Tag: Banana

Green Juice

Note: I was sent a Hurom H320 Slow Juicer in order to write this post including a recipe for Green Juice. Opinions are mine alone.

This summer, I have really been enjoying having a CSA share again. However, no matter how hard I try, it is still difficult to use up all of those beautiful fruits and vegetables!

When Hurom contacted me about trying one of their Slow Juicers, I felt like the timing was perfect! What a great way for me to utilize these ingredients more, like in this recipe for Green Juice!

My husband has been making himself “green drinks” for years now in a blender (paid link) but I have trouble getting over the super pulpy texture of it. So Hurom’s H320 Slow Juicer (paid link) called out to me immediately. Not only is the juicer quite the visual stunner (shown in color “Kale”), but it also has two different strainers, one which yields an ultra-low pulp juice.

Despite the name, slow juicers are still pretty darn quick. Hurom’s patented Slow Squeeze Technology uses an auger to squeeze out juice (similar to how you would hand-squeeze an orange). This natural motion minimizes damage to ingredients, keeping their natural taste and nutrition intact.

Photo courtesy of Hurom

I am still learning the ins and outs of juicing and how to create the perfect balance of tasty and nutrient-rich juices, but I figured I’d take inspiration from my husband’s green drinks for my first try to make this Green Juice.

This recipe for Green Juice uses quite the colorful group of fruits and veggies, but the color of the kale and spinach wins out in the end, providing that nice green color to the drink.

Ingredients (makes ~16 oz juice; multiply as needed):

  • 1 orange, skin removed and quartered
  • 1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and halved
  • 3 carrots
  • 1 banana, skin removed
  • 1 apple
  • 4 cups spinach or kale (I used a mix of both)

Continue reading Green Juice

Banana Walnut Bread

I recently came home after a weekend trip to some of the saddest looking bananas I’ve seen in a long time. Which means I spent my Monday making this super delicious Banana Walnut Bread!

This recipe largely uses typical pantry items, so the next time you find yourself with overripe bananas, there is a good chance you will already have everything on hand to make this banana bread — if you don’t have any walnuts, you can substitute another nut or omit them completely.

If kept in a sealed container at room temperature, the bread will last for 4 days so it’s perfect for breakfast for most of the week!

If you want to store it longer, you can also freeze the bread by wrapping it completely in plastic wrap before adding to your freezer.

Ingredients:

  • 3 medium very ripe bananas
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Continue reading Banana Walnut Bread

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Note: I was sent samples of PBfit in order to write this post. All opinions are mine alone.

I try to do a few make ahead recipes when I have the time on my weekends to make weekdays a bit easier. I tend to focus on dinners for busy weeknights, but from time to time I’m able to whip up some make ahead breakfasts as well. My favorite make ahead breakfasts? Muffins, of course! So I decided to make Peanut Butter Banana Muffins!

Not only are muffins an easy way to make a huge batch of future breakfasts, but they also freeze well! We always have bananas around the house, so when we end up with some overripe bananas, I love to use them in muffins. This recipe adds in some PBfit powder for peanut butter-y goodness!

PBfit is peanut butter powder made by pressing roasted peanuts, grinding those peanuts and mixing in some coconut palm sugar, and a pinch of salt. The result is a delicious peanut butter powder that has 87% less fat and 1/3 the calories of traditional peanut butter. Because it’s in powder form, it works great in baked goods!

Ingredients – makes 24 cupcake sized muffins, or 12 large muffins (get all ingredients here)

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered peanut butter, such as PBfit
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 cups mashed bananas (about 6 bananas)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Continue reading Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread

Note: I was sent Northwest Cherries in order to write this post and recipe for Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread. All opinions are mine alone.

My husband and I were recently invited to go down the shore with our friends, and I wanted to bring something as a thank you for a weekend at the beach. Luckily, I had some overripe bananas sitting on my countertop, so I made this chocolate cherry banana bread to bring with us.

