Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Logan has weaned himself over the past week :( And although I had wanted him to breastfeed a bit longer and tried my best to keep doing so, he just wasn't interested. And when he got himself down to barely eating anything on his only feed of the day, it dawned on me that if I just accepted that he was weaning himself anyhow, I COULD EAT PEANUT BUTTER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! Yes, this is actually how exciting this was to me.

Our doctor had advised me to avoid nuts while breastfeeding (though apparently ok while pregnant) because of lots of family allergies. The research isn't clear as to whether or not this really helps, but I figured I'd follow his advice nonetheless. So I haven't had nuts, except on a few occasions by accident, since Logan was born. And Jerome has been eating a lot more nuts than he did before since he was diagnosed with diabetes. Sometimes, I would just stand over the jars and smell them. Yes, that's how much I love them :) Well, particularly peanut butter, though I do like most nuts. Which is kind of funny, because up until maybe 10 years ago, I don't think that I liked any nuts, outside of peanuts. But that's besides the point.

So my mind has been whirring with all of the wonderfully delicious things I can now eat. Logan wails and throws a complete fit every morning as I eat my peanut butter and toast. He's in a stage where he just wants to have everything that we're having and... well... he just can't have peanut butter yet. So I listen to him scream his little head off as I try to quickly finish my breakfast. And sometimes I hide behind his highchair to eat it :)

He's also like this with yogurt. I have to hide anytime I want to have a yogurt. We give him plain yogurt with fruit stirred in and I like Activia. And I don't really want him having Activia just yet (well at least, not regularly) because of the sugar in it. So I hide like a thief everytime I want a yogurt because if I eat one in front of him he throws a complete fit. In fact, he threw one at the grocery store this week as I stood in front of the yogurt aisle, deciding what to buy. I guess he was upset that he wasn't getting any.

Today, we went to Baskin Robbins to enjoy some of their peanut butter 'n chocolate ice cream. I think that this is probably one of the best inventions known to men. Huge (I mean HUGE!) chunks of delicious peanut butter. We got Logan his own little vanilla, since he couldn't have any of ours. He started freaking out the minute we walked in there and saw the ice cream the kid beside him had. He nearly screamed with impatience the whole time the lady was serving us and then gobbled down a good portion faster than you could imagine. Jerome and I had to take turns feeding him so that we could actually eat our own before it melted. I guess he thinks it's just yogurt, but way better. Note to self: keep ice cream out of his sight!

Ok, so that was so completely off-topic... back to wonderful peanut butter :) One of my favourites is peanut butter on an All-Bran bar with a little bit of low-sugar jam. Mmmm... I've had this as a snack every afternoon since weaning him. The mixture of the slight sweetness of the All-Bran bar is delicious with the saltiness of the peanut butter.

Another one of my favourites is to spread peanut butter on Pita Break's museli breakfast pita. Mmmm.... With a bit of jam or banana, of course. You can get these at Costco, or in most regular grocery stores. I love this for breakfast, lunch... both??? Ok, I don't go that far, but I could :) The pitas are full of all sorts of healthy things such as flax and sunflower seeds and have a decent amount of protein and fiber in them. My only complaint is that although they have whole-wheat flour in them, they're not completely made with whole-wheat flour (and whole-wheat flour isn't even the first ingredient). But they're so good that I choose overlook that...

Ok, now I know what you're all thinking. How can one person have so much to say about peanut butter?????????? Trust me, it's been a full year. I'm actually restraining myself here.

I haven't eat regular old Kraft peanut butter in years. Ever since I went bought some of the fresh-pressed pb at the health food store, I haven't been able to turn back. It's a bit drier, but so much more authentic tasting. And if you add jam or bananas on top, you don't even notice that it's a bit more dry. Awhile back, I spotted a natural, organic peanut butter at Costco. It's Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy Peanut Butter. And this has been my new favourite ever since.

The only thing is that the oil separates from the peanut butter, so you have to stir it in and then keep in in the fridge. A word of warning: do not let your husband stir the peanut butter!!!! This is vital. A few years back, I was having a hard time mixing the peanut butter together in the jar, so I asked my husband to do it for me. And was dumb enough to leave the kitchen. He got out the electric mixer and stuck it in the peanut butter to mix. And the next thing I knew, my entire kitchen was covered in peanut butter. I guess the beaters somehow came out while it was still running and sprayed peanut butter all over everything. I could only laugh. And spend hours scrubbing my kitchen ;) So now, I transfer all of it to a huge bowl and then mix it with beaters. Myself.

