banana

Creamy Tropical Green Smoothie

By in Beverages, Cold, Kids, Snacks 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , ,

tropical green smoothie

Green smoothies have been a “thing” for quite a while now, but I didn’t get it for the longest time because every recipe I tried tasted just too, well, green. But, I finally found one that tastes like a proper smoothie – cold, creamy and delicious. Your first thought will be “tropical” not “green”.

There’s a lot going on in this smoothie to make it just right. The banana, avocado and yogurt keep it creamy, the ice cubes keep it cold and refreshing, the orange juice gives it a tropical flavour, and the honey sweetens it up. I don’t normally put this much honey in a smoothie but I feel like it’s necessary to take away the “green” flavour that tends to make these types of smoothies taste like a blended salad. *shudder* I like to eat my salad with a fork, thank you very much.

This smoothie gets it’s green from two veggies, avocado and spinach. But, I don’t think that either are distinctly noticeable. In fact, Max doesn’t like avocados one bit “except for in smoothies” he now proudly proclaims, because he loves this smoothie so much. Mommy win!

tropical green smoothie

Creamy Tropical Green Smoothies

  • 1 avocado, peel and pit removed
  • 1 large banana, peeled (or 1.5 small)
  • 1 large handful baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 1/2 cups pure unsweetened orange juice
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 12 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender, process until smooth. Serve.

Makes: 4 large servings

Adapted from Everyday Food.

Chai Spiced Banana Bread

By in Breads, Breakfast, Fall 14 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Remember how I wanted to hold onto summer? Well summer didn”t want to hold on to me. Around the same time I was professing my love of summer and how I was going to hold onto it and my garden forever, it decided to frost and kill half my garden. And, it was just about to start bearing all sorts of deliciousness. Boo. Ever since then there”s been a chill in the air and its never quite warmed up again. Ha ha. Serves me right for thinking I had control of the seasons. :)

I decided I better start embracing fall in all it”s glory because winter lasts about 8 months out of the year here in Alberta and I just needed to buckle down and face the facts. I usually love all the seasons when they come but I haven”t lived in Canada for almost 4 years and I”m not conditioned to these cold, long winters anymore. I”ve become a winter wimp and once fall hits here you know that winter is really only a month away. Despite my anxiety over what”s coming, right now it”s fall, so here I am embracing it with some warm fall spices.

After making this recipe I don”t know that I”ll ever be able to go back to my regular banana bread. I took my go-to recipe, made it a little healthier by adding whole wheat and added some chai spices for a fall spin. The result was one of the most delicious banana breads I have eaten, and I”ve made my share of banana bread. Even my not-so-banana-bread-loving husband was raving about how good it was. I think it has to do in part with the fact that the spices are strong enough to overpower that distinctive banana bread flavour and the whole wheat keeps it from becoming too sticky, as a lot of banana breads seem to be. The crumb is tender and soft, hearty yet light, and the spices are the perfect combination to ring in the new season.

To fall!

Chai Spiced Banana Bread

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 1/3 cups sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 cup mashed bananas (about 3)

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1.5 teaspoons ground cardamom

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

  • 1 cup sour cream (full fat)

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Stir in mashed bananas and vanilla. Sit together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Add to banana mixture in three additions, alternately with sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture, until evenly combined. Pour into 2, greased, 9×5 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before removing from loaf pans and transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes: 2 loaves

Blueberry Banana (All Fruit) Smoothie

By in Beverages, Cold 3 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Blueberry Banana (All Fruit) Smoothie

I”m a smoothie kind of girl. Not just any smoothie though. It has to have the right ratio of ingredients and lot”s of fruity flavour. The most important thing to me in a smoothie is that the fruit shines through. If there”s too much yogurt, or other added ingredients, I find there”s too much going on and I don”t get that pop in my mouth – that burst of flavour – that I crave.

This Blueberry Banana Smoothie is the simplest of the simple and also happens to be my absolute favourite. It contains no dairy and no ice, which means the flavour is nothing but fruit, fruit, fruit. I can”t handle too much dairy, so I was looking to make some smoothies without, and discovered that a banana does a lot in lending smoothness and creaminess (much like in the Five Minute Chunky Monkey Ice Cream). It also has no added sugar because the apple juice has enough natural sweetness. The only non-fruit going in here is vanilla, which I think is a must – it gives that creamy taste and brings all the flavours together.

Me and Max drank this pretty much every day in the summer. We wanted a light snack that would cool us down and help us get our intake of fruit. You can swap out the frozen blueberries for other berries as well, which is also delicious, but the blueberry is my personal fave. It has so much flavour and is such a gorgeous colour. I make sure to always have the ingredients on hand so I can whiz one up at any time.

If you”re like me and like your smoothies to be all-fruit flavour while still being creamy and smooth then I encourage you to give this a try. And, if you want to add a scoop of yogurt nobody with judge you for it. ;)

Blueberry Banana Smoothie

  • 1 banana, peeled and broken into large chunks

  • 1 cup frozen blueberries

  • 1 cup apple juice

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Serves: 2

Banana Walnut Oatmeal

By in Breakfast, Fall 11 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Banana Walnut Oatmeal

Now that my family has gotten into a fairly regular routine, breakfast has become a family affair. It”s one more chance for us to spend time together and connect before the day begins. The tastier and quicker it is to throw together, the more likely we”ll be to make the time to sit and enjoy each others company.

