Healthy Low Fat Banana Bread

I don't know why but there is something comforting about banana bread.  Having some warm out of the oven with a pat of butter tastes so good.  There are so many recipes out there for banana bread and most of them are loaded with butter or oil. I have adapted this one and it is low fat.  I have switched out regular white flour for whole white wheat flour.  You can find white wheat flour at the grocery store.  White wheat is lighter than the whole wheat so it bakes up better. You can of course add walnuts but my son thinks he is allergic to nuts (he is not, we had him tested) so I just omit them.

Here's the recipe:
2 C white wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C honey or agave syrup
1 large egg
3 ripe bananas smashed
1/2 C buttermilk  (I use 1/2 C skim milk plus 1 tsp of lemon juice - it does the same thing)
1 tsp vanilla

Topping
1/2 oats
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  Combine wet ingredients in another bowl.  Add dry ingredients to the wet. Do not overmix.   Put in a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle topping over it.  Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  Insert toothpick to be sure it is done. 

Enjoy warm with a little butter (real butter please).

Blessings,

Trish



Breakfast Burritos

This is what I made for my dear husband Scott for breakfast yesterday.  I thought I would bump up his favorite egg sandwich, so I did a breakfast burrito.  This really is a power breakfast and great for those on the go.  It has whole grain, protein and healthy fats.  He absolutely loved it.

All I did was start with a whole wheat tortilla.  I got these at my favorite store Trader Joes, but any whole wheat tortilla will do.  Make sure it is 100% whole wheat and not enriched wheat flour... there is a difference.

Next make your eggs.  I used one whole egg and one egg white, but you can use what you like. I cooked these eggs like a little omelet, but you can do them any way you like them.  While the eggs are cooking sprinkle a small amount of colby or cheddar cheese to the eggs.  Remove from heat.  

To assemble, take your tortilla and spread with some good salsa.  Then, place your eggs on top of that and top it off with some sliced avocado and cilantro.  Roll it up and enjoy.  The avocado is a MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acid.  Some other rich sources include olive oil, nuts, seeds and dark chocolate.  Of course these also are higher calorie so don't go overboard.

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Today's tip is to try to add MUFA's, like avocado into your diet each day.  If you haven't tried avocado , it really is good.  

Blessings, 

Trish

Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

Well, today marks about 3 months that I have been off diet soda.  I never really liked the regular sodas because they were too sweet for me, so I thought I was doing OK even while losing weight reaching for diet soda.  There was something about the soda that I loved... so much I was addicted.  I never would think I was addicted to it, but looking back I know I was.  I could eat more healthy, eat less, exercise, but give up my diet soda.. NEVER. 


 I read all the health books and magazines that said how bad artificial sweeteners are but I  never could kick the habit.  I even tried to give it up and was off of it for about a week when I got this severe headache that wouldn't go away for 6 days... straight.  Nothing would take it away.  I was thinking brain tumor while I was sitting on the couch eating some pizza and deciding I needed a diet soda.  I don't think it was 10 minutes after I drank the soda that I realized my headache was totally gone.  You may say that is wasn't the diet soda, but I am convinced that was what it was.  It was like I was going through withdrawal  from it.  So, I went right back to drinking it.


3 months ago I finally decided that enough was enough.  The stuff is poison to our bodies.  There are loads of products with artificial sweeteners in it calling it sugar free or diet.  If we continue to consume it our bodies cannot digest this properly.  So, I'm done with it for good.  If I am in need of what I think to be that diet soda, I drink seltzer water.  It gives you all the bubbles without any bad stuff.  It's water with bubbles... that's it.  Love that stuff!!  


Sugar seems so natural and good, and I would much rather consume real sugar than any artificial sweetener, but Americans consume way too much sugar.  It is in everything from ketsup to breads to sauces.  The list could go on.  I just read that in the early 1900's Americans consumed 15 grams of sugar per day.  Today the average is 90 grams of sugar.  You do the math on that one.  We eat WAY too much sugar.  (I won't even get into high fructose corn syrup on this post... that will be for another day.)


So today's tip is stay away from artificial sweeteners and try to eat less sugar in general.  You can use honey, organic agave, or stevia which is plant based and no calories.  Honey and agave still have calories but do not spike your blood sugar like table sugar does.  In some other posts I will do some recipes that I swap out the sugar and use honey or agave and they are just as yummy !!


Blessings, 


Trish

Comments

Hello all.  I have been getting a lot of messages and people asking me why they cannot comment on the blog and my answer has been... I don't know.  I think you have to sign up.  


Well, I think I have figured out how and have set the blog so that you all can comment now.  Please feel free to try and let me know if it works!  


Hoping it does and thank you for all your support and comments to this blog.  If you have any questions at all about anything I write please let me know and I will try my best to answer and if I don't know I will research and try my best to find out and will get back with you. 


Blessings,


Trish

Toasted Cheese Sandwiches...Yum

Last night was one of those I don't really feel like cooking nights.  So, when I feel like this I usually do something simple like soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  The one I have pictured above is the adult version. It is 100% whole wheat bread stuffed with mozzarella, cheddar, and swiss cheeses.  Also, fresh spinach, garden tomatoes and roasted red peppers. After I stuffed it, I dipped it into beaten eggs and then grilled it on the stove top in a little extra virgin olive oil. Think -- french toast meets toasted cheese.  It was so yummy.  I also made a pot of homemade chicken soup with it.