So my first "peanut butter project" was to make peanut butter banana bread. I got this recipe awhile back off of About.com. I had intended on reducing the sugar to 1/2 C, but was on auto-pilot while making it, so I didn't remember that until I was pouring in the full 2/3 C. So next time. I also learned in the making of this recipe that if your friend calls you to go to the park once the loaf has been in the oven for 7 minutes, you can just pull it in and cook it when you get home ;)

1 3/4 C flour (I substituted 1 1/2 C whole-wheat flour and 1/4 C of ground flax seeds)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 C shortening (I used light Becel)
3/4 C peanut butter, crunchy or smooth
2/3 C granulated sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten (I used the equivalent of egg whites)
1 C mashed bananas



1. Cream shortening and peanut butter, then beat in sugar and eggs.

2. Alternately add dry ingredients and bananas, stirring with a wooden spoon.

3. Pour batter into a well-greased and floured loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 1 hour.

My next project is going to be to make this wonderful peanut butter bread that I remember making in my bread-machine awhile back. If I remember correctly, it has peanut butter spread down the middle, with peanuts sprinkled in it. Mmm... on the to-do list for the long weekend :)

Mom's Trifle

This recipe is one that I remember as a kid. My mom used to make this with company over. And I remember how I always thought the layers of cake, jello, whipping cream and fruit looked so delicious and couldn't wait to have some. Until I'd get down to the bottom and taste the sherry-soaked cake and... bleck... I'd remember how awful the adult version was. I didn't like it as a kid and I still don't like it today. So I opt to leave the sherry out. Probably not what most people would prefer (well, most adults, anyway), but I prefer it like that.

This is another great recipe for when you have a crowd over, as it makes immense portions. We just made it for my sister's baby shower. It's quick and easy to throw together, is always a crowd-pleaser and you'll have enough, no matter how many people you have over.

1 red jello
custard or vanilla pudding
1 can of peaches or fruit cocktail
whipping cream (I use light cool-whip)
lady fingers
port or sherry
fresh fruit to decorate

I usually use the lazy-man's instant vanilla pudding. My mom usually uses cooked vanilla pudding. And I guess a really ambitious person would make homemade custard to make it that much more delicious, such as the one in my Strawberry/Blueberry Tart. But then that would just take away the simplicity of this recipe.

I have always used fresh strawberries and blueberries for the fruit. My mom has always used the fruit cocktail. When we made it for my sister's shower, we made it with a bag of frozen mixed berries and I think that's my favourite to date. The extra juice in the berries mixes in nicely with the rest of the ingredients.

I also use pound cake instead of the lady fingers. I find it richer, which makes it just that much more delicious. Haha... I just noticed in getting the link for the pound cake that on July 10/10 I said I'd post the recipe for the trifle shortly. Does within a year mean shortly?? Apparently it does when you have a baby :)



1. Place lady fingers in a bowl and soak in port or sherry for 5 minutes.

2. Drain fruit and save juice to substitute for part of liquid when making jello.

3. Add peaches on top of lady fingers.

4. Make jello and custard and put both in the fridge to cool.

5. When ready, spread jello on fruit, then spread custard on jello.

6. Add whipping cream and garnish with fresh fruit.

Mmmm.... writing this post, I can't wait for strawberry season to begin. I love to pick basket upon basket of strawberries and freeze them for the winter.

Triple B Health Muffins

I made these this weekend and gave Logan his first taste of muffins. And holy flip, he fell head over heels in love with them. He's eaten almost 4 of them all by his lonesome since Saturday morning. I can't quite understand where such a little guy can put so much muffin! He'll take
massive mouthfuls of them at a time and whines for more the second it's gone. He clearly knows the good stuff... Oh well... at least he'll probably have put on some good weight for our pediatrician's appointment this week and then maybe they'll stop making me go so often...

Here's a peek at just how much he enjoyed them (this was his fourth):

I should have taken a picture of my white/not so white anymore kitchen floor after every time he eats these things...

I got this recipe from the Canada's 150 Best Diabetes Desserts cookbook... that I am going to go onto Chapters online to buy as soon as I am done blogging this post. In passing, it's $8 cheaper on-line than it is in-store. And since I have another book I want to buy, which gets me free shipping, I passed on picking it up at Chapters this week while at girls' night.

The recipe calls for either natural wheat bran or oat bran. I used oat bran, primarily because it was way closer in the cupboard than the natural wheat bran and I didn't feel like digging all the way to the back. I'm sure they'd be good with either though.

