Coconut Water Strawberry Banana Smoothie

I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day weekend - the official "last hurrah" of summer!

We spent a good portion of it at the beach with family.

Long Beach Island, NJ with cousins 

Point Pleasant Beach, NJ with Poppa & CandiGram

I find it incredible that The Mini started summer afraid of the ocean, and now she can't get enough.  Amazing what a few months can do!

Overall, though, I'm just not sure where summer went this year.  I think in large part it hardly felt like summer because we had so many unseasonably cool days.

Except for this week when it decided it would make a September appearance with extreme humidity and near-90 degree temps!  Weather like that makes me want a refreshing smoothie.

Cocozia* was nice enough to send me a case of their organic coconut water for review here on the blog, and so my first thought was to create a smoothie with it.

Personally, I find that coconut water has a bit of a peculiar taste - which is not to say that it's bad, but rather nothing like you would typically associate with "coconut."  However, I started drinking it a few years ago because of its supposed health benefits, and grew to enjoy the taste.  Cocozia happens to be one of the better ones I've tasted, and I love that it's organic.

Especially because I like to give it to The Mini - she thinks it's juice, and is perfectly content to drink it plain over ice.  Sometimes I throw some fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries in it, and she thinks its fancy.

But make it a smoothie, pour it in her Princess cup, and now you're really speaking her language!

Coconut Water Strawberry Banana Smoothie

• 1 C. coconut water
• 1 C. plain yogurt
• 1 banana
• 1 C. frozen strawberries
• sweetener, if desired (honey, agave, or sugar to taste)

Place all ingredients in blender, in the order listed above.  Blend until smooth.  Makes 1-2 servings.

Original Recipe

*Special thank you to Cocozia for allowing us to sample their coconut water at no cost. Please note that I did not receive any compensation to write this post, and it reflects my personal opinion.

Banana Coconut Chia Muffins

I'm sorry to report that it's been a bit of a sad and stressful week in the Vittles family.  My grandmother (mom's mom) went in for heart surgery on Monday, and on the same day my grandfather (stepmom's dad) passed away.

Luckily Grammy seems to be doing ok, but my grandpa, who we knew as Pop Pop, will be sorely missed.

I have happy memories of listening to him play guitar, and he would always keep us laughing - about anything from how he wooed my grandma, to his fondness for his "cream puff" of a car, that faithfully transported him from Florida to New Jersey at least once a year.

As the years go by, I know I will be forced to say goodbye to more and more people that I love.  But now I also watch our Mini grow with each passing day - I guess this is what they refer to as the 'circle of life?'

Well today our little munchkin floored me, and I think that was just what I needed to lift my spirits this week.

Our good friend Pauline came over with her beautiful, almost 5-month old daughter Genevieve, and Mini was going to meet the baby for the first time.  They arrived while Mini was napping, and we put G in her old bouncy seat.  G was having a blast, but I couldn't help but wonder what Mini's reaction would be - she is not exactly known for sharing.

But after waking up and getting past a brief bout of shyness, she was not only fine with G using her seat, she was excited.  G was excited to see her too, smiling and kicking.  Then my heart melted when Mini, without any prompting, bent over and gave G a kiss.

Unfortunately Pauline and I were completely unprepared for this moment of cuteness, but we were still able to capture a reenactment a few minutes later:

I said that when they get older, we'll have to tell them they had an instant connection!

Speaking of which, I had an instant connection with these muffins I made to accompany our coffee this morning.

You may know by now that I love me some coconut, but I found out today that Pauline does too!  And with both shredded coconut and coconut oil, these muffins have a double dose of the good stuff.

Banana Coconut Muffins

• 2 C. flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
• 2 T. chia seeds*
• 1/2 C. unsweetened, shredded coconut (you can also use sweetened, flaked if you prefer)
• 1 C. brown sugar
• 1/2 C. coconut oil
• 4 mashed bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 12 muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray, or line with muffin cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, chia seeds, and shredded coconut. Set aside.

Cream the coconut oil and brown sugar until well combined. Add the egg, and beat well. Add the mashed banana and vanilla, and mix until blended.

Stir the dry ingredients into wet ingredients, and mix only until just combined (be sure not to over-mix here!). Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins, about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Yield 12 muffins.  *If you do not wish to use the chia seeds, you can either substitute poppy seeds or leave them out completely.

