Banana Ice cream

We are trying to eat healthy in this neck of the woods lately. Avoiding refined sugar and all that jazz. The other day I just needed something sweet and decided to whip up some banana ice cream. I have made this two different ways but the possibilities are endless.

I also mix it in my Kitchenaid. The banana is frozen so it has to be mixed for a while before it gets all creamy but it is so worth the few minutes of wait time at the end.

Strawberry Banana Ice cream
1 frozen banana
1 C frozen strawberries(slightly thawed)
a dash of vanilla or actual scrapings from a vanilla bean(which is divine!)
1 tsp agave nectar or honey

Put ingredients in the mixer and mix until creamy. It is thick and delicious.

Chocolate Peanut butter Banana Ice Cream
1 frozen banana
1 T cocoa pwd
1 T peanut butter
1 tsp agave

Put in mixer and mix until smooth. You may need to scrap the sides a few times. If it is too bitter from the cocoa reduce the amount of cocoa.

Banana Flax Oatmeal

I stumbled across a website where they were having a 30 day oatmeal challenge. There are a load of great oatmeal recipes. Check them out here.

I am especially excited to make the Raspberry Swirl cheesecake Oatmeal tomorrow. Here is my version of the Banana Flax one.

Banana Flax Oatmeal with Walnuts

1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 C water
1/2 C almond milk
1/2 banana, cut in pieces
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 T flax seed
1 tsp agave nectar
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
walnuts pieces

In saucepan heat oats, water, milk and salt until it simmers. Add the banana and stir until the mixture thickens. Add the vanilla, flax, agave, pie spice, and stir until incorporated.
Pour in bowl and top with walnuts and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

Banana Bran Mini muffins

Muffins, muffins, muffins. We love muffins at this house. However, we have been stuck in a muffin rut. If they have nuts or raisins or any vegetable in them there are usually complaints. But this morning I snuck in some nuts . No one even noticed and all those muffins were gone even before all the kids got up to eat them.

Banana Bran Muffins
1 C whole white wheat flour (we grind this ourselves)
1 C all bran cereal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c pecans- chopped very, very small. ;)
2 Lg bananas, mashed
1/2 C butter, softened
1/2 C brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a regular muffin tin or a mini muffin tin. Cream the banana and butter together. Add the brown sugar and egg and mix well. Add the dry ingredients. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes for 12 regular muffins and about 12-15 minutes for the mini muffins. These are GREAT with butter!

Healthier Banana Bread

I set a goal this year to only have refined sugar 52 times- once a week. So when I made banana bread yesterday and the aroma of goodness filled the house I wanted some. But not enough to use one of my days. Today I tweaked my banana bread recipe and enjoyed two pieces of yumminess with out all the guilt.

Healthier Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas
1/2 c agave nectar
1 egg
1/4 c olive oil
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a loaf pan.

Mix the bananas and agave until smooth. Add the egg and oil mixing well. Mix in the dry ingredients and then place in the pan. Bake for 1 hour or until done when a knife is inserted. Let cool.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

I got this recipe from my blog surfing and think it is a Barefoot Contessa recipe. I made it this morning and absolutely LOVED them. I ate two of them and it filled me up. Pretty good stuff!!!

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

1 1/2 C flour- I use white and wheat
3 T sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c sour cream
3/4 c plus 1 T milk (I had to put quite a bit more milk in it though for the consistency I like)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 ripe bananas diced

Mix the sour cream, milk, eggs and vanilla. Add in the flour, sugar, soda and salt just until combined. On a hot griddle ladle the pancake batter and arrange pieces of banana on top. Flip when bubbles on top start appear. Cook until browned on that side and then enjoy!!!

Peanut Butter and Banana Nutella Muffins

When I first saw the recipe I remembered my new unrequited love for Nutella and figured it would be worth a shot. These are time consuming, but totally worth it. Unless you are the picky eater who enjoys his plain banana muffins above all other creations...sigh! Cake for breakfast anyone?

Peanut Butter and Banana Nutella Muffins

Makes 24

~1.5 cups all-purpose flour

~1 cup whole wheat flour

~1 teaspoon baking soda

~1 teaspoon salt
~1/2 teaspoon baking powder

~1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

~1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

~1/2 cup ground flax seed

~3/4 cup sugar

~1/2 cup plain yogurt

~1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

~1 cup peanut butter

~3 large eggs

~1 tablespoon vanilla extract

~4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed

~Nutella, about 6 Tbsp, enough for 3/4 tsp per muffin

1. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners, or spray with baking spray such as Baker's Joy. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, wheat germ and ground flax seed in a medium bowl to blend. Beat the sugar, applesauce, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

3. Fill the bottom of each muffin cup with one heaping scoop of batter and spread with the back of the scoop to cover the bottom. Drop about 3/4 tsp of nutella onto the center of each cup. Follow with another heaping scoop of batter, making sure to surround the heart of nutella with batter. Bake the muffins on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs attached (but maybe a little streak of nutella!), about 20-25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a rack and cool slightly. The muffins are great warm, but if they are saved for later, a few seconds in the microwave should bring back the the warm gooey heart.

