Toffee and Coffee Banana Cream Pie

When I get excited, you can bet money there is going to be some dancing involved.  We are talking adrenaline rush that leaves no option but to jump and spin all over the kitchen.

 

Things like volleyball 

 

and blogging 

and pie. 

Definitely pie. 

Just wait, after one bite of this, you will be dancing, too.

Guess what else makes me dance?  Pandora serves as the source of all my happy dance music. It is official, I am your average, life-revolving-around-apps American.  First Foodgawker, now Pandora. 

I guess Pandora has the real purpose, too.  It helps majorly with studying. My mind works so that having one thing to concentrate on in addition to my books is actually helpful.  It gives my brain less options.  Now, I cannot do lyrics.  Because then I start thinking about the lyrics.  And it can't be a movie score.  Because then I start thinking about the movie. But give me Piano Guys, Lindsey Stirling, and the occasional Frozen soundtrack (because we can all make exceptions when it comes to Frozen) and studying time is good!

I really just shared that last paragraph to let you all know, I don't use Pandora to dance around the kitchen all day. That would like free Zumba on steroids - just no. 

But I do make pie. 

You might need Zumba on steroids after this one. Totally worth it in this case. 

I didn't actually eat any, bit I did have some dairy free pudding and pie crust, and WOW, was it sweet. This is not for the faint of heart in terms of sweet teeth.

If you know me, you know I don't do recipes that take a while and require a lot of hands on.  Pies often require a lot time and energy (aka the crust.)  So I used a frozen, pre made pie crust and my prep work was 10 seconds.  And the crust turned out perfectly flaky and crispy and buttery.  Beat that.

 

The filling also uses a short cut called pudding mix.  I didn't have time to make a homemade pudding, so I stuck with what I knew worked.  Then I stirred chopped bananas and toffee baking bits into the pudding. 

If you get anything from this post, buy Heath's toffee baking bits.  I love 'em and use them ALL the time.  (this isn't a sponsored post)

Finally, we have our coffee whipped cream.  I like making whipped cream from scratch because it is so easy.  There is only one ingredient and you just beat it for 3-4 minutes until soft peaks form.  Then you stir in your sugar and flavoring (in this case, coffee) and serve!  *for the coffee, you can use two tablespoons of strong brewed coffee, or dissolve instant coffee into two tablespoons of hot water.  The more instant coffee you use, the stronger your whipped cream will be*

 

Toffee and Coffee Banana Cream Pie 

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life 

Yield: 12 slices 

1 frozen pie crust

1 package instant banana cream pudding mix (4 serving size)

2 cups milk

1 large banana, chopped 

1/2 cup toffee 

3/4 cup whipping cream 

2 tablespoons hot water 

1/2 - 1 teaspoons instant coffee (adjust to taste)*

 

Thaw and bake crust according to package instructions.

Let cool completely. Set aside. 

Prepare pudding by whisking mix and milk for 2-3 minutes. 

Chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, beat the whipping cream until peaks form. 

Dissolve instant coffee in hot water and add to whipped cream. Beat again until combined. Set aside. 

Remove pudding from refrigerator and fold in banana and toffee. 

Spread pudding over crust. 

Spread whipped cream over pudding. 

Serve, or refrigerate until serving.  Also refrigerate leftovers.

*for the coffee, you can use two tablespoons of strong brewed coffee, or dissolve instant coffee into two tablespoons of hot water.  The more instant coffee you use, the stronger your whipped cream will be*

St. Patrick's Day Detox Green Smoothie

It is Saturday!  Woot woot!  We had a busy weekend with Luke's end of the season basketball tournament.  It was fun, but it was a lot of driving!

In other news, Saint Patrick's Day is in a week.  Look at any food blog and you will see lovely recipes featuring the color green.

Look at my blog and you see ... cookies. 

And they aren't green.

