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0 In food/ Recipes

The best homemade banana bread

child sitting on kitchen counter baking and playing in the kitchen

I’m sharing my recipe for the BEST homemade banana bread. Or as Maxwell likes to call it – “Oompa bread” after his grandpa who always comes over with a sweet tooth. I usually always have some type of baked treat in the ktichen and one day I had just made a fresh loaf of banana bread. My dad had come over to watch Maxwell while I ran out quick and when I came home I said to Maxwell “where did all the banana bread go?” He was quick to throw Oompa right under the bus and said “Oompa ate it!”. So now it’s called Oompa bread 🙂

I have tried several different recipes and this one is my favorite. It’s a great way to use up those brown, overripe bananas, and the riper the better. This bread also freezes really well. Below is my recipe for the best homemade banana bread.

The Best Homemade Banana Bread

Ingredients

3-5 overripe bananas (the riper the better)

3/4 cups of sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups of flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

Optional – chocolate chips and walnuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Grease or butter an 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan
In a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid), mash together your bananas
Mix in the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.
Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Optional – mix in some chocolate chips and walnuts to make it even more of a treat and give it some texture.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan.
Bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes until the center is done. (I like to insert a bread knife to check. When the knife comes out clean you know it’s done).
Let cool on a cooling rack before serving.

Be sure to check out some of my other favorite recipes

Joanna Gaines’ Lemon Poppyseed Bread

Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

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January 10, 2020 By Nicolle

0 In DIY/ drinks/ food

Copycat Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew

Starbucks recently released their new holiday beverage – the Irish Cream Cold Brew. Being a coffee junkie and lover of Irish Cream I obviously had to run out and try it. It is pure magic in a cup. Without the booze of course. However, at about $4.50 a cup, not so magical on the wallet. I’ve created my own Copycat Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew recipe so that you can make your own. And I’ve also included a boozy edition for when you want to be a little extra 😉

Copycat Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew

Ingredients:

1 cup of cold coffee (I usually just make a cup, refrigerate for a bit and then add some ice)
2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
cocoa powder (for dusting)

Directions:

First you’ll need to make your Irish Cream. (I made this ahead of time in a larger quantity and stored in the fridge in a mason jar). Mix together 1 3/4 cups of heavy whipping cream, 2 Tbsp chocolate syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp of almond extract. Stir together.
Next make a cup of coffee, chill and then pour over ice.
Add some of your Irish Cream to your coffee, as much as you want.
In a bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Whip or use an immersion blender until the mixture is frothy.
Top your coffee with the cream foam and a dusting of cocoa powder.
Enjoy!

To make my boozy adults only edition:

Make a batch of my Homemade Irish Cream. (Recipe here)
Pour into your iced coffee
Sip and get happy 🙂

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December 6, 2019 By Nicolle

1 In food/ keto/ Recipes

Keto pumpkin spice latte

Enjoy your favorite fall coffee drink and stick to your diet with this healthier

Keto Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe.

My husband and I recently started keto this past week. What a time to start – this is the time of year when I crave all of those yummy comfort foods and of course my fave pumpkin spice coffee drinks that are full of sugar. So I was determined to come up with a recipe to duplicate my beloved bevy but make it keto friendly. Here is my Keto Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe, at only 2 grams of net carbs.

Keto Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh brewed coffee
1/4 cup of pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp of butter
1 cup of almond milk
2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (make sure there’s no added sugar)
3 packets of stevia
2 Tbsp of heavy whipping cream
Optional – MCT oil or coconut oil

Directions:

In a pot over medium heat mix together pumpkin puree, butter, almond milk, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice. (Make it a bulletproof coffee by adding a little MCT oil or coconut oil!) Bring to a bubble.
While the pumpkin mixture warms in the pot, brew two cups of coffee.
Stir the coffee into the pumpkin mixture stirring well.
Add the heavy whipping cream and stevia.
Using an immersion blender, gently whip all together in the pot.
Pour into two mugs and enjoy either hot or cold.
Optional – Top it off with a little extra whipped cream and some pumpkin pie spice. (To make homemade whipped cream, mix some whipping cream and a sprinkle of stevia in a mixing bowl with a blender until whipped cream forms).

Sooooo much better than the typical sugary version at your local coffee shop and healthier too!

