“Because Mom Makes them Better” was my youngest son’s quote this morning immediately after my middle son said that it was better than Braums.   I don’t know if I could exactly compete with Braums, but the price sure is better. (BIG GRIN)

You may be surprised that I served this for breakfast.  For a quick breakfast, I used to feed them some bananas with peanut butter smoothed over the top with a small glass of milk. Suddenly, I thought, why not make breakfast super special by serving it all mixed in a smoothie! (Great idea, mom!)

Here’s the pic, to entice you a bit…

Note: I found these three glasses at the thrift store for 49 cents each.  I swiped them up to make our smoothies a little more special.   We were praising God for a special find…because the fact is there were just three of them….which made me think immediately of my 3 sons.

Here’s the original recipe:

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

• 1 cup milk

• 1/4 cup P.B.

• 1 ripe banana

• 2 tsp. maple syrup

• 4 ice cubes

Use blender to mix till smooth & creamy.

To make enough for my boys:

I toss in 3 bananas, 3 tsp.maple syrup, 2 or 3 cups milk, 3 large hunks of P.B. with my spatula, and 8 -10 ice cubes.

Tip: About 15 – 30 minutes before making our smoothies, I toss the bananas in the freezer to get them really cold.  You can also use frozen bananas that are getting a little soft and store them up just for banana smoothies.  Just slice into frozen chunks and toss into the blender.

Yes, the peanut butter can be a little fattening, but oh, it adds such a nice thick, rich texture like a Braums treat. Big $avings!

At a local store here in my small town, I pick up bananas at a big discount on Tuesdays.  On Wednesday nights after church we like to have some sort of snack or treat.  So, many times I whip up a quick batch of banana pudding and stick it in the fridge to have ready when we come home.

I found a video online that shows how to make homemade banana pudding and their recipe looks pretty easy. (The actual version I use without eggs is down below underneath the video.)  I usually forgo the cookies to cut back on sugar…and no complaints from the boys…they still look forward to it!

One additional note: I usually add a little nutmeg for extra flavor.  Nutmeg has some health benefits (click here), including effectiveness in killing a number of cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth.

Ingredients:

* Water
* 2 c. skim milk
* ⅓ c. sugar
* 3 tbsp. cornstarch
* 3 large egg yolks
* Pinch of salt
* 4 medium-ripe bananas
* 12 shortbread or vanilla-flavored cookies, crumbled
* Whipped cream

*For an easy homemade pudding without eggs, I use this “vanilla pudding recipe” (adding a little nutmeg), let it cool for 30 minutes in the fridge, then I mix in about half a tub of 8 oz. whip cream, add in my sliced bananas, and the put in the fridge for a couple of hours.

With this method, I have an easy “one scoop & serve” dessert.   You can sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on top to spiff it up if you wish.  For best results, mix in the dry ingredients with the milk before heating and constantly stir over heat until thickening begins to prevent lumps.  Turn off heat immediately to prevent scorching.

While you’re boiling those eggs…stick in an extra 6 eggs and make these sandwiches.

Ingredients:

6 eggs

3 TB Mayo

2 tsp. mustard

1 tsp. celery seed

Lawry’s seasoning salt

Directions:

Chop eggs. Mix in the other ingredients.  Sprinkle lightly with Lawry’s seasoning salt.  (Just enough to add some delicious flavor, but not so much to make it too salty.)

Place on your favorite bread or buns.  Rye bread is also delicious…or try making wraps with flour tortillas.

Mom’s Easy Salsa Recipe

1 lg. can whole tomatoes (28 oz.)
1/2 onion,  finely chopped
2 jalapenos, finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder (or more if desired)
Lawry’s Seasoning Salt (to taste)
Juice of 1 or 2 limes (optional)
Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Place all the above ingredients in a blender until well blended.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving to allow flavors to permeate together.

You don’t have to wait until Feb. 14th to enjoy a simple romantic dinner with your hubby.  If you need some one-on-one time with your hubby,  you can plan a special dinner date night at home.

Set up a separate table somewhere for your kids…with pizza or their favorite fingerfoods…or double the recipes below (or plan to take them to a babysitter).  Next, whisper sweet nothings (and place a secret love note or coupon underneath his plate in advance).  Okay, so you probably have better plans for the romantic part…but here’s a few simple recipes that you might be able to use:

Simple Pasta for Two
* 1/2 pound linguini
* 6 Roma Tomatoes – Cut into large dice
* 6 cloves garlic
* 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive oil
* 1/3 cup fresh basil
* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* Few turns of fresh ground pepper
Heat oil in a medium-high skillet, add pepper flakes, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute (don’t brown the garlic). Add the tomatoes and cook till tomatoes start to wilt. Add Basil and cook for 1 more minute. Add cooked pasta to skillet and toss.  Serve along with chicken breast or favorite meat and a lettuce salad for a complete meal.
*You can substitute with cherry tomatoes that have been roasted for an hour or 2 in a 250 F oven (like sun dried tomatoes).