My family is very challenged when it comes to this holiday.  Most Saint Patrick's Day recipes use mint, since green food is a lot more appealing when it is minty, or cream cheese, because cream cheese is great for food coloring!  Like, you can make it whatever color you want!  Brownies, er, not so much.  And cookies, either you use a two whole containers or you end up with the most disgusting colored cookie ever.  You think this is hypothetical.

And seriously, how am  Isupposed to celebrate?  I drink, but the smoothie type.  *lightbulb*

This green smoothie has no food coloring!  Or mint!  And it is still green!  My life as a food blogger is safe thanks to this recipe. ;)

 

I really like spinach.  I have always enjoyed it in salads, in lasagnas, on sandwiches, you name it, if it had spinach, I would probably eat it.  But I had never tried it in a smoothie and that had been on my bucket list for a while.  (Yes, I have a food bucket list ... it also has copycat Twinkies and Snickers on it, so don't think for a moment I sip on these all day, every day.  Haha! - no.)

I was absolutely shocked by how good this was.  You do not taste the spinach.

(let me repeat that)  You do not taste the spinach.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

Yes, really, the spinach just makes this smoothie really green, which I was not counting on.  I mean, I expected it to be green, but not like ... this.  So if your family is anything like mine, kidnap, blindfold them, and threaten them with penalty of no Snickers for eternity, and then serve them a glass of this.  Trust me, it works this way.  This smoothie tastes like strawberries and bananas.  Sweet, creamy, and delicious.  End of story.

It looks like a tornado went through a mad scientist's lab, but hey, it tastes incredible! 

There are a couple tricks to keeping this smoothie creamy, like a milkshake (because I do not like smoothies I can drink with a straw.  I am a spoon girl all the way)  First off, you have to have frozen ingredients.  Of the three main ingredients (strawberries, bananas, and almond milk) two of those need to be frozen.  I've tried with all three, but then I needed a lot of almond milk to blend it all together.  So I would suggest sticking with just two.  For frozen almond milk, I just freeze a 1/3 cup of almond milk in an ice cube tray and then throw it in my Ninja whenever I'm ready.  For bananas, just slice them up and freeze overnight.  And strawberries - I just buy them in a huge bag.  All three of those are in my freezer at all times.  I've done this with blueberries and it is also amazing. 

Detox Green Smoothie
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Yield: 2 servings

1 cup spinach, not packed
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 large banana
1/3 cup frozen almond milk cubes
1/4 cup almond milk (EDIT: Orange juice also tastes amazing!)
1 tablespoon sweetener, optional

Blend in a good food processor.  And, yep, you are done!

Skinny Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake

I recently discovered something even better than peanut butter.

 

 

I really didn't think that was possible. 

Skippy's chocolate peanut butter was one of my favorite discoveries of 2013!  Speaking of years, I was looking through my most recent journal and Bible study notebook and every.single.one had "1/2/13" or "1/7/13" in the corner.  I do this every year; I think it deserves its own resolution.  Thank goodness the blog automatically changes the date header because you all would still think I was living in '13.  Ugg. 

I made Nutella and banana sandwiches for Abigail and Elizabeth one time, with leftover Nutella from a recipe.  They started asking for it all the time!  Nutella is really good, but it isn't necessarily good for you. Skippy's Chocolate Peanut Butter Spread is an excellent substitute for Nutella and is way better for you.  Elizabeth didn't like how peanut butter-y it was, but is slowly being converted. Me and Abigail only needed one spoonful to be hooked.

This milkshake is super thick and creamy thanks to the combination of frozen banana and Greek yogurt. It gets the chocolate kick from the cocoa powder and the tablespoon of chocolate peanut butter gives it three different things - more creaminess (really, it's amazing how much a tablespoon adds!) more chocolate flavor and, of course, the peanut butter flavor.  It's sweet and rich and satisfying.  This at least makes my jar last longer!

