What to do with Leftover Bananas?

In our temperate climate, I'm often left with bananas that go past their 'use by' date and no one will touch them.

  I have a perfectly good banana bread recipe but the family is getting bored with that one, so I decided I wanted to try a healthy muffin alternative - one that  could prepare me with 'suitable' supplies for FNSI.
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Now I'm no expert with muffins....I know they're supposed to be one of the easiest things to bake, but for some reason, my muffin making efforts turn into escapades!
Not one to give up, I thought I'd give it another go...what have I got to lose?  I'm throwing the bananas out anyway if it doesn't work!
So I opened up my trusty Muffin cookbook.....

and gave it another try.

I made a modification in that I didn't add sultanas (my boy doesn't like 'flies' in his food), but substituted the same amount of chopped pecans......all I can say is

B-I-N-G-O

They were a massive hit!   The recipe made 8 large muffins and they looked and tasted beautiful!

Need I say I'll be making some more for FNSI as these ones didn't last long.......*burp*

Why not try a batch for this FNSI nibbles?  If I can make them, anyone can!  And if you haven't joined this month yet, it's definitely not too late.  Sign-ups are{here} and don't forget to share.....remember, the more the merrier!

xox Sugary hugs :o)

FNSI deliciousness and some reminders….

I was thinking, “What sort of treat could we make this Friday night?  Something sweet…..savoury?  Something that suits the northern hemisphere’s heading into summery weather, as well as the southern’s beginnings of wintery temps?”   ….and here in the tropics, well our temps are staying in the low 30’s (celsius) by day so really, anything will suit me! (and I’m a great lover of just about ANY food type!)

And then I got to thinking…..why not make an easy-peasy-yummy-liquidy-pick-me-uppy-type drink?  I’d noticed on Kelley’s blog, she had a delicious looking ice-creamy, desserty treat so I asked her if I could share it with you.

Her gorgeous looking creation is the Frozen Chai Tea Latte.   I am a great fan of Chai tea….isn’t everyone?  a hint of cloves, a touch of cinnamon…..yummo…..very exotic, (that makes it healthy, right??)  AND just like being at a posh teahouse.  Adding an ice-creamy touch to it makes it a cross between dessert and ‘l'heure du thé’…this one will give you the energy to stitch for hours….*perfect*.

And it’s so simple to make….. just click on the picture to take you to the recipe. Even if you’re not into chai, Kelley has some other delectable treats…there’s so much to drool over….pop on over and take a look.

While you’re at it, have you signed up for Friday night’s FNSI yet?  The sign ups are back HERE so don’t forget to add your name to the list…we always have a blast.  If you haven’t heard about it, read all about our virtual Friday night get togethers here.

Another reminder, tomorrow is the release of Block 2 of my free B.O.F. B.O.F. aka Best Of Friends Block of the Fortnight.  If you’re new to it, you can read all about it in this previous post and this one too.

xox sugary sweet hugs :o)

FNSI yummies

It’s been a week of hectic-ness (is that even a word?) what with work, volunteering, tutoring, running to doctors and specialists and general day to day stuff, especially after being away for a week.  So my thought was to spoil myself for FNSI….and to me, nothing speaks ‘spoil’ like dark chocolate!

These DARK CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE POTS only take 15 minutes to prepare and an even less 10 minutes to cook, so it’s not too late to get them ready for an energy boost to keep you going tonight!

via

If you haven’t signed up yet, sign ups are HERE on this post.

Come along and join in the fun!

xox Sugary hugs :o)

FNSI Sign Ups, and brain food to share.

Oh my goodness!  With all the excitement of the 2015 Apron Swap, (You can find more about this swap in my last post) I nearly forgot to post the FNSI sign ups!!!  *eek* 

 How COULD I ever forget!?  Please forgive me!

So because my All-timers kicked in (friends and I were joking last week that, now we're getting older,  somedays we have all-timers and somedays we have some-timers.....instead of alzheimers!), I've found a yummy healthy recipe to share with you that you might like to make to give you the brain power and energy to keep you stitchin' with us,  aaaaall Friday night! Heaven knows, I need it!

It's called the Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie....doesn't that sound delish?   C'mon, who doesn't love to dunk a bikkie/cookie in their coffee/tea/hot chocolate whilst they're stitching......???  really??

via Sally's Baking Addiction

Well you will after this.......I found an absolutely enticing picture on my 'Healthy Me' Pinterest board and went visiting the author/creator, Sally from Sally's Baking Addiction  to find out more about it.   I knew these'd be just right, as Sally says, 'Taste testers didn’t miss the flour in these simple, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies! Only 5 ingredients needed to make them.'   

