Banana and Dark Chocolate Chip Bread

Yay for spring! As a self-admitted fall addict, I'll be the first to admit that it is nice to finally have some decent weather. Mostly because I feel bad for Judah. He didn't know what the sun was until today.

We rocked out to kiddie music, blew some bubbles {courtesy of daddy}, took some pictures, and gazed into each other's eyes...those steel blue eyes.

I have a strong suspicion that those eyes are going to get him in a lot of trouble one day.

I digress.

So it was this gorgeous spring day, and we loved it. Made the most of it. Even made it to Bouncing Babies. But alas, it was short-lived. It's calling for rain tomorrow. Also, my friend Lauren is coming over tomorrow to watch The Bachelor finale with me on Hulu. She's going to have to sit with me and pretend it's normal I'm in sweats for, like, 4 hours. The least I could do was make her something tasty.

Side note: 

Have you ever read this girl's blog about The Bachelor recaps? So. Stinkin. Funny. I can't handle it.

Sorry for the shameless Bachelor plug, but I'm kinda' a trashy tv junky. It's my kryptonite. I totally had to look up how to spell kryptonite.  

But having something baked on a cold, rainy day just touches that special part of my soul. I feel like it's fall outside. And that's all right with me. So, I made banana bread. Because bananas are cheap. And the chocolate is just because I have a problem.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 c unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 ripe mashed bananas
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350º F

Toss the eggs into a bowl.

Add the apple sauce.

Then the vanilla.

And finally, the mashed bananas.

Mix well.

I once heard a rumor that the longer you mix a baked item, the fluffier it will be. I have no idea if this is true, but I tend to leave mine going for a few minutes just to be safe.

Somewhere along the way, Judah had a meltdown and needed to be held, so I totally skipped a bunch of pictures. But go ahead and add in the salt, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon and mix again. 

Also, this is the flour I used.

Speaking of flour, add it in gradually, continuing to mix.

Nom nom nom.

Toss in the chocolate chips and mix.

And by the way, it totally doesn't have to be chocolate chips. It can be a nut. Maybe some flax seed. Or maybe you want double the chocolate chips I used. Whatever.

Spray a bread pan {well} and pour in the mixture. Bake for about 45 minutes.

 Vuala! Actual, real magic. These are the stories you'll tell your grandkids about.

Love and bananas,

 

Spinach and Swiss Quiche

I have no issue with honesty. I wear my heart on my sleeve. And my blog. I don't hide stuff. Usually. But food stuff...never. I'm an open book.

I'm going through a food identity crisis. If there is such a thing.

So Judah is now going on four months, and he has just come ALIVE. I honestly think it started when we introduced him to avocado, his first solid food. He magically started scooting from one side of the room to the other, hasn't stopping "talking," and is much more...ummm...regular. Food just makes him happy. He belongs in this family, clearly.

But I'm starting to panic about the food in the house. I used to snack on Cheetos. Now, I eat hummus and carrots. I inspect the ingredients on things. I read blogs by crunchy granola mammas. Things are ch-ch-ch-changing.

I guess it's that conviction that you have the opportunity to do something right with your kid. There are so many things I won't be able to control in his life. It's pretty much a given that Tim and I will categorically screw up our children to some extent. But I'd really like to try and feed him a healthy{ish} diet. So I go to Earth Fare and leave feeling broke but super hip and super healthy{ish}. And in the name of transparency, I oftentimes stop for a chicken biscuit on the way there.

Rome wasn't torn down in one day.

Anyway, quiche is healthy, right? Eggs? Spinach? I'm in.


Ingredients:

• 1 premade pie crust
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 tsp Lawry’s seasoned salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

I felt cool buying this pie crust from Earth Fare. There were two in a pack for about $4, which was totally worth not having to make one from scratch. Plus, it was made of spelt, which is apparently incredibly healthy. I don't even know what spelt looks like.

Crack your six eggs and put in a large bowl.

Side note: I should have used a larger bowl.

Add the milk and whisk until smooth.

Add your seasonings. And seriously, put in as much as you want. And what you want. I don't care if you use thyme or other fancy stuff. That's your call.

Toss in the swiss cheese, spinach leaves and parmesan. As far as the swiss goes, I used about 5 slices that I had from my sandwich drawer and ripped them into small pieces. I'm not judging you if you do the same.

Mix it up good. Well. No, good. Mix it up good 'n well.

Pour into your super hip spelt pie crust.

Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes, or until the middle is cooked through. This can vary based on the intensity of your oven.

Yup, that's the stuff.

Serve it with breakfast potatoes. And bacon. Can't forget the bacon.


Love and swiss,