Sweetheart Apple Crisp for Two
* 2 cups sliced apples
* 1 teaspoon honey
* cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
TOPPING:
* 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
* 2 teaspoons honey
* 1 teaspoon real vanilla
In a baking dish, add apples, and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Next, drizzle the 1 tsp of honey over the top of the apples and spices. Next, mix the ingredients for the topping all together and spread over the apples, spices and honey. Place in 300* oven and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Great with French vanilla ice cream or topped with whipped cream.

Late evening treat…

Love Potion
* 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, slightly thawed
* 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, slightly thawed
* 1 cup white grape juice (or apple juice)
* Maraschino cherries, for garnish
Place the first 3 ingredients in a blender and mix on High until you have a uniform color. To make the potion thicker, add more fruit; to make it thinner, add more juice. Garnish with cherries.

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Some more optional recipes…

Chicken Lasagna
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
6 no need to cook lasagna noodles
1 cube chicken bouillon
1/4 cup hot water
1 (8 ounce) package low-fat cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring chicken just covered with water to a boil. Allow to boil for 15 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Drain chicken and shred. Dissolve bouillon in the hot water. Once dissolved mix bouillon with shredded chicken, cream cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese being sure to mix together well. In large baking dish spread 1/3 of spaghetti sauce across the bottom. Layers chicken mixture over sauce and place 3 noodles over chicken. Repeat layers ending with sauce on top. Put the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until lasagna noodles are tender.

Triple Strawberry Cake
* 1 (18.25 ounce) package strawberry cake mix
* 1 (3 ounce) package flavored gelatin
* 4 cups water
* 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
* 2 cups strawberries, sliced
Prepare cake according to package directions. Bake as directed for a 9×13 inch pan. Allow to cool.
Prepare the strawberry gelatin according to package instructions, using the 4 cups of water. Pour over cooled cake while still in liquid form; the cake will absorb it. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until gelatin is set.
Spread whipped topping over cake and top with sliced strawberries.

Pink Cloud Heart Cake
* 3 packages (3 oz. size) Jello
* 2 cups boiling water
* 2 packages (10 oz. size) frozen strawberries, partially thawed
* 1 angel food bar cake, broken into bite-size pieces
Dissolve Jello in water; add strawberries. Beat for 4 minutes. Add cake to Jello mixture pour into heart mold. Chill until set.  Serve with whipped topping if desired.

Pink Frozen Fruit Salad
* 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
* 1 quart strawberry ice cream, softened
* 1/2 cup miracle whip
* 2 cans (17 oz size) fruit cocktail, drained
* 1/3 cup chopped nuts
Combine cream cheese, ice cream and salad dressing, mixing until well blended. Fold in fruit and nuts. Pour into 9-inch square (or heart) pan.  Freeze until firm. Chill until serving.

Cherry Love Pudding
* 1 Box of vanilla wafers
* 2 boxes of vanilla instant pudding
* Milk
* Cherry pie filling
Place a vanilla wafer in the bottom of a cupcake liner.
Make the pudding according to directions. Pour pudding over vanilla wafer to cover. Chill until set. Just before serving spoon a tablespoon of cherries over the pudding.  A dollop of whipped topping can be on top if desired.

Valentine Pie
* 1 cup Water
* 3 ounces Strawberry Gelatin Powder
* 1 pint Vanilla Ice Cream
* 1 Chocolate Crumb Pie Crust
* Hershey’s® Kisses
In a 4-cup glass measuring cup stir together water and gelatin. Cook, uncovered, on 100% power (high) for 1 1/2 to2 minutes.  Add vanilla ice cream to the hot gelatin mixture, stirring till ice cream is melted. Chill mixture for 35 to 30 minutes, stirring twice during chilling (the mixture should mound when you drop it from a spoon. Pour chilled ice cream mixture into pie shell. Chill about 4 hours or till ice cream is set. Arrange milk chocolate kisses in a heart shape on top of pie.

Fresh Strawberries with Chocolate Cream
* 2 cs. vanilla lowfat yogurt
* 1/2 cup light hot fudge topping
* 4 cs. strawberries, hulled and halved
Combine yogurt and fudge topping in a bowl and whisk thoroughly. Serve strawberries in individual serving bowls topped with chocolate cream.

Of course, you’ll need a flirty apron for the occasion. *wink*
Check out the aprons from my selected affiliate sponsor:

We usually have pizza on Fridays, but pizza can actually be enjoyed just about any night of the week. To make it healthier you can use less cheese, use extra tomato sauce and add your favorite veggies, etc.

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of flour

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For Yeast Liquid mixture:
1 cup very warm water
1 pk. of yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp. of jarred yeast)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp sugar

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2 tsp. olive oil (optional)

Instructions:

To make your yeast liquid mixture, use a measuring cup.   Measure 1 cup of very warm water.  Add your yeast, salt, and sugar and stir until well mixed.