Recipe Adapted from Jenna Weber, as found on PBS online

Pina Colada Smoothie

Well... you know you're a parent when you catch an illness you haven't had since the 4th grade.

In fact, my supervisor put it all in perspective when he texted me Friday morning "You worked 31.75 hours in the past 2 weeks - when you come back, I may need to reintroduce you to the group."

Yup.  Between a snow day, the Mini getting pink eye, and then ME getting a random virus followed by my own case of pink eye... I did not even work the amount of hours in two weeks that I would usually work in one.

<Sigh>

My father-in-law did warn us that a young child is like a Petri dish, and boy was he right.  Although the Mini has been fairly healthy (almost shockingly so), I feel like I  have not been able to go longer than a month without catching something since she was born.

The addition of the Petri Dish to our household has also spelled trouble for Mr. Vittles.  Once known for a powerful immune system my friend Joe nicknamed "Super Blood," he too has fallen victim to a surprising number of "bugs" in the past 17 months.

While he was able to avoid the pink eye this week, he was not so lucky with the virus that left us both with the worst sore throat in the history of sore throats, and a cough that still won't quit.

At its peak, the only things that gave us any relief were frozen treats.  Not only is the cold temperature soothing, but apparently the sugar is as well.  The two days that I managed to drag myself to work last week, I had a smoothie for lunch.

At home, it was more smoothies and ice cream.  Not great for the girlish figure... but desperate times call for desperate measures.  And after this brutal winter (with snow storms aplenty) I figured a little tropical treat would be good for the soul as well as the throat!

Pina Colada Smoothie

• 1 C. full-fat coconut milk
• 1 C. canned crushed pineapple, with juice
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 T. sugar (optional)
• ice

Add coconut milk, pineapple, banana, and sugar (if using) to blender with about 2 handfuls of ice cubes.  Blend until smooth.  Makes 2 smoothies, approx. 12 oz. each.

Original Recipe

Mug Banana Bread

This morning I was really craving banana bread, but no way was I going to make a whole loaf for one just piece.

First of all, Mr. Vittles doesn't really like it- so then I get stuck with all this bread, that I either have to eat by myself or give away.

Secondly, I had a very busy President's Day morning ahead that included sitting on the couch and watching Wife Swap reruns on Lifetime.  I needed banana bread, pronto.

But how?

I was thinking, since I've been seeing mug brownies & cakes all over Pinterest, maybe it's possible to make muffins or quick bread in a mug?

After a quick Google search, I found a lot of recipes that didn't look very appetizing.  I was starting to get discouraged when I finally found one that had some promise, on a blog called Micki's Morsels.  She had some really yummy-looking photos on her main page, so this seemed like a good source.

I still had my doubts that the microwave could produce a worthy substitute for oven-baked banana bread, but I decided to give it a shot.  Let me tell you, I was happy to be proven wrong.

It isn't an exact replica, and has a slight eggy aftertaste - but for me the good points definitely outweigh the bad.  The bread has a good consistency, and is very moist & yummy.  Not to mention it's a quick & easy way to make a single serving.   I will make this again for sure!

Mug Banana Bread

• 3 T. + 1 t. all-purpose flour 
• 1 packet stevia (or other sweetener of your choice equivalent to 2 t. sugar)
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1/4  t. vanilla extract
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 1 T. lowfat milk
• half a banana, mashed
• cinnamon, for sprinkling (optional)
  

In a large microwaveable mug lightly misted with non-stick spray, blend flour, sugars, salt, baking powder & baking soda. Add egg & mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Stir in vanilla, oil & milk, then mashed banana.  Microwave 1-1/2 minutes to 3 minutes, depending on your microwave.

*You can stop it & peek in the door at 90 seconds to check if its done - it will probably rise over the top of the mug as it's heating, & if it's still runny it's not done yet.  But be careful not to overcook!  I have a pretty bad microwave, and mine took about 2 1/2 minutes.

Adapted from Mickis Morsels

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

I hope you all had a great New Year's and are enjoying 2011 so far!

I don't know about you, but my New Year's Eve was pretty uneventful.

We took down our tree & did some housecleaning.  Then that night we went to dinner, and I made these muffins for brunch the next day at my Aunt Jody's house.

Mr. Vittles... was a little less productive.