As I mentioned in my recent post, I have quite a few cherries in my house at the moment, so I decided to snazz up the banana bread with some fresh chopped cherries and chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

  • 2 to 3 very ripe bananas
  • 1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup cherries, pitted and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Continue reading Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread

Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes with Strawberry Maple Syrup

Note: I was sent a Breakfast kit from Krusteaz in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.

For the last couple of years, I have had the opportunity to work with Krusteaz to bring attention to a fun way to switch up your dinner routine in February.

February is National Hot Breakfast Month, so to celebrate, Krusteaz encourages you to have breakfast for dinner once a week. As someone who never gets a hot breakfast on weekdays, I’m all for this idea, and have made a couple of yummy breakfast-for-dinner recipes in the past, including Cheesy Corn Pancakes and Frog in a Hole.

To help you celebrate National Hot Breakfast Month, Krusteaz is giving away a Breakfast Night Kit to one reader!

The kit includes:

  • two boxes of the following breakfast mixes: Buttermilk Pancake Mix, Belgian Waffle Mix, Blueberry Pancake Mix, Wild Blueberry Muffin Mix, and Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Cake and Muffin Mix
  • Kitchen items including a whisk, a tote bag, and pancake batter pen
  • A selfie stick, to help capture the fun!

Further details will be after the recipe.

This year, I decided to have a sweeter breakfast for dinner option, in honor of upcoming Valentine’s Day: Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes with Strawberry Maple Syrup.

This recipe uses Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake mix with a few additions to make Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes. I served them with a simple Strawberry Maple Syrup to top them off!

Ingredients (makes 6 4-inch pancakes):

Strawberry-maple syrup:

  • 3/4 cup chopped strawberries
  • 3/4 cup maple syrup

Continue reading Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes with Strawberry Maple Syrup

Blueberry Almond Flour Muffins

NOTE: I was sent some products from Bob’s Red Mill to make this post. All opinions are my own.

I have a busy week ahead of me, so I wanted to do some food prep this weekend.

Weekday breakfasts for me are typically on-the-go, if I have breakfast at all.

So when I have the chance to make breakfast ahead for the week, I try to make it a healthier option.

Bob’s Red Mill sent me a few of their products recently, including Almond Flour. I love the  subtle flavor almond flour adds to baked goods.

Blueberries are a tasty complement to almonds so I decided to make Gluten-Free Blueberry Almond Flour Muffins for the week. They are topped with Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free Rolled Oats to add some texture.

Ingredients (makes 9 muffins):

Continue reading Blueberry Almond Flour Muffins

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MySmoothie #CollectiveBias

My weekends have become so busy lately as my wedding gets closer. We are now just 2 months from the big day, and every weekend I feel like I have something wedding related I have to attend to.  Because I am always on the go, it has become kind of difficult to get a good breakfast in on weekends, so my go-to breakfast of choice are smoothies, like this Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie!

I love smoothies, but some smoothies don’t keep me full long enough to really be worth making them. So I’ve amped up this smoothie with a few ingredients I picked up at Walmart to keep me full longer.

The base of this smoothie is Oikos Vanilla Triple Zero Greek Nonfat Yogurt, which has 15 grams of protein per 5.3oz which helps me stay full longer. The yogurt also has 0 fat, 0 added sugar,* and 0 artificial sweeteners.

I’m a firm believer that peanut butter makes smoothies taste so much better, so I also used Jif™ Peanut Powder  to add peanut buttery goodness. The Peanut Powder has 85% less fat that traditional peanut butter and no sugar added.

Note: right now there is an Ibotta offer for $1.50 cash back on the combination of Jif Peanut Powder and Oikos (Vanilla) Triple Zero Greek Yogurt OR $1.50 cash back on the combination of Jif Creamy Peanut Butter and Dannon Vanilla Yogurt

*not a low calorie food

I also added in old fashioned oats, a banana, and some milk to make a super tasty and filling smoothie that I can take on the go!

