butterscotch banana bread bites

I usually make muffins or quick bread with my extra bananas but decided to give these bites a try. These will make your house smell like delicious banana bread, have the gooey texture of a soft baked cookie, and are so sweet and delicious you wouldn't even know there isn't added sugar (only that in the butterscotch chips)! My roommate didn't believe me when I told him they weren't "real cookies." Without eggs, added sugar or oil these bites are guilt free and satisfy that sweet craving. They were gone in two days because I couldn't stay away!! I had them for dessert, breakfast, and a snack before my run! I get nervous trying new pre-run foods but these were great.

Makes ~12 bites

What you need:

2 very ripe bananas

1 C oats

1/4 C butterscotch chips

1/3 C shredded unsweetened coconut

1/3 C chopped walnuts

1 tsp ground cinnamon

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a bowl, mash the bananas and combine all other ingredients. 

3. Shape the mixture into round bites and place on a cookie sheet. The recipe should make about 12 bites. I sprayed my cookie sheet with Pam to make sure they didn't stick.

4. Bake for 15 minutes and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:
1 Serving = 1 Bite
Calories 106
Fat 6g
Carbohydrates 13g
Protein 2g
Sugar 6g
Sodium 6mg

If you want to warm them the next day, pop them in the microwave for 12 seconds, perfect!

Banana Dark Chocolate Muffins

Things have changed a lot for me lately. I am no longer living at home with my parents... but instead have moved to Birmingham, am attending Samford University for graduate school (I am getting my Masters in Public Health and doing a Dietetic Internship), and am living with 3 boys. It's weird, I know.

One thing I have learned about living with boys is that they often buy food they have no real intention of eating. Example A: one of my roommates purchased 6 bananas. Bananas go bad quickly. He did not eat a single banana. What happened? I made 3 batches of banana bread and muffins. I think now they're buying bananas just because they know I won't let them go to waste. BUT they were delicious so here I am to share the recipe!!

Here's what you need:
1 stick (8 TBSP) butter
2 very ripe bananas
2 eggs
1.5 C flour
1 C sugar
1 tsp baking soda
0.5-1 C dark chocolate chips (I just eye-balled it because I love chocolate and oftentimes go overboard)

Here's what you do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream the butter and sugar.
3. Beat the eggs and combine with the butter/sugar mix.
4. Mash the bananas and add to the mixture.
5. Mix in flour, sugar, chocolate chips, and baking soda.
6. Pour into muffin pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.

I also made this into bread. I combined the ingredients exactly the same but baked the bread for about 45-60 minutes. Just keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't burn!

Greek Yogurt Breakfast Bowl

Greek Yogurt

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Mixed Berries

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Chocolate Granola

Easy French Toast

My Dad is a big French toast fan and since I've been making breakfast a lot lately, I figured I would try my hand at this classic. I need something quick and easy if I'm going to make it in the morning and this recipe is perfect for that!

Here's what you need:
1 egg
3/4 C milk
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
2 slices bread

Here's what you do:
1. Beat together the egg, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.
2. Heat a lightly oiled skillet/griddle over medium heat.
3. Soak bread slices in egg mixture thoroughly on each side. Cook the bread until both sides are crisp and lightly browned.

Serve with fresh fruit, warmed maple syrup, and a nice glass of orange juice!

Pumpkin Ginger Bread

I found this festive recipe on Pinterest (of course). I was craving something sweet for breakfast and this was the perfect thing. It made my apartment smell amazing and the bread went great with a hot cup of coffee this morning!

Here's what you need:

1-1/2 C sugar

1/2 C vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/3 C water

1/2 15 oz can pumpkin puree

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

Here's what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. I used a smaller pan and had to make a few muffins with the excess batter. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil and eggs. Beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Stir in pumpkin, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and clove.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend until all the ingredients are mixed. 

4. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour.

My roommate even described this as the best thing I've ever made!

Original Recipe

Pumpkin Granola

HAPPY OCTOBER!! I love October. From the leaves turning colors to the pumpkin spice lattes, plus with the weather is finally cooling off... there's so much to love. If you're looking for some quick festive treats check out these goodies from Williams & Sonoma. The muffins and pumpkin butter are divine.

A good friend of mine made some pumpkin granola the other day. She sent me home with a bag and I finished it on the drive home from her house! Whoops. I had her send me the recipe so I could share it with all of you! It would be good on some yogurt, with some fruit, or even in a bowl with some milk poured on top.

