Thursday, May 30, 2013

Foodie Friends Friday: National Salad Month!

This week, Foodie Friends Friday is back!  This week is all about National Salad Month!  Just follow the rules and link up your favorite salads in honor of the month of May! Also, host favorites will be featured on Daily Dish!  This week I'm linking up Mom's Favorite Sonoma Chicken Salad, Strawberry Quinoa and Spinach Salad, and Artichoke Pasta Salad.




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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Spinach, Sun Dried Tomato, and Feta Risotto

Bri made risotto! Seriously, I was so impressed.  He called me while I was running, I talked him through the ingredients and what he would need, and he did all the cooking! Also, it was amazing.  We have been having a lot of fun coming up with yummy vegetarian dinners now that we are living together! This is definitely going to be something we make again! 

In other news, I am teaching my last lessons this week since finals are coming! Also, I attempted a three mile run today and discovered that I am still rather sore from the half marathon.  And finally, these posts are so short because I am really busy packing up my room and studying for my teacher tests which are this weekend.  I can't believe I am about to move out and become a real teacher!

Spinach, Sun Dried Tomato, and Feta Risotto


Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4-5 cups vegetable broth
1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup rehydrated sun dried tomatoes
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot.  
2. In a separate pot, heat vegetable broth over medium heat until simmering, then reduce to low heat.
3. Place garlic and onion in the olive oil and saute until onion becomes translucent.  Stir in rice and cook for 2 minutes.  Pour in wine and stir until absorbed by the rice.  Add 1/4 cup of broth, stir until absorbed.  Continue this process for about 20 minutes or until rice is al dente.  Stir in spinach, tomatoes, feta and parmesan   Let cook for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy :)

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Spinach and Artichoke Pasta

I keep getting so behind on all my fun recipes! I have been cooking a lot now that it is the summer and the chef who typically brings food during the year is on break! However, I am still here and I gotta eat! So I have been having a good time inventing yummy lunches and dinners to have during and after school.  This was one of my fun ideas.  I had a ton of leftover Lightened Up Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip.  So, I sautéed some peppers, made some pasta, and had a lovely meal!

Spinach and Artichoke Pasta

Ingredients:
8 oz whole wheat angel hair pasta
1/2 cup Lightened Up Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Make pasta and Spinach and Artichoke Dip according to directions.
2. In a small pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Saute pepper slices until lightened in color and translucent.
3. Drain pasta and place back in bowl.  Stir in dip and peppers.

Enjoy :)

Monday, May 27, 2013

My First Half Marathon and a Memorial Day Dessert!


Bri caught a great photo of my crossing the Finish Line!
I did it! I ran my first Half Marathon in an ACTUAL race.  Last summer, I ran the distance, but I just went out there and did it on my own.  This year, I got my friends, Lauren and Patrick to do it with me and we had a blast.



We stayed together all the way through mile 10 and somehow kept a pretty clipped 9:30 mile pace.  Then, between 10 and 11, there was this AWFUL hill.  I had to walk, Patrick (good for him) ran it, and Lauren slowed down a bit.  I spent the last 2 miles attempting to catch up with Patrick which was great motivation because I ended up finished with about a 9 minute mile pace and only 30 seconds behind Patrick.  My finishing time was 2:07 and this is about 13 minutes faster than I was really expecting.  It was amazing that we all did this for the first time and were so great! We enjoyed our free beer and snacks afterwards and, after a quick shower, got all our friends and family together to go out for an amazing brunch at the Great Dane.
Champs :)
My Results
I was so happy to have the support of my family and Bri and we had a really nice day together.  Today my parents are packing up some of my room and heading home.  Next weekend, I have to take Teacher Tests back in IL and the weekend after that I move out! Basically, this was my last big hoorah in Madison and I can't think of a better way to have spent it.  I am so proud that I dedicated the last few months to training for this and I feel great!

Last year, I made adorable Skinny Memorial Day Cheesecakes and I just had to share them again here.  They are the perfect dessert for the holiday and they are a great way to indulge without feeling too guilty.  However, I just ran a Half Marathon, so I might go out an eat something a little more guilty than this :).