Here he is at 10PM that night.

And then at 11PM.

And just a few seconds before midnight.

Finally I woke him up because I could not bear to do "3...2...1" with Dick Clark alone!

But the year is off to a good start.  It's been really warm out, so the giant mountains of snow are melting into small hills.

And we had a great time at my aunt's house on New Years Day.

Aunt Jody, Me, and Mr. V

I thought the muffins came out great and even Mr. V (who does not like cooked bananas) said they were pretty good.  Since they only use one banana, the taste is a little more subtle.

The rest of brunch was delicious too, and my aunt & uncle just put in the most fabulous bar - which I am so jealous of!

Uncle Bob & Aunt Jody

Needless to say, we sampled a few beverages.

The pictures don't really do it justice, but take my word - it's unbelievable!

On another note, I am sad to let you guys know that I have to take a little break from blogging.

For one, my faithful laptop has broken :( I am using Mr. Vittles' computer temporarily until my new one arrives in the mail.

And secondly, I am having surgery on both my feet tomorrow.  Nothing serious, but it is going to be slow going over here for a bit while the tootsies recover.

The bad news is I won't be back to cooking or baking for a while- but the good news is I have some photos and recipes up my sleeve that I haven't gotten around to posting yet.

So... that should get us through the next month together, and then hopefully I will be back in action.

Wish me luck, I'll miss you!

In the meantime... enjoy these scrumptious muffins with my compliments :)

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

• 2 C. all purpose flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2/3 C. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 ripe banana, mashed 
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 C. milk
• 6 T. canola oil
• 1 t. vanilla 
• 2/3 C. peanut butter (I used creamy, but crunchy would work too)
• granulated crystal sugar, for topping (optional) 

Preheat oven 400 degrees.  Grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line with 12 paper liners.

In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar.  Set aside.

In medium bowl, mash banana.  Add eggs, milk, canola oil, vanilla, and peanut butter.  Mix until combined.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Pour wet ingredients into well, and stir gently until combined.  Do not overmix!  The mixture should be lumpy with a few traces of flour.

Spoon batter into prepared pan.  Sprinkle with granulated crystal sugar, if using.  Bake about 20 minutes, or until well risen, golden brown, and firm to the touch.

Let muffins cool in pan 5 minutes, then cool completely on rack (or serve warm, if desired.)

Recipe Adapted from 1 Mix, 100 Muffins, by Susanna Tee

Coconut Strawberry Banana Smoothie

So, it's Memorial Day Weekend and, at least where I live, that can only mean one thing...

...the official start of summer.

Which is something I used to get really excited for.  Warm weather, lots of time at the beach and in the sun, barbecues and corn on the cob, getting crazy with your friends, etc etc.

Now... not so much.

While I do still like all these things, (although at this point, 'getting crazy' means making it past 11PM and maybe throwing in a glass of wine) summer has become somewhat of a hassle.

For one, it seems like there's always a party or barbecue or wedding or some other type of shindig to go to.  Which is fun in the beginning, but usually gets pretty old by August.

Also, its awfully hot.  I can't spend all day in the sun anymore without getting cranky.  Plus within the past few years, I discovered this thing called sunscreen - which is great for preventing skin cancer, but very unhelpful when you are trying to get a tan.

I guess that means it's working.

Worst of all, there are tons of tourists & day-trippers around, which also means lots & lots of TRAFFIC.

(In case you don't know, I live a couple miles from the beach at the Jersey Shore - except, unlike good old Snookie and JWowwwwww, I acually grew up here.) 

After so many years of living at the beach (I went to college in a touristy area of Florida as well), I guess maybe all the hubbub is starting to get to me?  I mean, it's only Day 2 and I'm already complaining!  

I know, I know.  Most people would kill to live a couple miles from the beach. 

Maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something today.

But what did make me feel better was this smoothie that I made for breakfast.

All the best parts of summer without the any of the hassle :)

Coconut Strawberry Banana Smoothie

• 1/2 C. coconut milk (unsweetened)
• 1/2 C. regular milk (skim, lowfat, whole- whatever you have is fine)
• 5 large strawberries, hulled*
• 1/2 banana
• 2-3 T. sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until liquefied.  Makes one smoothie.

*Tip: You can use frozen strawberries instead, if you like your smoothies to be icy.

Original Recipe