Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread

I've been spending a LOT of time lately revisiting my eating and cooking habits. I don't like "light" or "diet" or "non-fat." (Though I do like 1% milk for my cereal.) For me, I think having a small pat of butter is more important than having a mass of a fat-free version. But somewhere along the way, I think I lost sight of portion sizes or maybe it was just a combination of factors. Regardless of the progression, I didn't like that a few favourite pieces of clothing were a bit too snug...

Time to revisit.

So, I've been trying to choose more vegetables than starches... opting for greek yogurts versus mayonnaises... and trying to get a bit more creative. I still enjoy the french fries and gravy every so often but it just can't be every day.

Time to be (a wee bit) healthier. These mini muffins are a great step in that direction... Wheat bran and flax kick up the fibre and omegas, bananas are full of potassium, greek yogurt is a great source of calcium and protein, agave is much sweeter than sugar so I could use less to achieve a similar level of sweetness as using brown sugar. And let's not forget my favourite sweetie-treatie justification... dark chocolate is a source of happy healthful antioxidants. So, I'm feeling pretty good about my little creation here. haha.

Backwoods (Bastardized) Banana Cream Pie

You are probably already laughing from the title of this post... and, if you know me at all, you know that I have never seen nor likely know anything of what said "backwoods" are like. I have been a self-proclaimed "inside girl" for many many years now. It's not that I don't like the outside... I have allergies... I whine... I get cold... I whine... hahah. Wow, I'm really giving myself the good sell, aren't I?

The addition of the pup to the zoo has been good for kicking my butt and getting me into the vast "outside world." Don't get me wrong... I'm no backwoods convert and my camping experience will be limited to the queen-size air mattress that I found in the discount bin at Superstore (a steal at $12.40!) but I have come to really love and enjoy my morning (and afternoon and evening) walks with Charlie.

Ok, ok... back to the backwoods (bastardized) banana cream pie. I was tasked with coming up with dessert options for the BF's upcoming backwoods canoe trip. This is beyond the camping that most of us have experience with. They carry everything that they will need for 10 days... themselves... in backpacks... (insert: shocked expression). So, their supplies are dried, dehydrated or freeze-dried within an inch of palatable. There would be absolutely NOTHING better than a sweet-treat at the end of a long day of hiking, portaging and canoeing.

So, for the backwoods campin' man or woman in your life... or, for yourself, if you are so inclined... here is a guide (I can't bring myself to say recipe) for an easy sweet-treat.

Banana, Pecan and White Chocolate Muffins

This recipe started out with mushy, brown, "fragrant" bananas on my counter. Staring me down in the way that overly ripe food does... implying guilt with every pass. "Save me, save me," is the subtitle in their pungent scent. My internal subtitle says, "get it together, Christine... don't you dare toss those bananas into the purgatory that is your freezer... until you throw them out as freezer burned shadows of what they could have been."

I started to think about the banana chocolate chip muffins that my mom used to make and then we used to make as kids. The recipe was so simple and there was very little better than tearing open that creamy muffiny goodness studded with semi sweet chocolate surprises.

Typically, I have the full gamut of options in my baking cupboard. Several different dried fruits, various chocolate chips and chunks, nuts, coconut and so on. Well, it looks as though my store has been pillaged. No standard dark chocolate chunks or chips here! I remember being quite concerted about using up several items but didn't realize that effort would stand between me and my perfect banana chocolate chip muffins now.

Regroup. Reassess. What did I have? I had a giant bag of pecan halfs, another of dried cranberries, smaller bags of peanuts, butterscotch chips, mint chips, white chocolate slabs and chunks... I grabbed the pecans and white chocolate chunks and got back on track.

Tea and a warm banana, pecan and white chocolate muffin

Caramelized Banana French Toast

I loved making french toast when I was younger. It was wonderfully satisfying and delightfully simple to make. Something so decadent about it. That lovely custard sopped up by a previously forsaken slice of stale bread... vanilla and cinnamon... sometimes some nutmeg... some sort of fruit, if I was so inclined... otherwise a healthy smear of butter and dosing of maple syrup. Perfection.

The sheer simplicity of this breakfast favourite almost made (and makes) me giddy with excitement. It's almost laughable how stale bread, some eggs, cream and some seasonings can transform into a ~$15 brunch item at a restaurant. This past weekend's brunch at home reminded me how easily I could compete, not pay $2 a cup for my much-needed gallon of coffee and eat in my pajamas!