Baking fool - with a recipe!

Saturday morning I decided to do some baking. I have a toddler who still refuses to eat vegetables and an infant who has decided he likes to eat absolutely everything, so I figured that since I just professed to not being much of a baker I should make some more butternut squash waffles (with spinach), and make up some recipes for carrot banana bread and zucchini spinach muffins. You know, just off the cuff.

I was baking for four hours. I might be delirious.

But I have for you my recipe for Carrot Banana Bread. It's a combination of carrot cake ingredients and banana bread ingredients. I winged it (wang it?) and I think I'm in love with this bread.



Carrot Banana Cake Bread

2 1/2 bananas
3/4 cup carrots, shredded
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda

preheat the oven to 325 degrees. grease your loaf pan, and then dust with flour (or just use Baker's Pam). blend first 6 ingredients together. sift the last four ingredients together and blend into the wet. Pour into pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let set for 10 minutes to cool before inhaling eight pieces at a time.


*Note: my second one I only had two bananas so I upped the pineapple and then I added about a cup of crushed walnuts.

Waffles and sunshine

Another thing I am happy about and I can't believe I didn't mention it yesterday is this weather! I so addicted to being outside. I've been campaigning again for my deck, and last night while we were eating an early dinner at a local restaurant that I had a Groupon for (this place ... if you live in the area, GO THERE IMMEDIATELY. It's fantastic. And healthy. And uses local produce. And you get a free frozen yogurt with every meal. I digress.) and we sketched out how I want the deck (yes, how I want it) so Hubby can start on it soon. It's so beautiful out there!! I've been spending every minute I can outside before the heat index reaches 120 degrees and I start spending $800 a month in air conditioning.

Also, these waffles make me very happy.


I promised myself I wouldn't be one of those mothers who fights with their kids over what they eat. There are plenty of things to fight about without force feeding your child too (which is my own opinion and might be wrong, so please don't think I'm judging you for forcing your kid to eat his spinach). I do often request that he eat one bite, but even then he will concede that it tastes fine but that he's not interested (unless it's green and not edemame, because then it will be a cold day in hell before it passes his lips). So this week I took the leftover roasted butternut squash and incorporated it into a self-made recipe for waffles and success! So here you go:


Butternut Squash and Oatmeal Waffles

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup packed squash or pumpkin puree
1/2 cup (skim) milk
1 egg
2 tbs (Greek) yogurt
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda

mix all ingredients except oatmeal well, then mix in oatmeal. makes 5 waffles, which in this house feeds one hungry toddler. For extra healthy breakfast, top with peanut butter and honey, with a side of fruit. Freeze leftovers and pop them into toaster oven as needed!

(this is the first bite being removed from the plate in record time, even before the fruit)

Now does someone want to suggest something to me to sneak greens into that doesn't involve chocolate?

Burrito Bake

I decided tonight to do something with all the stuff in my pantry. I had a pound of frozen shredded taco chicken from when I was readying my freezer pre-birth, and I made this easy-peasy (lemon squeezy) casserole: Burrito Bake.

layer:
--1 package of Vigo yellow rice, cooked
--mix of 1 can black beans and 1 small can sliced black olives
--mix of 1 can chopped green chilis and 1 lb shredded taco chicken (however you usually season, either chili powder/cumin mix or just a packet of taco seasoning)
--chopped cilantro
--shredded cheese

Cook at 350 for about 10 minutes (I use my toaster oven of course) until cheese is melted. Serve with chopped onions and a dollop of sour cream. Yummy, quick and packs a lot of punch for very little effort!

Toddler snack of champions

Dried apricots, golden raisins, cranberries, mission figs and Target chickadees (off brand goldfish).

If only he wouldn't spill it on the sidewalk and then stop to eat it.

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