Friday, July 22, 2011

#Recipe: #Banana Bread

I was inspired by a recipe I found on All Recipes for banana bread and this is my rendition.

I've made plenty of banana bread recipes in the past but they came out far too dry. Two ways to fix this: Find a better recipe and /or use mini loaf pans

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter slightly softened
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4-5 medium sized bananas, over ripened (2 1/3 cups)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a mixing bowl or with hand mixer, cream together softened butter and coconut sugar. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add bananas and stir thoroughly. Batter will be somewhat watery looking. This is a good thing. If it’s not, you probably didn’t use enough bananas. At last, fold in flour mixture until just moistened.

Spray 4 mini loaf pans with Pam and pour batter evenly into all pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until nice brown color and toothpick comes out clean. You want it to be somewhat spongy on top. Do not over bake. Bread will have pockets of banana throughout.



Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Continue to cool for 10 minutes then wrap in foil and store in air tight container.

Slice and serve warm, if desired.

Buon Appetito!

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Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Monday, July 18, 2011

My Personal #Quotes - #Encouragement #Nutrition #Wellness

These quotes are being added to my blog to ensure copyrighting protection. They are my words


"Good nutrition is the foundation for which your health is found based". ~ Jessica David 

“Time and money can be two hindrances to fulfilling your goal(s); however, once you become knowledgeable, you begin to shift priorities creating value in your complete health.” ~ Jessica David



"Do not mistaken my open-mindedness as a compromise in faith. Won't happen. Nothing and no one can change my heart from Jesus." ~ Jessica David

"When people seem out of funk and things just don't make sense... I remember whose I am and what this world offers doesn't always line up with what God wants for me." ~ Jessica David
"Reach for the stars and if you miss, you'll still land upon the greatest of mountain tops." 
~ Jessica David

"Choose, eat, and live well! ~ Jessica David


"Reflect on where you've been; embrace where you're at, and envision where you'll go." 

~ Jessica David

"Words are powerful. They carry so much weight but yet can change the direction of the wind in an instant." ~ Jessica David


 
"Everyone has a story to tell and share. Giving people a chance to share is the rewarding part of a relationship." ~ Jessica David


"Surround yourself with people who lift you up. Someone may think similar to you but if they're inciting negativity it would behoove you to move on. Find ones that inspire greatness." ~ Jessica David

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Awesome Granola-Chip Cookies

Awesome Granola-Chip Cookies

The original recipe is Awesome Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies by Dr. Bill Sears, The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood, 2006, page 304.

I modified his recipe based on what was in my pantry at the time. 

½ cup raw honey
½ cup coconut oil (if you're allergic to coconut oil, try grapeseed or EVOO)
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. sea salt
1 egg
1 ½ cups of granola 
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup of chocolate chips

Heat oven to 365 degrees. Combine all wet ingredients then mix dry ingredients separately. Add dry to wet. The batter will be slightly loose. Drop the batter by the tablespoon on a cookie sheet and bake until light brown. The batter will spread while baking. Done in 7-9 minutes. Yields: 30 cookies. 

Notes: Use parchment paper that's not bleached. This is for easy clean up. 

The batter is already brown so you’ll have to watch for a smooth brown appearance.  You may need to test one batch so bake only a couple until you get the feel for what they’ll look like when they’re done.

Choose, eat, and live well! =)




Saturday, July 2, 2011

#Honeysuckles - One of life's #sweet memories

A couple weeks ago, my son and I walked around a local lake and as we were finishing up our first lap, we could smell the fruity, sweet scent of honeysuckles. 

Honeysuckles bring me back to my childhood. I grew up on the East Coast and honeysuckles were everywhere! With the change of Winter to Spring and with the smell of fresh cut grass came the sweetness of honeysuckles. The honeysuckle season seemed to last only a month or so. They were gone well before Summer. Living in Southern California provides many benefits and in this particular case, honeysuckles lasting well into June (and possibly longer)!

I'm usually pressed to finish my laps but this particular evening, I decided to teach my son the beauty of eating the nectar from a honeysuckle. We stepped aside and popped a squat on the grass next to a shrub of honeysuckles. Looking around there weren't that many to choose from. The landscapers had came through the day before and cut most of them down. I don't know perhaps they're a nuisance of some kind? I hope that's not the case because they smell beautifully and the nectar is sweet to eat! I recently learned that there are over 100 species of honeysuckle! I had NO clue! I'm only familiar with the white flour type. I know there is a scientific word for it but I have some pictures below that will show you exactly what I am referring to.

After popping a squat, I picked out a few white flowered honeysuckles and showed my son how to pull off the bottom and pull out the "stamen [to] reveal a small drop of honeysuckle nectar" (M. Holt) then I gave him a few turns. He got it in no time. He's a fast learner for being 2. Here are some pictures of our adventure. 




For more information on honeysuckles check out eHow's site.

Don't forget to stop and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. 

Subscribe to my blog here to never miss a post. 
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
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Choose, eat, and live well! =)