Totally unrelated to these muffins, but quite related to the topic of my blog, in the background as I type this the tv is on to some French tv game show about food. Not quite sure what it's called... but I'm realizing sadly just how darned much I know about food. And thinking that I need to get myself on this game show to make ourselves a million dollars so that I can quit my job and just hang out with Logan all day :)

In any case, here's the recipe. Enjoy the muffins. If you have a little Logan at home, you might just want to double the recipe so that you don't have to make them again 3 days later.

1 C whole-wheat flour
1 C natural wheat bran or oat bran
1 C fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 C)
1 egg, lightly beaten (I used 2 egg whites)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C milk
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, wheat bran, blueberries, baking soda and baking powder.

2. In a large bowl, combine bananas, egg, sugar, milk, oil and vanilla. Fold in flour mixture until just combined.

3. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full.

4. Bake in preheated 400 degree Farenheit oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Nutrients per muffin:
153 calories
25g carbohydrates
4g fiber
3g protein
6g fat

Cucumber Mango Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

This is another wonderful salad from Brandi's great salad cookbook... that I do not know the name of, but need to buy so that I don't have to constantly bug her to give me her salad recipes every time I eat over there :)

The original recipe calls for macadamia nuts (I'm drooling writing this, thinking of our trip to Hawaii and the delicious macadamia nuts we ate there...). Brandi substituted toasted sunflower seeds, so I followed suit since I can't eat nuts right now. Though I did an even lazier version and didn't even bother toasting them (but I'm sure that makes it even better). I can't wait to try it with macadamia nuts as soon as I'm done breastfeeding though, as I think that combination sounds fantastic. I actually forgot to put the sunflower seeds in the second time I made it, so you won't see any in my picture, but they do make it better. I also substituted 1 tbsp. sesame oil and 1 tbsp. canola oil for the peanut oil, since I didn't have any. And as with all recipes calling for fresh coriander - don't leave it out!!

 

1 English cucumber (peel on), thinly sliced
1 cup of mango, chopped (Brandi has also used thawed frozen mango chunks and this works well - I happened to have a bunch of ripe mangoes on hand both times I've made it)
1/2 C macadamia nuts, toasted and finely chopped (or toasted sunflower seeds)

Dressing: 
 2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. peanut (or canola) oil
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp. sweet chili sauce (I used chili garlic sauce because that's what I had in my fridge)
1/2 tsp. dried crushed chilis
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all dressing ingredients in a jar. Toss dressing into above cucumber, mango and nut mixture.

Chocolate Chunk Banana Brownies

Happy Easter to everyone!!! No Easter recipes on here this year, as we chose to hang out here ourselves and didn't really do much of anything Easter-like. Didn't even eat a single Easter egg, in fact... I can't wait until next year when Logan is a bit older and we'll have some of his eggs to swipe :)

I made these brownies last week, from the Canada's 150 Best Diabetes Desserts cookbook (again, I am so going to buy this book). They make a huge pan and we've been slowly working our way through them. I find these have more of the texture of a cake than of brownies - not quite as rich and dense. But they're still good.

Last night, we decided to make a brownie sundae with them. Not terribly diabetes friendly, but we opted to have no carbs with our dinner (other than low carb veggies) so that Jerome could afford this little treat (well and really, I guess that means I can afford it more too, right?). We used a small brownie, vanilla ice cream (my favourite is Breyer's All-Natural Vanilla, as I find it actually tastes like vanilla and not chemicals), and a touch of apple caramel that we had bought at Les Vergers Lafrance where we go apple-picking each year . The caramel is sickeningly (and deliciously) sweet, so you only need a touch. I'd meant to put a bit of sliced bananas on top as well, but that slipped my mind when I made them. Mmmm... pure delight :)



1 C sugar
1/3 C vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 C mashed ripe bananas (2 large bananas)
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 C flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C chopped semisweet chocolate
1 1/3 C coarsely chopped walnuts



1. In large bowl, using an electric mixture on medium speed, beat sugar, oil and eggs until thick and light, about 2 minutes. Add bananas and cocoa and beat on low speed.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to cocoa mixture, beating on low speed just to blend. Stir in chopped chocolate and walnuts. Spread evenly in prepared 13 x 9 inch pan.

3. Bake in 350 degree Farenheit oven just until set, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack. Cut into bars or squares.

Variations: substitute peanut butter chips for the chopped chocolate and coarsely chopped peanuts for the walnuts (mmm.... I can't wait until I can eat peanut butter again!!! I am sooooooooooo making them like this!).

Makes 36 brownies.

Mexican Lasagna

Two unrelated side notes before I get started with today's recipe.

