Peanut Butter Banana Bread

from Cooking Light magazine. I didn't have the peanuts so I left them out and it was still great.

1 1/2 c mashed ripe bananas
1/3 c plain yogurt
1/3 c creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 c ground flaxseed (this is really healthy, but if you don't have any you can use flour)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
2 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first five ingredients, beat in sugars until well blended. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet, then stir in peanuts. Pour batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about at hour, cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove and cool on wire rack.

Glaze:
Combine 1/3 c powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk and 1 tablespoon peanut butter with a whisk. Drizzle over bread.

Banana Cake

This is divine.

1/2 c melted butter
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c sour cream (I used plain yogurt, it was amazing)
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 bananas, mashed
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Beat butter, sugar, and eggs, add sour cream, vanilla, and bananas and mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture. Spread batter in a greased and floured sheet cake pan (bake 25-30 minutes) or 9x13 (bake 45 minutes) and bake at 300.

Cream Cheese Icing
6 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 c soft butter
3 c powdered sugar

Mix together and spread on the cooled cake.

Blackberry Frozen Yogurt

We inherited an ice cream maker a few weeks ago and have had a lot of fun with it! This is our favorite that we have made so far.

2 cups vanilla yogurt
1/2 c milk
1/4 c sugar
1-2 c fresh blackberries, pureed and strained
1 T lemon juice

Combine ingredients and place in ice cream maker.

Kale

I don't think that I had ever tried kale before this, but I read about how nutritious it is and so I wanted to try it. Collin and I both liked it better than cooked spinach. It reduces a lot as it cooks, so don't worry that it seems like a lot. I think this was from cooks.com.

1 large bunch kale, washed, dried, and shredded (make sure to fold the leaves in half and rip out the tough stems)
3 Tbl olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c bread crumbs

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook until soft, add the kale and cook until it gets a little wilty. Mix in the breadcrumbs. Serve over rice or as a side dish.

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Here is a fun new one that I tried. I thought it really improved the cake mix and made it yummier and fancier. From the Lion House Bakery book.

1 chocolate cake mix (I have also tried it with yellow and it was yummy)
1 can cherry pie filling
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13. Combine ingredients with a large spoon (a mixer will break up the cherries). Spread batter into pan and bake 30-40 minutes.

Frosting:
1 c sugar
1/3 c milk
6 T butter
1-2 cups chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

While cake is baking, combine sugar, butter, milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add chips and vanilla. Stir with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over warm cake and spread evenly.

Amost Oreos

I think these are better than oreos!

1 box devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
3 T water
3 T oil
1/2 c cocoa

Preheat to 400. Combine ingredients. Form into balls and place on greased cookie sheets. Flatten and bake 6-8 minutes. While they cool, make the filling.

Filling:
1 c shortening
about 1 pound powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c water

Beat shortening. Add one cup sugar, vanilla, and water. Beat, add half the sugar, beat, add the rest, beat again.

Make into sandwiches.

Green Drink

This is my mother-in-law's tried and true trick that she used to get her kids to eat some greens. She said to put celery in, but I thought it made the texture weird, so I leave it out. I think it is pretty good, and Jeanette(who refuses to eat vegetables) doesn't exactly guzzle it, but she drinks it.

Place in the blender:
a handful of spinach
a sprig of parsley
a cup of pineapple juice
Blend until very smooth (you don't want them to detect any bits or chunks!).

Noodles and White Sauce

I love the theme for this month. I am looking forward to all of your ideas. Here is one of my favorite kid lunches.

bowtie or spiral pasta
Alfredo sauce from a jar mixed half and half with pureed cauliflower
chopped chicken (from a can or leftovers)
peas and carrots (my philosophy is even if they get picked out, at least you tried!)
whatever else you have laying around and think your kids will eat!

I also like to make breakfast foods for lunch: cheesy omelets, waffles, breakfast burritos.

Polynesian Coconut Rolls

Coconut milk is amazing. It makes everything taste so yummy and exotic.

1 can coconut milk
1 c water
6 T sugar
4 tsp corn starch
dough for 12 rolls

Combine coconut milk, water, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl, stir well until cornstarch dissolves. Coat a 9x13 with spray. Pour in mixture. Place rolls on top of coconut mixture. Let rise until double in size (1 hour or 25 minutes in a warm oven), then bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
from The Lion House Bakery cookbook.
I used white whole wheat in my roll dough and it was still great.

Pancakes

This is from the book Deceptively Delicious, which I am really enjoying. The idea is that you add vegetable and fruit puree to everything so that your kids get some vitamins even if they are refusing to eat their vegetables. I'm not sure if its enough to really make a big difference, but its worth trying. You can always use baby food if you don't want to go to the trouble of making the purees. These are really yummy.

1 cup water
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup pancake mix

Mix the batter and cook the pancakes. Serve with whatever you like.

Spaghetti Squash Dip

I found this recipe here. I was intrigued and tried it and I loved it! It is a little like Spinach Artichoke Dip. I used Pepper Jack for some of the cheese and I liked the flavor it added.

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking dish.
2. Place the spaghetti squash cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Place in preheated oven, and bake until soft when a fork is inserted., 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Scoop out the cooked squash, and place in a mixing bowl. Add butter to the squash and stir until butter melts. Stir the mayonnaise, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, and Monterey Jack cheese into the squash mixture until well blended. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven until cheese melts, about 20 minutes.

Swiss Chicken

(from Remedies for the "I Don’t Cook" Syndrome)

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 oz Swiss cheese, shredded
1 pint sour cream
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 box stuffing mix
1/3 c butter

Place the breasts in a 9x13 pan (I added a cup of green beans.)and sprinkle with salt and pepper and the cheese. Mix the sour cream and soup and spread over the top. Melt the butter and mix with the stuffing, then sprinkle on top. Bake, covered, at 325 for 90 minutes.

Peach Cobbler

This is an easy favorite and feeds a crowd. For some color and variety, add a cup or two of berries.

2 large cans peaches, 1 drained, 1 with juice
1 yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
about 1 tsp cinnamon

Pour the peaches into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with the cake mix and then sprinkle on a little cinnamon. Cut the butter into pats and spread them evenly over the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes at 350 or until golden. Serve warm with ice cream.

Southwest Macaroni Salad

My mother-in-law and I made this yesterday. It was mostly her invention. I really liked it. The amounts are not exact and this is the kind of thing that you can leave out or replace anything you don't like.

1 packet ranch, mixed with mayo and/or sour cream according to directions
1 cup fresh salsa
1-2 lbs macaroni, cooked and drained
3 cups cooked chopped chicken
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can sliced olives
2 sliced green onions
1 chopped cucumber
handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
handful halved cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Mix and chill.

Hummus

This is adapted from my mom's recipe. The tahini is a little hard to find; you can find it in health or ethnic food stores. You can still make this without it, or even throw in some sesame seeds in the food processor instead.

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/4 cup tahini (sesame butter)
3 T chopped cilantro (a handful of leaves)
2 -- 4 cloves garlic
juice of one large lemon
2 T water
1 T olive oil
a pinch cumin
Process in food processor until fairly smooth.Makes about 3 cups.Serve with warm pita and raw vegetables such as lettuce, chopped cucumber, diced tomatoes, chopped bell pepper, olives, or sprouts. Or use as a dip with chips or crackers.
Or make pinwheel sandwiches by spreading 3/4 - 1 cup hummus on a piece of lavash bread (or torilla), add lettuce (with the crunchy part torn out) or baby spinach and any of the other vegetables mentioned above. Roll it up and slice.