The kids version was the same omitting the tomatoes and roasted peppers, but I kept the spinach... they do need some nutrition, right?

So you can make this very easily, just use whole grain bread. That white stuff may taste good, but has no nutritional value at all.  I guess you could use the white wheat, but give the whole wheat a try, it really is good.  Oh and please please check the ingredients to make sure there is no high fructose corn syrup in the bread !! 

Also, use REAL CHEESE.  That stuff in the plastic package is NOT cheese.  It really does make a difference to use real ingredients.  Then use whatever you like, peppers, olives, artichokes, tomatoes, basil...the combinations are endless. (You can even do this with peanut butter and banana -yum)

So, today's tip is to try 100 % whole wheat bread if you already aren't. It has so much more fiber and vitamins than the other stuff, so go ahead give it a try.

Blessings,

Trish

See You At The Pole 2010

Well, today wall another early morning.  I had to get the kids out earlier than usual because today was National See You At The Pole day.  For all unfamiliar with what this is you can check it out on www.syatp.com

It is a student lead time of prayer around their school's flagpole before school.  It all started 20 years ago with a small group kids at their youth group who felt led to do this.  Now it is an official thing.  Schools around the world participate in this wonderful time of prayer where students come together to pray for their schools, their peers, and their teachers.  

This morning as I dropped off my oldest son, no one was at the pole yet and I was worried as he sat there alone waiting.  I had to get the 2 younger boys off to their school.  At the elementary school there were teachers waiting, parents, people from the community and local churches there to support our kids as they took a stand and prayed around the flagpole.  There were at least 40-50 or more there.  It was awesome to look around and see these kids bowing their heads to pray!  As I was praying I thought about how my oldest son was there alone so I quietly left and went to see what was happening at the high school.

Well, it was so great!  There were about 30 or more teenagers holding hands and praying.  It really moved me and I was also proud of my son who was participating in this and knew he was not alone.  I always think of peer pressure as a bad thing and it usually is, but in this instance it was a good thing, peers standing for something good and true !!  

So, my tip for the day is to pray pray pray !!!  As I am on this journey of overall health, I realize that spiritual health really is the most important!  

James 5:16  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Blessings,

Trish

Water...

Ok here is one that I am still trying to do...  drink more water.  I don't know why this is a challenge for me.  I like water but I don't drink it enough.   We are supposed to drink 8 glasses of water a day.   You can get this from other foods and drinks as well, but nothing like pure simple H20..  I am really going to try harder with this one.

So today's tip is simple...Drink more water.

Blessings,

Trish

The dreaded.... Dental Appointment

Ok, not only is it Monday, which makes it hard enough to get myself up, kids to school, exercise and try to accomplish something, but it is my dreaded dental appointment day.  Ugh.  I am sorry, but who actually likes to go to the dentist.  It is one of those necessary evils.  I really feel bad for dentists because no one is really happy to see them... except if you have a bad toothache you will be really really happy to be seeing the dentist. 

Anyway, I go for my 6 month appointment for a cleaning and check up and everything looks good, Thank God.  If I had a cavity that is another story of panic.  Did I ever tell anyone that when I was a kid they actually drilled my cavities with NO NOVOCAINE !!!!  Who does that??  I guess that is why I am so messed up over seeing the dentist. That and I feel like I cannot breathe when they are sticking their hands in my mouth.  Well, enough of me bellyaching. 

So, every time I go they ask me if I have been flossing and I am always tempted to lie and say yes when I really only do it once in a while.  This time I got to tell them that for the past 2 months I HAVE been flossing every day !!!  I have really been thinking about my overall health and I have been really trying to do the right things to become more healthy so I had to tell myself that flossing is part of overall health.  So, yes I am forcing myself to floss EVERY DAY.

I asked my dentist why this is so important not only for my gums but overall health and he explained that if we have so much bacteria in our mouths it causes inflammation and that inflammation can travel to other parts of our arteries and cause strokes or other harmful or deadly diseases.  Wow I didn't know that.

So, today's tip is if you don't already, start flossing.  It is not only good for your teeth and gums but your overall health.

Blessings,

Trish

Ok I am sooo new to this

Hi.  Well, upon conversing with my cousin Elizabeth today, here is my new "hobby"  She always says everyone needs a hobby and well... I just don't really have one.  I like to read, I am recently interested in health.  I mean overall health.  Not fad diets or temporary fixes but true whole foods with no garbage in it.  I have been doing a lot of research and reading on all of this so I hope to share it with you.  I also love to cook.  I really enjoy making homemade Italian style pizzas, artisan breads and soft pretzels.  So, I am combining my love for food crossed with how we can do things more healthy. 

So as I said before, I don't have a hobby and cousin Elizabeth said why don't you start a blog.  Well, that sounded like a good hobby for me, so here it goes.  I am going to give it a try.  I hope whoever reads this will enjoy it and hopefully we can learn some things together.

First tip of the Blog.  Short and simple.  Eat Real Food !!

Have a great night and God Bless.

Trish