A Little Bananas

Hello Sweets,

So as I promised yesterday I have the full flavor review of the S'more or Less muffins :), and they are even better than I could have imagined!!  What would have been just ordinary vanilla cake is anything but.  It takes on the flavor of the graham cookies all while staying soft and moist.  The chocolate cake is the perfect flavor, not too sweet but not dry either.  The marshmallow gives the muffin a touch of sweetness, but it also has the flavor of a roasted marshmallow too.  All in all these are a great muffin, and have officially made it in to my personal recipe book :)  Many a nights have been spent jotting down recipes to keep or try, and my hand can attest to that lol.

I am definitely paying for doing all the tax returns yesterday, my shoulders and neck are killing me.  The sad part was I didn't even notice how much time had gone by, because I was so engrossed in the task.  But how many people can say they have their taxes complete by March 2nd?  If I had to guess, not very many at all :D  Now I can sit back and relax while everyone else is stressing, lol yea that sounds perfect.

Today I am bringing something completely different and new.  Something that is sweet, but healthy at the same time.  Yup sweet and healthy, consider your mind blown *boom*.  I haven't been feeling well all day :(, so naturally I didn't feel like making anything for y'all today.  However I had some bananas that were starting to become too ripe, so I had to figure out a way to use them.  Normally I would just make my grandmas banana bread, but then I remembered something I love but haven't had in quite some time ;)

Banana Chips

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas (green ones make crisper chips faster, and ripe ones make sweeter ones)

1tsp nutmeg

pinch of salt

honey, to drizzle

 

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 250F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (to prevent sticking and easy clean up), set aside.

2)  Slice your bananas into thin slices, not too thin or they become limp.

 

3)  Line bananas in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets.

 

4)  Sprinkle with salt and nutmeg.  Place into preheated oven for 2 hours, flipping (as much as possible) after about 90 minutes.

 

not as pretty as store bought, but I know everything that goes into them ;)

5)  Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.  Store in an airtight container and enjoy! 

What a great and healthy option when you feel like a sweet snack.  Kids and adults alike would love these little chips, and you can even use them as a decorative final touch on a banana cupcake.  I would think that even picky eaters would love these little chips.  It never ceases to amaze me when I haven't tried to make something I actually enjoy eating.  I'm just a silly girl I guess, who is a little spacy at times in the kitchen :p

As I am finishing up this post my stomach is starting to really hurt, which means I need to lay down and relax for a little while.  Don't worry I'll make sure to be back with something yummy tomorrow, unless this doesn't stop.  But I'm not going to think like that, I'm going to try and stay positive :)  Until next time....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

I'mmmmmm back...with muffins!

Hello Sweets,

Well I did it, I mustered up the energy to bake a little somethin' somethin' ;)   I honestly still don't feel too awesome, but my soul mate is coming in this week so I need to have some goodies made for him.  Yes I know I spoil him rotten but he does the same for me so I can't complain, but I wouldn't anyways because I love it, and him!!!!!

So the title of the post sort of gives away what I'm going to share with y'all, but it's delicious none the less so I'm sure you'll read all the way through :)   Here in good ol' Canadia, instead of Dunkin' donuts we have Tim Horton's!  They have delicious coffee and treats, and one of my favorite treats is there chocolate chip muffins. Now I know what you're thinking, what's so great about a chocolate chip muffin?  Normally nothing lol, but these are topped with coarse sugar that give it a little caramelized sweetness :)   So when I came across this little gem of a recipe, I knew I had to make them. 

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

2c flour

3/4c mini chocolate chips (I may have added a little more lol)

1/2c sugar

1Tbs baking powder

1/2tsp salt

3/4c milk

1/3c coconut oil

1 large egg

2Tbs brown sugar

3Tbs coarse sugar

 

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 400F.  Spray muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper. 

2)  Combine flour, chocolate chips, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and mix well.

 

3)  Combine the milk, coconut oil, and egg in a medium bowl and mix well.

