. Add mashed banana, diced pineapple toasted nuts (minus those meant for topping) and stir.

8. Add in rest of dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.

9. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full with mix.

10. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle a heaping teaspoon over each muffin.

11. Bake in oven for 25 minutes.

I love this recipe because the inside is soft and moist, while the top has a nice crunch to it. Hope it makes your morning a good one!