Skinny Memorial Day Chocolate Chip Cheesecake (adapted from Skinny Taste


Ingredients:
12 vanilla wafers
1 8 oz package of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz fat-free vanilla greek yogurt
2 large egg whites
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
strawberries and blueberries

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350, line a cupcake tray with 12 liners, and place a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each one.
2. In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Beat in the sugar and vanilla.  Slowly beat in the greek yogurt, egg whites, and flour until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Fill each cupcake well about 1/2 full and bake for about 25 minutes.  Let cool.
4. Top each mini cheesecake with some sliced strawberries and blueberries and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Enjoy :)

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Peanut Butter Nutella Swirled Mini Cheesecakes with Oreo Crust

I was proposed to by another math teacher because of these.  She said she was willing to leave her husband if it meant getting to eat these Peanut Butter Nutella Swirled Mini Cheesecakes with Oreo Crust.  They were pretty fantastic.

But first, I can't believe that tomorrow is my Half Marathon! I have been training for over 10 weeks now and it totally snuck up on me.  I feel pretty ready, but I am still nervous! I hope that the weather is nice and I am excited to run it with my friends, Lauren and Patrick.

I am also pretty darn excited about this long weekend.  These past few weeks of school have been pretty crazy.  I started teaching Pre-Calculus in addition to my Geometry block and two Algebra 2 blocks.  Having three preps is hectic and for a while I wasn't really sure of myself.  I couldn't keep all of my plans straight! However, now that I have gotten used to it, I feel much more confident and I am glad that I took on the challenge of teaching all of my cooperating teacher's classes because it has made me feel better prepared for next year.

Speaking of next year... I am going to have my own classroom! This is slowly sinking in and I keep getting nervous and excited about everything that goes with teaching.  I am so nervous for the first day and I keep running through what I want to say.  I am also nervous about having questions or being unsure of myself and NOT having a cooperating teacher there to help.  I am sure that once this all gets going it will be okay, but right now I feel like I have a million things on my mind! Any teachers out there with any words of wisdom about the first year?

And, back to the cheesecake.  Keeping up with cooking and baking while also trying to be the best teacher ever is difficult  but it keeps me happy! This dessert was super yummy and I shared with my teacher friends in the math department.  I was inspired by Chocolate Therapy and then got creative with the rest!

Peanut Butter Nutella Swirled Cheesecakes with Oreo Crust



Ingredients:
16 oreos
16 oz light cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
3 tbsp flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup nutella

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a cupcake pan with 16 liners.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar until well combined.  Beat in the vanilla and peanut butter until smooth and creamy.  Sprinkle flour over the mixture and beat to combine.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Scrape down sides and beat to combine.
3. Place an oreo in the bottom of each cupcake well.  Fill the cupcake to the top with your cheesecake batter.  Drop 1/2 tbsp of nutella on the top of each cupcake and, using a tooth pick, swirl.

4.  Bake for 20 minutes or until cheesecakes are no longer wobbly.  Let cool.  Serve same day or place in fridge overnight.

Enjoy :)

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Foodie Friends Friday: Anything Goes!

This week, Foodie Friends Friday is back!  Usually, you gotta follow all those rules for this linky party, but this week, there are no rules!  Link up as many recipes as you want of whatever you want and enjoy the TONS of ideas and VARIETY of recipes. Also, host favorites will be featured on Daily Dish!  This week I'm linking up some awesome desserts: Chocolate Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream, Oreo Stuffed Brownies, Oreo Pie, and Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.



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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Whole Wheat Blueberry Coffee Cake

So I attempted this coffee cake and it turned out terribly! I am sharing this with you because people seem to think I am perfect at cooking and baking and this is just not true.  I have to practice and learn a lot and sometimes things just don't turn out right.

Bri and I are moving in together and I feel like this coffee cake is symbolic of how I need to think of myself.  I am not always going to be perfect, neither is he, but if we work on ourselves and focus on our relationship, we will end up with something pretty awesome anyways.

For example, this coffee cake looked awful.  It stuck to the pan, it was mushy in the middle, the blueberries sank. However, if you closed your eyes and took a bite, it was pretty darn fantastic.  Super tasty and all you have to do is ignore it's imperfections because its a blueberry coffee cake and those things are tasty.  Also, I slathered on browned butter vanilla glaze, which admittedly made it look worse, but also made it taste heavenly! Oh man, I could have eaten that glaze straight out of the bowl...all of it.