Here's what you need:
1/4 C uncooked quinoa, rinsed well and pat dry with a paper towel
1.5 C rolled oats
1/4 C ground flaxseeds
1/4 C pepitas
1/4 C chopped pecans
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/4 C real maple syrup (or honey)
1/4 C pumpkin puree
1 tsp oil (coconut or canola)
1 tsp pumpkin spice (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch kosher salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Here's what you do:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Spread oats and quinoa out on a parchment lined baking pan. Toast in the oven for 10 minutes and stir once.
3. Remove the oats from the oven, pour the toasted oats into the medium bowl and add the ground flaxseeds, pepitas, pecans, and dried fruit.
4. Reduce the oven to 300 degrees F.
5. In a second bowl, combine maple syrup, pumpkin puree, oil, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, salt and vanilla.
6. Pour over oats and stir together with a spatula.
7. Spread back onto baking sheet and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until golden.

Mixed Berry Smoothie

I have been begging for a blender and I FINALLY GOT ONE!!! Thanks dad. I immediately went to target, bought a huge bag of frozen mixed berries, and got to work. This smoothie recipe only requires 3 ingredients, doesn't need any added sugar, and keeps you full from breakfast to lunch (you can thank the Greek yogurt for that)!

Here's what you need:
1/2 C frozen berries
1/2 C orange juice
1 large spoonful of strawberry Greek yogurt

Here's what you do:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend.

Pretty easy, right? My smoothies are more thick than ones I've gotten at a Smoothie King or a Tropical Smoothie. If you prefer them more slushy-like then just add more orange juice and subtract some yogurt. I have also used vanilla Greek yogurt and it tasted just as good! This recipe is easy to play around with and pretty difficult to mess up. It's perfect after a run or on the way to an early morning class.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Waffle [with peanutbutter]

Recently I've been looking for a way to make my typical breakfast foods even better. I came up with a great idea the other morning! I used frozen chocolate chip waffles, dark chocolate chips, and peanut butter. I woke up early to go on a run and when I got back to my apartment, I had come up with this idea. Yes, it wasn't the most healthy breakfast, but it was absolutely delicious. It was so great and I was full the entire morning!

Here's what you do:

1. Defrost two waffles.

2. Sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips onto the waffles.

3. Stack the waffles and spread peanut butter on top. TADA!!! Amazing breakfast time!

Do you have any colorful breakfast creations??

Dark Chocolate-Banana Greek Yogurt Combo

Last night I had a dream that completely revolved around bagels. Yes, bagels. In my dream I was out to dinner (?) with my family and was helping my grandmother (LaLa) pick out her bagel and cream cheese. Because, apparently, this restaurant was full of such a variety of bagels that she just couldn't decide alone. I woke up and immediately wanted to go buy bagels but told myself I wasn't going to make a meal out of bread and to go find something I already had in the kitchen. What a fantastic idea because what I came up with was delicious! 

I combined vanilla non-fat Chobani Greek yogurt, mini dark chocolate chips, a sliced banana, and I crumbled a Nature Valley "oats 'n dark chocolate" granola bar. What a great decision. Packed with protein, potassium, and antioxidants - I am sure to be full long beyond lunch. 

I mean... breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Might as well make it delicious!

Cinnamon Dusted Nutella Pillows

I discovered this recipe this morning and whipped these together tonight. My love for Nutella has definitely been shining through lately. I've written about so many recipes with Nutella that it probably looks like the only I eat!! These delicious rolls can be for both breakfast and dessert. I made only 8, but made certain there were some left for the morning. They were super easy to make and only require 3 ingredients!

Here's what you need:

Pillsbury reduced-fat crescent rolls

Nutella

Cinnamon sugar

Here's what you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Unroll the crescent dough and spoon 1 tablespoon of Nutella onto the dough.

2. Roll the dough up, making sure all edges are closed. Cover rolls in cinnamon sugar.

3. Place onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes.

 Nutrition facts:
190 calories
9.5 g fat

French Toast

French toast is one of the easiest things to make. Essentially all you need is a slice of toast, some eggs, and a stove. After my run this morning, I decided I needed a few slices before starting my day! I had to be a little creative since I didn't have many toppings (or even any syrup). Even without these traditional staples, the toast was a great way to start the day.