1. Since posting the roasted cauliflower on March 31/11, I tried the real recipe instead of my adapted version. I figured I really should try it if it was on my blog. And I didn't like it. At all. I found it really greasy and couldn't even finish it. So I don't recommend making the real version... but my adaptation is tasty.

2. A few people have been asking about Jerome's diabetes, so I'll give a quick update. We saw the endocrinologist again last week and he's pretty certain (though can't be 100% without testing) that he has type I. Which basically means he'll be insulin-dependent for life, but he seems to have adapted to it quite easily and it doesn't seem to bother him much. I guess it's a good thing we already ate in a relatively diabetic-friendly manner beforehand, or I'm sure the shift would have been much harder. We certainly don't have desserts quite as often, but he can still have these in smaller portions on occasion, so he seems fine with it. And his sugars are controlled fairly nicely now, so it doesn't seem to be much cause for concern.

On an interesting, somewhat related note, the doctor explained to us that type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease, that basically is a predisposition to type I diabetes, that is triggered by some environmental factor. And he said that nowadays they are thinking that it is a virus (or actually, one of several viruses) that triggers it. I found the whole thing kind of fascinating, as it's really not the conception I had of diabetes. And he said that there's actually less heredity (in terms of passing it down to our kids) than there is for type II.

Ok... on to today's recipe. This recipe comes from my sister's mother-in-law. Ashley's husband made this for us for dinner one night when I was visiting them a few months ago. It's super easy to put together, makes a ton and is both yummy and healthy. For a vegetarian version, you can just omit the beef and throw in an extra can of beans if you want.

4 large (or 8 small) whole-wheat tortillas
1 lb. lean ground beef, cooked and drained
1 onion
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed
1 can white kidney beans, rinsed
1 can of Aylmers Accents flavoured tomatoes
1 can of corn, drained
1 jar of salsa (I used my black bean and corn salsa)
grated light cheddar cheese
salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole, as desired to serve on the side



1. Cook the onion and beef in a frying pan. I also chose to add in my homemade taco seasoning. Eric had said that he thought his mom added some sort of seasoning, but couldn't remember what, so I just threw this in and it worked well with the recipe.

2. In a bowl, mix together the beef, beans, tomatoes, corn and salsa.

3. Spray a 13x9-inch pan with cooking oil, or spread a bit of salsa on the bottom of the pan. Layer 2 large whole-wheat tortillas (or 4 small ones) on the bottom of the pan. Spread half of the bean/beef mixture over the tortillas, ensuring that they are fully covered (or they will dry out while heating). Layer grated cheddar cheese over the bean/beef mixture.

4. Repeat step 3 again, with 2 tortillas, beef/bean mixture and then cheese.

5. Heat in a 350 degree Farneheit oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until heated through. If the cheese starts browning too quickly, you can cover the top of the casserole with foil for all but the last 10 minutes, being sure to spray it with oil beforehand so the cheese doesn't stick.

Big-Batch Banana Blueberry Muffins

Jerome recently came home from the library with the cookbook Canada's 150 Best Diabetes Desserts. Which I think is my new favourite cookbook. And I'm pretty sure that my 'no new cookbooks' rule can be broken, given the special circumstances of Jerome's diabetes, right??? ;) So I think I'm gonna have to run out and get myself my own copy. It's full of all sorts of healthy desserts, using lots of flax, whole-wheat flour (which I usually substitute in anyways) and bran. So my thing...

These muffins are the first (and so far only) recipe that I've tried from the book and I really liked them. Although I like the flavour of flax, I thought the muffins might have an overpowering flax flavour, given how much is in them. But the banana nicely offsets the flax and they're quite tasty. I had meant to split the recipe in half (since we clearly can't get through 36 muffins on our own before they go bad - 18 is even more than pushing it!), but I messed up halfway through and dumped in an entire container of applesauce. So we now have 36 of these to get through, as I have no space in my freezer at all these days. So yes, Heather, I'll likely drop some of these off one day this week :)

3 C whole-wheat flour
3 C ground flaxseed
2 C lightly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. baking soda
pinch salt
3 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 C)
1 jar (128 mL) baby food prunes or unsweetened applesauce
2/3 C vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 C fresh or frozen blueberries



1. In a large bowl, combine flour, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In a very large bowl, combine eggs, bananas, prunes, oil and vanilla. Fold in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in blueberries.

3. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.

4. Bake in a 350 degree Farenheit oven for 20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, or until tops are firm to the touch.

Makes 36 muffins (I got 30 out of them).

Nutrients per muffin:
185 calories
25g carbohydrates
5g fiber
4g protein
8g fat