Banana Walnut Pancakes

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It's the weekend and time for breakfast!

Let's make pancakes!  I have a craving for a nice homey breakfast and that would include sweet, fluffy pancakes.  But let's not make any old regular pancakes, let's make them special.

With over ripened bananas always hanging around they are a great ingredient that will make any pancake moist and delicious.  I also have some walnuts leftover from a Mediterranean snack board we had last night.  Those go perfectly with bananas and will lend the pancakes a little crunch.

These are easy to throw together.  You have your basic pancake recipe with a few add-ins to make that perfect breakfast dish!  Who doesn't love bananas and walnuts?  With a few pantry items you will have a scrumptious breakfast on the table in no time and one that the whole family will devour.

Light fluffy steaming hot pancakes laced with bananas and walnuts are doused in warm maple syrup.  What breakfast could be better than that.  Oh my these are good!  Make some this weekend and treat yourself and your family to a special breakfast...or dinner!

Enjoy!

Banana Walnut Pancakes

makes 4 pancakes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp each baking powder

1/2 tsp salt
¾ cup mashed overripe bananas (about 2)
¼ cup milk
¼ cup sugar
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Sliced bananas
1/3 walnuts, toasted and chopped

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, milk, sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry mixture; stir just until combined.  Fold in walnuts.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low; coat with nonstick spray or butter. Drop batter by 1/4 cup portions onto skillet and cook until bubbles appear and bottoms are brown, 2-3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until brown, 1 minute more. Serve pancakes with warm syrup and sliced bananas.  

Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken with Bok Choy

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How often do you use your slow cooker?  I tend to use mine once or twice a week.   I find myself using it for weeknight meals, putting the ingredients in the cooker in the morning and then letting that cook all day so dinner is ready when we come home.  That sometimes takes a little pre-preparation the night before so I don't spend all morning chopping the ingredients when I'm rushed to get to work.

I also find that I'm using it more and more on the weekends so that I free up some of my time to run around and not worry about "what to make for dinner"!  Soups such as this one and this one are great for the weekend.  

About a month ago I bought this great cookbook, Stock the Crock, by Phyllis Good.  She is the creator of the Fix-It and Forget-It series, which I'm sure you've heard of.  Well let me tell you, this book is amazing!  I did a quick read through it and marked so many recipes that I have to try it's unreal.   The one that really caught my eye was: 

ADOBO CHICKEN WITH BOK CHOY

This is not your average slow cooker meal.  You've seen thousands of recipes for typical Mexican dishes, copycat Asian dishes (ala Panda Express) and all the comfort food you can handle, but this Asian dish is different.  Chicken cooked in a tangy sweet sticky sauce low and slow and then shredded and mixed with the flavorful crunch of bok choy.  Deliscious! 

This dish is a flavor bomb for your taste buds!  It's really that good.  The sauce is popular in Filipino cooking and is basically vinegar, soy, sugar, and some aromatics.  You are gonna love this recipe.

It' soooo good I suggest you go out and make this over the weekend.  It cooks in the slow cooker on low for 4 1/2 to 5 hours.  You don't want to overcook the chicken so I suggest you don't make this during the week unless you are home to start the dish later in the day.  I made this on a Sunday afternoon while we had a little fun at the bookstore, and when we got home, dinner was ready.

Let me know how you liked this dish.  We thought it was a keeper!
Enjoy!






Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken with Bok Choy

source:  Stock the Crock
serves 4

1 red onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 c apple cider vinegar
1/3 c low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbls brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp paprika
2 heads baby bok choy, cut into strips
cooked rice

Spray the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray.  Places the onions, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and bay leaf in the slow cooker.  Place the chicken on top and sprinkle with paprika.

Cover.  Cook on low 4 1/2 to 5 hours.  Shred the chicken in the cooker.  Turn the cooker to high and add the bok choy.  Cover and cook 10 minutes.  Discard the bay leaf.  Serve over rice.

Lemon Garlic Asparagus and Chicken Pasta

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Who needs a quick 30 minutes meal to make this week?

I know I do!  Everyone is eating healthier at the beginning of the year and our household is no exception.  We're trying to lighten up after the holiday indulgences.  I'm sure you know what I mean.  Dessert, cookies, pies, holiday stuffing and yummy food everywhere!  

So today we're talking pasta.  I love pasta, but not the carbs so much.  So switching to a pasta that is high in fiber, or higher in protein or multi-grain was a no-brainer for me.  We've been eating this type of pasta, including whole wheat pasta (trader joes's rocks!) for a few year now.  We find that they are better for you if you are going to eat carbs.  So let's make a quick and healthy pasta dish that done in 30 minutes, so it's weeknight perfect!

