Gluten Free Banana Bread, YUM


Okay, so now that I entered my 50’s, I realized that your body definitely changes over time. This means that you have to put in extra effort to take care of yourself. I was always able to eat whatever I wanted but as of late, I noticed certain foods are affecting me differently so I have been doing trial by error and the elimination process. I find that gluten free foods are definitely beneficial to my diet. Oh how I love banana bread!!

Every little bit helps!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups gluten free flour mix
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 3 eggs
  • ¾ half and half
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 3 bananas, ripe and mashed

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

You can use either a 9 inch loaf pan or 4 small individual loaf pans (I like the individual ones so I can freeze them and take them out when I need one or give to a friend).

Whisk together the dry ingredients of 2 cups gluten free flour blend, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg, 1 tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix 3 eggs, ¾ cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 tbsp of maple syrup, and ¼ cup sugar.

Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients then add the 3 mashed bananas to the batter. Stir until well mixed.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes or until the top of the bread is lightly golden.

Check the bread after 40 minutes. Take either a tooth pick or butter knife and pierce to see if any batter sticks to either. I usually watch to see if the top of the loaves turn golden brown and base my cooking time on that.

Awesome when served with butter!!!

This is my third time making these but it finally came out exactly how I anticipated it would!

Nutrition Information:

 SERVING SIZE:

 1 (12 servings total)

Amount Per Serving: 

CALORIES: 226TOTAL FAT: 11gSATURATED FAT: 1gTRANS FAT: 0gUNSATURATED FAT: 9gCHOLESTEROL: 48mgSODIUM: 310mgCARBOHYDRATES: 28gFIBER: 1gSUGAR: 8gPROTEIN: 5g

This data is provided by Nutritionix and is an estimate only.

Large Crowd Summer Menu Cookout


Happy belated 4th of July!

Sometimes it’s hard to put together a menu suitable for a large crowd. You’ll have your gluten free guest, your guest sensitive to spices, another guest who cannot tolerate garlic, and your no onions please guest. Oh and your no beef guest.

So whenever my sister and I put together our menu for the next family function, we have to take all these request into consideration. And, we love it. It gives us an opportunity to get a gathering together fast and be creative.

Remember, more isn’t always necessary because people tend to have a few cocktails beforehand and also nosh on the chips and whatever else precedes the main course.

Here is our typical summer bbq menu:

We usually start with a platter of olives and pickles, chips, celery and ranch dressing. On occasion there will be buffalo chicken wing dip, cheese and crackers, etc.,

Next, here comes the burgers, hot dogs, sausage patties, sausage and peppers, and bbq chicken. Then we have the pasta salad, corn on the cob, and deviled eggs! Yum. I’m getting hungry just writing about it.

Lol well anyway this is just a gist of some menu items you can put together pretty quick for a large crowd.

Here are some pics of our family. I hope you all had a safe and happy 4th.

It was a great 4th of July. We even camped out back in the Yert. The boys slept in their hammocks. I’ll have to try that one night. They said it was wicked comfortable.

Oh geez I almost forgot the most important part of the menu lol, the adult beverage we fell in love with. Saranac’s Moscow Mule ginger beer. If you can get your hands on one, try it. They are so good ice cold. It’s really a great summer drink.

Easy mini cheese cake and pumpkin pies


These were so easy to make and everyone loved how they tasted! I have two little guys ages 8 and 9, I’m in school full-time working on my associates in Human Services, and I work from home and substitute teach at the elementary school! I really have no time for fussing around with timely recipes so things like this work perfect into my schedule!

For the mini cheese cake pies:

Jello brand boxed cheese cake mix(follow instructions)

Pillsbury premade pie crust(2 come in a package in the dairy section of your grocery store)

Roll out and use flour for a light dusting so it won’t stick to the cutting bored

Use a round biscuit cutter to make circles to fit for a mini muffin pan.

Grease the mini muffin pan with butter flavor cooking spray. Line muffin pans with the pastry cutouts. Remove from oven when done and let cool.

Mean while when your baking the mini pie crusts, prepare your cheese cake filling. Pour in pie crust and chill.

You can top with a fruit dressing, caramel or chocolate syrup.

Mini pumpkin pies

I like to use Libby’s  pumpkin pie mix rather than the pure pumpkin. I like the taste better and it’s actually less work.

Follow instructions for pie mix and pour into mini pie shells before cooking them. I also like to top the pumpkin pies with nuts.

These were quick and easy deserts that had a nice presentation as well!

Easy Chicken Divan


If you’re looking for a quick, simple, easy dinner this is it. You can use grilled or breaded chicken. I used my breaded chicken cutlets that I had left over from the night before last.

Ingredients

~ 3 cups of cooked white or brown rice

~ 14 oz of california blend veggies(frozen or fresh)

~ 1 8 oz can of cream of mushroom soup

~ 1 8 oz can of cheddar broccoli soup

~ 1  8 oz bag of sharp shredded cheddar cheese

~ 1 cup of 2% milk

~ 1 lb of cut up cooked chicken breast

salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste.

Combine rice, cream of mushroom,  broccoli cheddar soup, and 1 cup of milk in a medium size bowl and mix.

Mix chicken, veggies, and 4 oz of cheddar cheese in a big bowl.After combine all ingredients together and place in a casserole dish. Cover with the remaining cheese.

  • Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.