Banana Bread

This recipe happened on a “I feel like baking something” kind of Sunday morning.

I had some extra bananas that were starting to get a little gross and didn’t have anything for breakfast.

Perfect solution: banana bread.

First time banana bread baker, right here.

I started dumping everything into the bowls and mixing it all together until I opened the fridge and realized – SHIT – no eggs.

I think Tuna was craving banana bread just as much as I was, because he saved the day and went to grab some eggs for me. 🙂

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This recipe was adapted from HERE.

You will need: bread loaf pan

Ingredients:

  • 4 overripe bananas
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ¼ cup applesauce
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

Mix together mashed bananas, applesauce, eggs, vanilla, oil, sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt.

Pour one bowl into the other and stir.

Pour batter into pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes.

Cool for a few minutes before removing bread from pan.

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Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Here’s a good example of my weird taste buds.

I don’t like raw cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, so Tuna and I were both surprised when I loved the oven roasted tomatoes his sister made for us at a family function.

I was even more surprised when I asked her how to make them, and the response was that they are SUPER EASY.

These tomatoes are also quite fancy because Tuna’s sister is a foodie, so now whenever we make them we feel very important.

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You will need: baking sheet, aluminum foil

Ingredients:

  • cherry or grape tomatoes
  • salt
  • pepper
  • dried basil
  • olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250°F-300°F.

Rinse and dry tomatoes.

Cut cherry or grape tomatoes in half and put them peel side down on a rimmed baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried basil.

Bake for 1.5 hours until they are dried out and slightly caramelized.

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I’ve already served them at a dinner party and they’re also great in salads.

Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

Healthiest Blondies Ever

I’ve had these babies on my Pinterest board for ages, but couldn’t bring myself to make them because I was wary of its secret ingredient.

healthiestblondieseverThe secret ingredient?

CHICKPEAS!

They look delish though, so you don’t even need to close your eyes in order to trick your senses.

From now on, whenever I need some guilt free sweet stuff, I’m going to pull out a can of garbanzo beans.

You should try them. I swear that if I like them, you will too!

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These blondies were inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie’s.

Recipe makes an 8x8in pan.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup ground flax seed
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips until very smooth (I used a hand mixer).

Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into 8x8in pan.

Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of the batter.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Don’t worry if they look a little undercooked – they will harden up once they cool.

healthyblondies4healthyblondies3Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

Old Bay Crab Burger

This is officially the best burger I’ve ever eaten.

Okay, I admit: I think I’ve had about two hamburgers in my whole life (I’m not a huge ground beef fan). But this meal may have changed my whole outlook on burgers.

I found the recipe in the most recent edition of Runner’s World and switched up the flavoring from curry to Old Bay.

The article explained that crab has a lot of vitamin b12, which apparently helps with red blood cell production, therefore carrying more oxygen to your muscles.

Not going to lie – this dinner seriously tasted like it was from a restaurant!

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Makes 2 burger patties.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz lump crab meat
  • 1/2 cup cooked corn kernels
  • 1/4 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
  • 1 small egg
  • 1 1/2 cup low-fat chipotle mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
  • 1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

Mix together ingredients in large bowl.

Form into 2 burger patties with hands.

Grease large skillet and grill about 5 minutes on each side.

******

We gobbled our burgers down on toasted whole wheat sandwich rolls and topped them with homemade guacamole. Omg.

Tuna got a whole photo flip book of the tasting.

crabburger1crabburgereating2crabburgereating3crabburgereating4 Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

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Healthy Chocolate Chip Pancakes

When Tuna woke up on Saturday morning and wanted to make pancakes, I wasn’t about to try and change his mind.

Because it meant I would get pancakes too.

Tunes got even more points for makin’ them right – i.e., with chocolate chips.

He based his healthy chocolate chip pancakes off of THIS recipe.

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Ingredients:

  • 2 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups skim milk
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, oil, and milk.

Stir wet ingredients into dry (keep batter a little lumpy).

Grease a skillet (I used Pam) and heat on medium.

Pour 1/2 cup of batter at a time onto skillet.

Let cook for several minutes and flip when bubbles start to appear on top of the dough. Cook on second side for several minutes until golden brown.

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healthychocolatechippancakes5Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

The Great Cooking Disaster of 2013

Sooooo…..about that baked vegetable pilaf.

bakedvegetablepilaf5Making it was fun and it tasted amazing. But it was during the part in between that disaster struck.

As I went to put the dish in the oven, I glanced at the recipe instructions one last time and realized I needed a lid for the casserole dish (the directions called for one).

Welp, I didn’t have a lid, so I made a makeshift one using two glass lids for the 9x13in dish. One was from a smaller casserole dish and the other was my crock-pot lid.

photo (2)35 minutes later, I took the pilaf out of the oven and squinted in confusion.

The handle on the crock-pot lid had melted.

meltedcrockpotlid2In a huff, I grabbed the other glass lid with my non-mitted hand and immediately felt the shock of HOT. I quickly threw the glass down into the sink and turned on the cold cold water to run my burned fingers under.