I know that Bri and I are going to have to always work hard and focus on the positives  but I have faith that we are going to do great! I already taught him how to make risotto and it turned out amazing!

Blueberry Coffee Cake with Browned Butter Vanilla Glaze
Before the oven...looked pretty good :)

Coffee Cake Recipe HERE (follow this exactly because mine turned out like crap)

Browned Butter Vanilla Glaze:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Make the coffee cake and let cool.
2. To make the glaze, put butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and swirl continuously until butter is an amber color and smells fragrant.  Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.  Drizzle over coffee cake.

Enjoy :)

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Sweet Potato Encrusted Chicken Fingers

I just had the most overwhelming weekend of my life.  I graduated from the best school ever and on Sunday when I realized I was an official college graduate, I freaked out a little.  I felt very overwhelmed by how many goodbyes I had to say and very nervous by how little I know about my future.  I know that these are perfectly normal emotions, but it doesn't make it any easier to process all this.  I am glad that Bri is hanging with me now that he is all done and graduated too.

When I woke up Sunday and I couldn't decide if I was happy or if I was about to burst into tears, I went for a run.  I love running and it always helps me to think and clear my head.  On my run, my very smart and impressive friend, Katie, called and we talked a little about this whole graduation thing.  She made me feel much better.  I am always so impressed by her grace and ability to say the perfect thing.  She told me that while she was studying abroad in Spain she had a postcard with this quote: "Adventure may hurt, but Monotony will kill you."  This is so true.  While I may be terrified about the future, I am also excited about what it will bring.  As a math teacher, I want so badly to "change the world" and enable all students to succeed.  I want to contribute to my school and community, I want to inspire students to become passionate learners, I want to do everything I can to embody everything I love about education and teaching.  

I know that by focusing on my passions and ensuring that I am happy and calm, I can focus my time and energy into these goals.  Therefore, I run and I cook.  Right now, while watching Indiana Jones, I am also planning some meals for Bri and I to cook together and considering my lessons for this week.  I ran 9 miles this morning because it made me feel amazing and helped me refocus.  I lost sight of my passions and purpose for a bit because of my fear, but by realizing this, I know that I can be successful with whatever the future throws my way. 

Oh, and by the way, my Half Marathon is NEXT WEEKEND! It's on this coming Sunday! Woah! How did that happen?  I feel pretty darn ready and excited about it.  My family is coming back up for another fun filled weekend and my runner besties will be back in town to run with me.  So, I guess a bunch of those sad goodbyes were really "see you soons."  I can handle that for now.  Today I have a fun and cute party recipe because now that I've graduated, I gotta party a little! Enjoy these homemade chicken fingers! 

Sweet Potato Encrusted Chicken Fingers


Ingredients:
14 oz chicken strip pieces
2 cups crushed sweet potato chips
2 eggs
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp honey or agave nectar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
2. In a small bowl, beat eggs with the mustard and honey.  Place crushed chips in a wide bowl.
3.  Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and then roll in the sweet potato chips.  Place on pan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how thick your chicken strips are.  Serve with BBQ Sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

Enjoy :)

Friday, May 17, 2013

Chocolate Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream Frosting

It's time to celebrate! This weekend is all about graduation and I am enjoying every minute.

First, Bri and I have been in a long distance relationship all through college.  He has been in St. Louis and I've been up in Madison.  Last night, I flew from Madison to St. Louis because he is graduating today.  This also marks the END of our long distance!!! I am very excited to see what our future has in store!

After Bri's graduation  we are going to his favorite restaurant, The Fountain.  The food here is great, the drinks are fun and yummy, and the desserts are out-of-this-world amazing.  I'm pretty pumped.  Then, we have to pack up his apartment and drive back to Madison because I graduate tomorrow!

I am graduating with a degree in Secondary Math Education and I already have a job teaching high school math.  I am so excited and proud that this day has arrived.  Of course, I am also sad that things are going to change so much, but I am excited to see what life is going to be like now that I'm like a "real" grown-up.