 

Ingredients (serves 2):

  • 1 banana, sliced
  • 1/2 cup skim milk or almond milk
  • 1/2 cup Oikos Vanilla Triple Zero Greek Nonfat Yogurt
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (uncooked)
  • 2 tablespoons Jif Peanut Powder
  • 1/2-1 cup ice
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Continue reading Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

Banana Chocolate Chip Hemp Muffins

Note: I received products to use in this recipe from Just Hemp Foods. All opinions are my own.

Today is the last day of #Choctoberfest! If you haven’t already, be sure to go enter the giveaway now!

Because it’s Sunday, I have my mind on the week ahead. I really struggle to have an on-the-go breakfast option that actually tastes good and doesn’t load on the calories. I love making homemade muffins because then breakfast is set for the week, but it’s kind of tough to justify much nutritional value in most muffins.

But these little guys are amped up with Just Hemp 50% Protein Powder, which is a plant-based protein powder with essential amino acids vitamins and minerals. The powder is gluten-free, soy-free, and lactose-free, and can be added to just about anything! Each 4 tbsp serving contains 0.7g omega-3’s, 2g omega-6’s, and 6g of fiber.

You can connect with Just Hemp on their social media pages:  Facebook  | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Hemp protein powder is a great substitute for some of the flour in a baked good, up to 25%. I also happened to have some overripe bananas on hand, and still have some dark chocolate chips leftover from my #Choctoberfest baking, so I made these yummy gluten free banana chocolate chip hemp muffins for my fiance and me to enjoy all week! (This recipe can be made with normal flour instead of almond meal as well, it just won’t be gluten free.)

Ingredients: (makes 12 cupcake-sized muffins)

  • 1 1/2 cups almond meal
  • 1/2 cup Just Hemp 50% Hemp Protein Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup Imperial sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips

Continue reading Banana Chocolate Chip Hemp Muffins

Hazelnut-Mocha Banana Smoothie

I am trying to get into the habit of making (and wanting) smoothies for breakfast. They are so simple to make and work great for meals on the go. My boyfriend is a huge fan of green smoothies, where he adds various fruits to the blender along with some kale. I don’t mind them, but I thought I’d baby step my way into the smoothie world with something a little more my speed: an oatmeal banana smoothie with espresso and chocolate hazelnut. Mmmmm.

This recipe is adapted from Foxes Loves Lemons, a fellow food blogger as well as a recipe developer. Her recipes are mouthwatering and her pictures are just amazing! She also manages to post daily which just blows my mind. How she manages to deliver such amazing posts daily is beyond me!

My recipe below is a touch different than Foxes Loves Lemons because I wanted to incorporate Nocciolata, a dark chocolate and hazelnut spread, into my smoothie. To see the original version, check out her blog post here.

Nocciolata is made with no chemicals, artificial flavors, GMOs, or palm oil. What it is made with is certified organic ingredients including dark chocolate from the Antillean Islands, Italian hazelnuts (16%), brown sugar, skim milk and Bourbon vanilla extract. Yum! Nocciolata can be found in many stores including Wegmans, King’s, and Whole Foods to name some in the Philly area. For a list of stores that carry Nocciolata, check out their webpage.  

source: https://www.nocciolatausa.com/

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk
  • 1 banana, cut into chunks
  • 1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon Nocciolata spread
  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder
  • 1 cup ice

Disclaimer: I was sent a free sample jar of Nocciolata to try. My opinions are my own. 

Continue reading Hazelnut-Mocha Banana Smoothie

Banana Split Cupcakes

The inspiration for this post is a bit convoluted. I was originally looking for some way to incorporate wet walnuts into a recipe for my dad. My dad is a huge fan of wet walnuts and he just had surgery so I wanted to make him a little pick-me-up treat. Wet walnuts are usually a topping on ice cream so I thought it would be fun to make a spin on a banana split in cupcake form. Later, I found out that Banana Splits do not traditionally even have wet walnuts as a topping. Oh well!