 

Skinny Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake 

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life 

Yield: 1 serving 

1 frozen banana 

1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt 

3 tablespoon cocoa powder 

1 tablespoon Skippy's chocolate peanut butter 

1/4 cup milk

Blend all the ingredients in a blender. Aaaand that's it!  Enjoy!

Now, if I can find something better than this chocolate peanut butter, then I'll be set! 

Hey, one more thing.  I've been having a little trouble with my commenting system and I was wondering if you could answer a couple questions to help me figure out what's up?  When you comment, what ID do you use?  Google, Wordpress, open?  Also, I was wondering if you have a comment system you use or have used on other blogs that you've really liked?  I'd like to change mine, but haven't quite committed yet.  Thanks! 

White Chocolate Cranberry Banana Bread + Gift Idea

I cannot believe how close Christmas is.

How on earth did time fly?  When I was younger, time seemed to crawl this time of year. Why is it when you get older, you want things to slow down, but life only seems to move faster?  It is becoming a problem.

Like, we haven't even decorated our tree (which we got a couple days ago thankyouverymuch)  Now that classes and stuff are over, we might have a chance since we won't be driving back and forth all the time. We'll see!  Although I am behind on decorating, I'm going my best to keep up with baking. I like the decorations, but my heart lies in the kitchen (not that that isn't obvious)

With so much ending this week, I decided to make loaves as Christmas gifts for teachers. While shopping for my brother (shhh!) at Walmart (okay, never mind, we don't have to be hush hush about Walmart ;) I found these mini loaf pans. Anything mini is automatically good in my book!  These are so cute and make perfect gifts, since most people don't need a whole loaf of bread for themselves, especially this time a year. 

In this post, I'm just going to share three quick and easy ideas for gifting bread. Emphasis on easy. :)

 

Option #1:  Burlap and Bow.  Wrap your loaf in saran wrap.  Cut a strip of wide burlap and wrap it around the saran wrapped loaf.  Place it in a clean foil pan.  Then place a bow of choice on top.  I didn't love the silver, because it looks blah with the foil and burlap, but it was all we had.  I recommend green (or pink!:)

 



 

Option #2:  Gold Bow Loaf.  For this one, I put the loaf back into the pan and wrapped it all in saran wrap.  Then I tied the ribbon around both sides.  This one is best for traveling and was my favorite.  I would've loved it more with some fun ribbon.

 

 

Option #3:  Red Ribbon Bow.  For this one, all I did was wrap the loaf in saran wrap.  Then I took a long strip of wide ribbon (red sparkles in this case) and tied a bow around the loaf of bread.  I also stuck a little note under the now. This one was the cutest, but colorful ribbon makes all the difference!

 

 

 

 

  

The banana bread is the recipe for my crazy good chocolate chip banana bread, which is soft and moist and sweet thanks to the bananas and greek yogurt. This time, I subbed white chocolate for the chocolate chips and added cranberries. This banana bread recipe is my favorite and one I actually come back to again and again.  As a food blogger, there aren't very many recipes that get made more than once.  Christmas time brings out all the stand byes. There is no time to be wasted on a recipe that might not work, especially when you are giving them as gifts or hosting a dinner. I'm so glad I can still enjoy most of the Christmas meals without having to prep!  I leave the meats and casseroles to the aunts and just bake the banana bread and tie ribbon. :)

 

 

White Chocolate Cranberry Banana Bread

Recipes Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life.  Adapted from here.

Yield: 3 mini loaves (or one normal loaf)

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 eggs 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup plain greek yogurt (I used nonfat)

1 cup mashed ripe banana (I used 3 medium)

1-1/2 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

3/4 cup cranberries

 

Beat softened butter and eggs together.  Stir in yogurt, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and mashed banana and beat until smooth.  Add flour, salt, and soda and whisk until just combined.  Divide between three greased and floured mini loaf pans.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan before removing and letting cool on a wire rack.  After cooled, slice and enjoy or wrap up and gift!  Loaves can also be frozen. 

