Delicious Oatmeal: Take I

Oatmeal

Brown Sugar

Milk

Poppyseeds

Crasins

Banana Slices

Shredded Cocoanut

Slivered Almonds

Purple Smoothie

She is a beauty, i'd say! Speckaly (no, it's not a word) and yummy. Nom nom nom. And of course I had to take a picture because we had these beautiful flowers which my dad gave to my mum for their anniversary conveniently placed behind my shot.

And because I really like purple! My room is purple, don't cha know.

What's in it you ask? Well...a little bit of this and a little bit of that!

More precisely? Blueberries, blackberries, milk, acai/pomegranate V8 juice, a banana, oat bran, and flax seed.

Yay purple!

Wholesome Honey-Baked Granola

This recipe comes from a deeeelectable cookbook which my mom and I have been enjoying lately. It's called Bite Me, by Julie Albert & Lisa Gnat.

Every single recipe we pull from it has been easy to prepare and very tasty, not to mention that the recipes are comprised of lots of awesome (sometimes quirky!) ingredients. Sometimes I find recipes that only have simple items can be missing a certain je ne sais quoi, but these recipes make up for it! (Coco powder in chili!? Awesome.)

The book's brunch chapter features this delicious homemade granola, which is not only good on your digestive tract, but also good on your pocket book. Prepared granola in the grocery stores can run for $10 or more, depending on the brand. And for HALF of the portion you get here.

That's a no brainer if you ask me.

Granola is such a light yet hearty, crunchy yet soft, food. Yummy served over yogurt, ice cream, with milk and bananas (as seen above), as a muffin/crisp topping, or just on it's own. It's a huge money saver for lunches: Pack 1/2 cup in a re-sealable dish and pour it over fruit and yogurt when you are ready to eat.

Fun to prepare, and oh-so satisfying, I know you will love it.

Ingredients:

4 c old-fashioned large flake oats (not quick cooking)

1 c slivered almonds

small handful of ground flax seed (this was my addition--just because I try to add flax seed to everything possible)

1 tsp kosher salt (I found this to be slightly salty for my taste)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 c melted butter (I used canola oil instead)

1/2 c packed brown sugar

1/4 c honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c dried cranberries

1/2 c raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 F--Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, flaxseed, salt, and cinnamon.

3. In a small bowl, combine melted butter (or oil), brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Whisk well and pour over oat mixture. Toss to combine and spread granola over prepared baking sheet.

4. Bake 20 minutes, stir carefully and then continue to bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to large bowl. Add dried cranberries and raisins, mixing to combine. Cool completely and store at room temp. in an air tight container for up to 1 week.

Yield: 7 cups

Cookbook photo courtesy of http://www.torontolife.com/daily/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/BiteMeCookbook.jpg

Boyfriend Banana Bread

This is my boy:

And this, is his banana bread:

My boyfriend likes banana bread.

No, I don't think you understand. I mean he really, really likes banana bread. To the point that he would probably eat an entire loaf if left unattended. Which is why absolutely must join him in eating it:)

Where oh where my dear did you learn of your love of banana bread? You may not even recall. I however most certainly recall when I learned of your love for banana bread. It was approximately 3 months ago, when we spotted some spotty bananas on a counter top. I was, naturally, outraged at their state. Ew. (I do not like brown bananas). You however were swooning. So I did what any normal brown banana hating person would do...I made bread with it.

And I believe the rest is history. Along with that loaf and many others after it.

The secret to this recipe is one very strange ingredient: Miracle Whip. You can ditch the shortening and replace it with miracle whip ladies and gentlemen, because it makes this bread moist and yummy!

I was iffy before we tried it but I will now endorse it, for what it's worth. And my BF? I'd say he would endorse it too. (If eating it really quickly is a sign of approval anyway).

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 1/3 c mashed fully ripe bananas (about 3)

1/2 c Miracle Whip dressing

1 1/2 c flour

1 c sugar

1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional) and/or chocolate chips

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 F

2. Beak egg, bananas and dressing in a large bowl with whisk until well blended. Mix remaining ingredients in separate bowl. Add to banana mixture; stir just until moistened.

3. Pour into greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.

4. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes.; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Or you know, eat it warm:)

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip JiP Cake!

Are you drooling yet? I still am!

So, today, I got an SOS text: We have rotten bananas- please help!

So, naturally, I grabbed my trusty recipe book, which FAILED ME. There were NO recipes for Banana Bread! What kind of recipe book doesn't have banana bread I ask you!?

