Banana Bread Breakfast

You:  Banana bread for breakfast?
Me:   Why not!
You:  Because it's not healthy.
Me:   This bowl of goodness is :)

Eating healthy doesn't have to be hard, nor does it have to be bland. This was simple and I got two servings out of it at approximately 250 calories per serving with nuts and around 200 calories without nuts.

1 frozen banana (doesn't have to be frozen)
1 cup flake cereal (I found a gluten free one but Corn Flakes are just as yummy)
1 cup milk (I used a light soy milk, but any type will work)
2 TBS walnuts (optional and almonds would make a good choice too)
2 scoops of vanilla whey protein (1 tsp of vanilla extract would do the trick too)

Blended it all together in a food processor. I let mine sit for a little while to get the flakes soft but if you want a little crunch eat immediately.

Note on food processor - I recently bought a Ninja because it was cheep (around $20) and looked like it would do the trick. It was a good call, I use it for all kinds of recipes, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants something small and affordable.

Kitchen Sink Chicken Soup

For those who don't already know - I don't feel the need to measure most things while cooking... Baking on the other hand, I measure slightly more often. For this chicken soup recipe I don't have how much of anything, I firmly believe that's up to you. Be a Rebel. Do it your way.

Ingredients 
1 whole chicken, rinsed with skin and all. (You could use any combination of parts of the chicken)
1 medium onion (I like to cook with red onions, but feel free to use the onion of your choice)
carrots (I don't measure, as many as you like)
Celery

Seasonings (use any combination of the following seasoning to your preference and fresh or dried shouldn't make much difference for this recipe.)

Salt
Pepper
Fresh grated (ginger past would work good too)
Rosemary
Parsley (I personally never use parsley because I don't think it has any flavor)
Thyme
Bay leaf (I normally find I have to remove the bay leaf after cooking if I am using the whole leaf)

Other optional ingredience 
Jalapenos
Mushrooms
Any other veggie you like
Noodles or Rice (Don't forget the extra water if cooking with the chicken. The lazy way is to cook, then add to soup, which I'm known to do, but you don't get the flavors cooked into the rice or noodles)


Throw everything into a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for an hour. (The more water the more broth you can make. The extra can be frozen for later use if there is too much)

After it's done cooking I take out the chicken, remove the skin and bones, and pull/cut up meat. Breast meat could be saved for salads while putting the rest of the meat back into the soup. You can also chill the broth and skim off the fat if you are looking to reduce calories.

Other option would be to put it into a crock pot - haven't tried that yet because it would take longer to cook.

Easy Peasy!

Sugar, Sugar or The Best Gift Ever (Sugar Cookies)

Star Wars and sugar cookies, what could these have in common? My Brother. To be more accurate his birthday/Christmas gift. My brother, like most brothers is hard to shop for. He either has it or doesn’t need it or he wouldn’t find it as entertaining as I do. But this year I found the perfect gift. Star Wars cookie cutters. He does love his Star Wars.

But wait, he’s also got two small kids at home and I can’t imagine him or his wife rolling out sugar cookies. This leaves the loving sister, me, to make the cookie dough, roll it out, cut the shapes, package them up, and then ship them half way across the country. I hope he knows how much love I have to do all of those things. Braving the post office alone to get the package shipped is a nightmare. This is also the first time I’ve made rolled sugar cookies. I cut them as a kid with my grandmother but this was a new experience for me to make the dough.

It turned out well. The true test is if he gives me an A+ but he’s always complaining that my cooking is to health. Okay, I’ll admit to using whole-wheat pastry flour but only because my roommates flour has bugs in it. Such grosso-bunnies. I was already half done with the cookie dough so I just used my flour. Yo bro, real sugar and butter! Here’s the recipe.

3 cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup white sugar

½ cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons coffee creamer, or half-and-half. I used all natural sweet-cream flavored coffee creamer

1. Preheat oven to 375°

2. Cream together butter and sugars

3. Add egg, vanilla, and creamer

4. Start mixing in flour ½ a cup at a time. After 1 cup flour add salt and baking powder, then finish adding flour. At some point you will have to put the mixer up and start using your own arm power with a spoon.

5. The dough should be thick in consistency. Now through it into the refrigerator for an hour, or overnight.

6. Flour surface, grab a chunk of dough, and knead it in your hands to get it warmed up a little so it doesn’t crack when you roll it out. Use a rolling pin to roll it out and cookie cutters.

7. Place on ungreased pan and back 7-9 minutes.

8. Now you have sugar cookies.

Strawberry Heaven

As strawberry season rolls through California lets give it up to this amazing fruit.  It is high in fiber, second only to the blueberry in antioxidants, a great source of vitamin C, and that sweet juicy flavor is an unforgettable staple of fresh goodness.

Lets talk strawberry pie.  There are a lot of variations out there so this is a recipe you can go buck wild with.  I’m sticking with a low fat, low sugar but substituting back to the real deal is easy breezy.