Nutritional Information (...ready?): Calories - 176; Total Fat - 6.1 g; Sat. Fat - 1.7 g; Cholesterol - 30 mg; Sodium - 158 mg; Carbohydrates -27g; Fiber - 2g; Sugar - 10 g; Protein - 4.6 g.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

It's muffin Wednesday again and this one is so good. Even my pickiest eater loved it. But once again I just have to tease you with the picture and my description because it is copyrighted. This one comes from Jessica Seinfelds book- this is recipe #2 that we have tried- and it did not fail to please. Could be because of the 1 c of brown sugar in them, but I digress!

The combination of peanut butter, banana, and carrot puree is amazing. They are moist and filling- which might be from them using only 100% whole wheat. They wouldn't win a contest for best pictured muffin, but don't let looks deceive.

I wonder...if you really want the recipe either buy her book or call me and I will dictate it over the phone for you. That isn't infringing, is it?

Crepes w/ banana fluff and blueberries

My quest for good food without refined sugars continues. One thing I love to eat is crepes filled with cream cheese filling and fruit. So I had to find something else to fill the crepes with since the cream cheese filling is usually filled with sugar. Although I do have a cream cheese honey mixture I might try next time. This breakfast was delicious and filling. The banana fluff was just that- fluffy! And the protein from the egg whites filled me up. It was really good. Crepes

1 C flour (as always I did 1/2 white, 1/2 wheat)

1 T sugar (I used agave nectar this time and it worked great)
¼ tsp salt

1 ½ C milk
2 large eggs, beaten
Cooking spray

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk in milk and eggs until smooth. Chill 15 min. Bake in crepe pan. Makes about 10 crepes.

Banana Fluff

1 lg egg white, room temperature- if it's not room temp it takes a lot longer to do this.

1 T frozen apple juice concentrate

1 lg ripe banana, mashed

1 T lemon juice

Beat egg white until frothy and then add the apple juice slowly. Mix well. Combine the banana and lemon juice together and then add to the egg mixture. Beat to stiff peaks. Makes 8-1/4 C servings

Cal- 32

Janet's Banana Bread

This is a recipe that I got from one of my favorite imaginary friends! My kids LOVE this as a muffin and actually prefer this over every other muffin I have ever made on Muffin Wednesday! So simple and so yummy.
Janet’s Banana Bread
3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/4 c butter, melted
1 1/2 c. sifted flour (We do 3/4 c white, 3/4 c wheat)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 c. nuts optional

Mash bananas, mix in sugar. Mix in egg. Mix in (very well) the melted butter. Sift dry ingredients into separate bowl, add to wet and stir just until mixed. Stir in nuts if desired. Turn into greased loaf pan, bake at 350º about 1 hour, or until done. For muffins put in 12 muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes

Banana BlueberryMuffins- no refined sugars!

This is one of my favorite healthy muffins. The flavors are BEST the day after you make them.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

2 banana's mashed

2 lg egg whites

3/4 c frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate, thawed or 3/4 c honey

2 c whole wheat flour(I do half white, half wheat)

1/2 c rolled oats

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 c butter- melted

1 c blueberries- unsweetened

Beat banana's til smooth add egg whites and beat until frothy. Add apple juice or honey and mix well. Add flour, oats, baking powder and soda and mix. Add melted butter and beat well. Gently fold in blueberries. Makes 16 muffins. Bake 325 for 25-30 minutes.

Banana Cranberry Oat Cookies- No refined sugars!

I have been reading up on refined sugars and how bad they are for us. Plus I figured out that I am allergic to refined sugars(they make me fat!). So this recipe is pretty darn good for having no refined sugar in it. It's sweetness comes from pineapple juice concentrate and honey. Let me know what you think!

Banana Cranberry Oat Cookies

1 C white flour

1 C whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 C olive oil

1/4 C pineapple juice concentrate

1/4 C honey

2 lg egg whites

1 C mashed banana

1 tsp vanilla

2 C quick oats

1/2 C chopped pecans

1/2 C craisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine oil, egg, juice, honey, bananas, and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oats until well blended. Stir in craisins and nuts. Bake for 10-12 minutes. These cookies probably taste even better the next day once the flavors have a chance to mix, but the kids were eating them like crazy straight from the oven.