The Banana Pancake Experiment

Banana Oat Protein Pancake

i have temporarily lifted my ban on the BANANA.

i was so fascinated by this wacky recipe below that i had to put my negative feelings aside and brave "the banana".

Wacky Banana Pancake

you might have come across this strange pancake recipe on PINTEREST

BANANA EGG PANCAKES
(or..."100% Natural Pancakes")

found on Pinterest by Bogilates

1 ripe banana and 2 eggs, a dash of cinnamon and a splash of vanilla.

"blend" (or mash and mix) it up and prepare as you would regular pancakes...HUH ?!

the recipe called for a RIPE banana so i even waited a few days for the banana to get good and ripe...EWE!  only after making them did i decide to watch the U-Tube video of "Blogilates" making the pancakes.  her banana was just a regular yellow banana.  not all spotted like my "ripe" banana...maybe that's why these seemed so soggy and flat?... was my banana too ripe?  was my banana too small?  i'll never know because i don't think i'll try these again...well, maybe i'll give it one more shot to be fair.
i'm no quitter. 

don't be discouraged by MY experience...these were OK right off the pan, but were a bit soggy and just tasted like an egg crepe with wet banana...not so appealing.

FUN EXPERIMENT

might be great for the kids to try...

HEALTHY, gluten and dairy free...

BUT definitely not your delicious fluffy pancakes.

nutrition facts (approx.)

per cake, 7 in batch

calories...35.5g,   protein...1.9g,  carbs...4g,  fat...1.5g,  fiber...1/2g 

ON THE OTHER HAND...

here's the one i came up with that was pretty darn good...healthy, still gluten and dairy free, low fat and carb, yet very satisfying with a little maple syrup and fresh berries...sorry no sliced banana for me.

BANANA OAT PROTEIN PANCAKES

make approx. six 3 1/2 inch pancakes

1 banana

2 large eggs

1/4 cup raw oats

1/3 scoop protein powder.  i use Jay Robb Vanilla Whey

1/2-3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp sweetener of choice...i used Stevia "cup for cup"

...or to taste

put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and oats are not as visible.

let rest for 20-25 minutes to let the oats soak in.

prepare as you would regular pancakes.  3-4 inch cakes

nutrition facts (approx.)

each pancake (6)

60 calories,   4g...PROTEIN.  7g...carbs  1.8g...fat, 1g...fiber

"Half Pops" and Bacon Chocolate Cups ...YUM !

POPCORN --- BACON --- CHOCOLATE

crunchy sweet savory

party in your mouth.

"HALFPOPS"...

have you discovered HALFPOPS yet ?!

these are genius in a bag.  you know that crunchy "half popped" little kernel you search for at the bottom of the bowl of pop corn?...well, someone has discovered a way to package those crunchy little bits.  every tiny niblet in the bag is perfectly half popped to perfection.  i haven't run into a solid kernel yet.  how do they do it ?!

an easy party treat to throw together.  this was actually one of my first chocolates this season and it's also the one that everybody flipped over.  not many people have experienced "HALFPOPS" and i'm surprised how many people still haven't hopped on the CHOCOLATE BACON TRAIN...

put all three together and you have a winner !

"HALFPOPS" BACON CHOCOLATES

1# pound (measurement in the raw) of bacon, cooked extra crispy

1# pound of good dark chocolate..."TEMPERED" is best

1 bag of "HALFPOPS" butter and sea salt flavor

1/4 tsp ground chipotle...optional

smoked salt for a sprinkle on top...optional

more of an idea than a recipe, but here it goes...

IN A NUT SHELL... all you're doing is adding bacon and halfpops to tempered chocolate and spooning it into little candy cups.  you chose the ratio of bacon to halfpops.  i didn't measure, but don't skimp on the bacon.

i would cook the whole pound of bacon, but save about 1/5 (cooked) of it for those last few candy cups at the end.

start with about one cup of the half pops and 4/5 of the bacon...add more in when necessary.  i like a lot of chocolate so i make sure the chocolate is filling the cup with no air pockets.  it makes it easier if you place the paper cups in a mini muffin tin.  when all are filled, give them a tap on the counter to settle the chocolate.  sprinkle with a little smoked salt if you want before the chocolate sets.

i really suggest tempering your chocolate because these will have a better snappy chocolate  crunch and will hold up better if giving as party favors.  click HERE for a post i did with some tips and tricks i've learned so far about "tempered "chocolates.

i added more half pops and bacon towards the end...so have some extra on hand just in case you need to get that last bit of chocolate out of the bowl and into a candy cup...not your mouth!

