Best Banana Bread Recipe EVER - Apple, Cinnamon, Raspberry, Banana Bread!

I love to experiment with conventional recipes and add and tweak them, just pretty much not follow recipes. Usually I have some successes and some less successes, but I almost never write the recipe down because I am lazy and I'm impatient, always off to find the next exciting concoction. This recipe however I stumbled onto - is so good I've made it several times, and tomorrow I will be serving it at my daughters 2nd birthday party, masquerading as a cupcake! So with all this in mind I made sure I got a very clear perfectly followable recipe to share with everyone. Seriously make this bread, you will not be disappointed!

Preheat oven for 340

Bread Loaf: 40-50 minutes.

24 cupcakes: 27 minutes

                                                        1/2 Stick Butter (Room Temp)

                                                        2-3 Very ripe bananas (chopped)

                                                        2 Eggs

                                                        2/3 cup Sugar

                                                        1 tbsp Cinnamon*

                                                        1/2 tbsp Nutmeg*

                                                        1 Fuji Apple (pealed and diced)

                                                         Lemon Juice (drip on apple pieces)

                                                        1 1/3 Cup Flour

                                                        3/4 tsp salt

                                                        1/2 tsp baking soda

                                                        1/4 tsp baking powder

                                                        15 Raspberries (broken into smaller pieces) 

Combine butter, bananas and eggs, mashing up bananas so there are no large pieces. Add sugar, *1/2 the cinnamon and *1/2 the nutmeg, mix together. 

  Then add apple pieces.

In another bowl combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, the remaining cinnamon and remaining nutmeg, whisking together to combine well. Pour into wet ingredients and stir til it comes together.

 Fold in the raspberry pieces. The raspberry is great in this so feel free to add a few extra.

 

Put in greased loaf pan or lined muffin pan. I filled the liners almost to the top - they puff up good at that level. OPTIONAL: Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture on top of either loaf or muffin/cupcake to get a sweet crispy top. Good without it too!

With cinnamon

Without Cinnamon

Mmmmmm

Best served fresh and a little warm, but its amazing out of the fridge too! HOPE YOU ENJOY!

Zucchini/Blueberry/Oat Muffins - Only 140 Calories per Muffin!

Hey Everyone,

Its been a while, but here is another yummy, low-calorie recipe for you!

I love Zucchini bread, and I love Blueberry/Oat Muffins, so I figured, why not put it all together, get a lot of your food groups, and a tasty treat, plus something to help get your kids to eat veggies without even knowing it!

Here is the breakdown:

Started off by buying 1 &1/2 cups of Rolled-oats at Whole Foods, pulsing them in my blender for a minute it they were semi powder, semi granulated, semi oaty. Added them to 1 cup of milk. Add a bit of cinnamon/nutmeg/allspice and orange zest and let sit for 30 minutes. Softens up the oats and thickens up a bit.

In another bowl add the brown sugar and the white sugar, the eggs (1 whole and 1 just white), vanilla, applesauce, oil and grated zucchini and mix until well incorporated.

In YET another bowl mix dry ingredients: flour, more cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, baking powder, and baking soda, and whisk.

Mix Oat mixture and Zucchini mixture together, and slowly incorporate the dry ingredients. Line muffin pan with liners and lightly spray with baking spray. (may not be ness).

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-22 minutes!

VOILA! Delicious, nutritious and low calorie goodies for you and the whole family!

ENJOY!
Thanks for reading!
-Kela

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup inspired Cake!

Recently I was asked to create a birthday cake for my father in-law and after thinking about the man at great length, I came up with this idea: A Birthday Cake that looks, tastes and feels like a Reese's Peanutbutter Cup!

Not being a super savvy baker - I started off with some boxed items and tinkered a bit to get personalized and where I wanted it to be.

Basically I took these boxed cake mixes cooking them as directed except in place of the oil I put in a blend of crunchy and creamy peanut butter, I had to add a tiny bit of vegetable oil to make it blend.

I was surprised how well it worked, the cakes came out light, fluffy, with a nice hint of peanut-butter. If I could say anything, I wish it could taste MORE like peanut-butter. But more will be coming into the recipe so just wait. I added the peanut-butter to both the yellow and chocolate cake.

Now for the fun part - while these cakes are cooling - make your chocolate ganache! I thought ganache would be hard to make, but after finding this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-ganache/ (minus the rum cause that would be weird in a Reese's cake) I realized not only is is super easy, its fun and amazingly delicious!

I used the Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet chocolate chips, and heavy whipping cream as directed, if you melt the chocolate first and add the heavy cream to that, it will seize up a bit and take longer to incorporate, so I really recommend following the directions exactly adding the warm cream to the cold chips, works like a champ! And frankly its easier that way anyway! Now I didn't do this, but I might recommend adding a little bit of PB to this mix too, just to really cement home that PB & Chocolate flavor.