 

4)  Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until just moistened.  Fill cups 2/3 full.

 

 

5)  Combine remaining sugars in a small bowl and mix well.  Sprinkle on top of batter.

 

 

 

6)  Bake muffins until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Cool in pan for about a minute.

 

These little yummy treats are just what I was hoping for ;)  A delicious little snack, that's not to chocolaty or sweet.  They taste better than the Tim Horton's one, sorry Tim's lol.

 

an up close picture so you can see the texture created with coarse sugar

Now I have to plan some other little surprise for my love, but since he is my editor and reads my blog, I will not be able to share them with y'all.  Not right away anyways lol.  Maybe I'll do a mash up post while he's on the plane :) sneaky sneaky.  For now I have some household chores to get to :p  Until next time....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

Journey into the unknown....Kale!

Hello Sweets,


Well I'm settled in Texas now which means Nathan and I did our first trip to the grocery store (I love having fruit to snack on).  Nathan always makes me smile and giggle a little in the produce section because he claims that I "pick the best cantaloupe and honey dew".  I'm always a little modest when he says this, because I always feel that when picking a melon it can be a little like Russian roulette.  Now I have my little tricks of course; knocking and listening to the sound, smell, and of course the general look always plays into it as well.  Well tonight was no different, a melon success lol!  As soon as we get home, I immediately start cutting up both the cantaloupe and the honey dew so the household can snack at will, yet another reason why Nathan loves when we buy them :)

Melon prepped and ready to eat

While in Tom Thumb, a light went off in my head.  My girly Sarah (www.mymostlyhealthylife.com), had tried Kale chips, and I thought since I like salty potato chips, this would be a great healthy substitute.  So I went online to search out some general guidelines.  I came across the website www.keeperofthehome.org, and got myself familiar with the basic premise.  Knowledge in hand, I forged forward on the kale chip journey, and since it was a success, I am passing my adapted recipe on to you!

Kale Chips (guided by www.keeperofthehome.org)
Ingredients:

1-2 bunches of kale

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

chopped dry onions

cayenne pepper

garlic powder

red pepper flakes

Directions:

1)  Wash the kale and dry it, a salad spinner works great if you have one but I just patted mine with paper towel. 

 Looks like garnish leaf but smells like broccoli, weird lol

2)  Pull or cut the leaves off of the stalks.  Cut into chip sizes and place in a large bowl.

the darker green the veggie the healthier it is!

3)  Get your oil and all the spices together, and either shake or pour in the bowl and mix well with your hands.  Depending on your pallet, you can use more, or less spices, and even different ones if you're feeling adventurous.

4)  Place on a baking sheet and place in the oven at 350F for 15-25 minutes.

All spiced up and ready to go :p

5)  Shake the baking sheet while in the oven, and if the kale is crisp place in a bowl and enjoy!

Final product, YUM!

Now I was a little weary as this was my first time making it, and being in the great state of Texas (land of meat), I was nervous to say the least!  When the timer went off, I pulled them out of the oven, they smelled great but looked.....lets say interesting lol.  I tried one before venturing out of the kitchen with them and, surprise surprise they satisfied that salty chip craving.  So I bravely brought them out to the living room for Nathan, and his brother Mark to try (the real test).  Even my meat loving Texan, and Mark enjoyed them!  Now if that isn't a milestone to be proud of, then I don't know what is, and Nathan even ate them steadily and not to appease me :)  Now his dad, who always says to me, "why don't you make anything healthy?  Always with the sweets canuckette" (yes Nathan's dad calls me that regularly), did not like them, and not because they tasted bad, but because he said they wadded up in your mouth.  Lol.  Now Nathan and I didn't experience this problem, I just think his father couldn't get past the look of the kale chips.

Have any of you tried making kale chips?  Maybe with different spices/seasonings?  Or even some other delicious kale recipes?  Send me your comments of what you've done, and if you try the recipe let me know how it turns out :)  Until next time.

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo