Banana Pancakes: Delicious AND Nutritious

Okay, not the best picture, but it's all I have!

My most recent food love: Banana Pancakes!!!

I LOVE these things. And they are super simple to make.

It really doesn't get much more simple than
1 very ripe medium banana & 2 medium eggs
all mashed, mixed, and cooked over medium heat
on a lightly greased griddle!

The past couple mornings, I've eaten a few of these delicious pancakes
after my morning workout to get some protein and curb my hunger
before my PB banana oatmeal is ready.

These pancakes are really sweet, so you don't have
to add syrup at all! The natural sweetness from
the mashed up banana is plenty.
How great is that?

I must say that these banana pancakes are MUCH better fresh.
They don't make the best leftovers.
(not that you should EVER have leftovers with these! Haha.)

I did heat some up this morning as leftovers and they weren't too bad.
They are just SO much better fresh. So just eat them all at once!

And you won't have to feel bad about it either!
I'll tell you why...

These pancakes are packed with protein and are
good sources of vitamin A, iron, and vitamin C,
meaning that they have between 10-19% of your
recommended daily value for each of those nutrients!

Cool, right?

So, I did a little research and figured out the
nutrition facts for these banana pancakes!
(You're welcome!)

Banana Pancakes

























So, as you can see, the cholesterol in these is really high,
so just plan on eating very low cholesterol foods the rest of the day if you eat these.

Low cholesterol foods would include any fruits or veggies
(they don't have any because cholesterol is only found in animal products),
lean meats and proteins, and whole grains.

Also, if you happen to be worried about the 13g of sugar, don't worry much.
It's natural sugar from the banana!

Okay, now here's your homework:

• Buy some bananas.
• Wait patiently (I know it can be hard) for at least ONE banana to get really ripe. And...
• Make these!!! :)
• Oh, and eat the whole batch. Because you can.

Have a wonderful day!

A day at the park

Last Saturday, the weather was absolutely gorgeous!
The park was calling to us.
And we couldn't resist that call!

So, we packed up a lunch of
ham sandwiches with provolone, pesto, and spinach
and some grapes, oranges, and carrots.

  

We love our cute picnic basket!

We claimed a beautiful grassy area to picnic,
right next to a group of people playing ultimate frisbee.

We felt like we had just left our cavelike basement apartment
after a long Winter hibernation!

It was so refreshing to get outside and
enjoy the beautiful weather with Kaiya!

She's not quite used to the sun yet. Haha.

But she sure had fun practicing her walking skills!
She loves the feel of grass on her feet.
And Joshua and I love introducing her
 to this big, beautiful world of ours. :)

Hope you have had the opportunity to soak up the beautiful Spring weather!

I have a slight obsession...

...with quesadillas! 

I mean, really, they are super simple to make, super yummy, and extremely versatile.

What's not to obsess about?!

You can throw a lot of combinations of cheese, meat, veggies, beans, etc. into

a quesadilla and voila! Dinner! 

Plus, quesadillas can be really healthy when you make them with

whole wheat tortillas, low-fat cheese, and lots of veggies!

Anyways, Joshua and I have discovered a new quesadilla that is too tasty not to share!

I got the inspiration for this quesadilla from a few recipes I saw on Pinterest (naturally).

Sooo, I decided to make my own version of a Tomato Avocado Quesadilla.

Honestly, we didn't measure any of the ingredients. 

We just threw things in until it tasted good to us.

Joshua chopped up the avocado and tomatoes while I got the other ingredients together.

First bite for Joshua = success! He really liked it! 

Doesn't look like much, but it is FULL of flavor. Yum!

Tomato Avocado Quesadillas
           Prep Time: 10 minutes          Serves: 2

What you'll need:

• 2 whole wheat tortillas
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 medium avocado, diced
• 1/2 roma tomato, diced
• lime juice
• salt
• pepper
• cumin
• fresh cilantro (optional, but it adds so much yummy flavor)

How to make it:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat.
2. In a small bowl, combine diced avocado and tomato. 
3. Add a few squirts of lime juice to the tomato-avocado mixture. (Taste test every squirt or so until it's as limey as you'd like it.)
4. Add salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. We probably did about 1/2 tsp of each...but feel free to add or subtract as much as you'd like to get it tasting the way you want it to! Experimenting and taste-testing are half the fun - eating the finished product is the other half.
5. Place 1 tortilla on the hot skillet, sprinkle with a generous amount of cheese, and add half of the tomato-avocado mixture. Sprinkle some fresh cilantro on top.
6. Fold the tortilla in half and cook until the tortilla is golden brown (about 1-2 minutes) and then flip it over and cook the other side until it is golden brown as well.
7. Repeat with the second tortilla and the last half of the tomato-avocado mixture.
8. Garnish with some more fresh cilantro, if desired.
9. Eat plain or with your favorite salsa or pico de gallo. (Joshua and I ate them plain because we thought it was already packed with enough flavor).

I must know...what is your favorite type of quesadilla? I'd love to hear what you add to yours! :)

Date night with Disney and decadence

My favorite night of the week, the night I look forward to ALL week is...

Date night, of course!

Joshua and I aren't always the best at going on a date on Friday nights,
(having a baby does that sometimes, haha)
but we really try because it's good for our relationship and it's just FUN.

It's fun to get away from school, work, and,
yes, even our darling Kaiya,
for a little "us" time.

This past Friday, we did exactly that. We got away!
(Thanks to my amazing sister-in-law who watched Kaiya for us.)

First of all, I must mention how indecisive I am when it comes to date night.
I have a million things I'd like to do, but I have the hardest time deciding which to do!
This night was no exception. I could not decide on a movie to see to save my life!

And I was only choosing from the limited selection the dollar theater had to offer.
(Despite my indecision, Joshua is still madly in love with me, haha!)

I finally decided on Disney's Wreck It Ralph.
I heard it was cute so we gave it a try.

Image from IMDB

We LOVED this movie! I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about a "videogame" movie,
but it was such a fun movie with a great plot that Joshua and I found to be very original.
Definitely a movie we would like to add to our collection.
Thanks Disney for pumping out such fun, family-friendly movies!

After the movie, we went to Coldstone's Creamery for ice cream!!!!!
Have I mentioned that I have an extreme weakness for ice cream???
Especially Coldstone ice cream?
Well, I do.
It's pretty bad!
I mean, just take a look at these beauties!

Joshua got their Signature Cookie Doughn't You Want Some?

Cutie! He got a HUGE piece of cookie dough.

My usual: Founder's Favorite (sweet cream ice cream, pecans, brownie, fudge, and caramel)

How could you not want to dive into this decadence?
Seriously, I'm salivating as I type about this.
I should probably end this post quickly before I decide
to make a little stop here today...

Yay for date nights! :)

What is your favorite thing to do on a date? Movie? Dinner? Library? Bowling? Sports?