So, lets celebrate! Today I have what is basically my favorite cupcake combo: Chocolate Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream.  I adapted the cake recipe from Food and Wine and I used my yummy Mocha Frosting.  The cupcakes were perfect, the buttercream amazing, and I treated myself to one of these in honor of graduation.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream


Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
pinch of salt
1/4 cup creme fraiche
1 tsp vanilla
For the Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar
3 tsp espresso powder
3 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a cupcake pan so that you can make 16 cupcakes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt.
3. In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter with canola oil and water.  Pour mixture into the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.  Beat in egg until well combined.  Beat in vanilla.  Stir in creme fraiche until just combined.
4. Fill cupcake wells about 2/3 full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.
5. To make the frosting, beat butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until you have 3 cups.  Beat in espresso powder and vanilla.  Add more sugar for a desired consistency and taste.  Frost cupcakes!

Enjoy :)

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Foodie Friends Friday: Memorial Day BBQ

This week, Foodie Friends Friday is back!  This week is all about Memorial Day! Just follow the rules and link up your festive BBQ recipes! Also, host favorites will be featured on Daily Dish!  This week I'm linking up BBQ Pulled Chicken, Fancy Mac and Cheese, and Thai Turkey Burgers.




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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Whole Wheat Strawberry Muffins

It's Strawberry Season and I have been in such a great mood because of this whole getting a job and graduating thing and I just felt like baking something scrumptious with strawberries!  I used the same base as I did for my Perfect Blueberry Muffins to make Perfect Strawberry Muffins! I also doubled the recipe because I wanted to share my treats! All my friends who are still "real students" are taking finals and I brought these muffins to a study session to share with everyone! I don't have finals since I am a student teacher and I have to go to school every day until the end of the high schools school year.

Perfect Whole Wheat Strawberry Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup non-fat, plain greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 to 1 1/4 cups chopped fresh strawberries


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 and lightly grease a muffin pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs with sugar until pale yellow, beat in milk, yogurt and vanilla.  Slowly mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.  Stir in the strawberries.
4. Fill the muffin pan all the way to the top and bake for 5 minutes.  Lower the temperature to 375 and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan.

Enjoy :)

Monday, May 13, 2013

Thai Turkey Burgers

I GOT A JOB! Well, I haven't signed anything yet and I don't know many details, but I do know that I got a job offer at a high school to teach math! I am crazy excited and can't wait to start getting ready!

Also, now that I know where I am going to be, Bri and I are moving forward on looking for an apartment! I can't believe all of this.  I feel a little too grown up right now.  

Since, it is Monday, I also have a Half Marathon Monday update for you all.  I got up to 12 miles and now I get to taper off a little.  My long run this week was 9 miles and honestly it felt like a breeze.  I love getting out there in the morning and getting in a long run.  During the week I didn't run as much because of how busy I was, but I am still feeling great.  The run is only 2 weeks away and I can't wait! 

And, of course I have a recipe to share! This is a super yummy recipe and I found it over on How Sweet It Is.  These Thai Turkey Burgers are full of flavor and super healthy.  I had them for lunch at school and everyone was jealous of how yummy it smelled! I love the flavors here and it was a perfect little meal to have for dinner and then leftover for lunch.  

Thai Turkey Burgers






Ingredients:
1 lb. lean turkey
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup shredded carrot
salt and pepper
4 whole wheat buns
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup light coconut milk
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp natural, creamy peanut butter
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 tbsp hot sauce or chili sauce (depending on taste)
3 cups coleslaw mix
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Directions:
1. Make the sauce: whisk together the rice vinegar, coconut milk, garlic, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, and hot sauce.  Pour into a small sauce pan and heat until simmering.  
2. In a large bowl, combine the turkey meat with the carrots and green onion.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour about 3/4 of your sauce mixture into the turkey mixture and combine.  
3. In another bowl, place the coleslaw mix and toss with the peanuts. Pour the other 1/4 of the sauce over the coleslaw and set aside.
4. Form the turkey meat into 4 patties.  Place in a grill or saute pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until browned, flip patties and cook for another 4-5 minutes.  
5. Place burgers on buns, top with coleslaw and serve!

Enjoy :)

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Happy Mother's Day!