I used a banana cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart and filled each cupcake with homemade whipped cream. I then topped 1/3 of the cupcakes with vanilla frosting, 1/3 with strawberry frosting, and 1/3 with chocolate frosting. I topped them all off with sprinkles, wet walnuts, and maraschino cherries!

These are sugar overload so despite the photos showing all 3 types, stick to one cupcake at a time 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

Banana Cupcakes (makes 12 cupcakes):

  • 1 ½ cups cake flour
  • ¾ cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter (1 stick) melted
  • 4 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Whipped Cream Filling

  •  1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  •  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  •  1 tablespoon granulated sugar

 

Frosting

  • 1 ½ cups butter, softened
  •  6 cups powdered sugar, plus more if needed
  •  6 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more if needed
  •  ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
  •  Pinch salt
  •  ¼ cup strawberry jam
  •  ¼ cup cocoa powder

 

Wet Walnuts

  •  1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup agave
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

 

Toppings

  •  Maraschino cherries
  •  Wet walnuts
  •  Rainbow sprinkles

Continue reading Banana Split Cupcakes

Banana Bread Muffins

When I have time on Sundays (which isn’t terribly often), I like to make a batch of muffins so I have breakfast for the week. Because I had some overripe bananas, this week I decided to make Banana Bread Muffins. I was recently sent some coupons to try Kretschmer Wheat Germ products so I thought adding some of the Honey Crunch would add some nice texture and flavor to the muffins.

So what exactly is wheat germ? Wheat germ comes from the wheat kernel, which is the part removed when refining whole grains into white flour. Wheat Germ is a great source of Vitamin E, B vitamins and folic acid. You can find it in the cereal aisle. Wheat germ can be used in recipes calling for flour or breadcrumbs so its quite versatile. I’ve also used it in smoothies.

So that you can try wheat germ for yourself, Kretschmer is giving away some coupons good for free wheat germ products to an I Can Cook That reader! More on that below.

Ingredients (makes 12 cupcake-sized muffins, of 6 large muffins):

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup Kretschmer Honey Crunch Wheat Germ
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cinnamon, to taste

Continue reading Banana Bread Muffins

Strawberry Banana Stuffed French Toast

It’s spring! And spring means (among other things) that strawberries are back in season. So what better way to use them than for a delicious weekend brunch? This Strawberry Banana Stuffed French Toast uses strawberries three ways: fresh, in a strawberry sauce, and for an extra touch of strawberry goodness, in a strawberry jam. And because I love bananas, I threw in a couple slices of that as well. I found the strawberry sauce recipe here and my French toast recipe is based off of this post.
Ingredients:
4 challah rolls
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk (unsweeted)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cup sliced strawberries, divided
3 tablespoons honey
the juice and zest of one lemon
4 ounces low fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon strawberry jam
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 banana, sliced
1 tablespoon butter

Begin by slicing the challah rolls in half. In a large bowl, add the eggs, almond milk and 2 tablespoons sugar.
Add the roll halves and mix to coat.
Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
one hour later
Add 1 cup sliced strawberries, 3 tablespoons honey, and the lemon juice and zest to a bowl and mix to combine.
Allow to stand for 1 hour. (I actually ended up leaving both for over an hour. Whoops.)
one hour later
Combine the cream cheese, vanilla extract and strawberry jam.
Slice the rest of your strawberries and your banana.
Heat a saute pan over medium high heat and add 1 teaspoon butter. Add  1 set of challah rolls to the saute pan and cook for three minutes.
Flip and cook for three more minutes.
While waiting for the side to cook, add 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture to one piece of roll.
Add slices of strawberry and banana.
When the bread is done cooking, assemble the pieces of bread. Add one to two tablespoons of the strawberry sauce and a few more slices of banana.
Repeat with remaining rolls. How good does that look?
The challah rolls were crispy while the cream cheese mixture was nice and creamy.
The strawberry sauce was tangy, just enough to complement the sweetness of the rest of the French toast.
And as usual, I am a big fan of the already portioned serving. It gives me a better chance of not being a piggy. 🙂
I loved this! I wish I could eat this every spring day. Except I think people would begin to judge me…

