High Protein Banana Nut Bread

This banana nut bread is very nutritious and satisfies a sweet tooth! 

Ingredients

2 to 3 ripe bananas, mashed

5Tbs melted butter

1/3 cup Greek vanilla yogurt

2 Scoops Whey protein isolate

1/4 Cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 large eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup milled flax seed

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 Tbs crunchy almond butter

2 Tbs milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 9x5 loaf pan with wax paper. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, I used the bowl to my standing mixer, beat mashed bananas, melted butter, Greek yogurt, protein powder, brown sugar, honey, pure maple syrup, and eggs. Beat until well combined.  Add baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon and flax meal.  Mix until well combined.  Slowly add flours into bowl while mixing.  Mix until combined.  Reserve 1/2 cup of batter in a small mixing bowl.  Pour remaining batter into the loaf pan.  Add nut butter and milk to reserved batter and mix until well combined.  Spread reserved batter evenly over loaf. 

Bake on 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.  Loaf should be golden brown on top.  Test with a tooth pick.  Pull loaf out of pan with wax pare and cool on a cooling rack.  Peel off paper, slice and serve.

Hello, Blogging World!

A new start to an old habit. I have always been a late bloomer. Starting to blog at the ripe old age of 34, I am excited to try a new form of expression.
You may find a variety of topics that I will be writing on. It may seem all over the place, but hey, that is me in a nutshell. Surely to be interesting to the web world out there if reached by any.
My name is Alia, ah-lee-ah, and I live in the rural south. I am in my thirties, married with two preteen daughters, (yes, pray for my sanity). We have many pets; cats, dogs, a rat, and did I mention cats?

Oh, So Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies

I spent the weekend baking. It is my true passion. I enjoy all facets of baking, from measuring to mixing to mess making. Probably most of all tasting! My daughter, Alice takes her lunch to school each and every day and she loves Back to Nature chocolate chip cookies. In an effort to be more frugal and healthy I made a huge batch of cookies. The recipe is a product of my own tinkering and this weekend it was perfected!
I milled some oats with a handfull of almonds thrown in so factor in a few extra minutes for this step. You will need enough of this oat/almond flour for one cup.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2 eggs
2/3 cup organic sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil of your choice (I used peanut)
1/3 cup coconut oil ( you could use all coconut oil if you choose)
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup oat/almond flour
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix wet ingredients: Eggs, sugar, brown sugar, oils, vanilla in that order on low until well combined.
Mix dry ingredients separately: flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt
Slowly add dry into wet, mix until dough in consistent. Stir in chocolate chips.

Chill dough for at least 20 minutes.  Drop by teaspoon full onto cookie sheet.  I used a round teaspoon measuring spoon to scoop out small balls of cookie.  Made a good size cookie for lunch boxes. Chips A'hoy size.
Bake for nine minutes at 375 degrees.