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Check out these similar posts

Homemade Irish Cream

Keto Cucumber Grapefruit Margarita

September 29, 2019 By Nicolle

1 In favorites/ food/ printables

Twenty of My Favorite Trader Joe’s finds

My Favorite Trader Joe's Finds and a free shopping printable

So if you’ve been following for awhile, you know that I am a huge fan of Trader Joe’s. I first became a fan when I was in college living in Boston and I could get a bottle of wine for $2. (I wish my local store sold the 2 Buck Chuck). As I’ve grown into an adult, I love the whole shopping experience there – from the minute you walk through the door being wooed with flowers, free samples, and their variety of seasonal items. I typically hit up my local TJ’s every other week to stock up on my favorites.

Below I am sharing 20 of my favorite Trader Joe’s finds. And be sure to scroll to the bottom and print out my shopping list that I’ve provided for you!

20 of My favorite Trader Joe’s finds

1.) Mandarin Orange Chicken – turns out, this is the most popular item at Trader Joe’s. I love it for an easy weeknight meal.

2.) Vegetable fried riced – I pair this with the mandarin orange chicken and some steamed broccoli for a healthier version of Chinese takeout and a quick weeknight meal.

3.) Cauliflower gnocchi – another favorite for an easy weeknight meal. I saute this with some butter and throw in their chicken apple sausage for some protein.

4.) Chicken apple sausage – love this in the cauliflower gnocchi. My son also loves to wrap them wrapped in crescent roll dough for lunch.

5.) Everything but the bagel seasoning – I recently just bought this for the time as I’ve been craving bagels with this pregnancy. For a healthier option that still curbs your bagel hankering, slice some cucumbers, top with cream cheese and sprinkle some EBTB seasoning! I also hear it’s great on avocado toast.

6.) Dark chocolate peanut butter cups – ummmm chocolate and peanut butter need I say more? I don’t buy these every time I go, but

7.) Spinach artichoke dip – I love having this in the house for anybody that stops in and I can serve it quick with some tortilla chips. I also like to spread it over chicken and bake in the oven for a yummy spinach artichoke chicken bake.

8.) Riced cauliflower – Whenever I’m trying to cut back on my carbs, we do riced cauliflower a few times a week. My favorite way to eat it is in a burrito bowl topped with a protein, cheese, salsa and guac. I love the fresh version in the produce section but they also have it frozen too!

9.) Zucchini noodles – Another favorite carb free subsitute, we do zucchini noodles at least once a week served with marinara and turkey meatballs.

10.) Turkey meatballs – We usually make our own, but I love to have these in the house in case I forget to take the ground turkey out of the freezer 🙂

11.) Vegan kale cashew & basil pesto – What I love about the T.J.’s version is that it’s not oily compared to other pestos. I love to top it on their cauliflower pizza crust or sautee into some of their pasta and add some fresh veggies.

12.) Baby spinach salad – baby spinach, cranberries, pecans, blue cheese and raspberry vinegarette ready to serve. I top it with their grilled chicken for an easy lunch to take to work.

13.) Grilled chicken – this is so convenient. I love to have this in the house to make salads for work. I get about 3-4 salads out of it.

14.) Reduced guilt chunky guacamole – I never met a guac I didn’t like, but I love this one especially made with greek yogurt.

15.) Roasted plaintain chips – these are a huge family favorite in our house for when you want something crunchy.

16.) Joe Joe’s – These are Maxwell’s fave! He even named his Elf on the Shelf Joe Joe. When we pick up a box, it never fails, he has to open them and snack on some while we shop.

17.) Mini hold the cone – these are perfectly portioned little ice cream cones when you want a sweet treat but not over-do it. And they’re perfect for my toddler.

18.) Rosewater facial spray toner – I find this to be pretty comparable to other well known brands. I love to apply it as soon as I get out of the shower before I apply my moisturizer.

19.) Tea tree shampoo and conditioner – Made with peppermint, tea tree and eucalyptus, this smells amazing and it gives your scalp a nice refreshing tingle too!

20.) Flowers – I love their fresh flower selection! My favorites are their eucalyptus and hydrangeas but I also love their other seasonal blooms they have throughout the year. I also love their smaller potted plants like their succulents and lavender. They make perfect little hostess gifts.

What are some of your favorites?