Banana Nut Muffins

 I have mentioned that we have been "cleaning" up the way we eat.  A little more organic, less preservatives.  And in doing that, a lot of "mixes" are out.

So yesterday I glanced in our fruit bowl and noticed that we had a couple of bananas that were nearing the end of their life.

I hated to see bananas go to waste (though I NEVER eat them by themselves), so I decided we really needed some banana bread or muffins.  I decided muffins would be a good (and easy) way to go.  Even better, I had already planned a "breakfast for dinner" kind of night so this would be a perfect addition.

I immediately googled and fell upon a recipe that is supposed to be very kid-friendly.  Perfect for me. :)

I didn't really have any kids around at the time so I just made the recipe myself.

And they were yummy.

I don't think I have ever made homemade banana bread before.

Now that I have, I don't think I will ever be able to go back to a mix again.

And honestly, it didn't take me but a few more minutes than a mix would...and these were so much better.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted (I used unsalted)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Nuts (to taste...I used about half a cup of chopped pecans)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray muffin pan OR use fun muffin/cupcake liners. That is the way I went.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together bananas, sugar, egg, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and nuts.  I just hand mixed.  I also made sure not to overmix after reading comments by others on the original recipe's site.

Fold in the flour mixture.

Again, don't overmix (but make sure ALL of the flour is mixed in).

Scoop into muffin tins (I used my cookie dough scooper).

Bake for 10-15 minutes for mini muffins and 25-30 minutes for regular size muffins (mine made 12 regular size muffins).

Enjoy!

Reba

Mid-Week Menu...Again

We are trucking along over here.  Slowly but surely. 

But even in the midst of the chaos, and there seems to be plenty of that :), I am cooking much of the time.  Even when I know my family would rather just run through a drive thru somewhere (though they never complain when they eat what I made).

So I am going to be dutiful and share the menu for the week even though, once again, the week is half over.

Saturday:  Shakes and Popcorn.  Like REAL popcorn. With oil and everything. It was oh so good.  And we just did homemade shakes. My daughter made mine...she used vanilla ice cream, milk, some organic chocolate syrup, and a little spoonful of PB2.  It was one of the best shakes I have ever had.

Sunday:  Homemade pizza (one meat, one "white" cheese) with herbed crust.  I also tried a new "sauce"; I will have to share that soon.

Monday:  Garlicky shrimp, angel hair pasta, garlic asagio bread, carrots

Tuesday;  Eggs and cheese, banana nut muffins (recipe coming soon...yum), and bacon (and a strawberry smoothie for me :)

Wednesday:  On your own night

Thursday:  Steak, potatoes, garlic bread, black eye peas (maybe?)

Friday:  Football!

Saturday:  I really have not thought that far ahead. I am trying to make it through the week :)

What is for dinner at your house this week?

Reba

Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts

Recently I wanted a quick "sandwich" type meal.  But not just a regular sandwich.  I saw a picture of this (but photographed much better :) on Pinterest and decided to give it a try.

In some ways, it is similar to a sloppy joe. But different.

Either way, it is good stuff.

I changed little of the recipe except for adding more meat for our family. I didn't add any more ingredients (meaning I didn't double anything else) and I was fine with the flavor.  But that is just my opinion.

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs of ground beef, browned (I think the original recipe used a half pound but I used 1.5)
1/4 cup water
1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 envelope dry onion soup
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp mustard
1 garlic clove minced
2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
thin crust pizza dough (I used Pillsbury)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
After browning and draining the beef (I rarely have to drain), add in the water, vinegar, soup mix, ketchup, mustard, and garlic.  Simmer over low heat.

Meanwhile, in a different skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.

Divide the pizza crust into 6 equal portions and shape them. I tried but I didn't ever accomplish much of a circular shape. Mine were more rectangular. And I am okay with that. :)

Fry for one minute on each side in the oil until they are a nice golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel.

Top with meat mixture and cheese.

Enjoy.

Very easy and fairly quick.  Nothing fancy but it was fun to try something new.  We will be having these again one day...

Reba

The Menu for the Week (A Few Days Late)

Yes, once again, I am a few days late on the menu.  I won't bore you with my many excuses for why.  It is just our life right now...

But the good news is that I am cooking.  And I stick to our menu (which is posted in the house) fairly well.