Luckily, my friend JP (JiP) had a brilliant and easily modifiable recipe for chocolate chip cookie bars! And not only did they take no time to assemble, but they only took 7 minutes to cook.... IN THE MICROWAVE! That's right, we didn't even need an oven to make this delectable cake! So if you have 15 minutes, and some rotten bananas, I have the perfect thing for you...

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip JiP Cake
Makes 32

What You'll Need:
Banana Chocolate JiP Cake:
1/2 cup butter softened
3 over ripe bananas
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips



Peanut Butter Icing:
1 cup Icing Sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp warm milk

1. In a large bowl, mash 3 over ripe bananas until smoothish (depending on weather or not you want chunks of bananas in your cake!)

2. Add softened butter to banana mixture and mix until well combined. Add brown sugar and mix until creamed.

3. Beat eggs into mixture and add milk and vanilla

4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet mixture. Mix until just combined. Add Chocolate chips.

5. Pour into two 8x8 glass pans. Microwave on high for 7 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan.

Meanwhile...


6. While your cookie bars are in the microwave, get started on your icing! Mix icing sugar and flour together. Cream peanut butter into icing sugar, and slowly add the warm milk. Mix until smooth. The icing should have a thick consistency that is easy to spread.

7. Once cool, ice the brownies and cut them into 16 pieces.

Enjoy with a cool glass of milk and a sweet Sufjan Stevens Christmas Song!

**TIP TIP TIP!!**

If you toss your chocolate chips in 1 tsp of flour before you mix them into the dough, they won't sink to the bottom while baking!

Caution: Eat fast- they tend to disappear quickly!

Watermelon Blueberry Protein Smootie

When people feel like they are getting sick, some take Cold FX, some take echinacea, some sleep. I, on the other hand, eat. Feed a cold, my mother always told me. And so I do.

But you can't settle for unhealthy food; you have to indulge in nature's vitamins, like fruit for example. Today my remedy of choice: the blueberry. I can literally eat an entire pint of blueberries in like 5 minutes. (In case you were wondering). And I don't feel guilty at all because I know how good they are for me.

Check out this blub I found online:

The dye that is released from the blueberries' skin may well be the most valuable nutrient the fruit has to offer. The pigments in blueberries and also in red crops such as cherries, plums, and red cabbage are powerful antioxidants. They have been determined to be a much-heralded chemical warrior against heart disease and also cancer. Blueberries actually have the highest antioxidant capacity because of their large anthocyanin concentration.

Antioxidants in our food can save us from virtually everything. Most of our health misfortunes are due to the perversity of oxygen. Our cells are perpetually besieged by toxic forms of oxygen which have been proved to have fierce destructive powers. So far scientists have linked destructive oxygen reactions to at least sixty different chronic diseases, as well as to aging itself. Oxygen free radicals can attack DNA, the genetic material of cells, causing them to mutate, which is a step on the path to cancer.

One of the great revelations of the last few years, according to a massive and growing body of evidence, is that you may be able to eat your way out of this dilemma insofar as the boundaries of human life span and genetics allow. You can supply your cells with antioxidant food compounds that strike down, intercept and extinguish rampaging oxygen molecules and even repair some of their damage.

So, while enjoying the many health benefits of the blueberry, you can endulge in this refreshing power smoothie that is sure to boost your bodies immunity into high gear.

Ingredients:

3/4 c fresh blueberries
3/4 c watermelon
3/4 c milk
1 banana
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 c oat bran
1/2 c vanilla yogurt
3 ice cubes


Directions:

1. Combine ingredients in a blender on high until smooth.

Fruity Sangria

Well! Is it not finally the season for fruity, and fun cocktails? I think so!

Growing up I looooved having drinks that looked grown up and fancy, but (not to worry) I enjoyed the moctail version. There is just something really special about enjoying colourful, decorated beverages, drinking out of a glass which is only used for fancy occasions, and using a pink straw, and/or umbrella. (You know the kind I'm talking about!)

Now that I'm (relatively) older, my tastes have matured along with me but I still love the feeling a fancy drink brings. If you're the same way, you will love this recipe for Fruity Sangria.
Not familiar with Sangria? Here is a quick run-through:

Sangria is a wine punch typical of Spain and Portugal. It normally consists of:

• red wine
• chopped or sliced fruit (often orange, lemon, apple, peach, berries, pinapple; ocasionally melon, grape, or mango)
• a sweetner such as honey, sugar, or orange juice
• a small amount of added brandy, triple sec, or other spirits
• carbonated soda, in some recipies
• and ice

This Fruity Sangria is combined with tropical and local fruit which, if given time to sit, incorporate exciting flavors into your drink.


