Bourbon Vanilla Banana Bread with Candied Walnuts

Nov 7, 2015

I’ve long been on the record as “meh” on banana bread.

As my two-year-old niece would say, it’s not…offensive. It’s just not something that calls to me on any level.

But let me tell you…bourbon sure does take this up a level! And candied walnuts don’t hurt either. What I’m saying is, this banana bread is AWESOME.

This recipe is also super easy and fast. It’s taking one of the most basic recipes many of us remember from our childhood and just taking it up a few notches. Vanilla bean paste instead of just extract. A subtle deep, almost caramel flavor from the bourbon. Beautiful sugar-crusted nuts for texture. If that isn’t an impressive dessert (okay fine, breakfast), I don’t know what is!

The Healthy Train…Starting with Breakfast

Feb 22, 2014

I don’t know about you guys, but this has been a pretty brutal winter. (I mean, I do know, my mom gives me the weather report nationwide.) I won’t pretend Atlanta’s weather has been worse than, say, New York or the Midwest. It hasn’t. But for us and our very poorly-insulated homes, it’s been tough. Not only has this affected moods and energy, I realized it has also caused a 10+ pound weight creep over the past two months. Cold weather + travel + ice storms + need for comfort food means I haven’t been able to get as much exercise as usual and I’ve defaulted to less healthy (like 3 variations on mac & cheese) and more convenient (I seriously ate my body weight in Chinese like 5 times) options. Plus practically no fruits and veggies. It’s amazing I haven’t succumbed to scurvy.

But no more! There is sun and warmth on the horizon, fruits and veggies will be back in season before you know it, and the fresh air is calling our names! I’m really focusing more on consciously planning my meals and snacks—I’ve slipped into a bad habit of not really eating breakfast over the past few crazy months—and having things on hand to get all the right vitamins and minerals. I’ve switched to organic whole milk (blech, I know, but after reading about how terrible skim milk is, I just can’t anymore; I’d love to find a raw milk resource in the Atlanta area), added some raw honey into my diet, and am trying to avoid GMOs where I can. Which is super hard.

I thought I’d pull together a few of my most favoritest tried-and-true super healthy recipes to have top of mind while planning out my next few weeks, and am sharing here in case you’re in need of inspiration. For breakfast, convenience is key, so it either needs to be made ahead in bulk, or a smoothie I can take to work with me. I rarely cook during the week since I work so much, so making a big meal on Sunday that becomes great leftovers is the focus. And not too expensive on all counts. I’ll post a dinner/lunch/leftovers one separately.

Cheryl’s Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

Oct 13, 2013

I love me a good, healthy breakfast option. When I find one I love, I tend to stick with it. Which explains why I’ve had approximately 323 spinach and pineapple smoothies in the past several months…

A month or two ago, my co-worker brought these amazing healthy muffins into work. I ate one (and then another) and then went right to her desk and asked her for the recipe.

When she sent it, it was even better than I’d thought—whole wheat flour, oil, apple butter, and lots of super healthy add-ins like coconut, walnuts, and carrots. And yet they tasted so sweet!

They jumped to the top of my “must make” list, and I tried them out a couple weeks later. The recipe was super easy and they turned out so well! I kept them at my desk for breakfast and a mid-morning snack until they were all gone. 

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

Jan 4, 2013

Guys, I was REEEEEEALLY skeptical about this one.

Unlike many people, crockpots actually scare me. I’m on board with soups and chili, but pretty much everything else I’ve ever made in a crock pot has turned out burned, dry, soggy, or otherwise not very good. It’s like I’m incapable of mastering it. But I needed a make-ahead breakfast option for my “breakfast day” at work, so the crockpot was really my only option. And guess what? It turned out surprisingly great!

The final result wasn’t *pretty*, mind you, but it was very flavorful, not dry at all, and got a thumbs-up from my co-workers. Plus, the assembly the night before was quick and painless—cooking the bacon was the most involved piece, everything else was just layering.

Healthy smoothie variation (Pear, Kale, & Mango Smoothie)

Aug 1, 2012

I posted an awesome pineapple spinach smoothie I’d been trying out for breakfast every day a couple weeks ago. On a few of the smoothie websites I’d read that you should mix it up, not just always do the same fruits and veggies, to get the most out of the nutrients. So I switched up a few of the ingredients for the past week.  Just as good, though I think I prefer the spinach one from a texture standpoint.

What I’ve been doing is making this in the morning, drinking part of it on my way to work, then putting it in the fridge while I have my normal coffee and such. Then I pull it out of the fridge around 10:30 and have breakfast part deux.