Updated: Better Banana Bread

In July of 2011, I shared a recipe for the best banana bread recipe. I did not search long enough because I have been baking the following recipe since April 2012.  I went online to see if I could find a truly moist banana bread that remains so even a day or two after baking. This one does! 

Original recipe is from Simply Recipes with my modifications noted in the parentheses:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. As of December 2014, I made some substitutions that came out delish!! So, check out my notes below the ingredients.

Ingredients:
3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter (organic)
1 cup sugar (1/3 cup of organic cane sugar and 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon real vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour (1/2 cup of flax meal and 1 cup of organic whole wheat pastry flour)
Non-stick spray (coat the pans with organic coconut oil and a dusting of flour)

Notes: Right after Christmas, I was short on several ingredients, so I tried my hand at a few substitutions. They're in bold for easy spotting. 

2 bananas & 1/2 cup apple sauce (in place of the 3rd banana)
1/3 cup melted organic butter
1 cup organic sugar
2 tbs melted coconut oil (in place of the 1 egg)
1 tsp real vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1.5 cups of organic flour 

In this rendition, I didn't use the ground flax as part of the flour mixture. This was only because of preference and two, because I had made two subs in for the other ingredients - I wasn't about to try my luck. =)

The preparation directions are the same, see below as follows:

This recipe requires no mixer! In a large bowl, smash the bananas with a fork. Add the melted butter and mix with a wooden spoon (they say metal spoons can react with bread batter plus I find it easier mixing the batter with one). Add sugar, applesauce, vanilla and egg. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over mixture and mix in. Add the flax meal and flour last until mixed. The smashed bananas may cause a few lumps in the batter - that is okay because it will create the pockets of banana after it's been baked. This is a good thing! 

Pour the mixture into mini loaf pans and bake for 26-32 minutes until middle is done (if using full size pans, you'll bake between 52 and 58 minutes). Cool in pans on wire rack for ten minutes and then remove from pans and finish cooling on rack. Slice. Enjoy! (Very yummy when still warm.)

This recipe is by far the best because It Has Pockets of Banana All Throughout! YUM-O!!

As you have gotten to know me, I like to change recipes and put my own personal spin on them. Any recipe can be personalized! What is your signature ingredient?

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Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Why We Need To Eat More #Vegetables!

Why we need to eat more vegetables.

Besides tasting great, they are nutrient dense – they pack a lot of nutrition in one bite with very few calories! A half cup of vegetables offers the best health building substances: nature’s vitamins and minerals also called phytonutrients.

Veggies are a dieter’s best partner because they are considered ‘free foods’ meaning you can eat an unlimited amount without having to count the calories. The reason for this lean indulgence is the body uses almost as many calories to digest them in the first place. You’d have to eat platefuls of most vegetables before calories begin to add up.

You can fill up faster due to the fiber found in the vegetables. Dr. William Sears always says that ‘fiber is filling without being fattening.’

Preparing vegetables different ways using a variety of them is fun – right? I think so! I’ll share a recipe at the end for a quick, healthy dish using all vegetables!

Vegetables provide complex carbohydrates which helps keep blood sugar level (the only exception is the fructose found in corn and beets).

Vegetables contain cancer-fighting phytos. Dr. Sears says, ‘What you don't see in the nutrition charts or on the package labels are the hundreds of valuable nutrients, called phytochemicals, found in plants that have as-yet untold health-promoting properties. New research, especially in the field of cancer, is showing that vegetables are nature's best health food’ (AskDrSears). 

One of the healthiest eating habits you can foster in your family is to make vegetables the centerpiece of your meals and let the other food groups accompany them. My recommendation is to make your plate 1/3 vegetables.

How to get your children to eat vegetables? Eat them yourself. Enjoy them. Offer them to your children (over and over if you have to and always with enthusiasm). Use modeling, not bribery or force, to get your children to eat more vegetables. You can make the vegetables fun to eat: Dip them, dress them, blend them, disguise them, sauté them, and grow them. Learn this and more at my Start workshops (held online and in-person (limited locations)). Please inquire by contacting me on my blog.