Banana Berry Pecan Granola Bars

There are so many fantastic food bloggers out there. One food blog I regularly check is Cookin’ Canuck. Dara makes the most appealing looking recipes and her photos are always stunning. She has also cooked her way healthy and has a wonderful post about her journey. Dara has a great recipe for Low Fat Granola Bars with Bananas, Dried Cranberries, and Pecans that I just had to try. I switched it ever so slightly, but you can find the original recipe here.
Ingredients:
  • 3 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup pecan pieces
  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey (to make vegan, substitute agave nectar)
  • 3/4 cup dried berries (I used Trader Joe’s Golden Berry Blend)
  • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 3 tbsp whole flax seeds
  • 1/2 tsp salt
Continue reading Banana Berry Pecan Granola Bars

Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I never seem to eat all my bananas before they get too ripe. I know the go-to saver for over ripe bananas is banana bread, but I wanted to use them for something a little different. Cooking Light had a great cookie recipe that used ripe bananas, so I tried it out.
Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 medium)
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 3/5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • Cooking spray (or parchment paper)
Click to see savings
Continue reading Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bread Pudding with Peanut Butter-ROOT Sauce and Sliced Bananas

I have wanted to make bread pudding for a long time. But I’ve been too lazy to actually search for inspiration. So when the “How to Cook Like A Top Chef” cookbook literally showed up on my door step containing a recipe for Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bread Pudding, I knew it was time for me to finally make the delicious treat. I actually made this for a really decadent breakfast over the weekend, a little treat for making it through a long week.
Ingredients: (serves 2)
(adapted from Ash & Ashley’s Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bread Pudding)
3 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 brioche knots, cut into cubes (I got 9 cubes per knot)
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 oz ROOT liqueur
1 banana, sliced

Begin by whisking together the eggs and honey vigorously until combined and fluffy.
 
In a pot, add 1 cup heavy cream over medium heat until it begins to bubble lightly. Reduce the heat to low.  Add a little bit of the warm cream to the egg/honey mixture, whisking vigorously so that the eggs don’t curdle. (This is called tempering). Add the egg mixture to the pot with the remaining cream, whisking constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Prepare the brioche rolls, cutting into cubes.  I bought the rolls at Trader Joe’s, they are the perfect size for individual servings of bread pudding.
Add the bread cubes and the custard to a large bowl, stirring lightly to coat.  Add the chocolate chips.  Allow to sit for at least a half hour at room temperature. If planning ahead, you can do up to this step the night ahead of time and allow the bread to soak overnight.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add the bread mixture to a loaf pan.  Place the loaf pan into a cookie sheet with sizes. Add hot water into the cookie sheet so that the entire bottom is covered.
Cook for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
While the pudding is cooking, make the sauce.  Add 1/2 cup cream and the condensed milk to a pot over medium heat.
When it bubbles, reduce to low and whisk in the peanut butter, ROOT, and vanilla extract.  ROOT is a flavored liqueur that slightly resembles the taste of root beer. I made an awesome chocolate cake with it before so I thought it would work great in a sauce for bread pudding. You can read my post and more information on ROOT here. (If you’re making this for kids, feel free to just omit the ROOT.)
Whisk until smooth. If you want it a bit thinner, add more cream.
Spoon the sauce over the bread pudding while still warm. Top with banana slices.
What an absolutely delicious bread pudding. I can’t believe I ate this for breakfast, but I’m not ashamed either, it was amazing! I’m glad I only made a serving each for my boyfriend and I, or I’d eat this all day!
I had some of the sauce left over, which I plan on saving for ice cream!
The flavors work really well together in this dish (and how could they not??): chocolate, peanut butter, banana, with a hint of root beer at the end.
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