Low-Fat Banana Bread

In this spring/summer San Diego heat, it seems like bananas get super ripe and turn brown a lot quicker. Instead of throwing away and wasting the bananas, one of my favorite things to make is banana bread! It's such an easy breakfast for the week or healthy snack anytime!

Low-Fat Banana Bread

Adapted from the Betty Crocker recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups very ripe bananas (3-4 bananas)
• 1/2 cup milk (the original recipe called for buttermilk, I used regular non-fat milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup white flour, and 1 1/2 cup wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped nuts, berries, or chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Mash up your bananas using a masher or fork and set aside. 

• Lightly grease bottoms only of either 2 loaf pans (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5) or 1 loaf pan ( 9 x 5 x 3) with cooking spray.
• Mix sugar and butter in a large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. 

• Stir in mashed bananas, milk, and vanilla, beat until smooth.
• Add flour, baking soda, and salt until moistened. 

• Add in nuts or other optional ingredient.
• Bake two 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

• Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

• Loosen sides of loaves from pan(s); remove from pan(s) and place top side on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. 
• Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have over the years.

xox~

Amy

BBQ, Bacon, Cheddar Burgers

"Grill Season" is officially here!!!!!  I just love spring/summer in San Diego... the days get longer, the nights are warmer, and food gets taken outdoors to be cooked on the grill or barbecue.  I mean, who doesn't love the smell of food cooking on a barbecue?  Not only can grilling be healthy (depending on what you're grilling!), but it is also easy, requires a lot less clean-up, and makes your food taste amazing!  One of my favorite things to grill is burgers.  There's something about the smell and taste of a burger from the grill/barbecue that screams "SUMMER" to me...

Although I love me a regular hamburger or cheeseburger, I think it's fun to try new patty recipes too.  Here's a delicious recipe to jazz up your standard ground beef patty!  I use a 90/10 ground beef for a leaner, healthier burger patty...

BBQ, Bacon, Cheddar Burgers

1 lb. 90/10 ground beef
1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup low sodium bacon bits (or about 4 slices of bacon)
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 plain breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon onion powder
dash of grill seasoning (optional)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until combined well.

Form into 6-8 round patties. Sprinkle patties with grill seasoning (optional).

Place on a preheated and oiled grill.

Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side, depending on thickness.

Top patty with a slice of avocado and tomato for maximum burger deliciousness!!! Place the patty on a hamburger bun or you can eat without the bun (we are not eating as many carbs at dinner so we opted for lettuce wrap). Either way it's good. :)

Since it's 'that' time of year, stay tuned for more barbecue and grill recipes...

Xo,
Janel

Baked Zucchini Chips

We (The Sisters and our parents) just returned from a very fun family vacation to the Riviera Maya, a beautiful strip of coastline on the gulf of Mexico.  In an effort to keep up with the May Fitness Challenge, "Get Movin" May, we made sure to get a few hours of cardio in during our vacation by playing tennis, snorkeling, going to the resort gym, swimming, and walking. Unfortunately, it was much harder to fit in healthy meals! But now that we are home, it's time to get back to our regular eating and fitness routines... and in an effort to "detox" from vacation, we all resolved to eat clean for a while. 

Sisters do tennis

Sisters do snorkeling

As part of my own personal resolution to eat clean, I am trying to eat a lot more vegetables. I love pita chips and hummus, but pita chips (although better for you than a potato chip!) are not the healthiest snack option. I have seen a lot of recipes for zucchini chips on Pinterest. Since zucchini is a vegetable and currently in-season, I decided to try and make some low-calorie zucchini chips.

Baked Zucchini Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini
• canola cooking spray
• seasoned salt, or other seasoning of your choice. I used sea salt and paprika.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with canola oil. Set aside.
• Slice zucchini into thin medallions, about the thickness of a quarter (You can either use a mandolin slicer, or a knife and a steady hand)
• Lay out slices on baking sheet, and spray tops with additional cooking spray. Sprinkle with your choice of seasonings. I used paprika and a little sea salt. (FYI- the slices shrink significantly, so don't overuse seasoning. You can always add more later if it wasn't enough).

• Place in preheated oven and bake 45 minutes. 
• Remove baking sheet from oven and flip chips.
• Bake an additional 45-50 minutes, until chips are browned and crisped to your liking. 
• Enjoy (these are best within a few hours of baking)!

Hope you all have a chance to enjoy a vacation this summer! Enjoy your rest and relaxation time on vacation... but make sure to come back to our site when you get home. We can help you get back on your diet and fitness track. :)

xoxo,

Amy