Choose your favorite healthier pasta for the dish.  I chose a white fiber rotini but any shape will do.  Lots of pastas are laden with heavy and/or fattening sauces, but not this one!  A small amount of butter and garlic along with some starchy cooking water is all you need for the base of this sauce.  Add in some flavoring such as lemon and you have one tasty sauce that's light in calories.  No heavy cream here!  Don't forget to add some vegetables for an extra healthy kick.  I chose asparagus which we love.  It's makes the perfect springtime meal, and the vegetable will be cheaper then as well.  For now you can use green beans or broccoli or splurge on the asparagus that's available now.

To give this dish a little more protein I added some sliced and cooked chicken breast.  I typically roast or grill extra when I'm cooking them so I have extras to throw in a salad, or pasta during the week.  Great to have on hand.  You could also use a rotisserie chicken if you choose.

What do I need to make this?  I use a good stock pot like this one, for my pasta and veggies.  I also use a heavy stainless steel skillet such as this one for pulling it all together.  A good strainer, mesh spoon, and some tongs and/or wooden spoons, and you are all set!

This dish comes to very quickly.  Dinner will be on the table in 30 minutes or less.  Enjoy a lemony bright and healthy pasta dish filled with asparagus and chicken any day of the week.

Enjoy!






Lemon Garlic Asparagus Chicken and Pasta

serves 4

8 oz. pasta rotini (white fiber or protein plus)
1 bunch asparagus 
2 Tbsp butter 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1 large chicken breast, cooked and sliced
1 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Add pasta and continue to boil until the pasta is al dente about 9 minutes.

Meanwhile remove the woody bottoms of the asparagus stems. Chop the remaining asparagus into 1-inch pieces.   Add the asparagus pieces to the boiling pasta the last two minutes of cooking,  Cook until they are bright green and have become slightly tender.  

Reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water, then scoop out the asparagus and place in a skillet.  Drain the pasta and set aside. 

Add the butter and minced garlic to the skillet with the asparagus and place it over medium heat. Sauté for about two minutes more, or until the garlic becomes soft and fragrant. Turn the heat to low. 

Add the pasta to the skillet and toss coated with garlic butter. Add the sliced chicken and toss to coat.  Add salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.  Zest the lemon and add the zest to the skillet.  Add the juice of the lemon to the dish and stir to combine.  If dry add some of the cooking water to loosen up the sauce making sure all ingredients are coated.   Serve.

adapted from: Budget Bytes

This post contains affiliate links to items you can purchase, in which I get a small amount of compensation for at no cost to you. I bring you items that I actually use that are of great quality that I can pass along suggestions to you.

11 Healthy Soups to Eat This Winter

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Happy New Year!  

Are you off to a good start this year!  I've been trying to get out of the holiday goody mode myself.  We've been eating a lot of good food with all the treats thrown in as well.  Time to cut back and start back on a healthy eating track.

One way to do that is to eat healthy soups.  Winter time is the perfect time for soups.  They are comforting and warm and just soothe your soul.  Don't you crave a bowl of hot soup in the winter?

We just love hearty filling soups in our house.  We eat soup and salad for lunch or dinner quite a bit throughout the week.  
Today I've brought you 11 Healthy Soups you can eat all winter long.  Some are made on the stove, and some in the slow cooker, but all are hearty, healthy, delicious, and easy to make.

Enjoy a steaming hot bowl of soup!







Greek Style Lemony Chicken and Orzo Soup




Slow Cooker Turkey Tortilla Soup




Italian Style Roasted Chicken and Orzo Soup



Slow Cooker: Mexican Vegetable and Quinoa Soup



Chicken and Wild Rice Soup



Tuscan White Bean Soup 





Quick Taco Soup




Chicken Enchilada Soup




Romanian Lentil Soup




Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons 




Italian Chicken and Bean Soup

11 Best Dishes of 2018

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Happy New Year!

2018 was a year full of highs and lows but it seems that it went so fast that it was a blur.  The food we made was a full of variety.  The most popular dishes seem to have a comfort food theme with a little bit of restaurant flair thrown in.   

I've gathered the eleven most popular dishes (there was a tie for 10th place that I couldn't break) from 2018 in one spot for you to reference and enjoy!

Enjoy all the precious moments that 2019 will bring.  We only live once!

11 TOP RECIPES OF 2018

In no particular order...

Cajun Roasted Potatoes

Chili Lime Salmon with Roasted Vegetables

Baked Honey Soy Chicken Legs

Spicy Turkey Chili 

Garlic and Parmesan Crispy Oven Fried Chicken

Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Mediterranean Rice

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Stew

Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Easy Cinnamon Peach Cobbler - Family Sized

Sheet Pan Beef Fajitas

There are plenty of dishes to come in 2019.  Lots of comfort food, weeknight meals, stir frys, southern dishes, and easy restaurant style meals.  Enjoy a prosperous holiday and I am so grateful for all of my followers.  I wish you the best to come in 2019 and will be talking to you in the new year!