Next I made a peanut butter and chocolate chip ganache - same recipe as above, just use the pb/chocolate chip package shown below (or one like it). I also added fresh pb as well, makes it a little softer and spreadable which is nice when icing a cake.

At this point you can do one of two things. You can use the warm ganache as a dippy sauce - its quite possibly the most delicious liquid ever created. Creates a shiny, amazing topping to cupcakes or fruit or whatever.

Just dip it in and let it set (if you cool it, it becomes a sort of hard chocolate shell, or eat it warm, both are tasty!)

Or you can put the bowl of warm ganache to the side, and let it cool a bit, then whip it up and use it as a frosting. 

Slice your chocolate cake in half, and trim the peanut-butter cake so you have a nice flat surface:

Spread on the peanut butter and chocolate ganache generously as you layer:

Then to get it to look more like a Reese's Cup - trim up the sides at an angle. Now I did mention that my baking skills are not spectacular so know that you can do this, and you may even do it better then I did! 

Used the whipped up Semi-Sweet chocolate ganache as frosting and do a nice even coat around the whole thing. Smoothing it out the best you can. keep in mind as its out to the air it will dry, and get harder to work with, so move quickly - also if you put it in the fridge or cool it TOO much it will also firm up quicker then you might like. I had put mine in the fridge in hopes to get it fluffier, but it sort of separated slightly, so just FYI.

And no that isn't some weird naked chick behind the cake, its my sister in a nude colored shirt, didn't even realize she was in the shot til later, and decided it was artistic and fun, so enjoy that. 

The last step is to pipe a bit of decoration around the cake using the peanut-butter and chocolate ganache, to simulate the Reese's look. My piping skills are even worse then my baking skills, but I think it came off looking pretty good!

And there you go! A Reese's Inspired Cake! :D

ENJOY!

Death By Garlic Bread - For a splurge!

I know it's super unhealthy, but sometimes you just got to have a big Italian dinner and say to hell with it! At least I do. :) I have a pretty intense recipe for garlic bread that is a HUGE family favorite, so I thought I should share. It is really garlicy, but more then just that, its herby, buttery, cheesey, and not soggy!

Here's how I do it:
Take french bread, and cut into nice servable sized slices for garlic bread. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan and pepper. The Parmesan will help to absorb the butter so it doesn't make the bread soggy, plus add a salty element.  Place on an oven safe dish. I used a glass pyrex casserole dish as it keeps them upright with the sides, but as long as you cut it pretty straight it should be fine.

 In a saucepan melt one stick of unsalted butter over low heat, just want it to gently melt. When it is all melty, add an obscene amount of garlic, I used about 2 whole garlic balbs, probably like 15+ cloves, you really can't make too much! Add some fresh chopped basil, a little pepper, a tiny bit of red chili flakes are optional if you want a little more spice, but trust me the garlic will be a bit spicy on its own. Don't cook it long, just a minute or so to bring it all together, it will cook a little in the oven, and if you over do it, it will come out less flavorful.

 I used a tablespoon to carefully get nice spoonfuls of mostly garlic/herb leaving much of the butter in the pan, as to not immediately soggy the bread. Remember the Parmesan will help with that too, but only if you hurry to get it in the oven.  Once you've gotten a good amount of the garlic/herb mix onto the bread, drizzle each slice with a bit of the left over butter.

 Put in the oven on broil and for 5 minutes or until lightly brown and has come together happily.  Let cool for a minute or two before serving.  Best while its still pretty hot though.

 Serve with your favorite italian dinner, here it is with my homemade turkey spaghetti, a Caesar salad and some yummy Pinot!

Remember it's not super healthy to eat like this all the time, but once in a while is good for the soul. ;)

Hope you enjoy!
Kela

Helpful Tools & Tricks I Use To Stick To A Low-Calorie Diet

Hey I just wanted to take a minute to share some tools I use and tricks that I have found helpful in compiling good low-calorie recipes and sticking to my diet, without feeling limited and starving.
 
A love for food and cooking is helpful, but without the knowledge to back it up, it's easy to make poor choices. 

