RECIPE: Whole Grain Banana Bread Pancakes

A lot of times I have these recipes in my mind that I want to try but assume someone's already made it so I don't even bother.


Someone has made banana bread pancakes before. I haven't googled it but I just know it. I know because this idea is genius.

My ingredient list is simple.


And the directions are easy to follow.


1- Start toasting your chopped pecans in the pan you are going to cook the pancakes in. (Just cook on medium heat until you are ready to add them to the bowl)
2- Smash your banana (I leave it in the skin and gently smoosh it)
3- Put 1c whole grain pancake mix in a bowl
4- Add 1c milk, 1/2t cinnamon, your smushy banana, and the toasted pecans
5- Stir until just combined
6- I let the batter sit for a few minutes while the pan continues to heat up and I get plates for the table.  It makes them fluffier.
7- Cook like regular pancakes
8- Top with butter, sliced banana, pecans, and maple syrup.



To make these even better serve with an apple maple chicken sausage.


This breakfast dinner was perfection!


Whole Grain Banana Bread Pancakes


Ingredients

1c whole grain pancake mix
1c milk
1 smashed medium banana
2T chopped pecans
1/2t cinnamon

Directions

Start toasting your chopped pecans in the pan you are going to cook the pancakes in. (Just cook on medium heat until you are ready to add them to the bowl)

Smash your banana (I leave it in the skin and gently smoosh it)

Put 1c whole grain pancake mix in a bowl

Add 1c milk, 1/2t cinnamon, your smushy banana, and the toasted pecans.  Stir until just combined

I let the batter sit for a few minutes while the pan continues to heat up and I get plates for the table. It makes them fluffier.

Cook like regular pancakes

Top with butter, sliced banana, pecans, and maple syrup.

Balancing Junk Food

Dinner last night was one of our weekly favorites- Whole-grain spaghetti+meatballs made with organic beef.  Topped with parmesan.


Plus a side salad with mixed greens, carrots, red onion, light caesar dressing, and a sprinkle of parmesan.


We got the kiddos to bed early so we could start LOST!

The husband found a bag of buttery popcorn and some M&M's from Christmas to go with our show.


I love chocolate and popcorn together.  I have a 3-1 ratio.  3 pieces of popcorn and 1 M&M per handful.

I didn't end up eating much of it.  Maybe 3 handfuls... I felt really guilty eating it.   I don't do well balancing healthy food and junk food.  If I have some junk food I feel like it all goes downhill from there.  

I met with my trainer this morning at 8 so I had a protein shake on the way to the gym.  Then when I came home I made an egg sandwich.


Egg whites made with garlic gold plus laughing cow cheese and hummus.


I was hungry when lunch time rolled around.  I was really craving a tuna sandwich but knew I needed veggies so I made a tuna salad.

When I make tuna salad I just remember 1.  1 can of tuna, 1T dill relish, 1T light mayo, 1T plain greek yogurt.  Plus salt and pepper.  I like a lot of mayo in my tuna salad and this is just mayonnaisey enough.

I piled it on greens, carrots, and red onion.


It was this good:

This kid kills me.  I gave him one taste of the tuna salad and he climbed on top of the table to get more.

It's probably because I don't ever feed him...





Do you ever feel guilty eating junk food?

Low & Slow Sweet Potay-toh

Last night for dinner the husband grilled steaks and I made the sides.  That's just what we do.  I always handle the sides and he always handles the main dish.

I steamed 1lb of green beans and then tossed them with minced garlic, a touch of olive oil, and lots of salt.  They were perfect!  Why don't I do that more often?  For the potatoes I sliced big russet potatoes about 1/2in thick (I left the skin on) and then rubbed them with herbs and olive oil.  I found the herb combo here. I roasted them for 40 minutes at 425 flipping them half way.  I also sprinkled them with parmesan cheese about 5 minutes before they were done.  They were perfect for the steak juice.

I woke up this morning and did the usual Monday.  Took squirrelly to school, drank a protein shake on the way to the gym, and did 45 minutes on the elliptical.

I had a perfect pear after the gym.



Sprinkled with cinnamon.  Cinnamon and pear are one of those flavor combinations that just go together.  Like peanut butter and jelly.



For lunch I made low and slow sweet potatoes.  I've been reading KERF for a long time and this is one of those recipes I remember her doing.  This method of cooking sweet potatoes is perfect.  You really do get a pillowy soft potato with a crispy crust.


Cut the sweet potato into about half inch thick slices.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.


Cook-  
@350*- 30 minutes flipping halfway through
@400*- 20 minutes flipping halfway through


I topped mine with leftover baked beans, 2% cheddar, and greek yogurt.  While I was making this the husband said it was weird and come to think of it the ingredients do seem a little weird.  It really is good though!


What is your favorite food blog recipe?

RECIPE: Grilled Hummus and Cheese Wrap

If you've been reading my blog for a little while you will know that my favorite thing for lunch is a grilled hummus and cheese wrap.


There's just something about the ooey gooey melted cheese & hummus.  I've never added veggies or anything to it because it's perfect all by itself.  I just eat those vegetables on the side!  Preferably in the form of tomato or veggie soup.

There are 3 simples ingredients:  A whole-grain wrap, cheese, and hummus.

To keep track of my calories I measure everything out.

Spread 2T hummus all over the wrap.  I even spread it to the edges.  Sprinkle 1oz. reduced fat cheese over the hummus.


Roll tightly.


Toast in a pan set on medium heat.  Mine cooked for about 2 minutes on each side.