Here's what you do:
1. Whisk 2-3 eggs in a bowl. I added a splash of water into the bowl so the eggs whisk a little better.
2. Dip a slice of bread into the liquid, one side at a time.
3. Cook the bread on a greased skilled until brown on each side.

Super easy, right?
Since I didn't have any syrup, I used my homemade jelly instead! I was surprised by how great the jelly went on the toast, definitely a new favorite. I also scrabbled the remaining eggs from the bowl. Another idea I want to try out is to sprinkle the toast with cinnamon sugar and to actually use syrup! Yum.

Make it healthier: ditch the egg yolks and use whole wheat bread!

Granny Pancakes

AKA crepes. My friends and I eat these just about every time we get together. Not that we are all mature and culinary, my friend's mom still cooks them for us... BUT it has become a tradition of its own. Sadly, we have yet to devour these granny pancakes since we have all gotten back into town and I was feeling deprived of them. Having never made them myself, I was nervous about trying it out. I have made regular pancakes and am quite pro at them, but super thin pancakes? Never tried it. Turns out, it is one of the easier things in life. Having only 4 ingredients and taking less than 20 minutes or so, these granny pancakes were divine!

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk

Directions:
1. Whisk together the flour and eggs. Gradually add in the liquids. Beat mixture until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour a small portion of the batter, making sure it spreads across the pan evenly.
3. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the cooking side is lightly browned. Flip with a spatula and cook the other side.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar, roll the crepe, sprinkle more cinnamon sugar, and top it off with some fresh lemon juice! YUMMM. I did a couple with nutella too... of course.

They were so tasty I ate them right as they came off the stove! In my defense, I was rather starved. Such an amazing way to start the day! :)

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Banana Bread

Happy Mother's Day!!

I woke up this morning and decided today was the day to begin my Pinterest baking adventure. Dark chocolate raspberry banana bread seemed like the ideal way to start such a thing. I'm a big fan of banana-nut bread so when I saw this recipe I just had to try it!

Seeing as it was Mother's Day, I was already a little inspired to do something special around the house. Being a broke college kid, I didn't exactly splurge on platinum jewelry for my mother, so I compensated by baking a nice loaf of breakfast bread! Don't worry though, she did get some PRETTY beautiful flowers. 

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup granulated white sugar

4 T unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs

1.5 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

1/3 cup plain low fat yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips

1 cup halved rasberries, tossed in 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the four, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a separate larger bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute).

4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Add the banana, yogurt, and vanilla - beat until well blended.

6. Stir in the flour mixture, just until moist. Don't over-mix.

7. Stir in the chocolate chunks and then gently stir in the raspberries.

8. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Remove and let cool.

I would definitely recommend trying this recipe! It made for a tasty breakfast, loved it. I can't wait to try this recipe with other fruits!

Not that a loaf of bread can reward my mother for all she has had to put up with, but I know she will enjoy it for a little while. I hope everyone made sure to do something special for their mothers!! 

Love you mommy! :)

"Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever." - Unknown

Cinnamon Rolls

Today in class we learned about fermentation - why it is important, what happens, under what conditions it happens, and when it occurs. To reinforce this lesson, we baked cinnamon rolls in lab. When I was younger cinnamon rolls were a common thing in my household. Instead of making them from scratch though I remember them coming from a vacuum sealed tube that you pop, unroll, break apart, and bake. 

Pretty different from what I did today:

Recipe:
Cinnamon Rolls
2 T sugar
1 T active dry yeast
2 T oil
1 t salt
4 C bread flour
1/4 C cinnamon sugar (1:4 ration of cinnamon:sugar)
Cooking Spray


Powdered Sugar Glaze
1.5 C powdered sugar
1.5 T milk (add additional milk/water as needed)


Preparation:
Cinnamon Rolls
1. Combine sugar and 1 C of warm water in a large measuring cup or small bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add yeast and mix until dispersed. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, and salt. Add yeast mixture. 
3. Add 3 C of flour to the liquid mixture, stirring to combine. The dough will be wet. Sprinkle a clean work surface with 1/4 C of the remaining flour. Turn dough out onto flour.
4. Sprinkle dough with 1/4 C of the remaining flour and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. To determine if dough has been kneaded enough, press dough with a finger. Adequately kneaded dough will spring back. Let dough rest for 5 minutes.
5. Roll dough into a 1/4 inch think rectangle. Lightly moisten surface of the dough with water and sprinkle thoroughly with cinnamon sugar mixture. Beginning with the long side, roll dough tightly, forming spirals. Moisten the leading edge with water and crimp to seal. 

