Honey Banana Bread

I…may or may not have eaten an entire loaf of this in 24 hours. It was that tasty. Good thing this recipe makes two 8x4x2.5 loaves, so you have extra to give to a friend or just keep all the deliciousness to yourself. Honey, greek yogurt and almond milk gives this a healthier kick than traditional butter/sugar recipes, and the addition of chocolate chips and walnuts just takes it to a different level.

HONEY BANANA BREAD (makes two loaves)

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups ripe mashed bananas
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup almond milk (or regular milk)
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cups chocolate chips
  • 1.5 cups crushed walnuts
  • Brown sugar, for sprinkling on the top of the breads

-Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

banana bread dry ingredients

-Make a little hole in the whisked dry ingredients, then add the mashed bananas, yogurt, almond milk, honey, eggs, vanilla. Combine gently – don’t overmix.

-Add chocolate chips and walnuts, fold into the mixture.

banana bread dough with chocolate chips and walnuts

-Lightly grease the loaf pans, then pour the batter into each equally. Top with a sprinkling of brown sugar.

-Bake about 50 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the loaf. I tented these with foil at about 30 minutes so the tops didn’t get too browned.

-Cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes while breads are still in their pans, then remove from pans and let cool completely. Serve and enjoy!

honey banana bread

Pitaya (Dragonfruit) Breakfast Bowl

FullSizeRender_1

I’ve been sporadically buying these for a couple weeks down here in San Antonio, and realized lately I better learn how to make them myself, because $9 for a breakfast bowl is notttt happening. Dragonfruit (or Pitaya, if you want to be really fancy about it) is a crazy-looking fruit that’s packed with antioxidants and is a gorgeous bright pink color the stuff my eight year old birthday party dreams were made of. I combined a frozen smoothie pack of this with some coconut water and frozen cubes of fresh papaya and banana, plus about a tablespoon of chia seeds that I soaked overnight. Then, you blend it into “eat with a spoon,” not “drink with a straw” texture, top artfully with fruit and toppings of your choice and serve to your fiance, who will think this is so pretty he’ll instagram it (Hi Brendan!).

PITAYA (DRAGONFRUIT) BREAKFAST BOWL (makes 1)

  • 1 packet Pitaya Plus Smoothie Pack (NEPA friends – check Wegman’s)
  • 1/2 frozen banana (peeled and cut into slices)
  • small handful frozen papaya cubes
  • Coconut water, about 1/3 a cup
  • 1 tbsp. soaked chia seeds (optional)
  • Toppings (your choice): Sliced fresh banana, raspberries, blueberries, coconut flakes, granola, kiwi, etc.

1. In a Nutribullet or a blender, combine the smoothie pack, frozen banana and papaya, chia seeds and coconut water. Blend until it’s an “eat with a spoon” consistency (add more frozen banana or even ice to thicken it, or more coconut water to thin it).

FullSizeRender IMG_0981

2. Pour carefully into a smallish bowl.

3. Top creatively with fruit, granola, coconut etc. There are so many options for this beautiful, insanely healthy way to start your day. Enjoy!

FullSizeRender_2

 

 

Breakfast Bananas

There’s this adorable restaurant in Scranton called Mansours, and every time I go in there I want to hunker down and spend the day there. It’s just beautiful and so welcoming.  It also doesn’t hurt that their food is amazing, and they serve La Colombe coffee, which I really miss from when I lived in Philly and there was a La Colombe about every block or so. They also serve one of my very favorite breakfasts. Are you ready?  Bananas, covered in peanut butter, rolled in really good granola and drizzled with honey. I know. I finally decided to try and make this myself since, you know, they’re not open every day. Enjoy.

BREAKFAST BANANAS (serves 2)
– 2 bananas
– Approx. 3 tbsp. peanut butter
– Really good granola-trail mix blend. This is key. Get something that’s flavorful and has whole almonds, cranberries and whatever other flavor you’d like on this. I used a mix of Wegman’s Organic French Vanilla and Almond Granola and Cranberry Sunshine
– Honey


1. Cut off the very top and bottom of the bananas.


2. With a knife, cover the bananas in peanut butter. I used Justin’s honey-peanut butter, which was awesome on this.

Continue reading “Breakfast Bananas”

Apple, Banana, Avocado & Honey Smoothie

Not only does this smoothie give you, most likely, your total potassium values for the day, it’s also incredibly tasty. The avocado gives it a smoothness (a smoothness smoothie – ha), and the honey adds a lift of delicate sweetness. I had it for breakfast this morning and wasn’t hungry until hours later.

APPLE, BANANA, AVOCADO & HONEY SMOOTHIE (Makes 2 large smoothies)
– 1 red apple (I used Cortland), washed, and cut into chunks. Leave the skin on to retain the nutrients
– 1 banana, peeled and cut into chunks
– 1 avocado, peeled and cut into chunks
– 2/3 C. milk
– 1 C. ice
– 1 tbsp honey – local and organic, if you can find it (this, bizarrely, will help with allergies)

1. Cut up the apple, banana, and avocado.


2. Add ice, milk, fruit, and honey to the blender.


3. Blend until smooth. Add milk to thin to taste.