State Recap + Crazy Good Banana Bread

Hi everyone!  I'm back, after a weekend of volleyball!  I got up at 5:30 Friday morning and got back at 10:30 Saturday night.  Our State volleyball tournament was worth every minute of missed sleep.

State kicked my tail.  Either I'm crazy out of shape or we just played really hard!  I think we played eight games over the two days and some of them went to three sets (one ended up going 21-19, when it was only supposed to go until 15 ... that was fun and we did win!) Also, I think we all pulled 18-20 hour days ... also fun! :)  Since you don't want to hear the play by play of State and since I really can't talk about State without talking about teams I did or didn't *cough* like, I'll just say I had so much fun (up until the last game) and that we took fourth overall.  
A couple highlights were getting to hang out with another team at the gym and at the hotel and cheer each other on during games.  They were like our buddy team!  Such sweet girls.  Now we know all their names and we know theirs; there is something special about hearing your name specifically being cheered from the stands.  And I got a block - all by myself.  That felt good.  Overall, our team played really well and we finished about where I thought we would.  Can't believe by next week it'll
be over! 

Yes, I did smile in the middle of the game at my mom.  Don't judge me, who wants bad photos of themselves?!  She laughed at me, though:)

Just about to crash from lack of sleep:)  I think we did go to Starbucks after this picture and get some caffeine ... and rest ...

I LOVE this picture.  Hannah, you do have a serious-er face!

Sooo, aside from lots of volleyball, I had to eat, and so in the name of this food blog, I'll talk about the food I liked:)

Greek yogurt and peanut butter.  Hannah, sweet girl, let me have some of her greek yogurt, which was great for the sore throat I had.  Funny story, I thought it was vanilla and was going to mix peanut butter in it, but NO, it was key lime!  So I had my yogurt and then my peanut butter, separate.  It was a great snack before one of our games.

Pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. It was hot and sweet and tasted really good after all that water and Gatorade. Plus, the atmosphere was relaxing;)

HUMMUS.  Oh my goodness, I love hummus, I really do, and Anna brought some.  It is incredible on turkey sandwiches and with peppers, just saying.  It made my lunch for sure.

Jellybeans!  Who doesn't like jellybeans?  One of my teammates older sisters (Hi Erin!) came and stayed with a couple of us "parentless" girls and we did facial masks and guessed jellybeans and talked for several hours on Friday night at the hotel.  Such good memories!   Erin brought a big bag and we spent a good 30 minutes eating it; guessing flavors, picking favorites, letting our masks dry.  My favorite was tiramisu, although mango was really good, too.   

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.  Yep, I'm giving you the recipe, too.  This is really good banana bread.  Crazy good, hence the title:) 

 

It's dense and moist and the mini chocolate chips mean there is more melty chocolate spread throughout the bread.  The banana flavor is the strongest, but compliments the chocolate nicely.  It's not overly sweet and was great for in between games, midnight snacking, and then sharing with my siblings (I prefer the midnight snacking to sharing:) 

 

I love using yogurt in baked goods, because it adds moisture and avoids the rubbery feel applesauce can give.  It also adds density, something good quick breads have to have.  Finally, it adds protein!  And getting protein in my banana and chocolate chip bread is always a plus and totally justifies eating more than one slice. 

 

 

 

Breakfast, snack, or dessert, this banana bread is incredible.  I've made it twice in the past four days!

 

Greek Yogurt and Mini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life

Yield: 12-16 slices

1-1/2 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup plain greek yogurt (I used nonfat)

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup mashed ripe banana (I used 3 medium)

2 eggs

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips {plus more for sprinkling on top}. 

Beat softened butter and eggs together.  Stir in yogurt, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and mashed banana and beat until smooth.  Add flour, salt, and soda and whisk until just combined.  Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan (I think ours was 10x6 or something like that.)  Bake at 350 for 55 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes in pan before removing and letting cool on a wire rack. 