So, not-only-are-they-scrumptious, you ONLY NEED 5 INGREDIENTS..... an egg, almond butter (she even shows you how to make it if you can't access it ready-made),  brown sugar, baking soda and milk or dark choc chips (I prefer dark..and they're better for you).  Bonus!  I'm even sure you could substitute the sugar with healthier alternatives if you wanted....  

She has LOADS of other healthy yummy delights there too so, well worth a visit to her blog.   Make sure you go and visit Sally for the recipe!  You won't regret it.

Now, we all know Friday Night is Sew In night ( I sound like Sheldon, don't I?....Saturday night is Laundry night! hee hee).   Invite your friends, virtual or real, to join up with us and let's make it a warm and fuzzy kinda night.  We'll share cookies (aka bikkies/biscuits here in the southern hemisphere) and clink mugs/cups.  Sounds like fun, huh?
Ok....sign up below, and don't forget to leave me a comment! (and yes, there will be a prize for one lucky stitcher \o/ ).  See ya there with your brain food!?!

xox Sugary hugs :o)

Taking time for friends, nibblies and fnsi reminders

 

Yesterday was spent in the company of some very good friends of mine ours….I’m sure you’ll recognise them……

the only problem was, there was only two of them….Michelle didn’t make it.  I missed her terribly….it’s been so long since I’ve seen these lovely girls, I was so looking forward to the day….but these gals kept me laughing, although we were minus the lovely Michelle (and Barb)!

Heather had made a scrummy slice for morning tea from a recipe I shared on Facebook (I’ve included the recipe below so you can try it yourself for our FNSI nibbles with our cuppa).

And she shared the gorgeous apron she’d made, but ‘someone’ decided she was going to model it for us….

….and then refused to take it off and wore it all day!  Suited her too, don’t you think….after all, it IS her birthday next month, Heather!!!  The frivolity went on all day, even when lunch was being prepared…..

This lot crack me up!  You can see why we look forward to it so much!….I missed my chance though….whilst those two were preoccupied, I could have polished off the delish Rice Pudding that Jen brought along……talk about yummo!  You can find the recipe for it on Jen’s blog here…it would be perfect as an after dinner treat tomorrow night!  And finished off the way Jen did with apple jelly, fresh mango and blueberries…….…mmm mmmmmmmm, what more can I say!?

Our visit gave me a chance to hand over my Christmas gifts to the gals….

here’s what I made for Jen (I’ve been showing sneak peeks of it for a number of months now)….

and I made Heather a special ‘personalised’ gift to warn others to keep away from her fabulous stash which, by the way,  would have to be the envy of ANY quilt shop…..

I might even have to write a pattern up for this one…..what do you think?

Michelle’s and Barb’s are waiting patiently at both Jen’s and Heather’s place for the next time they see each other. And Michelle’s birthday gift is also waiting to meet it’s owner.

Anyway, more finishes to contend with, so tomorrow night’s FNSI is perfect timing.  Have you signed up yet?  Make sure you do.. Sign ups are in this previous post.  And here’s the recipe for our Simple Apple Slice…..wont take long to prepare and your nibblies for tomorrow night will be made!

SIMPLE APPLE SLICE/CAKE

Ingredients:

2 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 apples, peeled, cored and diced (1cm)
125g butter or margarine
1 egg

Directions:

Toss apples with self raising flour, cinnamon and sugar in a medium mixing bowl.

Melt butter in a small saucepan on the stovetop or in a small bowl in the microwave. Stir in egg.

Pour butter and egg into the apple mixture and mix until combined.

Spoon into a greased and lined slice tin.

Bake at 180 C for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Keeps for about 3 days (if you don’t eat it all before then!)

Can’t wait to stitch along with you tomorrow night.

xox Sugary hugs :o)

FNSI nibblies

I did tell you I’d have ‘healthy’ and ‘chocolate’ in the same recipe didn’t I?  Well, I forgot to tell you there would be some ‘scrumdiddlyumptious’ in there too!

How would you feel if I told you the recipe was for some CHOCOLATE BLISS BALLS ?  mm mmmmmmmmmm???

These are so easy to make and full of protein and fibre, you just can’t feel bad about eating them. *wink*

This recipe makes 10 serves, one ball is one serve and you can keep them in the fridge or freezer to snack on as you wish.  But be careful, you will only need one or two with a glass of wine or hot beverage as each ball is packed full of 100 calories (420kj) of goodness.  As they say, every good thing in moderation!