Then I heard a large SNAP.

brokencookinglid1Maybe I need to go back and read Cooking For Dummies.

burnedhandLesson learned: always read ALL of the directions before you start a recipe.

Have you ever had a baking or cooking fail? What happened?

Baked Vegetable Pilaf

I know for a fact that this main dish/side dish is super healthy because I found it in my Eat-Clean Diet book.

I’m so glad I did because it is most definitely delish. Did I mention this recipe is also sups easy to make?

The perfect trio.

I am really liking these quinoa bakes, if you can’t tell!

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bakedvegetablesinpilafbakedvegetablepilaf7bakedvegetablepilaf6Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot,chopped
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1/2 cup bell pepper (any color, I used red and green) chopped
  • 1/2 cup corn
  • 3/4 cup uncooked couscous
  • 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray casserole dish with olive oil.

Cook couscous and the quinoa.

While the grains are cooking, heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add onion, carrot, celery, pepper, and corn. Cook until onion is translucent.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked grains and veggies. Stir in vegetable stock and salt. Pour mixture into casserole dish.

Cover casserole dish with lid. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Grains are cooked when all water has been absorbed.

bakedvegetablepilafThanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

My Allegiance

I think my allegiance has officially shifted from Whole Foods to Trader Joe’s.

traderjoesA year and a half ago, I used to do my weekly grocery shopping at Giant. I would get golfish and diet coke and call it a day.

When I started eating clean in January 2012, I started shopping at Whole Foods – meaning I was spoiled with ridiculously nice looking produce while simultaneously spending a small fortune.

Talking with friends last week brought me back down to Earth that people my age should be shopping a little more $$ conscious wise, and Trader Joe’s is the perfect compromise. Foodie and organic, but waaay more affordable.

I’m glad I used Whole Foods during the time that I was really figuring out how to eat healthily, and now that I know what shit like agave nectar is I’m more comfortable with choosing what to buy in a jumbled assortment of food.

traderjoes1With everything costing about half of what it would cost at Whole Foods, I am able to simply buy more at Trader Joe’s. I have enough room in my budget to try new flavors that I may not like or buy fruit that I normally wouldn’t buy, like tomato and basil hummus.

traderjoeshummus2And there are awesome Trader Joe’s brand items that are not only cheap, but utterly delicious. This pecan praline granola is seriously the best granola I’ve ever had.

pecangranolaChia seeds at Whole Foods = $9.99. Chia seeds at Trader Joe’s = $4.99.

traderjoeshaulWanna know why I never went to the Trader Joe’s near me and opted for the more expensive Whole Foods? I thought you had to pay for parking in the nearby garage to park at the Trader Joe’s.

Turns out parking is free.

Where do you grocery shop?

Are you on team Whole Foods or team Trader Joe’s?

Back to the Grind

Now that my summer vacations are over, my body will surely be thanking me. This is because when I was on my multiple getaways this summer I cared to shovel my face with delicious food.

Don’t get me wrong, that’s fine on occasion and in moderation, but unfortunately – I go big or go home.

So as I return home, I am refocusing and getting serious about eating clean again and working out on the reg. I’m sick of feeling shitty when I eat like shit or bad about myself when I skip my run with the  excuse that it’s miserably hot out. I’m promising myself that I’ll try my best to get back on the healthy train. All you can do is try your best, right?

For me, the healthy train means eating clean 95% of the time with one big free meal a week and a few chocolate and/or alcohol dalliances here and there.

A friend asked me recently if I count my macros.

I had no idea what macros were! luckily she explained it to me – and little did I know I had all the info in my Eat-Clean Diet book.

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The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged, page 28.

eatcleandiet3She also told me about My Fitness Pal, an iPhone app that I had heard about but never tried. She said she used it to count her daily macros and it’s helped her a lot.

myfitnesspalI’ll do a full review of the app once I’ve used it for awhile and can really tell you about it. But it is already proving helpful with portion sizes – one of the main issues I need to work on! I am floored at some of the actual serving sizes it’s showing me in comparison to what I previously assumed appropriate serving sizes were.

Here’s to saying goodbye to an indulgent, relaxing summer and kickin’ my ass into gear for the end of the year. Who’s with me?

Easy Stir Fry Sauce

Last week I was really missin’ the stir fry station we had at the cafeteria near my first year (freshman) dorm room.

You could personalize your stir fry by choosing whatever you wanted and the cooks would make it up right there in front of you. Sigh.

Nowadays I have to resort to googling: “how to make a stir fry sauce,” in order to eat. 😉

Obviously I would never imagine making something with ginger, like a lot of stir fry recipes have, so Tuna and I settled on a soy-sesame sauce. It was so good I’m going to use as it as my go to stir fry sauce from now on!

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Google led us to THIS article that we based our stir fry sauce on.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp red vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Dump on protein and veggies of choice and cook in a skillet for 10-15 minutes while stirring.

Serve over brown rice.

easystirfrysauce1Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!