The nights are cold – in our apartment we have no control over the heat and it has yet to come on, so I”m bundling the kids up in layers of clothes before they go to bed. We”re all waking up hungry and in need of extra warmth and comfort. Nothing sticks to your ribs and warms you from the inside out, like a big bowl of oatmeal.

This Banana Walnut Oatmeal is even more comforting because as it simmers it fills the house with the smell of baking banana bread. If that doesn”t get the family flocking to the table I don”t know what will.

Sitting around the table with a warm breakfast, fall spices wafting through the air, surrounded by your family, talking about the day ahead – what could be a better start to the day?

Banana Walnut Oatmeal

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1 banana, mashed

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • pinch nutmeg

  • pinch salt

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup

  • 1 cup rolled oats

  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Place water, milk, banana, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and brown sugar (or maple syrup) in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Stir in oats. Simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes or until desired thickness. Stir in walnuts just before serving.

Makes: 2-3 servings

This post was featured on Women”s Health Magazine online.

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

By in Breads, Chocolate, Christmas, Fall, Sweets, Valentine's 11 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

This banana bread is much more reminiscent of a cake – with its rich chocolate flavour and deep undertones from the coffee. It”s almost guaranteed to win over even the harshest banana bread critic.

The deep chocolate look of this bread speaks romance to me. Although, the most romantic we got was to sit huddled up to the coffee table sipping milky chai tea and eating this moist, dark, chocolate, banana bread while watching Bones (admittedly not the best show to watch while you”re eating). That”s what romance is when you have a 7 month old and a 3-year-old at home. Any quiet moment to yourselves without being needed by someone else is considered a date! And, a good night sleep makes for marital bliss. :)

This is not the type of banana bread that you eat for breakfast. It”s much more reminiscent of a cake – with its rich chocolate flavour and deep undertones from the coffee. It doesn”t taste anything like a classic banana bread, which makes it a perfect way to use up those old bananas and serve them to people who are otherwise adverse towards baked bananas. I almost guarantee that if you call this Mocha Chocolate Chip Bread (or loaf cake) they will never guess. Not that you want to be sneaky… but sometimes it doesn”t hurt. :)

One note of advice: It”s important to sift cocoa powder, when using it in recipes, because there are always chunks in it that never quite mix into the batter. I don”t own a sifter, but a fine mesh sieve works just as well. Simply place it over your mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and stir to push through. Discard any hard pieces that don”t want to break up.

Do you make banana bread? What”s your favourite way to use up bananas before they go bad?

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

The key to a moist loaf is to not overbake. Ovens vary in temperature so start checking for doneness earlier then the suggested time.

  • 1.5 cups flour

  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder

  • 1.5 cups sugar

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 2 eggs

  • 2 medium bananas, mashed (1 cup)

  • 1/2 cup canola oil

  • 1/4 cup sour cream

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 tablespoon hot milk

  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, bananas, oil,sour cream and vanilla. Dissolve instant coffee in hot milk. Stir into banana mixture.

Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture, just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased 9×5 loaf pan. Bake at 325ºF for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing.

Layered Milkshakes

By in Beverages 7 Comments Tags: , , , , , , ,

Layered Milkshakes

Even though I”m not American I couldn”t resist creating a fun treat for all my American friends to celebrate their Independence Day. I think it”s so much fun coming up with desserts that are three different colors. I know these aren”t true reds and true blues but they are made from RED raspberries and BLUE blueberries so that”s gotta count right? :)

To freeze bananas: slice a peeled banana and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Place in the freezer until frozen; transfer to a freezer bag for longer storage.

I used plain vanilla ice cream for each layer but for added flavour you could do a corresponding ice cream flavour/color. And, if you want to get true blues and reds then just add a few drops of food coloring before processing. You can also feel free to use any red berry, such as strawberries, or any blue berry, such as blackberries, in place of the berries here. And, if you”re Canadian and want to create this for Canada Day you can substitute the “blue” layer for another raspberry layer.

It”s important to work quickly because you don”t want the bottom layers to melt too much while you”re making the next layer or it will simply sink to the bottom and you won”t be able to see it. If you feel that your bottom layers may have warmed up too much, add more milk to the next layer, to thin it out, before pouring on top. Don”t worry if it doesn”t look perfect, that just adds character and means it”s homemade. :)

Will you be making any 3 color foods for Independence Day?

Layered Milkshakes

“Red” Layer

  • 1 cup vanilla (or raspberry) ice cream

  • 1/2 cup frozen raspberries

  • 1/2 cup milk

“White” Layer

  • 1 cup vanilla ice cream

  • 1/2 cup frozen sliced banana

  • 1/2 cup milk

“Blue” Layer

  • 1 cup vanilla (or blueberry) ice cream

  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries

  • 1/2 cup milk

First make the “Red” Layer: Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour evenly into four cups. Rinse out blender with cold water.

Make “White” Layer: Working quickly, place all ingredients in  blender and process until smooth. Pour carefully over “Red” Layer.

Make the “Blue” Layer: No need to rinse out the blender this time. Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour carefully over “White” Layer. Serve immediately.

Makes: 4 servings

*If you are afraid one layer may be too thick to top a previous layer stir in extra milk before pouring.

*To make these patriotic for Independence Day add the appropriate food coloring to each mix before blending.

1 2