Chocolate Chip Banana Bread...

Who ever came up with the saying that 
"Chocolate Makes Anything Better"
 was totally on to something. 

My sweet friend Katie dropped me off a loaf of  Chocolate Chip Banana Bread a few weeks ago. (here)

My boys just loved it
and I even had someone comment that they wanted the recipe for it, on the post that I did.
 So, I decided to take my Banana Bread recipe and just sprinkle on some Dark Chocolate Chips on top of the batter before I put it into the oven.

It turned out perfect and delicious 
and left my boys wanting for more!

I'm thinking that the addition of chocolate chips
to our Banana Bread is going to be something we'll be doing from now on!

Of course, I always use this helpful tip when any recipe that I make calls for one cup of oil. 

Banana Bread

3 eggs

¾ cup sugar

½ cup oil

½ cup applesauce

2 tsp. Vanilla

3 cups mashed banana (or however much banana you have)

Mix together the above 6 ingredients 

Then add in:

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

After you have mixed this well add in: 
3 cups unbleached flour

Grease two loaf tins.

Pour mix into tins.

SPRINKLE batter with Dark Chocolate Chips (about 1/3 cup per loaf pan)

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. (or until toothpick inserted in comes out clean)

After you have pulled it out of the oven, 

remove from loaf pans  and  I usually put some butter on the top of it. 

Store in Zip-Loc bags...enjoy one loaf now and then freeze another loaf to enjoy on a different day.

I keep mine in the fridge until ready to serve.

THIS bread freezes well 

and is great to pull out of the freezer and slice up, 

add in an apple, string cheese or boiled egg 

and some carrot sticks and you have a yummy lunch.

Enjoy!

Flax Seeds...make wonderful energy!

Tis the time of year for...

 Running...

 and backpacking!

And with these two events, 

it means we need GOOD energy snacks!

I have been seeing Energy Ball recipes all over Pinterest and I decided to tweak the recipe to things we had on hand and I can honestly say my family is LOVING these! 

We have been making them weekly for the past month so Jade has plenty of good energy snacks for his running practices for Track

(I've loved them on my early morning runs as well!)

Also, they have been wonderful to add to lunches instead of sending cookies for a treat.

  I actually like them much better than my homemade granola bars...they are more "hearty" and not as sweet...

 and they go together SO quickly and you don't have to bake them...

just mix basic ingredients together, 

let chill 45 minutes to an hour, 

roll into balls and keep chilled until ready to serve.

 BTW...I was given some "mini- chocolate chips" from one of my good friends and the first batch I added in some of those...

 However, I just like taking my 60% Cacao Dark Chocolate Chips and breaking them into chunks to add in instead. 

 What I love about these energy balls
 is the ground Flax Seeds. 

I always try to add ground flax seeds to many of my baked goods, because flax seeds are high in 
 Fiber, Phytochemicals
AND Omega-3 Fatty Acids...
This energy ball recipe uses 1/2 cup of them.  

 I just buy whole flax seeds in bulk and then I grind them with a coffee grinder and store them in my fridge.  

Energy Balls

1 cup rolled oats (OLD fashioned, NOT quick)

1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond butter)

1/3 cup RAW honey

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut

1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds (unsalted)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, OR, dark chocolate chunks
1-2 Tbsp. Chia Seeds

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Mix altogether and refrigerate 45 minutes to an hour

Roll into small balls and keep refrigerated...

BTW....I'm sure you could add in whatever other things you would like...the sky is the limit!  I bet dried fruit or different nuts would be yummy as well!

 Enjoy 2 balls for energy before or after running

Perfect for kiddos to take in their lunches instead of cookies for a treat
OR, for an after school snack,

OR, the perfect thing to bring instead of granola bars 

for energy when hiking or backpacking!

Happy running, hiking and

backpacking energy to all of you!

Delicious Oranges...so many yummy uses and a recipe!

 I am sad that this morning we enjoyed our last orange from the case of oranges I bought 2 weeks ago.  
It's one of the things I love most about this time of the year, is the GREAT prices on oranges...
it's such a frugal way to enjoy produce 
this time of the year!

 Since Christmas we have bought 4 cases of oranges and enjoyed every single one. 
You may ask how a family of four can go through so many oranges, but they all get eaten up in one way or another and here is how that happens: 

Cut up and eaten for daily snacks 
and daily lunch box additions...

Cut in half and JUICED...

 and served with weekend 
pancake and egg breakfasts...

 Kids just LOVE 
fresh squeezed orange juice...

Topped on MANY winter salads...

