Taco Tuesday

Buh-bye fruit flies.  Bananas are back in town.  Bring on the brain fuel.

Lord knows I need it.  :)

Hey look!  Something different.  OK, fine it’s still a salad…but it’s a pretty salad!  On a plate. With ham.

I know you are all soooo very excited by this.

Things you never see around here? Crispy Minis. But how could I pass up Butter Popcorn?!  And at only 99 cents it’s a good alternative to higher fat crackers and stuff.

I might have bought three bags.

Another $1 treat.  I took a break from these for a while but I was totally lured in while buying kitty litter at Wal-Mart.  I admit, I’m a sucker.

Dinner was a fun meal for two gals planning our trip to Greece (!!!).  We leave in ONE MONTH and decided to sit down and peruse our guide books for ideas of what we actually want to do when we get there. 

Obviously tacos totally say Greece!  :)  Whole wheat tortillas heated in foil until soft, chopped lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, shredded cheddar, light sour cream, and chunky salsa…

Extra lean ground beef for me, and black beans for Tiffaney as she’s recently become vegetarian.  Both cooked with my homemade Mexican seasoning.

After two big soft tacos each we cleansed our palates with chocolate and peanut butter before settling in to work on our plans. 

We’re ready to go!!  Now we just need to buy comfy, cute traveling shoes and we’ll be on our way!

Three Bananas

Mom and I were so busy all weekend that I felt like I really never got a day off...so I took last night off instead.  The fact that I never ate a real meal yesterday made it easy to skip the blog. :)

Today was back to normal.

Homemade vanilla iced coffee...

Berries, banana, and yogurt...

Lunch from the freezer...

 

I no longer own a microwave so I followed the oven directions and it made a wicked difference.  This little beauty tasted basically homemade!

A fresh side of baby spinach and AMAZING cherry tomatoes drizzled with EVOO & white wine vinegar and sprinkled with coarse salt.

 

Since I didn't even leave the house yesterday, I decided I needed fresh air and a walk this afternoon.  Conveniently Starbucks is within walking distance.

Grande half-sweet hazelnut coffee misto.

Dinner was going to be late due to trying out a yoga class at Goodlife tonight so a quick smoothie held me over.

Banana, blueberries and light vanilla soy milk.  Easy peasy.

Yoga class was a simple, slow stretch.  Generally I like a more powerful yoga practice but this is just what me and my silly injury can handle.  I could barely do a forward fold, but made it through pigeon, and even enjoyed my favourite pose...tree.

Dinner involved a beautiful single serving fresh halibut filet and a wonderful suggestion from some fabulous foodie Tweeters.  :)

Recipe to come.  Stay tuned.  It's a little out of my comfort zone and totally turned out!

After dinner I enjoyed a glorious hour of laying on the couch watching TV.  That's the first time I've done that since I've lived here!  Sometimes a gal just needs to gap out and stare at the tube wrapped in her blankie.  :)  Even if she only gets three channels...at least one of them was airing MasterChef.

Dessert was whipped up on a commercial break. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Soft Serve. 

1 banana whirled with 1 tablespoon of Maranatha Chocolate Peanut Spread and 1 tablespoon of unsweetened Almond Breeze.  Sprinkled with mini chocolate chips.

Nuf said.

Recipe: Basic Banana Bread

I find that I often get so caught up in making only “healthy” baked goods, that sometimes it’s nice to just follow a regular recipe the way it’s supposed to be.  No substitutions.  Just traditional recipes.

This Banana Bread recipe was given to me by a former co-worker’s wife and it turns out perfect and moist every time.

Basic Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp butter (room temp)
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3-4 very ripe bananas (mashed)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup walnut or pecan pieces (lightly toasted) (optional)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• In a large bowl: cream butter.  Add sugar, beat together.  Add egg, beat. Add vanilla, beat.
• In another bowl: Mix flour, soda, salt & baking powder.  Stir to combine. 
• Add mashed bananas to wet mixture.  Fold together.  Add nuts and/or chocolate chips if desired.  Add flour mixture gradually, stirring to combine.
• Pour batter into sprayed loaf pan.  (Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top, if using.)
• Bake for 50-60 minutes.  Check for doneness at 40-45 minutes as some ovens cook faster than others. 
• Let cool before removing from pan.  Slice and enjoy!