I just want to say Happy Mother's Day! My mom is my best friend and the most amazing person that I know.  I am sad that I can't be with her today because of my school schedule, but I am excited to do something to celebrate when I get home.  So, Mom, I hop you have a very Happy Mother's Day! I love you so much!

Friday, May 10, 2013

Caramelized Onion Mushroom Melt Wraps

Oy! I've been so busy! I am so sorry that I have not been around, but my life is pretty crazy right now.  This past week has involved adding on Pre-Calc to my teaching schedule so that now I am teaching even more classes, another interview, filling out a bunch more applications, finishing up my portfolio and getting ready for graduation! I can't keep my life straight anymore!

I do want to share with you a yummy lunch idea that I came up with recently: Caramelized Onion Mushroom Melt Wraps.  Here's how they go:

Caramelized Onion Mushroom Melt Wraps


Ingredients:
1 medium white onion, cut into slices
8 oz Cremini Mushrooms
2 whole wheat wraps
2 tbsp of your favorite mustard
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
olive oil
sugar or brown sugar

Directions:
1. Heat a skillet over medium heat with a tbsp of olive oil.  Place onion slices in the skillet and cook until translucent, about 5-6 minutes.  Add in the mushrooms and toss in a tbsp or two of sugar.  Stir everything together and continue to cook until onions have caramelized.  Drain if needed and set aside.
2. Spread mustard on the wrap.  Place mushroom onion mixture on one side of the wrap.  Top with cheese and microwave for a minute or until the cheese is melted.  Fold wrap on over!

Enjoy :)

Monday, May 6, 2013

Healthy Banana Bread: No Butter, No Sugar, Whole Wheat

Holy cow! It's Monday again?  This weekend was a whirlwind for me.  My bestie Caryn came in town from DC and we had so much fun! It was so great to see her and we had an amazing time enjoying the beautiful weather and catching up!

In terms of my half marathon training, I ran 12 miles on Saturday! I finished in a little under 2 hours and felt great.  I ran the route that is posted for the actual half marathon except for the beginning and end and it was fun to see what I will be doing in 20 days! At this point, I get to start tapering off a bit for the next few weeks before the big fun.  This is great since in the next few weeks, I have interviews, graduation, and family coming in town! I am going to be so busy, but running really helps me to stay focused and feel good!

Going along with the theme of being healthy and feeling good, this Healthy Banana Bread was a delicious way to have a little treat while staying healthy.  This recipe uses whole wheat flour, no sugar, and natural sweeteners.  Also, you need super ripe bananas because that will help the bread to be tasty and moist!  This was some great banana bread!

Healthy Banana Bread


Ingredients:
4 ripe bananas
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl, mash the bananas and beat in honey, canola oil, vanilla, lemon juice, and eggs.  Beat until well combined.  Beat in the dry ingredients until just combined.  Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy :)

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Foodie Friends Friday: Cindo de Mayo Theme!

This week, Foodie Friends Friday is back!  This week is all about Cindo de Mayo! Just follow the rules and link up your festive recipes! Also, host favorites will be featured on Daily Dish!  This week I'm linking up Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls, Taco Cupcakes, and Fish Tacos with Mango-Slaw.



Top 3:


Most Clicks:

And Host Favorites! 

Welcome to Foodie Friends Friday!

Please take a moment to read through the rules before getting started, Thank You!

*By linking up you agree that you read these rules and all photos/recipes are original and belong to you. You agree to allow Foodie Friends Friday and any of it's affiliated websites or publications (Social Girls Media, LLC) to use photos, links, and recipes for reprint and/or republishing and distribution without monetary compensation to you. If photos & recipes are used, proper link backs to you will be included.
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Adding Links back to Foodie Friends Friday and our Button is our only form of advertising to bring in more people to see YOUR recipes.
Please remember to do this. It benefits you! To thank you, we will continue to feature those with links throughout the year on various outlets.
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  Now Let's meet our sponsor this week! *Giveaway Disclaimer: Facebook is in no way associated with this website or giveaway and holds no liability for this giveaway. "Liking" facebook pages is optional, not mandatory for entry. Sponsors will be responsible for shipping- if there is a delay or problem with prize, you must communicate directly with sponsor.