Let's Mick's up Some Bananas!

Are you bananas about bananas?!  

Even though they are higher in the glycemic index (you know, the natural sugar they contain), they do have many good nutrients in them.  Plus, they are filling and are a healthy, quick snack.  That sugar content thing I mentioned first... well... that's one reason some personal trainers recommend them for a pre-workout boost.

I received an email once that listed out numerous benefits of and uses for bananas.  (Thanks, Mom!)  For example, the email says:  When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.  Some other vitamins it contains are the B6, B12.

It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.

When our church had a lot of bananas in their pantry from generous merchants who donate food, some of us had fun talking about different uses for the bananas, like in smoothies, breads, etc.  I was excited to share my pancake recipe!  I found it from one of the Paleo-food groups I am connected with on Facebook.

This is such a simple and yummy menu item.  I finally found something my kidderz and hubby will eat every day for breakfast, if I let them.  (Not that I prepare it every day, because I don't want them to end up getting tired of the monotony... but even if I don't prepare it, one of them will!)  My teenage son even said, "Really?!  That's it?  That's all there is to it?!  Well, I definitely found the breakfast I'm going to live on as a bachelor."

I promised a friend I'd send her this recipe, so I'm getting it out to all of you now.  Besides, I was already planning to type this up, in honor of National Pancake Day and/or Pancake Day, both of which I missed (February 5th and 12th, respectively).

Ready?  Grab your pencils!

Here's the banana pancake recipe:

Blend together (in a blender) 2 eggs and 1 very ripe banana.

That's it!!

REALLY!!!

That is all there is to it!

Well, of course, you'll want to cook it.

That info is right here:

Fry up the pancake batter in a pan on the stove (greased with coconut oil or butter), just like you would any pancake.  Top with your favorite pancake toppings.  (We like no-sugar berry sauce or natural Maple Syrup.)  You may also add vanilla to the pancake batter, if you'd like to, and/or berries, etc.

Granted, they might not be the prettiest, nor the fluffiest pancakes you've ever made, but I can almost guarantee they are the easiest.

Is that too easy for you?

Are you feeling like you're cheating by using such a simple recipe?

Have no fear.  You're not!

However, if you want to get a little fancier, here's another Paleo-food recipe I read and tried.  Instead of bananas, it uses plantains (another favorite in our house).  Simply blend together these ingredients and fry up in a pan like any pancakes:  2 large green plantains (approximately 2 cups pureed), 4 eggs, 2tsp vanilla, 3 tbsp coconut oil, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda.

There you have it.

Happy Pancake Day a little late.  With these recipes, it's most certainly better late than never!  Mmmmmmmm....

^"Then he lay down under the tree. And he fell asleep.

Suddenly an angel touched him. 

The angel said, “Get up and eat.” 

Elijah looked around. 

Near his head he saw a flat cake of bread.

It had been baked over hot coals.

A jar of water was also there.

So Elijah ate and drank.

Then he lay down again.

The angel of the Lord came to him a second time.

He touched him and said, “Get up and eat.

Your journey will be long and hard.”

1 Kings 19:5-7 (NIV)

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Mick’s up With Apples

A favorite and easy breakfast (or anytime) dish at our house is what we call “Bakes Apples.”  They aren’t as yummy as the baked apples my Grammy made for us, all those years (and still does), but that’s what I call this dish anyway.


Since it’s so simple, I want to share it.  Maybe you'll find it helpful to add to your healthy lifestyle menu.

I recently heard variations on this type of baked apple dish, some healthy, others really not healthy at all (cringe!).  This one is healthy and offers a little protein sustenance, which is why I like to serve it in the mornings.

This is all there is to it:
Ideally, use organic apples (to avoid the pesticides, etc.) and of the Granny Smith variety (to keep the glycemic level low).  However, if you have the capability of none or only one of these suggestions, do what you can, and enjoy what apples you have.

Once you core and slice the apples, place them in a casserole/baking dish, and get ready to mix up some fun crunchies for the topping.  Do you have shredded coconut (unsweetened), flax seed, sliced almonds, protein powder, butter or coconut oil, almond or coconut flour, cinnamon, stevia, and/or coconut crystals? Put any or all of those items (and whatever else you can throw in) in a bowl, and mix together to make a delicious crumble on the apples. 

Place the entire mixture in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or long enough to soften the apples.