Added to many smoothies...

Used to make up some absolutely 
delicious family favorite recipes....

Poppy Seed Bread (here)

Carrot Cookies (here)

And one of our all time favorites

Orange Rolls...
and below is the recipe for that! 

Orange Rolls

2 Tbsp. SAF yeast

1 Tbsp. sugar

½ cup warm water

Mix together and let stand while getting other ingredients ready.

1 cup scalded milk

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

2 eggs, well beaten

4 ½ to 5 heaping cups flour

Add butter and sugar to hot milk.  

Cool and add eggs, salt, and yeast mixture.

Add flour, knead well. Dough will be sticky.

Put in large bowl with a small amount of oil and coat well.

Let rise, punch down and let rise again.

Roll dough out like a jelly roll and spread with a mixture of:

6 Tbsp. softened butter

1 Tbsp. orange juice

1/3 cup sugar

grated rind of 1 orange

Roll up and cut and put on greased cookie sheet or in muffin tins.

Let rise until double and bake for 10-15 minutes in 400 degree oven.

Frost with cream cheese frosting while still warm.

(I cut mine apart after frosting and let them cool on wire racks so they aren't too doughy!

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Frosting

(4oz) 1/2 package light cream cheese

1/4 cup REAL butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla together until smooth. Add in powdered sugar and blend until creamy.

Oranges...whether eaten plain as a snack, 

or  juiced, topped on a salad, 

made into a smoothie, or added to recipes...

it's one truly one of the favorite winter time fruits in our family!!

I hope you and your family enjoy the 

WONDERFUL yummyness 

of citrus and oranges as well!

Spinach... Smoothies, Eggs & Soup!

 Spinach...

I'm always amazed when I read that it is
difficult to overestimate the  
nutritional powerhouse that is in spinach!

This is a wonderful article of the amazing things that are in spinach...

 it is one of those foods that is 

at the TOP of most Super Food lists!

We are definitely a spinach loving family,

we enjoy it freshly steamed and served with salmon,

 it is a staple in our salads, we enjoy it in soups, 

 we love topping homemade tortillas  

with cream cheese, veggies and SPINACH leaves for a great lunch...

 our favorite way is blending it up into a GREEN Smoothie  

a few times a week. 

I LOVE that spinach is so easy to grow 

in the spring/summer time.   

We usually have more spinach than we know what to do with and so I will wash the Spinach and freeze it in 2 cup bags in our freezer to pull out in the winter months.

 During the winter months 
(when we have run out of our garden spinach)
 when we go on our weekly dates, 
we purchase a large one pound container of spinach from Sam's Club for $3.97

so that we can still make up our weekly GREEN Smoothies and have it to add to soups, salads and sandwiches.  

I also purchase one or two FRESH pineapples 

each week to cut up and add to our smoothies as well.

While we are a frugal family, 

we do believe in buying quality appliances  

and so each week whether it be grinding wheat, making bread or homemade treats, or blending up smoothies, making almond milk or bean puree, they all get used LOTS!  
  

If you don't have a good quality blender, 

I strongly suggest you save your pennies to invest in one...

 it is worth the money spent and makes it EASY to get your family eating more fruits and veggies in SMOOTHIE form.

There are SO many ways to get your kids and family eating more of this wonderful SUPER food of Spinach 

and I'm going to share with you our favorites that are tried, true, delicious and 

ALWAYS a hit each time they are served!

 GREEN SMOOTHIE

Here is the basic recipe...(it varies depending upon the season)

but it ALWAYS has the same ingredients

fresh pineapple (1-2 cups)

one stalk of celery

one slice of lime (with rind)

2-3 cups spinach

water/ice

the variable is this...

in winter time we add in one or two oranges

in the summer time we add in one or two large handfuls of grapes
(here for other smoothie options) 

In the summertime when the kids are out of school,  
we make some variation of a green smoothie almost every day for lunch.  

During the school year, we enjoy our green smoothies on the weekends and also once or twice during the week for either breakfast or to add to a light dinner.

******************************

EGGS

(when I'm in charge of breakfast and the kids are asking for eggs) 

I always make up a yummy batch of eggs that has LOTS of veggies in them. 

I recently read about a lady that adds in spinach with her eggs in the blender and WOW is it ever good.  We are hooked and I'm going to add spinach to my veggie eggs from here on out.

