After my bestie April made her Banana Bread with struesle topping, I've been craving some myself. However looking at her recipe, while I knew it probably tasted flat out AMAZING, I am a health nut and just couldn't bring myself to do it. (though if she sent me some I sure would snarf it down!)
So I set out to figure out how to alter her recipe, but then came across another one and decided it was the one to try. It's a whole wheat recipe which usually kind of throws me off a bit. Normally prefer half wheat and half white. But I decided to follow along and LOVED it! So here now, I will share it with you!
Ingredients:
1/3 c Almond Milk (or Skim Milk)
2 Eggs
2/3 c Unsweetened Apple Sauce
2 Over Ripe Bananas
2 1/4 c Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Stevia Powder
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Directions:
*Preheat your oven to 350 F
*Combine wet ingredients in your stand mixer.
*Combine all dry ingredients in another container.
*Slowly add (little by little) the dry into the wet, allowing your mixer to fully incorporate each time.
*OPTIONAL: Add in your favorite nuts - we used pecans
*Grease your 9x5 loaf pan, then fill with bread batter.
*Bake 45 min to 1 hour (45 minutes was PERFECT here!)
It's pretty yummy though obviously due to the high wheat content, it's not as moist as a prepackaged treat at the store. But it's by no means dry. Also - it's VERY filling (One 1in slice filled me up completely and that's without a meal before!).
**I also made another batch of the coconut body butter so my girly has hers in her bathroom, and I have my own in mine. Mine I chose to add vanilla beans to - pretty and smells fantastic! You can use this stuff without scent added as a diaper rash cream for cloth diapering mamas, and lubricant during sex - it's safer and healthier than the pricey stuff at the store! And it's not sticky!:)
First off - baby girl has gone back to her family, there is some talk that she may be headed back to our home shortly but that's all in the government's hands and we know how well that works.
I've had much time to fill since she left and have tried to make good use of it! Food wise I've made a lot of soup (strange for me as I normally have to be in the mood for it). I've had cabbage,
Zuppa Tuscana My Way and right now I have White Chicken Chili in the crock pot.
Today I am going to show you how to make Body Butter with just 2 ingredients required (there are additional if you choose). I've made butters before but normally do so with cocoa butter and shea so this was a new one for me and I love it! It's much cheaper and doesn't require me to have it shipped, and you can easily find the ingredients in your local grocery stores!:)
Ingredients:
1c Coconut Oil (I try to get unrefined pure oil)
1 tsp of Vitamin E Oil
Essential Oil of your Choice (I chose lemon today but will make some peppermint shortly)
Directions:
*Place both oils into a stand mixer and whip for about 5-7 min on medium high.
*When you notice a whipped frosting appearance, shut the machine off and add a few drops of your essential oil and then turn back on for another minute to whip it in.
*Place into a jar and store where it's below 75 degrees.
****If you don't have a stand mixer - that stinks! But you can still do this without one by placing the items into a bowl and using an electric beater. You really cannot do this with anything else.
This is especially nice right after a shower, and shave! My girly has problems with Psoriasis during the winter months (sunshine helps!) and so we can use this on her without causing further irritation. This is literally food grace materials so you could technically eat this (I dont suggest it though)! Compare this to the body butters that you find in the stores ingredients wise! And this is MUCH cheaper too as a high quality butter will cost you about $10-$15 a tiny little 1/4 lb tub. This makes
This week has been a rather sad week for me as the sweet little Ladybug is going back to live with her parents. She will always be in my prayers and I hope that they are really doing well and will take good care of her.
So what is a girl to do with all this extra time on her hands? ANYTHING AT ALL!
I am currently making a tincture, making Lemoncello, planning a playdate for my girly and a friend from gymnastics and planning a very large and time consuming project that will benefit all of the family and generations to come.
This is homemade beginnings of an Herbal Tincture. After my lovely brush with Staph at the Zoo and the subsequent healing of it with the lemon balm haphazardly mushed up and tied onto my leg - I decided a tincture of this stuff is in order since it lasts for years and works. This one in particular has Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lemon and Lime Basil and is covered with a cheaper brand of 40 proof. Just minced the herbs and placed them in a jar, then covered with vodka and will give jar a shake each day and let it sit for 2 wks. Then Ill strain it and put into a jar and it can be used on skin or orally for stomach issues and nerves.
My parents have a huge Meyer Lemon tree in their backyard and always hook me up when she is full of fruit! Here's just a small peek at the beginning of harvest time! I chose to make Lemon-cello this time around. So I had to peel the lemons (Meyers are known for their really thin skin) and then use a knife to carefully remove the pith and put all the cleaned peel in the jar. Then covered with a bit of Grey Goose (thanks Cruise Ship friends!) to begin their infusion. In about a week, I will finish this up and post again!:)
The big project has no photos yet. But here is a very general idea of it. I am going to take my Mom out to her childhood stomping grounds armed with a camera and recorder. We are going to get photos of her childhood home, hospital she was born in (which turns out to be Kitty Cat Club now - a TITTY BAR! LOL), Elementary School, Middle, High. Where she hung out after school. Where Dad proposed to her. The fountain at the cemetery that she Mr. Bubbled etc. I want to know all the stories about her growing up. I will then scrapbook it all out. I will do this for myself too with the same info, and for hubby (this will take a trip to Mississippi) and my Father (a trip to California - probably the last one Ill do since it will take some planning and finanaces). I think it would be neat to have the stories and photos and information in an easy way to follow. It will be something neat to pass down to the kiddo and she can do one of her for her kids etc. I think it will be fun to bond over it all as well! I am pretty stoked about going with Dad to California too! He was only a baby when he was there (born there and lived there I think 2 years).
That's all for now. Going to bed but just wanted to update while I had a minute!
So there is a TON to blog about and not enough time to do it all at once so check in over the next couple of days! We have gone to the Houston Zoo for a visit (on Columbus Day - wearing jackets!), more pictures of both the girls, and even some FOOD pics/recipes! It's fall, y'all! I love cooking this time of year! Ill get some photos up today but like I said - it's going to take a few days!
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