What do you do with a bag of bananas? Make Banana Strawberry Blueberry Smoothies. One of the little groceries in town is a great place to find unexpected bargains. Last time I was there, they had just set out bags of perfect golden yellow bananas. I brought one of the bags home with me. I made Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream earlier. Time for a late afternoon snack -- refreshing smoothies it is. I had already sliced and frozen two smallish bananas. I covered a cookie sheet with parchment paper, dropped the quarter inch thick banana slices on so none touched each other and set the cookie sheet on top of the bottom pullout drawer. It only took a couple of hours to freeze the bananas. I shook them off the parchment paper into a measuring cup. One cup exactly. Put the milk into ... [Read More]
Breakfast
Peach Cobbler Overnight Oats
Quick and simple to make. One batch = 8 breakfasts. Easy to grab from the refrigerator. You can just as easily take it with you to eat later. A super delicious nutritional powerhouse. What could be better for breakfast than Peach Cobbler Overnight Oatmeal? Chia seeds are relatively new in our pantry. I was surprised to learn they are in the mint family as the seed of Salvia hispanica, found in Mexico and Guatemala. They were a staple of Mayan and Aztec diets, so they’ve been eaten for a long time! The tiny black and white seeds can expand to hold about 10 times their weight in liquid. They also contain all nine essential amino acids, which are the muscle-building protein building blocks our bodies need but we get them only through our food. Chia seeds provide antioxidants, ... [Read More]
Blueberry Overnight Oatmeal Single Serving
This single serving of blueberry overnight oatmeal is delicious and a nutritional powerhouse. I like to use coconut, vanilla or blueberry yogurt instead of plain to give a little extra boost to the flavor. I use Light and Fit Greek yogurt, but any low carb brand can be used. I also use almond milk, but you could use your favorite dairy milk instead. Mix in a covered refrigerator dish or pint jar to store overnight. Add blueberries before serving. Eat at home or throw (tightly covered!) in your back pack to eat at your destination. Blueberries are an excellent source of antioxidants, which protect body cells from free radicals. Free radicals are the villians that damage cells, contributing to aging and diseases, such as cancer. Blueberries are believed to have one of the ... [Read More]
Overnight Oatmeal
Add pizzazz to your breakfast with Overnight Oatmeal! It’s healthy, nutritious and delicious! I had a bowl of hot oatmeal every morning with raisins and walnuts for a very long time. When I heard about oatmeal made overnight in the refrigerator and eaten cold I was pretty skeptical. But we needed something to go with scrambled eggs (protein!) and the idea of a basic dish with lots of variations kept leading back to Overnight Oatmeal. Sauted apples were the first version we tried. Peel, slice and dice an apple and saute it with a tablespoon of butter in a small frying pan. Layer the hot apple with the cold oatmeal --- ummm, heavenly. Great for a leisurely morning. But there are lots of add-in and topping options. Enough to keep your tastebuds excited for a very long time. ... [Read More]
Air Fryer Bacon
Air Fryer Bacon. I’ve been experimenting with different items in the air fryer I won in a silent auction. When I heard of bacon in the air fryer, I jumped at the idea. One of the things I like about the air fryer is consistent results because the time and temperature is controlled. Another thing I like is that things turn out crispier than other methods of cooking. The airfryer is essentially a small convection oven in which streams of hot air move over and around the food and create the same conditions that makes fried food so delicious. Bacon sounded like the perfect thing to make in an air fryer. I was a little nervous since bacon was not mentioned in the material that came with mine. So a little research on line where I found cooking time and temperature listed and not much ... [Read More]
Brownie Baked Oatmeal
Brownie Baked Oatmeal is wonderful for a special breakfast. Soo decadent and delightful with 8 grams of protein and, with milk, 32 carbs per serving. When Valentine’s Day falls in the middle of the week, it is sometimes hard to find time to celebrate. Make this the day before and refrigerate before baking 20 minutes on Valentine’s morning – a special glow all day long! Or celebrate birthdays – or acceptance into college of choice – or making the cheer squad – or any other special occasion. Customize Brownie Baked Oatmeal with your choice of chocolate chips. We like dark chocolate so that’s what I usually choose. If all I have on hand is semi-sweet, that’s the choice. Both good. I’ve not tried white chocolate chips, but I bet they would be good and have some “visual interest” , ... [Read More]