Basic must haves include strawberries, cornstarch, sugar and pie shell.

Pie shells include gram cracker, a regular flour and butter piecrust, or my new find crescent roll crust. For both the regular and the crescent roll crust precook it.  I used a crescent roll crust.  Unroll, press it into the pan, bake according to the directions on the package, and let cool.  The crescent roll crust is a wonderful flaky light crust that works well with fruit pies and the reduced fat kind can be used.

For the filling throw strawberries, cornstarch, sugar, and water into a pan and boil until thick.  This doesn’t take a lot of heat or very long. 

Start with a bunch (1-2 cups) of strawberries fresh, frozen, puréed or solid

1-4 tbsp cornstarch

¼- ¾ cup sugar

1 cup water

For the sugar I used 1 ½ tbsp Sun Crystals that is a sugar/stevia blend. I also mixed in 1 tbsp sugar free strawberry jello and some recipes call for vanilla cook and serve pudding.

My extra was a cream cheese base.  So before you pour the mixture into the pie curst mix up cream cheese, sugar, and a little milk. Spread on bottom of crust and put some fresh strawberries down for a little extra fresh kick.  To lower the fat in recipes don’t use the fat free cream cheese, it just doesn’t work out, but the 1/3 reduced fat is amazing for cooking and baking.

Cream Cheese mixture-

4 oz cream cheese

1-2 tbsp sugar

1-2 tbsp milk

Blend together and you’ve got a cream cheese base for any fruit pie and it makes for a good fruit dip. 

The First Trial - Chololate Chip Cookies

Following the rules, measuring things out, staying in the lines isn’t everyone’s style.  This is why baking and cooking has such a bad rap with some people.  I’m here today to show you that you can throw out the traditional recipes and live on the experimental side.

Step one to the new side of baking or cooking – Pick the dish you want to make

Step two – How do you want it made?  Are there health concerns?  I choose to bake on the low fat and health side but this guide is for everyone.

Step three – Find the recipes.  For our example today we will be making Chocolate chip cookies

Step four – read the ingredients.  Which ones are necessary, which can be substitute, and which are optional. 

Example –

Required – flower, baking soda, eggs

Substituted - sugar both brown and white (or sugar substitute), shortening (butter, yogurt, applesauce, or Crisco), The flavor of extract and chips that you want to put into your recipe

Optional – nuts, package of pudding, salt (which really does add to the taste but it can be left out if you have high blood pressure.

Step 5 – figuring out the right amounts for everything.  Here is where you get to learn through trial and error.  Some things should not be fucked with.  If you are worried about this I’m happy to answer any questions about this on my blog.

Flour – The average is about 2 cups.  More can always be added later if needed and some recipes call for more but that’s for bigger batches.  When all things are even it’s still about 2 cups.

Eggs – Average is 2 so lets stick with that.

Sugar – How much sugar do you want?  The average is ¾ cup each.  Do you like white sugar more? Brown sugar more?  Do you like less sugar?  I’m a low sugar girl so I’m going with about ½ cup each brown and white sugar.  If you substitute for splenda lower the amount of sugar because it causes things to settle heavy on the bottom and the measurements may not be equal so keep that in mind and read the packages.

Baking soda - This is the king of the household and should never be fucked with.  Average is 1 teaspoon.  Keep it that way.

Shortening – This has all kinds of different options, when using apple sauce or yogurt make sure to reduce by just a little.  It’s always easier to put more in then take some out.  You can reduce the amount of butter or Crisco and substitute with yogurt. This is the best combination that I have found – half the amount of butter but use Crisco and make up for the other half with yogurt.  Here we will use half a cup Crisco and half a cup vanilla yogurt.  It adds the least amount of flavor.  If you want to add other flavors of yogurt to spice it up.  Go for it – experiment. 

Chips – I know we are talking about chocolate chip cookies but live a little.  Try white chocolate, cherry, dark chocolate, or butterscotch. Average is 2 cups but these are your cookies.  Do you want more or less? Have fun these are for you.

Extract – Vanilla is the classic for cookies, but try almond for something new or cherry if you are using cherry chips.  What flavors do you like? Average is 1 teaspoon.  Never use too much extract.  It taste bad in large doses.

Optional – Do you like nuts?  Then add nuts.  Do add salt if you can it helps the flavors come out.  I’m going to throw in a package of white chocolate pudding.  It sounds like it will go good in chocolate chip cookies. 

Now for cooking – Do you want bars or cookies?  I want cookies and the average bake temp it 350.  Make them as big or as small as you like.

Mixing -  Same as with the other recipes - flour, baking soda, salt in a bowl and put aside.  Then mix shorting, extract, sugars, eggs, (this is where the pudding mix) would be addedand when that's all mixed up add the flour mixture.  Last stir in nuts and chips.

Secret tip – Crisco makes for wonderful consistency but it does go through a life cycle.  Never eat Crisco cookies fresh from the pan.  Let them sit overnight for the best results.

Now be off with you and enjoy the experience of experimental cooking.