Veggies and Eggs

2-3 large slices of onion finely chopped

1/2 bell pepper finely chopped

2 carrots finely chopped

1-2 Tbsp butter

(diced ham if you like)

Melt butter in frying pan and add in veggies (ham if you have it) and saute together until tender/crisp

(eggs)

8 eggs

2 Tbsp milk

1 large slice of onion

1 packed cup of fresh spinach

(mix altogether in the blender until spinach is finely chopped)

Pour egg mixture over sauteed veggies and let cook 2-3 minutes before you start stirring the eggs.    

Stir together and cook until eggs are done.  

Top with freshly grated cheese and tomatoes!   

Perfect served with homemade pancakes for a hearty, 

get you going weekend breakfast! 

**************************

Minestrone Soup

SOUPS...truly one of our family's staples.

I love this Minestrone Soup because it seriously 

tastes like something you would get at a really nice restaurant 

AND I love all of the yummy veggies it has in it. 

Toasted Artisan Bread is the perfect accompaniment for this soup!

 It is a GREAT way to use  

cabbage and spinach/kale 

and is something that actually tastes better the next day.  

(great to take for lunches)

 Minestrone Soup
(pretty much a "vegetarian meal")
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large diced onions
4 cloves minced garlic
1 cup sliced carrots
1 tsp basil
1 can Italian tomatoes (undrained)
3 beef bouillon cubes with 8 cups water (OR, pull a bag of leftover "roast drippings" from the freezer and add in enough water to make 8 cups)
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
1 can Great Northern Beans (undrained)
1-2 cups Spinach, OR, Kale (OR add in 1 cup chopped zucchini instead)

Cook onions, carrots, garlic and basil in olive oil for 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, beef bouillon and cabbage.
Bring soup to boil and cook for 1 hour.
Add beans with liquid and spinach and cook another 20 minutes. 
Garnish bowls with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, OR, serve with a dollop of cottage cheese.  This tastes even better the 2nd day.

This is soup is definitely 
a favorite with my kids!

and it’s SO easy and healthy!!
Great served with homemade bread, breadsticks, 

or our favorite... (Artisan Bread)

I hope you enjoy the wonderful health benefits 

of Spinach in your family as well!
Yummy, delicious and most of all

economic and nutritious!

Warm up with a bowl of Hearty Meatball Stew!

 Today I am grateful for...

SOUP!

If you were to ask me 

what my favorite meal is, it would definitely be some kind of soup, 

served with some kind of homemade bread or bread sticks. 

 

I can honestly say that I never tire of soup!
Those bowls of comfort and nourishment, 

those pots of soup, that you put whatever veggies/meat that you have in your fridge, you simmer them together and they taste absolutely delicious!  

 Kimmie + a bowl of soup = HAPPINESS!!

 

While most of the soups I make up are really brothy  this is definitely a HEARTY soup to warm you up and give you energy during the fall and winter months.  

My favorite thing about this soup is the variety of veggies in it, 

with my favorite being SWEET POTATOES. 

You wouldn't think that a soup with sweet potatoes in it would be so good, 

but it is and is definitely in our family's top 5 favorite soup recipes.

I have always made my meatballs with ground beef, 

but, I had some excess chicken breasts and so I decided to try grinding them up and made chicken meatballs for one batch of soup.  

Both the beef AND chicken 

 were hits with my family and it's nice to have a meat grinder so that when you get low on ground beef you can grind up chicken breasts instead to add to your recipe.

Meatball Stew with Winter Vegetables
2 medium potatoes diced
2 large carrots diced
1 large onion finely chopped
1 to 2 Tbsp beef Bouillon granules
1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. pepper
(seasoned meatballs…recipe below)
2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
3 stalks of celery chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup flour
---In a Dutch oven or large pot bring 6 cups of water to boiling. Add in potatoes, carrots, onions, bouillon granules, oregano and basil and pepper. Return to boiling….reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
---Meanwhile, prepare seasoned meatballs. Add in sweet potatoes and celery to hot broth mixture. Add uncooked meatballs a few at a time to the hot broth mixture. Return to boiling and reduce heat and simmer for 15 more minutes, or until veggies are tender and meatballs are fully cooked.
---Stir in frozen peas
---Stir together, ½ cup water with 1/3 cup flour (until it is not lumpy) and stir this into soup…cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Enjoy!

SEASONED MEATBALLS
In a bowl mix
1 pound ground beef (OR ground turkey or chicken)
1 beaten egg,
½ cup dry bread crumbs,
1 tsp minced dried onion,
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce,
¼ tsp garlic powder, dash of pepper.
Mix all ingredients well and shape into one-inch balls

Enjoy taking your abundance of veggies 

and making up a hearty pot of soup today!

I hope it becomes a favorite with your family, like it has with ours.