More banana bread recipes:


Nutella Swirled Hot Chocolate Banana Bread

Orange Raspberry Banana Bread

Beernana Bread Muffins

 

What are your favorite banana bread recipes?  Leave links or names!

Hugs,
Mary Frances

Banana Butter {and the healthiest peanut butter banana sandwich ever}

Remember thelow fat peanut butter I posted?  Today we slather it with homemade banana butter on whole wheat bread for a delicious spin off of the peanut butter sandwich.

Since there is apple butter and pumpkin butter, I thought, why not banana?  Granted, real fruit butters are sugars and the fruit cooked down, so this probably doesn't qualify as real fruit butter BUT we can pretend, right?  Make sure to use your banana butter as soon as its blended. It doesn't taste very good after a day in the fridge. It has a hint of cream cheese, an unrivaled creaminess, and a bunch of banana flavor.  I added a drop of yellow good coloring to boost the yellowness, but it isn't necessary for flavor. Paired with the peanut butter, this is a winner. 

My sandwich choices depend on my mood. If I'm in a sweet frame of mind, I go for the peanut butter/chocolate/banana sandwiches. But I love my savory sandwiches; wraps usually; and my all time favorite has pesto, mozzarella cheese, hummus, turkey, and the some tomato and lettuce. I love grilled chicken wraps, too (oh my, love them.). What's your favorite sandwich?

Banana Butter

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life 

2-3 ripe bananas, mashed 

4 oz. cream cheese 

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice 

1 drop yellow fool coloring 

1 teaspoon banana extract

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor. Serve immediately. 

For sandwich: 

Low Fat Peanut Butter

Banana Butter

Whole wheat bread  

Spread peanut butter and banana butter on wheat bread. Serve immediately. 

Hummingbird Ice Cream

This idea was what sparked my homemade ice cream obsession.

Food bloggers tend to be incredibly creative. Like, check out this one or this one and you'll see what I mean. I saw this recipe for hummingbird cake on (surprise!) Pinterest and thought, what can I put it in that would be new?

Hello ice cream maker.

Hummingbird cake is a cross between carrot cake and banana bread. So, I made a banana ice cream base and stirred in finely shredded carrots and finely diced walnuts, so the added texture would be complimentary, not overpowering. Because my family would be the first to holler, "I think scraps fell in the ice cream maker!"

They didn't. Not even close. See, when I make things, I make them knowing my siblings plan on eating it. They like dessert and won't be happy if its something they don't like. I'm not happy of they don't like it because I most likely do and now I have an entire batch to finish by myself. So if my veggie hating brother will eat this, you know it's good.

Guys, I haven't met an ice cream I don't like, but this ice cream is uh-mazing.  Like, who knew carrots could taste so good in ice cream?  

Duh. Ice cream makes everything better. This one in particular.

The banana flavor is the strongest by far! As with all ice cream, it is the best texture right after the machine is done churning. Because this recipe has less cream than my other ice cream recipes, it freezes harder and more icy, so give it more time to soften before eating.

Hummingbird Ice Cream

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life. Base recipe from Rival Ice Cream Maker Booklet

Yield: 2 quarts 

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

2-1/2 cups milk

2 eggs, beaten 

1-1/2 cups milk 

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 tablespoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups mashed banana (I used 4 medium ripe ones) 

1/2 cup finely grated carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts 

Combine sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan. Gradually stir in 2-1/2 cups milk. Cook over medium heat until thickened (10-15 minutes)  Stir one cup of hot mixture into eggs. Return eggs back to remaining hot mixture. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Chill for 2 hours. 

Stir in remaining 1-1/2 cups milk, whipping cream, vanilla, and mashed bananas. Fold in carrots and walnuts. Chill for 2 hours. Freeze as directed. 

More Ice Cream Treats

Chocolate Oreo Ice Cream

Homemade Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake

Skinny Orange Sherbet Ice Cream (100th post!)