Here is how our week is looking:

Saturday:  Crockpot Chicken Dip, brownies and ice cream
Sunday:  Roasted Pork Tenderloin, fingerling potatoes, rolls, black-eye peas
Monday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, carrots (raw), garlic bread
Tuesday:  On Your Own night (which turned into a sushi date night for hubby and me)
Wednesday:  Cilantro Chicken (new recipe), basmati rice, rolls, carrots
Thursday:  Slow Cooker Honey Soy Pulled Pork (new recipe) sandwiches, chips
Friday:  Tacos, chips and salsa, refried beans


So far, I have stuck to it.  I am a little concerned about tomorrow. I just discovered my crockpot has a crack in the liner. :(  I will be VERY sad if I don't have a new crockpot liner OR crockpot soon. I use it a LOT.

So, what is for dinner at your house this week?

Reba

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

I was in the mood a good meal. You know, like a full meal. I had thought about ham but couldn't find what I was looking for.  So I picked up a pork tenderloin.  (Sidenote:  When did pork become so very expensive???) Then I came home and tried to figure out exactly how I was going to cook it.  Thank goodness for Google.

I found a recipe on the WW website.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin.

If you want to see a really nice food picture, go there.

I followed the recipe fairly closely, though I upped the olive oil.

And even after doing that, this is a fairly low calorie meal. Or at least this main dish was. We ate it with fingerling potatoes, rolls, and black eye peas.

Just the meal I wanted.

Oh, and the best part?

Our house smells incredible!

Ingredients:
2 lb pork tenderloin (mine was almost 2 1/2...I have a bottomless pit in my teenager :)

2 tsp dried thyme (or 2 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped)  I LOVE having fresh thyme but all of my thyme was out of time.  It was not good anymore. :( So it was dried thyme for us.

2 tsp dried oregano (or 2 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped)  Again, it was dried for us tonight...

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder (I used dried chopped onion)

1 tsp table salt (I actually did the freshly ground sea salt)

1 tsp freshly ground peppercorn

2 tsp olive oil (except I used 4)

Directions:
Spray the bottom of a shallow roasting pan.

Mix the olive oil with the spices/seasonings.  (I think you are really supposed to rub the olive oil on it then sprinkle the seasonings over it but sometimes I like to be different...)  Rub onto the tenderloin.

Roast for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees (the thermometer should read 160 but honestly, we just sliced it and checked out the color :).

Let sit for 10 minutes then slice.

Very simple but very good.

And it makes your house smell really good.

Happy eating!

Reba

Apple Snickers "Salad"

Another picture that does not do a food justice.

My cousin P. told me about this recipe once upon a time.

Then I kept seeing it pop up on Pinterest.

Apples.  Snickers. Caramel.  Yum.

And fairly easy.

My family loved it.  Well, except for the child who won't eat apples. And the hubby who doesn't believe in mixing apples and Snickers.

The rest of us enjoyed it.

And I am sure it is somewhat healthy since it has apples.  Right???

Ingredients:
3-4 apples (Granny Smith, Red Delicious, a combo...it is your choice.  3 was plenty for me)

1 5 oz. instant vanilla pudding

1/2 cup milk

Snickers (minis or regular size)

1 container Cool Whip

Caramel ice cream topping

Directions:
Chop apples into bit size pieces. I found it easier to use my apple slicer/corer first then chop from there.

Chop the Snickers.  I used the minis but it took a while to unwrap them. I think next time I would use about 3 regular size Snickers.  Hint:  Freeze the Snickers for a while.  Then put them in a ziplock and break with a mallet.  MUCH easier to break when frozen.

Mix together milk, pudding, and Cool Whip in a large bowl.  Add in apples and Snickers.  Top with caramel.

Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Reba

A Menu. Sort Of...

It is another hectic week.  I keep waiting for life to slow down. However, with t-ball games, volleyball games, track meets, church, etc., we are on the go all of the time.

Just for the record, it is very difficult to get a menu (or a meal) done.

But I do try.

To throw a wrench into it, we are modifying the diet of one of our kids temporarily.

So it is messing with my meal mind. :) And my menu.

Let's see...
Saturday:  We had our first batch of baked potato soup for the season.  Oh yum. LOVE that stuff.  Still.  We had French bread on the side.
Sunday:  Out (Well, the grown ups went out anyway :)
Monday:  Ciabatta pizza bread
Tuesday:  On your own (too many after school activities)
Wednesday:  Cheeseburger Flat Melts (new recipe), baked fries
Thursday:  Panko Encrusted Swai, White rice, Rhodes bread, carrots
Friday:  Football game.  Go, Wildcats!


That is what I have so far.

Always subject to change. :)

What are you having this week?

Reba