07

Oct

Banana Shake

I’m finishing up a reflective paper on Madeleine L’Engle’s Walking on Water. While I’ve read A Wrinkle in Time and know she’s super famous and the bit, I don’t think I knew her until this book. Like, really know her. She mentions things that I didn’t realize other people also thought about, and that is a sign of a good writer…someone who gets me out of my own little world and let’s me think bigger. I recommend it. She relates her Christian faith to her identity as an artist, but my assignment in class was to replace “artist” with “minister” every time I read it. As far as I’m concerned, you can replace “artist” with “mechanic” or whatever your profession is, because this replies to everyone trying to understand life and their place in it.

It’s time for something quick, tasty and that will satisfy my super sweet tooth that comes out when I have to (procrastinate and) write a paper.

Dairy-free Banana Shake
3 bananas, peeled and frozen for 2+ hours (in freezer, duh)
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/3 cup milk (I used light vanilla soy)
Optional: handful frozen strawberries, 2 TB nuts, unsweetened coconut, chocolate syrup, anything you’d put on an ice cream sundae)

Blend bananas and milk in your blender for 2 minutes. Line a glass with chocolate syrup. Pour half of shake into glass. Scarf.
 

Happy eating! 
Laurel

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL 1 Comment

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04

Oct

Banana bread muffins

One of my favorite things to do is take a healthy, flavorful bread recipe and turn it into a muffin…especially a mini muffin!

With the semester back in full swing, I’ve started baking a “batch” of mini muffins (about 24) and storing the cooled muffins in sandwich bags with 3 in each. Then I freeze them and can grab them on the go. I’ll keep them frozen in my lunchbag but, for breakfast and immediate eating, I microwave them for 30 seconds…perfection! It’s way better tasting than frozen waffles, as well as much better for you.

Like most people who like to spend time in the kitchen, I’ve made more than a few different banana bread recipes but this is probably a combo of several because-today-I walked into the kitchen and threw a few things together. (Sorry, not sure who to give credit to…mom? Michael Jackson? My agent? 🙂 ) Hope this is tasty and fun to make.

Banana Bread Muffins
Makes 24 mini muffins or 10-12 regular sized muffies

DRY:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
Dash of salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg (optional)

WET:
2 TB agave nectar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 ripe, soft bananas–peeled and “smooshed” with the back of a spoon
1/4 cup orange juice

TOPPING:
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TB margarine/butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped pecans/walnuts (whichever you like)
1/4 cup of raspberries, slightly frozen (put in freezer for 30 min) 

WHIP IT UP:
1. In a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
2. In a large bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Put topping ingredients in a small bowl, stir together, and microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside.
3. Pour dry into wet ingredients and gently fold with a wooden spoon, until all is moistened and gooey. (Don’t over stir.)
4. Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray (or whatever your routine is) and gently pour 1 to 1 1/2 TB of batter in each tin. Top with either 1) half a raspberry or 2) 1 t. drizzle of topping mix.

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes, or until they’ve risen and browned a bit.

Voila! Baby bits of happiness. Leave them in the pan for 2 minutes before putting them on a plate/cooling rack to get to room temp. Try not to eat all of them while they’re cooling. HAPPY TUESDAY!

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

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16

Aug

Quickest smoothie ever

Ever need a quick breakfast, but a granola bar isn’t enough? Grab this.

Quickest Smoothie Ever
Serves one in a hurry
1/2 cup orange juice
1 frozen banana
1/2 frozen peach
3 frozen strawberries
1 TB ground flax

Blend all together. Gulp down immediately while running out the door.

Have we talked about flax seed yet?
I suppose it’s time.

FLAX SEED is a superfood. This WebMD article summarizes a lot of it.

FACTS:

  • Can be traced back to Babylon as early as 3000 BC, and King Charlemagne thought so highly of the food that he passed laws to command his people to eat it.
  • Omega-3 essential fatty acids, “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
  • Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75-800 times more lignans than other plant foods.
  • Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.
  • It is linked to preventing cardiovascular and lung diseases, as well as preventing certain types of cancers (lung, breast, colon).
  • The omega-3s in flax seed can reduce atherosclerotic plaque buildup (in the arteries) by up to 75%.
  • Daily intake of flax seed can regulate your cholesterol levels and even your blood sugar, for current and potential diabetics. (This is so huge.)
  • And, for middle aged ladies, 2 TB of ground flax seed in your yogurt or on fruit twice a day is believed to reduce hot flashes by 50%.
    Golden and dark flax seed are equal in nutritional value

Okay, if that hasn’t convinced you, just try it. Flax seed in inexpensive (bought in the bulk bins at the grocery store or in bags in the healthy living/vitamin departments at the stores). It’s cheaper to buy whole flax seeds and then go home and ground them in your coffee grinder or food processor. I keep a little jar of them on the kitchen counter, right next to the sea salt. It’s easy to sprinkle on yogurt, fruit, in smoothies, oatmeal, in baking breads and cakes, in pasta, soups, taco meat, anything really! Doctors recommend 1-2 tablespoons a day, and consuming ground flax seed is absorbed much better than the whole seeds. It has a bit of a nutty flavor when eaten alone, but it virtually tasteless when mixed into foods.

Ground flax seed

 And now for something random…
This is what my summer has looked like.

No, do not fear, my husband and I are doing really well. I’ve been taking a Premarital Counseling class so I can be certified to counsel couples as they prepare for marriage. It involves a LOT of reading, including books like this that make for interesting conversations (or sympathetic stares) in the dentist office waiting room. Ha, that’s okay, just another (humbling) sacrifice for a minister’s calling, right? Hope your day is wonderful, fabulous and FLAXulous. 🙂

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

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