6. Cut the dough log into 1 inch increments. Place on a well-greased baking sheet and allow to rise in a proofing box or oven heated with moist air (85-95 degrees F) for 15 minutes.
7. Bake at 375 degrees F for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.


Powdered Sugar Glaze
1. Stir together sugar and milk until smooth. 
2. Spoon icing into a zip-top plastic bag.
3. Snip 1 corner of the bag and drizzle icing onto warm rolls.

Delicious! I took a few home for breakfast! Yummmm.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

Coming back to school after spring break is definitely a reality check. I spent the week in Destin, Florida and had a great time!! Each night over the break two different girls prepared dinner for the rest of the house. The night my friend and I cooked dinner we made pasta (quick and easy). It consisted of bow tie noodles, squash, broccoli, grilled chicken, and a cream sauce. We boiled the pasta and microwaved the squash and broccoli. The cream sauce was premade and the chicken was left over from the night before. All-in-all: pretty easy! 

This week in my NHM 253 class (Food Science) we learned about the different kinds of flour. So, naturally, we baked in lab. My group was assigned to make garlic cheddar biscuits. 

Recipe: 

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups cake flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons baking powder

3/4 cup cold butter

1 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup melted butter

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Sift flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Blend in the spices.

3. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Blend in the grated cheese and cut the mixture with the pastry blender again.

4. Add the milk and mix until a soft, sticky dough forms.

5. Place small spoonfuls of dough on to a shiny cookie sheet containing parchment paper. Coat the surface of each biscuit with melted garlic butter (1/4 tsp. garlic with 1/2 cup melted butter) using a pastry brush. 

6. Bake for 15 minutes. AFter baking, brush surface again with melted garlic butter.

Before:

After:

This is one of the few times something hadn't gone wrong in the NHM 253 lab for my group!! I was pretty excited and really impressed when the biscuits turned out to be delicious!

Oh my, what fantastic jelly that is!

This week in my Food Science lab we learned how to make homemade jelly! We had a choice between apple, peach, grape, cran-apple, and blueberry. My group chose to make blueberry jelly. It didn't take much time at all and was really fun to make!


Recipe:
1 pouch of liquid pectin (squeezed out completely)
4 C sugar
2 C blueberry juice


Directions:

• Wash and dry a 8 oz. glass mason-type jar.
• In a large sauce pan, heat the juice and sugar to a boil. mix in all the liquid pectin and boil from 1 minute while stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat, cool 5 minutes, skim off foam, and carefully pour into the clean jars.
• Put lids securely on jars and invert for 5 minutes.
• Thermally process the jellies in a boiling water bath. Jars should be submerged and held in the boiling water for 10-15 minutes.
• Remove jars from water and allow to cool.

My lovely jar of jelly:

I tried the jelly this morning on my muffin and it was actually really good! I'll admit, I didn't have high expectations for this jelly, but it turned out quite delicious. Try it out!

"I don't think you're ready for this jelly." - Destiny's Child :)

New Years Resolution

Last fall, my nutrition teacher told the class they needed to do something to make themselves stand out. Among the things she listed was blogging. My best friend and I have been talking about making our blogs for entirely too long now. She made hers last night, so that means it's time for me to make mine. Usually my New Years resolutions are the same old thing: be healthier, more active, make better grades, all that. This year, I'm trying to do something more solid. For 2012, my goal is to cook more of my own food. I got a cookbook (The Biggest Loser Cookbook, I'm not ashamed) for Christmas this year so I need to start using it! Being in college, it is definitely a challenge. Sure, Ramen is cheap and easy, but it gets old real quick. I need to break out of my "sandwich every meal" routine and start cooking.


I started this morning by making myself a lovely omelet. It had 3 eggs, baked chicken, and some sharp cheddar cheese. I added a glass of 2% milk and cut up some avocado. I'm still full (which is crazy because I am constantly hungry). The omelet was delicious. My father eyed it the entire time, wishing he had chosen that over his boring cheerios. 

"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art." - La Rochefoucauld