I love the website (and app for your smart-phone) "MyFitnessPal" - it is a handy database of calorie counting information, social networking community for support, and super easy way to stay on track with your diet. Its food tracker is a huge database with so many items, I haven't had any trouble finding anything I've looked for.  It is a fun and simple way to accurately count your calories.  You can also track your physical efforts too, it has a ton of activities to choose from to see how many calories you are burning, even basic actions like light cleaning and cooking are listed.  Plus it's an online community, where your friends/family can join or you can find other people you don't know and together you can share, encourage and motivate each other along the way!  Its nice because it doesn't share details like "Suzy has eaten an entire chocolate cake!", but it will say "Suzy has finished her diary, and stayed under her calorie goal" and you can comment "Way to go!" My sister, my aunt, my cousin, and my mother-in-law are all on there with me and it has made the process that much more enjoyable for each of us.  Daily we get to see how each of us is doing, share is our successes, and our stumbles... never feeling alone.  Plus having the community support helps to keep you honest and on track.  I highly recommend it!

MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE, and count, it sounds silly and time consuming, but just committing to using only 1/2 tbsp of olive oil instead of whatever comes out when you tip it over can make the difference between 15 calories and 120!

Don't deny yourself foods you like, you'll never last in your diet that way, just find a way to do them in a more healthy way! Whether that be smaller portions, with a salad on the side, or revision the recipe entirely, that's up to you!  If you like what you are eating you'll be that much more happy and motivated to keep going.  A stressed, frustrated person will actually struggle more with losing weight because of the chemical effects to the brain when you are stressed, make weight loss much more difficult, RELAX! 

Drink lots of water!  That's always a good idea, and something a lot of people don't do.  Being thirsty or dehydrated will make you retain water, and then you will actually weigh more then you really do!  If you find yourself not losing weight, up your water intake, I bet you'll see a difference!

I know it's sort of against all rules of diets, but I am actually a fan of zero calorie soda.  I think 1 zero calorie soda a day has really helped me feel satisfied, and caffeinated, without adding any calories.  Soda has other hidden problems that make dieting hard, but I think in moderation, it's a cool option.

To give you an idea of what I'm doing on a daily basis, I either have 2 eggs, 1 low-cal english muffin and coffee or oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, that turkey sandwich I posted a few days ago for lunch, with some reduced fat cheez-its, and a zero calorie cola, and then a 300-400 calorie dinner... totally about 1100 calories a day, I feel full, satisfied and I have lost about 8lbs in 35 days!  I am also only 5 feet tall - so you will likely need a bit more calories then that.  MyFitnessPal has a BMR calculator on the site that will help you accurately figure out how many calories you should be consuming daily!
 
"What is your BMR?

Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is an estimate of how many calories you'd burn if you were to do nothing but rest for 24 hours. It represents the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning, including breathing and keeping your heart beating.
Your BMR does not include the calories you burn from normal daily activities or exercise.
Our calculator uses the Mifflin-St. Jeor equations to estimate your BMR which is believed to be more accurate than the more commonly used Harris-Benedict equation."

I had gained approximately 20 lbs with my pregnancy, and was already about 10 overweight when I got pregnant, so I still have a bit to go, but I already feel so much better, and my waist is smaller! 

Don't get discouraged, it's a slow process, losing a few oz a day  is awesome, and it is common to rebound a few times, just last week I gained 2 lbs, and felt really discouraged, but I stuck to it, and I've lost it again.

Along those lines - do not beat yourself up if you going over your limit for the day, especially with the holiday's coming up - you will likely be suckered into eating all sorts of high calorie foods, that's ok, enjoy it!  Think of it as a day off, and then back to "work" tomorrow.  Although if you follow my lead, and make yourself good options, then it really wont feel like work at all! :)

Best of luck to you on your journey to a skinnier/healthier you!

Fancy Margarita Pizza - 144 Calories A Slice!

I was feeling uninspired the other day so I asked my facebook friends to throw out ideas of things I could make for dinner, keeping in mind I am dieting.  Within a few minutes, several people posted "Pizza" to which I rolled my eyes, and laughed.  Pizza is not diet food!  Then it dawned on me, what if I could make naughty favorites, taste good, AND BE GOOD FOR YOU?  I was on a mission.

Here is my recipe for Fancy Margarita Pizza, where a slice is only 144 calories, you can have 2-3 slices at dinner, maybe even a salad and still be in a good place calorie intake wise, plus big flavor and so easy to make!

My local WholeFoods offers fresh pizza dough you can buy 11oz for under $2, and thats enough for a whole pizza.  I've purchased it before, but the regular dough is kinda high in calories, so I tried their Wheat pizza dough.  For the whole pizza dough its 660 calories, then you got toppings.

 I love margarita pizza's but I always want to add a bit extra flavors... this time my toppings were Garlic, Onion, Mushrooms, Spinach, Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella and Goat cheese!

 The fresh pizza dough is a little tricky to get out on the pan anyway, but I did notice the wheat is even more sticky, so make sure you put a TINY pit of olive oil on the bottom on the pan, to help loosen it up.  Just stretch and pull gently until it fills the pizza  pan.

