Ideas from an Ex-pat Kitchen: Banana or Mango Smoothie

Ladies. I must admit I've never been the biggest fan of bananas....ever since I had food poisoning-like sickness shortly after eating a banana, I couldn't bring myself to eat one for YEARS (thinking I was allergic)....BUT.....several years ago, I decided to give bananas another try and voila! I discovered that I am not allergic to bananas AND they actually taste good in just about everything....ok, not everything but certainly lots of baked goods and to my recent discovery: smoothies!
I do admit that the appeal of bananas increases when it is the cheapest and most readily available fruit in Chad.....but to be honest, I really, really, really like this recipe....and so do my kids. If you've written off bananas like I had....I encourage you to give them another try.....this recipe could be the thing that makes you fall in love with bananas all over again :)
As for mangoes, I never really ate them before living in Chad as they are considered an 'exotic' fruit in Canada and therefore outrageously expensive to buy so we just never bought them. BUT, since mangoes are a dime a dozen around here when they are in season, I discovered that freezing pieces of mango and adding them to my smoothie recipe (milk powder, water and vanilla), we could enjoy a creamy, naturally sweet fruit drink that is filling and healthy!

Banana

Deliciously cold & naturally sweet

or Mango Smoothie

1. Cover baking sheet or large plate with parchment or wax paper.

2. Slice 3 medium bananas or cut up several mangoes and place fruit pieces on baking sheet/plate in a single layer (do not layer them as you want to freeze them individually for easy blending).

3. Freeze for 3 hours minimum (can spend all day/night in freezer if need be). The fruit needs to be frozen in order to provide that creamy, thick texture.

4. Remove tray/plate from freezer and lift up the parchment paper on one side to unstick the fruit from the plate/tray. Continue to remove frozen banana or mango slices and place them in a medium ziplock freezer bag for storage. (This amount of sliced fruit will make enough for 3-4 Ikea kids-size cups).

5. Place 1/2 the bag of frozen bananas or mangoes into a blender.

6. Add 1/3 Cup milk powder. *

7. Add 1/3 Cup cold water.

8. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

9. Blend until mixture is smooth and thick.

10. Pour into cups and serve right away.

* If you live in a place that does not use milk powder but rather liquid milk, add the same amount of milk (1/3 Cup) but do not add any water otherwise it will be too liquidy.

**I freeze any leftovers into popsicle molds and serve banana or mango smoothie popsicles the next time my kids want something cold!

** I keep bags of frozen banana slices and mango pieces in the freezer at all times, so this smoothie process is a quick one! I just freeze the slices and store them in bags for quick removal and use.

Adventures in the Kitchen # 8: Two Bite Mini-Muffins....a healthy make-over

I have been on the hunt for healthy alternatives to store-bought items that we like to eat....especially in the snack department.....and I stumbled upon a recipe for Chocolate zucchini muffins (similar to the "Two-bite brownies" that you can buy in the grocery store) and decided to give them a healthy 'make-over' for some guilt-free eating pleasure! Don't let the word zucchini scare you....you would never know that these succulent morsels of chocolate gooeyness (my mouth is watering as I write this) have a vegetable in them .....enjoy these as much as we do (and I bet you that your family won't guess that there is zucchini in them...up their veggie consumption without any complaints!)

Adventures in the Kitchen # 8: Two-bite Chocolate Zucchini Mini-Muffins

Prep time: 15 min

Cook Time: mini muffins - 10 min or Standard size muffins - 20 min

Yields: 20 standard muffins

Ingredients

- 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (remove 2 Tablespoons)

The mini muffins went so fast, I didn't get to take a picture,
but these look a lot like mine. Moist, rich, chocolatey. 

- 1 Cup Cocoa

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 2 teaspoons baking soda

- 1 teaspoon allspice (I used nutmeg)

- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

- 1 1/2 Cups organic sucanat*

- 3/4 Cups Coconut Oil melted

- 3 eggs

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- 1/2 Cup buttermilk (or add 2 teaspoons of vinegar to 1/2 cup of regular milk)

- 2 Cups zucchini (peeled, de-seeded, grated)

- 1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or carob chips)

*You can also use organic coconut sugar, same quantity or you can use 1 Cup of honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners or grease with butter.

2. Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, all spice and cinnamon and set aside.

3. Whisk together sucanat and coconut oil. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined.

4. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until just moistened.

5. Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake for approximately 20 minutes. 

    (Muffins are done when inserted toothpick into the center comes clean)

6. Cool muffins in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to cool wrack for 5 minutes before serving.

** I used a mini muffin tin pan to get the "two-bite" muffins.....just decrease the baking time to around 10 minutes.....a perfect snack for little hands and a guilt-free indulgence for us moms! :) This recipe made 16 standard size muffins plus 12 mini muffins.

The mini muffins were gone the same day I made them..... a new favorite for a snack on the go and for Kaitlyn's school lunches. Healthy and natural, home-made and cheaper than the store-bought version....these "Two-bite muffins" are among our favorite sweet treats!Adapted from "Chocolate Zucchini Muffins" found on www.sweetpeaskitchen.com

Homemade Fruit Roll-ups

Now that Kaitlyn is in school, I have been researching some healthy snack ideas for Kaitlyn to take with her each day.  There are a large variety of snacks available in the stores......but most are super unhealthy and overpriced, so I thought that I would choose some store bought snacks that appealed to the kids (and us!) and try to find healthier, homemade and cheaper alternatives. If you have any homemade, yummy snack recipes.....please share with me!! :)

Adventures in the Kitchen # 7: Homemade Fruit Roll-ups

From this......

To this.....very simple, easy to follow recipe.

There are a bunch of steps involved with this recipe (don't be scared....it's super easy) and pictures will help you understand what to do, so go check out this amazingly easy, healthy and cheap recipe here.

** My Kids gobbled this snack up and wanted more and more! With no preservatives, artificial dyes or colors.....this treat is a perfect choice for a snack on the go.