Reese's and Chocolate Fudge ICE CREAM Cake

ICE CREAM CAKE...

NO...not COLD Ice Cream Cake...

this is CAKE MADE with ICE CREAM !

2 ingredients...
ice cream and self rising flour
THAT'S IT !!!

are the grand-kids, nieces and nephews still here for the holidays?

are you running out of things to do ?

does Nana and Grand need a break ?

well, this is a must try.

this is too weird.  it doesn't seem like it would work...but it DOES !!!

a beautiful bready-cake bakes up from soften ice cream and some self-rising flour.
i didn't believe it so obviously i HAD to try it.

get the kids in the car, go buy some fabulous ice cream, come home and whip up this easy peasy cake.  you'll all have fun, they will be amazed and you'll be the "hero" !

it's a "win win situation"

 TWO INGREDIENT ICE CREAM CAKE

adapted from Kirbie's Cravings

3 cups ice cream, softened.

2 1/4 cups SELF RISING flour

add fun extras...

for the cake shown here i used 31 Flavors Dark Chocolate Fudge ice cream and Reese's peanut butter cups cut into small pieces.  a "bold" flavored ice cream works best. for instance... plain chocolate would be a bit...well..."plain".

preheat 350F.  and prepare a 9x5 loaf pan with butter or spray.  i always like to make a parchment sling as well for easy removal.

in a large bowl mix the "softened" ice cream and the flour.  my ice cream was just softened, like "soft serve"...not runny melted.  original recipe suggested a wooden spoon.  i used my Kitchen Aid mixer.  mix until no chunks of ice cream or clumps of flour are visible.  mix in Reese's carefully by hand.  pour into prepared loaf tin and bake for 55-60 minutes or until tooth pick come out clean

NOTE...choose a sweet bold flavored ice cream and add some candy extras in to make this more of a dessert cake....or whip up a fun flavored frosting.  on it's own it is a good loaf cake...not too sweet, but perfect for a breakfast treat.

Chipotle Bacon Pecan Caramel Apples...

there are no words to describe...

"A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS"

and YES...

BACON DOES MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER

especially when it's got a little kick of chipotle.

better late than never...i've been dreaming about this for weeks.

now it's crunch time and i found myself scrambling for these simple ingredients.

i would normally have gone with the old classic...individual wrapped Kraft Caramels.  i was willing to unwrap as many of those little suckers as possible...man, they are a pain.  i could not find them anywhere today...and i needed them TODAY.  i had a bee in my bonnet.  2 days 'til Halloween and i had to get this done.  i finally found some Werther's Chewy Caramels...a little bit more pricey...and individually wrapped of course, but like i said...i had to get it done...that bee was a buzzin' .

i thought the chews were the right texture, but i did find confirmation that they were right for the job at their website with helpful simple apple dipping instructions....found HERE.

here's what you need to go buy...NOW

4-5 granny smith apples

11-12 oz chewy caramels...Werther's or Kraft

lollipop sticks...wood popsicle sticks would have been better.

2 Tbsp cream.

1 lb. bacon...cooked extra crispy, chopped into small pieces.

i cooked a 12oz package and ran out after 4 apples....so sad.

ground chipotle powder and cinnamon...optional.

i sprinkled ground chipotle pepper and cinnamon on bacon 3/4 way through cooking in the oven

a handful of pecans, chopped...sweet & spicy pecans found at Trader Joes.

dark chocolate  for a nice drizzle?  or double dip ???...

DARN...i ran out of time...again......so sad

for clear cut easy caramel dipping instructions go to WERTHER'S CARAMELS or the KRAFT WEBSITE...

here is what i did...

wash apples...you might need to scrub them or wipe dry very well to remove any waxy coating.

pop clean apples in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

remove stem and push in stick.

prepare a flat surface with parchment that can fit in the fridge.

melt caramel and cream in the microwave on high, stirring frequently, for about 2-3 minutes (depending on microwave).

dip apple and let excess drip from the bottom.

roll in bacon and pecans.