It’s as easy as that!  If you have a yummy, healthy whipped topping, go ahead and put some on top.  Maybe you have found some of the healthier ice cream available, too, like So Delicious coconut ice cream or Clemmy’s.  Any of those will turn this breakfast dish into a heavenly dessert, and with the protein added, it’s a dessert with a boost!  It can’t get much better than that.

Enjoy!!

“Keep me as the apple of your eye;

    hide me in the shadow of your wings” 

(Psalm 17:8 NIV)

~

Mick’s in Some Valentines

What did you end up doing on Valentine’s Day?  Go to my Facebook page to tell me about it.

I got a call from a very tall, dark, and handsome guy, asking me to go on a date!  We enjoyed a splurge dinner out.  It was such a great surprise to run into friends at the restaurant!  The best part, though, was some time alone with my honey.

What did we do during the other hours of that day?  I woke up early to make Grain-free Cinnamon Rolls, Fluffy Gluten-free Pancakes, and Strawberry Sauce.  I wrapped up pictures of my hubby and me, for him to take to his new office, and I presented the kidderz with gifts from their grandparents.  (The grandparents are awesome!  They know we are keeping sugar away from our house, so they made sure not to get sweets for gifts.  Instead, they bought little strawberry planting kits for the kidderz.  How cute!)  Also, I did actually make the Chicken Salad with Cranberries for everyone’s lunches, as well as the Strawberry Cheesecake Bites for the evening’s dessert.  Yummy!

My daughter had fun giving away all our xylitol candies with Valentines for her classmates, but when we ran out, she was creative in her choice of Valentines for our neighbor boys.  She made paper airplanes out of Valentine paper, and wrote their names on them.  The boys seemed to love them!

Oh!  I forgot to mention: My Valentine gave me 2 potted miniature rose plants.  They are beautiful!  Not only that, but we also watched a movie at home:  Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility
adapted for the 1995 film.  I love it, every time I watch it!  Even though it was a very mild night outside, we had a fire in the fireplace to enjoy while we snuggled up for the movie.

So, I write this only to encourage you in knowing there are alternatives.  You don’t have to celebrate Valentine’s Day (or any special day) the same old way.  Make life interesting.  Mix it up!  Better yet, Mick’s up Life, and be inspired into wellness!

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children

and walk in the way of love,

just as Christ loved us

and gave himself up for us

as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

~

Mick’s in Love

I love my sweetheart!  I really do have the best guy in the world as my husband… MY VERY OWN HUSBAND!  Since our dating days, I have referred to him as my Knight in Shining Armor.  God knows, better than I, what I need… and I am THANKFUL!  It makes Valentine’s Day a necessary celebration.

I dedicate this post to my Valentine… Jay.       

So, with Valentine’s Day less than a week away, it’s time to plan ahead for special treats to share with your Valentine.  If we don’t plan ahead, do you know what happens?  We end up buying that $14.99 heart-shaped box of chocolates or that $65 bouquet of long-stemmed red roses.  Those are wonderful splurges, but if your sinuses and wallet are anything like mine, you prefer to have an alternative choice or two that are healthier and cheaper.

What are some of the fun things you plan to do for your Valentine on Tuesday?

I’m thinking our house might be filled with a breakfast menu of Strawberry Smoothies and/or Strawberry Sauce on Fluffy Pancakes (depending on how much time I have in my Tuesday morning schedule)… a lunch menu of Chicken Salad with cranberries mixed in (see below) and Almond Power Bars (for the chocolate)… a dinner out for a splurge with my sweetheart, or a menu something like Chicken Cacciatorre and peas (family’s favorite veggie)… and finish it off with a dessert, such as Strawberry Cheesecake Bites and Chocolate Chip Cookies or Coconut Macaroons or Strawberry Gelato… and heart-shaped Almond Bark (not the peppermint version like this link is for).  (Do you see my pattern of hints of pink and red and chocolate?)  We’ll see how well I actually do with that!

Even with all the fun festivities, especially if you have young children still doing the school party thing (or teenagers newly discovering puppy love), let us not forget the truest, purest, biggest Valentine gift ever:  Christ laid down His life for YOU!  Here is a great song about that very thing.  Enjoy!