I really should've had a more special recipe for my 100th post, but sometimes simple is best. :)

This banana ice cream thing has become one of my new favorite summer treats.

Okay, all frozen fruit has become my favorite thing. 


Seriously, I think I could live off of it. Well, until I see peanut butter and avocados, but bags of frozen strawberries and blueberries and cherries disappear at our house all the time.

Why are you looking at me that way?

The last three weeks, me and my brothers have been doing the summer golf tournaments. I missed the first one (because I had played once this year and didn't feel like embarrassing myself) but the last two I've played in. 

I can't quite figure out my feelings about golf.  It's weird, I know, considering they are my feelings. I do really enjoy golf. Some people say its not really a sport or that it's boring. Well, I've learned never to call a sport (or anything for that matter) boring until you take the time to learn about it. 

I think baseball is pretty un-exciting. But I haven't taken the time to learn about the strategies or why it takes a crazy amount if innings to run around bases in the ridiculously hot sun or why diving into walls for a baseball is applaudable. (Okay, I'm not that naive, but it's all in the name of a point!)  When people say golf is boring, I wonder whet they come up with that. Golf is the only sport where the playing field changes. Every other sport has a court or rink or field that is the same size every time. In golf, each hole is different. Each course is different. You are dealing with a new terrain every couple shots. That adds a whole different dimension to the sport. 

Also, in golf, short stuff matters. The person who misses two 1 foot putts on the green could get the same score as the person who makes an incredible chip in for par. (Par is the number of shots it should take you to get the golf ball in the cup, or hole. If its a par four, it should take you three shots (a birdie is one shot below par) to get it in the hole. They give you four so you can par, or stay even. If you shoot a five, or one over par, it's called a bogey.  Just a little background:)

Depending on the difficulty of the course, you could miss your two foot putt by an inch and have that putt roll off the green, forcing you to chip and putt again. You could be losing to someone by three or four shots and in one hole that could all change. They could shoot a double bogey and you could shoot a birdie. Just like that, the tables have turned. 

I enjoy the challenge of golf. This year, I've felt like I can really enjoy playing it as well. I've never been as passionate about golf as my brothers. And, being in the sum during the summer caused me to become dehydrated and get really painful headaches. Golfing was hard physically and then became hard mentally. Golf is very much a mental game (but aren't all sports?:)

 

Yesterday, we had gorgeous weather. And I didn't get tired at all, even though a typical round takes four hours and in a tournament, you walk the whole way while carrying your golf bag. 

Best if all, I had a personable partner.  I've always played in threesomes or foursomes, but yesterday it was just me and another girl, Anna, in my group. She was talkative, genuine, and not perfect. Of course, you say, no ones perfect. Okay, for years I played with this girl who was do incredibly talented at golf. I mean, at age 12, she was playing better than most high school seniors. I would go into tournaments dreading her. Her and her perfect shots. Her and her sunglasses. (I love spying on people from behind mine, but I can't stand but when other people do it. She was such a quiet and focused person, I knew she wasn't "spying" but it scared me anyways.). Her and her nonconversational attitude. (She was focused!  She had a golf tournament to compete in. She wasn't going to be distracted by small talk which is a good thing. I however, like talking. It's like a de stresser for me. I process out loud. So competing quietly, rarely congratulating, rarely smiling or showing emotion, kind of unnerved me.)

Basically, I went into tournaments wanting to win and knowing I couldn't, because Miss Tiger Woods lived next door. 

Mercifully, she moved. Our golf team definitely suffered, but I was so relieved. I'm not a bad golfer, but I always felt like a loser (literally) when I played with her. And it wasn't like she was mean. She was quiet, really nice, but man, I made her out to be something I could never beat. I wouldn't beat her if I played her today and I'm sure she's kicking tails in Georgia, but at least its not mine. 