WORK QUICKLY...the caramel sets fast and the bacon won't stick.  you might need to apply bacon and pecans in some missing areas.

quickly put the beautiful bacon pecan apples in the fridge on the parchment.  let set for at least 15 minutes.

NOTE...they should stay chilled until presenting them....

they will begin to sag from the weight of the POUND of BACON you have applied.

Vanilla Berry Chai Jello Treat

Stained Glass Jello Dessert made healthy...

i know, i know...we've all seen this one before.  commonly known as stained glass jello, but i bet you haven't tried this version.

it's lo-cal, lo-carb...no fat...NO GUILT...

it's FULL OF PROTEIN...and IT'S FUN !!! 

you see this type of jello dessert a lot in the Mexican markets, but it's usually made with sweetened condensed milk and sugary jello......and i've seen many recipes on the Internet all cute and colorful.  here's an example that i found at Mexicanfoodsandmore.com... BUT all the fun colors and flavors of jello are the pre-sugared ones and i don't see myself eating sweetened condensed milk in solid form anytime soon.

so i had a "light bulb moment"

why not use my vanilla protein drink as the milky base and use sugar-free jellos...

better yet...infuse different tea flavors into the colored jellos.

i dug out the Knox gelatin packets i had in the back of the pantry, put my lab-coat on and went to work.

the results have been delicious.  friends love the cute little squares i dole out and it's always a great conversation piece....

"where'd you get that?...what is that?...how'd you make that?...can i have some?..."

always followed by a big smile and a few giggles

this post is not so much a recipe as it is an idea,...

but i have put the ingredients for the treat i made shown in the photos.  you can see how flavors can easily be changed to suit what you have available.  i found that Worldwide Vanilla Pure Protein 21g or 35g protein (found at Trader Joe's) works well for the base and the Isopure (looks like this) Blue berry flavor worked well with it's icy blue color AND it added 40 more grams of protein to the batch.  look for Isopure at a nutrition store.  you could also try Gatorade G2 Icy Blue Berry or something else colorful.  i DID find that Gatorade wasn't as flavorful...Crystal light has some great flavors...cherry pomegranate is great

EASY PROTEIN JELLO TREAT

8 x 8 glass pyrex dish for finished product
2 cups vanilla protein drink
1 lrg box black cherry sugar free Jello (makes 8  1/2 cup servings)
16 oz of ice blue G2 Gatorade
OR 16 oz of Isopure Blueberry Protein drink
OR another flavor sugar free jello, 1 box
1 - 2 Chai tea sachet
dash cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, ginger

let me suggest a link to a GREAT blog post here at The food Librarian.  Mary has some fabulous photos and perfect instructions on making stained (broken) glass jello.  for an easy protein version, just substitute the condensed milk with the vanilla protein drink...NOTE...DON'T USE WATER...bloom your gelatin in 1 cup cold protein drink then heat in the microwave until completely dissolved then add the other cup protein drink and proceed.
use sugar free jello for the colors.
if you want to get creative or expand your flavors see below...

use chai ice tea for the water when making your colored boxed jello

also i like to add a small (small!) dash of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg to the vanilla protein drink.

if you are using another liquid, such as the Isopure Protein juice, Gatorade or what ever...use 2 gelatin packets for 2 cups of liquid....bloom your gelatin in 1 cup cold liquid for 5 minutes, give it a stir then heat in microwave until dissolved.  no need to boil, but don't walk away 'cuz it can over flow...not good.  stir...when completely dissolved add the other cup liquid and stir...pour into flat dish then refrigerate until completely firm.  cut into cubes....

 and again, refer to this great post/link, The Food Librarian, for finishing the project...i would write it all out, but Mary explains it so well and this would just get too long.

i'm sure you get the drift...it's not rocket science....
although you should win a prize for making it to the end of this post.

go wild with some fabulous flavor combos

i think i'll try something with chocolate protein drink?... next week when i'm done with this one.