Someone Worth Dying For

by

MIKESCHAIR

You might be the wife waiting up at night.
You might be the man struggling to provide,
feeling like it's hopeless.
Maybe you're the son who chose a broken road.
Maybe you're the girl thinking you'll end up alone,
praying, “God, can you hear me?
Oh, God, are you listening?”

“Am I more than flesh and bone?
Am I really something beautiful?
Yeah, I wanna believe.  I wanna believe that
I'm not just some wandering soul
that you don't see and you don't know.
Yeah, I wanna believe.  Jesus, help me believe that I
am someone worth dying for.

I know you've heard the truth that God has set you free,
but you think you're the one that grace could never reach.
So you just keep asking what everybody's asking,

“Am I more than flesh and bone?
Am I really something beautiful?
Yeah, I wanna believe.  I wanna believe that
I'm not just some wandering soul
that you don't see and you don't know
Yeah, I wanna believe.  Jesus, help me believe that I
am someone worth dying for.

You're worth it!  You can't earn it.
Yeah, the Cross has proven  that you're sacred and blameless.
Your life has purpose.

You are more than flesh and bone.
Can't you see you're something beautiful?
Yeah, you gotta believe.  You gotta believe.
He wants you to see.  He wants you to see
that you're not just some wandering soul
that can't be seen and can't be known.
Yeah, you gotta believe.  You gotta believe that you are someone worth dying for.
You're someone worth dying for!
You're someone worth dying for!

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

 

 ~

Chicken Salad

Mix desired amount of shredded or cubed cooked chicken with desired amount of cottage cheese.  Add extras, such as salt and pepper, sliced almonds, raisins, or dried cranberries (if the ingredients say they are sweetened with apple sauce, that's best, rather than the cranberries dried with sugar) and/or diced cucumbers, etc.

~

Mick’s up in a Mutiny

Mick’s up Life’s twitter profile states, “Living life as a healthy family can sometimes seem mixed up.”  I say that out of experience.  For example, this week seems a little mixed up.  I think the kidderz are on the verge of declaring mutiny.  It’s a conspiracy!  Help!!!

Arrrgh, Matey!
We've had all we can take of them there vittles!

OK.  OK.  It’s not that bad.  It’s just that I am a person who likes routine and patterns.  (A college roommate even told me I’m predictable.  At the time, I found it offensive.  Now, I just accept it, even if it is a quirk.)

My advice, when changing to a healthier lifestyle, is to keep it simple.  That was some of the best advice I received at the beginning.  The problem with it is that the source of the advice doesn’t have children, and is comfortable with monotony, like me.

The kidderz are showing me the need for more than routine.

Simple is good, but remember to mix it up!

I’m telling myself this, too.  My kidderz are at the point where they need a little more variety.  So, this week I’ve had fun revisiting some yummy recipes I almost forgot about.

What are those yummy recipes?

Well, so far this week, we had Gluten-free Fluffy pancakes and Apple-Berry Crisp with Cinnamon-Raisin Ezekiel Toast & Cream Cheese & Cinnamon for breakfast two different days, Gooey Brownies for snack in the afternoon, and our own Banana Cream Pie recipe for an after-church dessert tonight.  (See below for the recipe, which still needs improvement.  Feel free to mix it up however you like.)

I love using amazing resources, like Healing Cuisine by Elise and GOOD FOOD.  I know there are others out there, so please feel free to share them with me!  If you’re looking to reward your new lifestyle with a new cookbook, check out Elise’s Season's Eatings, Lin’s GOOD FOOD cookbook, or a new one I just learned about:  Dr. Axe’s The Real Food Diet Cookbook.

Happy hunting!

Now, for me, it’s time to be off to wash all those dishes I’ve been dirtying!!

Let us not become weary in doing good,

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9

~

Banana Cream Pie Filling

3 bananas

Stevia to taste

1 tsp vanilla (no sugar, no alcohol)

1/2 can coconut milk

Mash bananas by hand, or blend in a food processor or blender.  Mix in remaining ingredients.

(We're considering adding something to slow the browning of the bananas, as well as vanilla protein powder for more flavoring and thickening.  We still have plenty more playing to do with this recipe to spice it up!)

We use the Maximized Living Almond Pie Crust recipe for a shell to place the pie filling in.  Then we top it all off with our homemade whipped topping, made in a cream whipper (iSi Gourmet Whip) with the ingredients: organic heavy whipping cream, xylitol, and vanilla.

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