CHOCOLATE BLISS BALLS 

Ingredients:

• 67 unsalted almonds
• 90 grams pitted, dried dates (approx 13)
• 11 grams  cocoa/cacao (approx 2 3/4 tspns)
• 3/4 tspn coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 tspn chia seeds
• 2/3 tspn  vanilla extract
• 1/4 tspn cinnamon
• 1/2 tablespoon desiccated coconut

Method:

• Place almonds in a food processor and blend until ground well.
• Add dates, cocoa, coconut oil, chia seeds, vanilla and cinnamon and blend until well combined.  If you need to adjust quantities of ingredients to reach a consistency that’s easy to roll into balls, then do so.
• Roll mixture into 10 bite-sized balls and roll in desiccated coconut.
• Refrigerate to firm up a little.  Can be frozen.

Nutritional Information:

Energy:  420kj/100cal	Fat:  6g
Protein:  1.6g	Saturated Fat: 1/5g
Carbohydrates:  7g

mmmmmm….can’t wait till Friday

xox Sugary hugs :o)

Slow learning

I’ve always been a bit of a slow learner…….the technical term being “procrastinator”, but I’ve finally committed to doing something about my health.  (see?  ….. sloooooooow learner!)

I’ve noticed of late, I’ve stacked away 10 extra kilos….don’t ask me where from….(if they’re yours, you’re welcome to take them back any time!) and I’ve developed aches and pains that just weren’t there before.

So, using my Flybuys points, I ‘bought’ myself a Fitbit….a wacky-do little thing you wear on your arm that tracks what I eat, how many steps I take, how much energy I burn, how many calories I need, whether I’m sleeping efficiently….just amazing (even though it looks like a tracking device for those on home detention!)  This was my starting point….

It’s amazing how making yourself accountable, if only to yourself, makes a difference.   I haven’t been blogging or quilting much this past fortnight as I’ve been getting my head around it all…..and making a plan as to how I’m going to achieve it.

I’ve joined up with the 28-day weight loss challenge for busy mums to give me guidelines and I’m now doing gentle pilates, hydrotherapy and aqua aerobics plus a bit of walking….a bit tricky with a snooty titanium knee….it lets me know when it’s had enough.  Soon I’ll add in some exercise bike, but I’m not going to try and eat the elephant all in one bite…….one bite at a time is enough for me! 

My aim is to lose 20kg by March next year as that’s when the next LET’S GET STITCHED event is on……in BRISBANE………. 5-8 March so that’s one heck of a motivation!  Are you coming along?

Can’t wait to catch up with these gorgeous beauties…

via Let’s Get Stitched

 

So this morning I started out with a smoothie…….

a yummy banana-blueberry one…..and so easy.

for one serve, it’s

• 1/4 banana
• 1/4 cup blueberries (I use the frozen ones)
• 250ml light milk or reduced fat mild
• 5 ice cubes (I figure the ice from the blueberries did the trick!)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla smoothie mix (this is a special powder that has all the healthy vitamins and minerals added and I bought it from the weight loss challenge website but I’m sure you could either leave it out or use any vanilla diet shake/protein/whey powder

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until well combined.

The blueberries are the highest-ranking source of antioxidants, (compared to other commonly consumed fruits) which target DNA-damaging free radicals…….and they taste good too!

I’m home for the day, at last, so I’m going to catch up on some Christmas gift planning and stitching………feeling all full of energy!

xox  Sugary hugs :o)

Yummy, yummy….Friday night Sew In goodies in my tummy…..