Enjoy!


You can do so many variations of this wrap using different flavored wraps, cheese, and hummus.  I love roasted red pepper hummus and cheddar.


Delicious!

Burgers!

Friday's pizza night included more mexican leftovers. Thankfully, we are done with all the mexi-cheese, lettuce shreds, salsa, and chips!

This pizza had a whole wheat crust with leftover taco turkey burger and onions on my part.  Jalapeños and olives were added to the husbands part.  The kids had just tomato sauce and cheese.

When it came out of the oven I added lettuce, tomato, and a sour cream/taco sauce mix.

I love pizza Fridays!

I was at the gym when it opened this morning ready for body combat.

I was actually there 10 minutes before the gym opened so I sat in my car, sipped my coffee & protein shake, and browsed pinterest.

We did some running around this morning... Target, Petsmart... and had lunch downtown at Front Street Brewery.  My husband and I have both been craving burgers lately so that's what we got.

I got a cheese burger with ketchup, lettuce, onion, and pickle.  Plus fries.

I decided to ditch the bun.  More for flavor not calories.  There was just too much bread.

I ended up just eating the burger and part of the fries.

Not too bad for a splurge meal.

The kids loved it!

Nuggets and fries?!  YES PLEASE!

We lounged around the house the rest of the day...


And now I'm getting ready to relax with this:


Have you read The Hunger Games?

What I'm Lovin' Friday - Round Four

All of your comments yesterday were so sweet!  It is definitely motivating to lose 4lbs in a week.  I need to remind myself of that post when I have another gain.  Which I'm sure will happen.

I skipped last Friday on the What I'm Lovin's so I wanted to share a couple things I'm lovin' this Friday.

1.  I saw this the other day on pinterest.

Amazingly, people have said this to me a lot.  Sure a nice camera helps but I promise it isn't what makes pictures beautiful.

2.  Laughing cow cinnamon cream.

I've been lovin' this so much that it's almost gone!  One pack in less than a week... What?!


3.  My fitness pal app.

I've been logging all of my food intake on this for the past 10 days.  It keeps me on track and lets me know if I can have that cake pop or two as a late night snack.  If you are on fitness pal add me as a friend!

Dinner last night was baked chicken (chicken marinated in italian dressing baked for 30 minutes), brown rice (cooked in the rice cooker with veggie broth), and broccoli with nutritional yeast.


Plus a glass of red.


This morning I headed to the gym after a protein shake and coffee.


I did 30 minutes on the treadmill, 15 on the bike, and 15 on the elliptical.  I wasn't feeling it this morning.  I've been a little irritable all day so I had to switch it up to keep me going.  It's hot and muggy here today and I'm really not ready for warm weather.  My house is hot, my kids are cranky and clingy, and I'm in a funk.  Cold weather is coming tomorrow!

When I got home I had a toasted sandwich thin with laughing cow cinnamon cream, chias, and banana.


I made a sweet potato for lunch and topped it with vegetarian baked beans, 2% cheddar, and plain greek yogurt.


I've got pizza dough rising for dinner.... Hopefully my mood improves!


What do you do to boost your mood?

Minus 4!

I weighed myself this morning and you guys were so right!  I lost 4lbs!  It was great to have especially after a gain from last week.  I did the happy dance with my trainer this morning.

I ate dinner at my mom's last night. I knew I was making cake pops when the kids went to bed so I ate a light dinner.

Amy's light and lean spinach lasagna and a salad with greens, strawberries, pecans, feta, and light poppyseed dressing.  A friend of mine told me about that lasagna so I bought one awhile ago.  I couldn't wait to try it.  It was so good!  I want to try to make spinach lasagna on my own.

I did make cake pops last night and the flavors were:

Coconut, peanut butter chocolate, chocolate, and birthday cake.  I tried doing a salted caramel thing but it didn't end up good.  Not what I was hoping for!

Have you ever had a cake pop?

One of the best desserts ever.  It's simple.  Bake a cake, crush it up, add one tub of icing, roll into balls, and dip into candy melts.  There are a few tricks to make it easier like dipping the stick in the chocolate before putting it into the cake pop.  Then let them sit in the freezer for a little bit.  That way it doesn't fall off the stick when you dip it.  For the peanut butter chocolate I used chocolate cake and chocolate icing + natural peanut butter.  Then I dipped it in peanut butter candy melts.  For the coconut it was white cake and white icing + coconut extract and coconut. I dipped those in white chocolate and sprinkled them with toasted coconut.

I only had a bite of each.  Just to make sure they were ok.  Seriously, so maybe 2 cake pops total?  Not too bad!

This morning I had a gym appointment with my trainer.  I did 200 ab reps+6 other exercises in 30 minutes. Plus 15 minutes on the treadmill and 15 on the bike.  I'm pooped!

We took a picnic lunch to a friends house today.

For myself I packed an almond butter and raspberry jelly sandwich.  Plus carrots and sabra roasted red pepper hummus.


Squirrel packed her own lunch.  She wanted JUST peanut butter on her sandwich but when we got there she wanted JUST jelly.  Little buddy had pb&j.  Both kids had a squeeze applesauce, water, and shared a small pack of pringles from nana.


Check out the weather today!


When I left my friends house I really wanted a diet coke (I haven't had one in awhile) so I stopped by bojangles and got a large!

It feels so summer like and diet coke tastes so good in the summer!  I drank it all!

It may be nice today but check out Saturday.

Come on weather!  Make up your mind!

Has your weather been up and down where you live?