So after ALLLLLLLLL that, I really enjoyed the golf tournament. What I don't like about golf is that it does take four hours. But once I get started, it is so much fun! I just have to get over the mental hump that it gonna take an entire afternoon. 

Last thing on golf! (You will be so sick of seeing the word golf after this post.)  Golf is something I can do with my dad all the way down to Stephen. You don't have to be a certain age or size or strength to play. I could play it when I was six (not well, but I could play it) and if I keep it up, I'll probably be able to play when I'm sixty. You don't need a court, you don't need a partner, you don't need mega muscles or flexibility. The longevity is way better than other sports. 

What does that have to do with ice cream?

Ummm ... nothing. 

I really enjoyed this ice cream . . . and I really enjoyed the tournament . . . connection?  Good enough.  This is creamy, sweet, and a little tart. Sour orange adds a whole new dynamic to the chocolate chips and in a cold, creamy base like this one, you would be crazy to pass it up. 

Skinny Orange Sherbet Ice Cream

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life

Yield: 3-4 servings

2 bananas, smashed and frozen

1/4 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1-2 drops red food coloring and 1-2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

Blend the first four ingredients in a high powered blender for a minute or until smooth and fluffy.  Add food coloring, if desired and blend.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour mixture into a container and place in the freezer for about 10 more minutes or until mixture firms up.  Scoop and serve.

This is what it looks like without the food coloring.  Definitely not orange, but just as delicious!

I like my banana ice cream!

Skinny White Chocolate and Blueberry Milkshake

Banana Blueberry Ice Cream

Orange Raspberry Banana Bread (whole wheat)

White Chocolate and Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes

I've been seeing this combo of white chocolate and peanut butter all over the blogosphere.  I finally decided to try it!

These are actually fairly fluffy and not as dense as I expected.  Between the banana, yogurt, and peanut butter, I expected these to be mini pound cakes.  But no, these are slightly moister than traditional cake, (and I like mine that way!) but still fluffy and tender. 

I debated how I wanted to do this, but the end result is even better than I had hoped.  The banana is subtle, and the peanut butter and white chocolate get to shine.  I'm not a huge white chocolate fan, but I had most of a bag left over from this milkshake so I had to use it!  Peanut butter (aside from being my favorite ingredient ever) was a new and exciting pairing.  I wasn't disappointed by how they blended.  The white chocolate wasn't overpoweringly sweet and neither was the peanut butter overly nutty.  The flavors are both there and compliment each other really well.

The frosting is SO simple and yet it adds so much to these cupcakes!  I guess in order to call it a cupcake, it needed frosting, and I really like this one.  It is more of a thick glaze, but these cupcakes really don't need very much.  To be honest, they don't need the frosting, but they looked so boring on their own, I needed something to make them photogenic.  (Isn't it always the best recipes that look the worst?  I mean, how can I tell you this cupcake blends three incredible flavors in a moist and tender cupcake when all there is, is a tan cupcake with no color or chunks of texture?  So, I needed the frosting.  And the sprinkles, because sprinkles make everything festive:)

White Chocolate and Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life.  Adapted from Chiquita
Yield: 12 frosted cupcakes

Cupcakes:
2 medium bananas, ripe and mashed
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 oz. white chocolate chips, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Optional: Sprinkles, white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.  Line and lightly grease a regular 12 cupcake pan.

For cupcakes:  Mash bananas well.  Beat eggs and add bananas, milk, yogurt, peanut butter and vanilla.  Stir until smooth.  Add melted white chocolate chips and stir.  Combine sugar, flour, salt and baking soda and add to wet ingredients.  Stir until moistened. 

Spoon into prepared pan, filling 3/4 way full.  Bake for 15-17 minutes.  Let cool before frosting.

For frosting: Melt butter and white chocolate chips in microwave for 30-40 seconds, stirring occassionally.  Heat for 10 seconds longer, if necessary.  Stir in peanut butter and let cool for one minute.  Spread on cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with sprinkles and white chocolate chips, if desired.