I love finding new recipes for us to try for our FNSI nibbles, but this month I was a little stuck for ideas……(help, Pinterest!) But then it occurred to me before I could get seriously sidetracked…..I’d made some apple and cream turnovers on Sunday night when my boy brought his girlfriend home for dinner…..and they are super easy and super yum! First of all, you take a sheet of frozen, pre-rolled puff pastry and let it defrost slightly.  Then cut it in half, straight through the middle.  Then, cut each of those halves into four equal rectangles, giving you eight altogether (which will be MORE than enough, I promise you). Using a biscuit sheet lined with a piece of baking paper ,  evenly space the eight portions onto it.  Bake in the oven  at 200 degrees C. for about 15 mins, or until they are puffed and golden brown. When they’re cool I usually sprinkle with icing sugar/icing mixture and store them in a sealed container until I need to use them.  You could leave the ‘sprinkling’ until the end…it really makes no difference. Split one ‘puff’ in half and lay open. Using a spray can of whipped dairy topping (use the light one if you’re worried about putting on weight…this is the only part that’s ‘fattening’ as the pastry is full of air! Really!  LOL) Spoon on some stewed apple….I like to stew any apples (or in this case, apples and pears) that are starting to get a bit wrinkly in the fruit bowl that no-one will touch because they’re icky!  I peel them, then slice the ‘meat’ off the fruit in chunks and place in a saucepan.  Sprinkle a teaspoon or two of cinnamon in with them and add a sprinkle of caster sugar.  (sometimes apples can be a bit ‘bland’ and this seems to just give it the helping hand it needs). Add a 1/4 cup (as a guide) of water to the pan. Cook them on the stove for about 15-20 mins till they are a soft, translucent consistency and allow to cool.  Don’t worry if there is a bit of liquid in the pot, this will be mostly reabsorbed into the fruit.  When cool, mash a bit with the potato masher (I only do this stage for the turnovers so you don’t have great chunks of apple), leaving it slightly chunky, as in the picture.  This will keep cool in the fridge for up to a week. *NOTE:  if you’re not making the stewed apples for the turnovers, I like to add a few ‘generous’ tablespoons of sultanas or raisins…..lovely on breakfast meusli. Give another squirt of whipped dairy topping on the top (this is mainly to hold the lid on……..truly!) Place the other half on top and serve….. (mine looks like it needs another dusting of icing sugar doesn’t it?) …absolutely delish and easy as pie! You can prepare the pastries and the apple earlier and then constructing them takes hardly any time at all….the time it takes to boil the kettle or even less!  Perfect for our FNSI, don’t you agree?   A great dessert idea too! I’m sooooo looking forward to tomorrow night.  I’ll be sewing some secret squirrel stuff, but I’ll be busy and I’ll share some sneaky piccies over the weekend.  If you haven’t signed up yet, make sure you head here….there’s a great prize for one lucky joiner-innerer!  and share the fun on your blogs too….the more the merrier! Sugary hugs xox  :O)

Yummy, yummy….Friday night Sew In goodies in my tummy…..

I love finding new recipes for us to try for our FNSI nibbles, but this month I was a little stuck for ideas……(help, Pinterest!)

But then it occurred to me before I could get seriously sidetracked…..I’d made some apple and cream turnovers on Sunday night when my boy brought his girlfriend home for dinner…..and they are super easy and super yum!

First of all, you take a sheet of frozen, pre-rolled puff pastry and let it defrost slightly. 

Then cut it in half, straight through the middle.  Then, cut each of those halves into four equal rectangles, giving you eight altogether (which will be MORE than enough, I promise you).

Using a biscuit sheet lined with a piece of baking paper ,  evenly space the eight portions onto it.  Bake in the oven  at 200 degrees C. for about 15 mins, or until they are puffed and golden brown.

When they’re cool I usually sprinkle with icing sugar/icing mixture and store them in a sealed container until I need to use them.  You could leave the ‘sprinkling’ until the end…it really makes no difference.

Split one ‘puff’ in half and lay open.

Using a spray can of whipped dairy topping (use the light one if you’re worried about putting on weight…this is the only part that’s ‘fattening’ as the pastry is full of air! Really!  LOL)

Spoon on some stewed apple….I like to stew any apples (or in this case, apples and pears) that are starting to get a bit wrinkly in the fruit bowl that no-one will touch because they’re icky!  I peel them, then slice the ‘meat’ off the fruit in chunks and place in a saucepan.  Sprinkle a teaspoon or two of cinnamon in with them and add a sprinkle of caster sugar.  (sometimes apples can be a bit ‘bland’ and this seems to just give it the helping hand it needs). Add a 1/4 cup (as a guide) of water to the pan. Cook them on the stove for about 15-20 mins till they are a soft, translucent consistency and allow to cool.  Don’t worry if there is a bit of liquid in the pot, this will be mostly reabsorbed into the fruit.  When cool, mash a bit with the potato masher (I only do this stage for the turnovers so you don’t have great chunks of apple), leaving it slightly chunky, as in the picture.  This will keep cool in the fridge for up to a week.

*NOTE:  if you’re not making the stewed apples for the turnovers, I like to add a few ‘generous’ tablespoons of sultanas or raisins…..lovely on breakfast meusli.

Give another squirt of whipped dairy topping on the top (this is mainly to hold the lid on……..truly!)

Place the other half on top and serve….. (mine looks like it needs another dusting of icing sugar doesn’t it?) …absolutely delish and easy as pie!

You can prepare the pastries and the apple earlier and then constructing them takes hardly any time at all….the time it takes to boil the kettle or even less!  Perfect for our FNSI, don’t you agree?   A great dessert idea too!

I’m sooooo looking forward to tomorrow night.  I’ll be sewing some secret squirrel stuff, but I’ll be busy and I’ll share some sneaky piccies over the weekend.  If you haven’t signed up yet, make sure you head here….there’s a great prize for one lucky joiner-innerer!  and share the fun on your blogs too….the more the merrier!

Sugary hugs xox  :O)