Not into the alcoholic version? No problem! Skip the wine and replace it with white or regular grape juice, apple juice or grapefruit juice.

Ingredients:

For one glass.

In terms of amounts, you can use as much of as little of any ingredient as you would like, these are just rough guidelines.
1/2 can sparkling soda (I used Spritz UP)
2 slices lime
1/4 banana, sliced
1 slice orange
3-4 ice cubes
White wine, to fill the rest of the glass

Directions:

1. Assemble fruit in the glasses (or a large pitcher if you want to make more) and pour in your sparkling soda, ice, and finally, the wine.

2. Allow the drink to sit for a little while (I waited 30 minutes) so that the fruit can flavor your sangria. If you aren't patient like that, and I don't blame you, you can enjoy it immediately.

Simple Banana Desert

I don't know about you, but I really enjoy desert after dinner. Especially when the meal was particularly salty. I need to balance out the flavors with some sweetness after all. It is a necessity that this be done or else I crave sugar for about 2 hours after dinner, and no one wants that!

I'm only half serious:) I could go without, and most of the time choose to. But when I have bright yellow bananas sitting on my counter top calling out to me, I feel pretty good about the decision to indulge in sweetness.

Today I made a really simple and quick desert: bananas glazed with maple syrup and spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, served with vanilla frozen yogurt. Doesn't that sound good? Simple though too. Because something really yummy (and satisfyingly sweet) doesn't have to be complicated. I leave those dishes to moments when I have a whole afternoon to bake.

However, once it was sitting before me, I realized that something was missing...


...mmhm that's more like it!



Ingredients:

1 fresh banana, sliced
1 tsp butter
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 scoops vanilla frozen yogurt (or regular ice cream)
1 strawberry

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a warm skillet, and place sliced bananas, flat side down. Toss the bananas with the maple syrup and spices. Cook for a few minutes (or until the bottom of the bananas has browned)

2. Assemble atop the frozen yogurt with the lone strawberry.

It's as simple as that! Enjoy.

Hippie Pancakes

If I were to dream of hippie food, this is what it would look like. In fact, if mother nature could cook, Leah and I believe she would cook something just like this: whole wheat Swedish pancakes, coloured with golden sauteed bananas, and textured with soft cream cheese contrasted with crunchy granola.

Oh hay! What a coincidence, that is exactly what we did!

After stumbling out of bed at 11am this morning, Leah and I (complete with bed head, pj's, bare feet, and no makeup...hippie style if you ask me!) were not content with making a simple breakfast of toast and jam. No sir. We were in a fancy-dancy breakfast mood this morning!

Our food smarts directed us to my brand new "Martha Stewart Cookbook!" (Purchased yesterday in fact, at the local library book store for only 8 dollars!) We found her recipe for Swedish pancakes and went from there. Cream cheese, honey, sauteed bananas, and granola play a starring role in this sensational breakfast.

Click on this picture ^
and get a really good look at the colours and textures.

If you sautee the bananas in butter and brown sugar they turn a really pretty gold colour. However I would recommend using firm, fresh bananas with no brown spots on them. This way the bananas will hold up in the sautee pan, and they won't become too sweet after being cooked.


I should note that I believe this recipe to be healthy. (It's got whole wheat, fruit, yogurt, non-fat cream cheese, and natural sweeteners! Come on now.) So eat up hungry wolverines!

Ingredients:

6 Swedish Pancakes:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c milk
3/4 c whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar

Sauteed Bananas:
2 bananas, sliced
1/2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. brown sugar

Plain yogurt
Granola (I used a mango, cranberry variety)
Honey
Low fat cream cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare swedish pancakes by combining eggs, milk, flour, melted butter, and salt in a mixing bowl. Blend well. (Note: Don't over mix because you don't want bubbles in your batter. Aswell, melt your butter innitally in the frying pan so that it coats the surface, and then pour the melted butter into the batter. This way, you don't have to dirty another dish!)

2. Scoop batter onto your hot, greased frying pan. (Note: To ensure the pan is hot enough, sprinkle some water onto it, and if it sizzles, it's ready.)

3. Be patient as you cook your pancakes, and only flip when you see bubbles forming close to the centre. When you flip them, they only need about 30 sec. more.

4. For your sauteed bananas, melt butter in a small frying pan. Add sliced bananas brown sugar. Cook until the bananas are thoroughly covered in sugar, and you have a nice brown colour.

5. Assemble your hippie pancakes by spreading creamcheese on your pancake, bananas, a drizzle of honey, and some granola. We had to use a fork an knife to eat it, but if your brave you could use your hands.

6. Serve along side some plain yogurt to dip your pancakes in.