Vegetable Medley:

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

1-2 chopped garlic cloves

2 teaspoons of dried herbs of your choice

1 teaspoon of sea salt, divided

Prepare ¼ cup chopped onions, 2 carrots, ½ cup of chopped daikon radish, 1 zucchini, ½ head of green cabbage, and 1 medium tomato.

Sauté vegetables in oil, garlic, ½ teaspoon of sea salt and herbs on medium heat for 6-8 minutes. Season the finished dish with the remaining sea salt to taste (optional).

Yields 5 servings of vegetables.

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Bridge the gap here. 

Fava Bean - First Timer Here

A faint whisper in my ear... 'fa fa fava b-b-b-beans" as my husband and I laugh all these years. That's all I knew about fava beans until a Saturday in May. 

It was one of the healthy and unique (something I would have not bought before this point in my wellness journey) food items in my CSA box from Abundant Harvest Organics (AHO).

I was intrigued to say the least. What was the fascination, in other words, what are the health benefits of such ... a little pod of beans? 

Nutrition-and-you shared that fava beans (a.k.a. broad beans) are easily grown in home gardens but are typically only available a short time each year - late spring to early summer. They are high in fiber, iron, copper, potassium, are low in sodium, are a great source of folates (B12), and rich in L-dopa (the happy hormone). With all these benefits, it was a no-brainer to eat them. But, how? I had never prepared them nonetheless eaten them!

So as usual, I scoured the Internet. I found that they are a common food in the Mediterranean. Other than super spicy dishes, I am a fan of the cuisine. I learned how to prep the pods for consumption and then found several recipes and made one into my own.  

My #bounty from the CSA. See the fava beans? 

I removed the beans from the husk, in addition to, removing the bean from the outer skin. The husk was easily removed by snapping them in half and peeling the skin back or squeezing them gently. It was therapeutic ... it reminded me of snapping asparagus. The pea is revealed when the beans are boiled for two minutes. The outer skin wrinkles and the pea slips out the side of it. It was not as fun as the first part because they were slippery little buggers. It made me think of the scene in Pretty Woman! =)

Once the beans (peas) were ready, I sautéed onions until translucent then added garlic for about 30 seconds (do not brown) then a 1/2 cup of vegetable stock. I added the peas and all my seasonings. I am a pinch-and-go kind of gal most times, but I have added the measurements below. Gently simmer then reduce heat to low and cook covered for 20 minutes until the texture of the beans that you like are reached. Part way through cooking, I added 1 cup of diced tomatoes. 

I served the fava beans with jasmine rice, grilled chicken breasts, and steamed broccoli. Though I must admit, while I prepared the rest of dinner, I kept putting my fork in the pan. Yes, I thought they were that good! 

In the image below is the set-up for the chicken breasts I served with the fava beans. I used the same seasoning in the bread crumb mixture as I did in the fava beans.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of prepared fava beans

1/2 cup of diced onions

2 garlic cloves, minced or chopped finely

1/2 cup of vegetable stock

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp himaylan salt

1/2 tsp onion powder 

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp parsley + 1 tsp of any herb you like (pictured is dried oregano in the plastic cup from AHO)

1 tsp red pepper

1 cup diced tomatoes

I started to mash some of the beans to see if they were ready. 

I think the fava beans can stand alone but in my family, rice can take up a dish two notches.

Chicken:

All the above minus the tomatoes + 1/2 cup plain Panko and 1 egg slightly beaten

I pan sautéed them in EVOO until no longer pink on medium-low heat about 5 minutes each side. 

I hope that you'll consider trying fava beans if you've never had them before. In the words of my 4 year old, 'you can't say you don't like something until you've tried it."

If fava beans are not available where you live, I challenge you to try a new vegetable this week!

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Strawberry Pizza Dessert

Strawberry Pizza

You can find this recipe on my health coaching website. Please go to Conveying Awareness. 

Choose, eat, and live well!