Banana Bread

This banana bread has been the most popular recipe on Simply Recipes for over 10 years. Thousands of people make it every day. Why?
Because it really is the best banana bread recipe, period. You can mix everything in one bowl, you can vary the amount of sugar or bananas. And the secret to its great flavor? Melted butter.
The beauty of this banana bread recipe is you don’t need a fancy mixer! A fork to whisk the eggs and a sturdy spoon to mix the batter are all you need. The sugar amount is flexible. The original recipe called for a cup of white sugar, but most people, including me, do just fine with 3/4 of a cup, and many are happy with a 1/2 cup.
You can toss in a cup of chopped nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips if you want, or put the batter into muffin tins and make muffins instead. You can even go a step further and make chocolate banana bread.
I was given this banana bread recipe years ago from my friend Heidi H, who, many years before, had begged the recipe from a ski buddy’s mother—Mrs. Hockmeyer. (Isn’t it funny how the parents of our childhood friends are always Mrs. and Mr. no matter how old we get?)

Banana Bread Recipe

No need for a mixer for this recipe! Clean-up is easy too, if you want, you can mix everything in one bowl.
The best bananas to use for banana bread are those that are over-ripe. The yellow peels should be at least half browned, and the bananas inside  squishy and browning.

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 very ripe bananas, peeled


• 1/3 cup melted butter


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• Pinch of salt


• 3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup if you would like it less sweet, 1 cup if more sweet)


• 1 large egg, beaten


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Read More: Banana Bread

.
.
.

Chocolate Fondue

Looking for fun and easy chocolate dessert experience? Make chocolate fondue!
My friend Garrett taught me how to make this years ago. It’s a great way to make dessert a more interactive experience. Everyone gets to choose their own “dip-able” fruit—whether it’s strawberries, bananas, or marshmallows, and it’s incredibly easy to make. Only needs three ingredients—chocolate, cream, and a pinch of salt.
You can add extra flavors to the chocolate too, like some peppermint extract for peppermint chocolate fondue, or cinnamon and chili for a Mexican spin, or Amaretto or Bailey’s Irish cream for a more grown up version.
And if it’s just the two of you, chocolate fondue is a great way to end a romantic meal at home. The dip-ables can be prepped in advance, and the chocolate sauce comes together in just a few minutes.

It does help to have a fondue pot, to keep the chocolate warm while everyone is dipping into the pot. That said, if you don’t have that set-up, you could easily use a regular pot. Just put an oven mitt on the table and place the hot pot of melted chocolate on top of it to start dipping. Return it to the stove and stir in a little more hot cream if it starts to stiffen too much.
What to dip in you chocolate fondue? Fruit is the obvious place to start—strawberries, bananas, chunks of pineapple, dried apricots, pears. Or you can go long on the sweet vector and dip brownies, pound cake, marshmallows, or even ladyfingers.

Chocolate Fondue Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 ounces of milk or dark chocolate (chips or roughly chopped if from a block)


• 1 cup (8 ounces) of heavy whipping cream


• A pinch of salt


• Dip-ables such as strawberries, banana pieces cut into 1-inch chunks, dried appricots, candied ginger, apple pieces

Read More: Chocolate Fondue

.
.
.

SKINNY GREEN MONSTER SMOOTHIE

A vitamin packed smoothie, perfect for breakfast or lunch on the go!

Ok, so I’ll admit, first time trying a green monster smoothie… and quite honestly I was not prepared to like it!

I mean, spinach in a smoothie?? Even though green may be my favorite color, it sounded way too healthy even for my taste! But it’s January, a month of new beginnings, resolutions and cleaning our bodies so I was willing to take a chance.

So, after someone recently sent me their recipe I took a chance and tried it for myself. What’s the worst that could happen? If I don’t like it, I’ll just toss it, right?

I had all the ingredients on hand and put them in my blender. Myself, my teenager and my aunt just watched as the blender ran and the smoothie turned into a shade of bright green.

I was the first to test it out, and not bad! Good actually! All I really tasted was the peanut butter and banana, nothing else really stood out. I could get used to this! They all agreed, even my picky teenager thought it was good!

So, why should you try a GREEN MONSTER?? Vitamins!! A, C, K, iron, fiber, folate, lutein, magnesium, potassium, protein and calcium! Give it a try and see what you think!

Skinny Green Monster Smoothie
Servings: 1
Serving Size: about 2 cups
Points +: 6 pts
Smart Points: 3
Calories: 253.4
Fat: 4.0 g
Carb: 38.6 g
Fiber: 5.5 g
Protein: 17.5 g
Sugar: 18.4 g
Sodium: 236.7 mg

Read more at SKINNY GREEN MONSTER SMOOTHIE