 Top with Ragu spaghetti sauce (I just had some left over), 1/4 cup of mozzarella, and a little less then a 1/4 cup of goat cheese. (save a little for the top)

 Add tomato, mushrooms, basil, spinach, garlic, onion...

 and then 1/4 more of mozzarella and the rest of the 1/4 of goat cheese (honestly this was a little heavy on the goat cheese, tasted good, but I think a little less would be good too, and then LESS calories! I really like putting a light coating of olive oil on the crust before baking - I think it really helps get it a nice texture and color. 

 Bake at 375 for approx 20-30 minutes (whenever it's melty and toasted)

 And voila - super flavorful, super easy pizza for under 150 calories a slice!!!!

Who said that pizza wasn't healthy!?


Ingredients: (calories per 2 slices)
Fresh Wheat Pizza Dough (165)
Ragu Spaghetti Sauce (11) (I believe I used 1/2 cup on the whole pizza, really don't need a ton)
Mozzarella (40)
Goat Cheese (20)
Olive Oil (15 for 0.13 tbsp) - seriously use as little as possible, olive oil is tasty, but SUPER HIGH IN CALORIES!
Garlic (2) (used about 2-3 cloves on the whole pizza)
Red Onion (1 tbsp = 4 calories)
Basil leaves (1 tbsp chopped = 1 calorie)
Mushrooms (13 calories)
Roma Tomato (13 calories)
Spinach (2 calories)

ENJOY!

Ps. I plan on coming up with some pizza recipes that involve meat and other flavors as well, I'll keep ya'll posted!

Quick, Simple and Low Calorie Breakfast Ideas

So far I've mostly been posting full recipes, but today I thought I'd share just a few of the quick and simple ideas I have learned to help you fill your stomach but not with fat! :D

The most important meal of the day - BREAKFAST - so many dieters skip this meal, and that is such a mistake.  It is crucial for your body to get fuel first thing in the morning, to keep your metabolism moving and working for you the rest of the day.  So here are a couple of my favs, that you can quickly do in the morning, and you wont feel like you are dieting!

Instant Oatmeal is "healthy" and quick and easy to prepare, however, be careful not to assume every instant oatmeal is created equal.  I personally love Maple/Brown Sugar flavor in my oatmeal, but the pre-flavored options are full of extra stuff that packs in the calories.  I recommend using "Original" flavor, then adding your flavors yourself.  The pre-flavored packets are 160 calories per packet!  Original flavor is 100 calories per packet... add 2 tsp of brown sugar, a little Cinnamon... only an additional 30 calories and you get the same thing, without all the extra junk!

Another Breakfast idea is: Eggs!  I know cholesterol, blah blah... well in moderation and if you choose good products it's actually pretty reasonable, and definitely has a place in a low-calorie diet.  I love the Egglands Best eggs, comes with a lot of added nutriants and omega-3s, plus I think they taste better.  Best yet - they are 70 calories an egg, compared to the average egg having 100 calories in it.  If 70 calories is still too much, another good option is Eggbeaters (30 calories per 1/4 cup).  One of my favorite recipes for eggbeaters is this spinach scramble on toast, topped with lowfat sour cream, and pico or hotsauce... whatever you like.

And you get all of that (including coffee with 1% milk in it for only = 251 calories!
It's filling (1/2 cup of egg beaters - they plump up), spinach, slice of whole wheat toast - it's a lot!

The biggest danger in breakfasts are carbs, so choose them wisely - you need carbohydrates to fuel your body, but they are full of calories.  Luckily there are some products out there that you can eat that are pretty reasonable.  In an earlier post I mentioned the English Muffin Light Multi-grain... I use it for breakfasts, lunches, it's awesome.  Only 100 calories per muffin, compared to 1 slice of whole wheat bread at about 90-110 calories per slice... so you choose.

I know a lot of "Light" or healthy options tend to taste like cardboard, but I promise you, I am a foodie first, and I will never tell you get a product that tastes like cardboard, I've hunted for good products off and on for years, and the ones I suggest have good flavor, without the guilt.

Along those lines - even though it's not a breakfast item, I want to share with you that I've recently tried those Special K Cracker Chips, boast 30 chips for 110 calories - enjoy the crunchy salty treats without guilt - well they lied.  They are gross, and taste like cardboard - DO NOT BUY THESE!  Unless you are a big fan of ricecakes, they are pretty much not worth it in my opinion.  I'd rather get something like Reduced Fat Cheez-Its... you get 29 for 130 calories.  A little more calories, but not a ton, and a lot more flavor!

Hope this helps encourage you to have breakfast a bit more often!  Hopefully daily! :D
Enjoy!