Amazingg Brown Sugar Banana Nut Muffins Recipe

Okay I have another good recipe for y’all to try! Not 100% healthy but not the worst either and super yummy. Today was our Sunday rest/family day we made some muffins, my husband cleaned our car and got it ready to take pictures of so we can try to sell it (very sad for us we love my Lexus but we need more room, Ugh being an adult and making decisions that make sense, no fun) and then we went to a pumpkin patch and corn maze. Over all pretty great day! Oh did I mention drank some yummy pumpkin beer! lol can’t leave that part out! Okay on to the recipe! If you try it out let me know how they turn out. 🙂 I hope y’all love them as much as us!

Brown Sugar Banana Nut Bread Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Golden Brown Sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large egg
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
4 medium banana, mashed
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp roasted & roughly chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Spray 14 muffin tin cups with nonstick spray
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time. Stir in vanilla and banana.
4. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt until combined. Fold in walnuts until combined.
5. Sprinkle the muffin tops with chopped walnuts.
6. Pour in pan, top with additional 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts and bake 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

A couple of tips for some extra yummy bread

FIRST ~ use BROWN sugar ~ it makes it caramel like and really takes the flavor to a whole new level.

SECOND ~ use A LOT of banana, but, don’t puree it, just mush it so you still have some chunky pieces

THIRD ~ use roughly chopped, not finely chopped walnuts that your roast for 3-4 minutes at 400 in the oven first. They will really stand out in your bread as big chunky roasted nutty pieces.

Now I have to show off our son because I’m pretty sure he is the cutest baby ever. lol. 🙂 I know I know every mom thinks that but, I’m pretty sure it’s true! 😀

Happy Sunday everyone!

Hello Fall, You’ll never understand how much I love you! :)

Happy Fall everyone!!! The weather has been so perfect here! (Hopefully it stays this time!) I just got home from the store and went kind of crazy buying Pumpkins && Squash! This is by far my favorite time of year! I love all our different squash recipes we get to make this time of year! I’m sure y’all know how good squash is for you but do you know the health benefits?

Butternut Squash

Like all members of the gourd family (which includes pumpkin, melon, and cucumber), butternut squash is technically a fruit because it contains seeds. Cut into its pale, yellow-beige hard skin, though, and you’ll discover a vibrant flesh that’s much denser than that of its relatives.

Rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants — and succulent enough to warrant the moniker “butternut” — this graceful, hourglass-like gourd is the perfect addition to an autumn meal.

Health Benefits
Low in fat, butternut squash delivers an ample dose of dietary fiber, making it an exceptionally heart-friendly choice. It provides significant amounts of potassium, important for bone health, and vitamin B6, essential for the proper functioning of both the nervous and immune systems. The folate content adds yet another boost to its heart-healthy reputation and helps guard against brain and spinal-cord-related birth defects such as spina bifida.

Squash’s tangerine hue, however, indicates butternut’s most noteworthy health perk. The color signals an abundance of powerhouse nutrients known as carotenoids, shown to protect against heart disease. In particular, the gourd boasts very high levels of beta-carotene (which your body automatically converts to vitamin A), identified as a deterrent against breast cancer and age-related macular degeneration, as well as a supporter of healthy lung development in fetuses and newborns. What’s more, with only a 1-cup serving, you get nearly half the recommended daily dose of antioxidant-rich vitamin C.

As if this weren’t enough, butternut squash may have anti-inflammatory effects because of its high antioxidant content. Incorporating more of this hearty winter staple into your diet could help reduce risk of inflammation-related disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.

Cooking Tips
Butternut squash presents the home cook with incredibly easy culinary possibilities. You can just place it on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about an hour, or until you can pierce it with a sharp knife. Or remove the skin using a vegetable peeler and cut the flesh into chunks for steaming or sauteing. Once cooked, mash it, puree it for soup, fold it into a pasta or risotto dish, or simply savor your butternut squash as is.

How to Buy
Choose an unblemished fruit that feels heavy for its size with a matte, rather than glossy, skin. A shiny exterior indicates that the fruit was picked too early, and it won’t be as sweet as a fully grown squash. Most winter squash is available late into the fall. Store whole butternut squash in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) with plenty of ventilation; it should keep for up to three months. Cut squash will stay fresh for up to a week, wrapped, in the fridge.

Today’s WOD (It’s a good one!)

Good Morning all my blog friends!!! It is beautiful out this morning! We have the windows open for the first time in I don’t even remember how long. My husband does have to go into work today for a couple of hours but will be done for our Saturday AM crossfit, and then its home to get ready for football! The smell of fall air puts me in such a good mood its one of my favorite seasons! I love everything about it, football, Halloween, thanksgiving, pumpkin everything, hoodies, fires, coffee taste better, hot chocolate, scarves, jeans, scary movies, and just the cool fall air. Do y’all have a favorite season?

Today’s WOD

For Time:

15-10-5 Reps of:
Hand Release Push Ups
Pull Ups
Ab Mat Sit Ups
Squats
Toes-to-Bar
Run 300 meters after each round

A “Lighter” Pumpkin Bread

My Pumpkin bread just came out sat for 30 minutes and is now 1/2 gone. I would say it was a success and husband approved! lol.

A “Lighter” Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Ingredients
1 1/2 c. All Purpose Flour (Next time I’m going to try to sub whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
2 c. light brown sugar
1/2 c. Fat Free greek Vanilla Yogurt
3 Egg Whites
1 c. Canned Pumpkin ( Just pumpkin not the pie mix )

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a loaf pan, set aside.

2. Stir the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, and nutmeg, into a mixing bowl. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, yogurt, and egg whites. Whisk thoroughly until blended. Stir in the pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Stir until completely incorporated.

4. Pour into pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

5. Let cool on a wire rack.

Makes 8 serving.