Place flour in  a medium-sized bowl.  (I often use half whole wheat flour and half white flour.)  Next, pour in your yeast liquid mixture and knead it until it makes a nice soft dough.  If you prefer, add 2 tsp. of oil to dough to make it richer and easier to work with.  I usually just oil my hands for kneading the dough.

Set dough aside in a warm spot and cover with a towel for 30 min. or longer.

While the dough is setting, I usually prepare the meat and pizza sauce.

Tip: Watch for clearance meat.  I happen to buy some Jimmy Dean’s Turkey Sausage Links on clearance.  I quickly cooked these and cut them right up in the skillet.  My boys absolutely loved the outcome of this “meat lovers pizza” that I made.  Hmmm….I’m thinking how great it might be to have some “hot spicy links” on there!  lol

For the pizza sauce, you can quickly make your own.  Open a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce.  Sprinkle in some garlic powder or garlic salt,  Italian seasoning, oregano (I use lots of oregano because I love it so much), and any other seasonings you might really like.

Next, oil your hands and begin to spread the dough onto your greased pan.  You can also use a small round glass to spread it.  I find using the palms of my hands works well enough.

Then, spread on pizza sauce on and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Add all your toppings and pop into the oven.

Bake pizza at 400 degrees 15-20 min. until cheese melted.  Let cool 5 min. before cutting.

Enjoy.

It can be rough after the holidays trying to get back to normal eating…those cravings for sweets seem to linger on and on.  I don’t know about you, but I keep thinking about chocolate fudge and brownies.  The good news is that there are some simple ways to help you start eliminating those sweets from your daily diet.

Here’s a few ideas to help you start weaning yourself from all those sweets…

1.  First, start by limiting your sweets to just the weekends or one particular day of the week.

2.  Next, mix smaller batches or portions so that there is only enough to enjoy for that day. (Even better, bake and then share half with a neighbor!)

3.  Start skipping the isle at the grocery store where all the sweets are located. (Don’t bring those goodies home that will tempt you!)

4.  Make a decision that you’re going to personally make all your treats to save money. (You’ll have more control over what ingredients are in your food and more than likely you’ll decide that it’s not so much worth your time to bake another batch of brownies.)

5.  When possible, use a natural sweetners such as Agave Nectar.

6.  Keep fresh fruits on hand.  (Make it even more special with a fruit salad…it can be refreshing anytime.)

7.  Try using simple recipes that include mainly healthy ingredients without a lot of additives. (So many additives and preservatives cause you to want to eat even more.)

8.  Keep reading healthy articles…they’ll inspire you to eat healthier and soon you’ll lose interest in junk food.

• For a really quick fix I like to make Dark Chocolate Walnut Clusters… as I don’t have to add extra flour, sugar or salt, etc.

Dark chocolate is quickly becoming known for it’s beneficial power and Walnuts are known as a super food!

Dark Chocolate Walnut Clusters

12 oz. of  Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Chips

1  square of almond bark

1  and 1/2  to  2 cups of Walnuts (slightly chopped, leaving large pieces)

Preparation Instructions:

Melt Dark chocolate chips and almond bark together.  You can use a double boiler or simply use the microwave (usually takes about 3-4 min. in the microwave and you need to stir after the first 2 min.).

Melt until you can blend the two ingredients together thoroughly to create a smooth texture.

Next, add your walnuts.  Tons of them!

Finally, start dipping small spoonfuls on wax paper.  Afterward, if there’s more dark chocolate left, I add some more walnuts and stir again to make a few more clusters until all the chocolate has been used.

Chill thoroughly an hour or more until well set.  

*Also, keep these stored in the fridge as they will easily melt.

Makes around 24 small clusters.

Eating instructions:

Enjoy one or two yourself…but don’t hoard them for your hips…. share generously with hubby and kids and neighbors.  Store leftovers in fridge.

We try to have fish at least once or twice weekly.  This recipe is quick to make and I usually serve them on buns.  (I use Nature’s Own Wheat Sandwich Rolls ~ 100% Whole Grain, sugar free, no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors, no high fructose corn syrup)

Family Size Preparation:

• 2 Cans of Alaskan Pink Salmon 14 oz.

• Whole Wheat Saltine Crackers  (around 15)

• 2 Eggs

• 1 TB Lemon Juice

• Black Pepper to season

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine salmon with 2 eggs and stir thoroughly, breaking the meat in small chunks.  Next sprinkle your lemon juice and pepper over mixture and stir thoroughly.  Finally, crush your crackers over the top of the mixture and mix together.

Heat Skillet on low heat until hot and add oil. (I usually use olive oil.)  Form patties into portions about the size of your buns.   Fry lightly until browned on both sides.  This usually takes less than 10 minutes.

Top with your favorite mayonnaise or tartar sauce. (I use Kraft’s Mayo with Olive Oil)

Using leftovers:

Leftover salmon patties make great cold sandwiches for lunches.  I usually crumble one over a salad to make a delicious hearty salad that will easily ward off hunger until supper.  I’ve also used leftovers to add to macaroni and cheese the next day for the kids.

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