Saturday, March 26, 2011

Making Banana Pancakes

Good Morning Saturday! Nothing says hello to the weekend like a plate of pancakes covered in maple syrup, even if my weekend is sunny and currently 24 degrees F!

I was inspired by a recipe found on 101 Cookbooks for Whole Grain Pancakes.  I love Heidi's Blog and have made many of her healthy recipes.  She made her pancakes with blueberry syrup, which looks amazing, but I haven't tried it that way. I make mine with buckwheat, granola and bananas-copied off the menu of Blueberry Cafe in Bellbrook Ohio.  The cafe is a little drive away, so I figured I would re-create their great pancakes at home. 





Here is a copy of Heidi's recipe from 101 Cookbooks, I noted the things I changed.

Whole-Grain Pancake Recipe with Blueberry Maple Syrup

"If you can't find white whole wheat flour, feel free to substitute unbleached all-purpose flour.
2 cups white whole wheat flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour)*
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup natural granulated sugar (evaporated cane sugar)*
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt*
2 1/4 cups organic buttermilk*
2 large organic eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted (melt in the pan skillet you are going to use)
butter, to serve (and for pan)

*Steph's Notes: I use a medley of flours because I have them available, if you don't, use what you got  or use your own combinations to equal 2 cups.  I use 1 cup white whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup buckwheat flour, 1/2 cup white all purpose flour.
I use about 2-3 tablespoons honey, and the remainder of the 1/3 cup white sugar.
I never keep buttermilk on hand, just add 1 Tbs. lemon juice for every cup of regular milk to make buttermilk. Lastly, I omit the salt, I find salted butter to be salty enough for me*

To make the pancakes combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Stir all the ingredients until they are just combined. Don't worry if the batter is a bit lumpy, you don't want to over mix.

Heat your skillet, pan, or griddle to medium-hot and brush it with a bit of butter. Test for the right temperature. If a drop of water dropped onto the pan starts to dance, you are in the ballpark. Pour about 1/3 of a cup of batter into the skillet.

*Here is where I add some thin slices of bananas and a sprinkle of granola or cereal.  Today I used some crushed Kashi Go Lean because we didn't have any granola.  I think the added crunch from granola/cereal and sweetness from the fruit shouldn't be skipped!

Wait until the pancake bottom is deep golden in color, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve with a golden pat of butter and plenty of blueberries and syrup.

Makes about 12 large pancakes, or dozens of silver-dollars - enough to feed a small crowd."

I LOVE these pancakes!  You can try them the HubbyWay-served with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on top that gets all melted! They do take longer to cook than normal box pancakes, but they end up super golden and fluffy.  I even freeze the leftovers in plastic wrap inside a baggie, and toast them in the toaster in the mornings when I want a quick breakfast.

Happy Weekend!


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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

I am Loved


Thank you Mom, Dad and Andrew for my Graduation Flowers! I love them, can't wait for the Iris to open!
Love you! Pin It Now!

Monday, March 21, 2011




Oh ellen, you make me laugh.. Pin It Now!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Five Miles Down..

...Eight more to go!

1 mile splits: 11:48 12:05 11:52 11:47 10:47
Felt good, except my knee.  Remember to warm up more. Pin It Now!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood...

The weather has been gorgeous this week! Sunny, high's in the 60's, cool enough to go on a run with a light jacket on.  I worked in the yard earlier this week and again today, it felt great to get outside and clean up the yard.  Still have lots of sticks from the ice storm, but the flower beds are getting in shape.

 I started two projects today, one was a thrifty craft, the other an experimental recipe.

First, the craft!

I was inspired to make a spring time/easter wreath, and I didn't want to pay JoAnn thirty dolla for her handiwork.  So...I picked up the grapevine wreath at Goodwill, only $1.99!  I bought some fake flowers and ribbon at the Dollar Tree along with some moss, that will be for another project.  I also set up a craft table in our TV room today.  I had to move the couch, but I think the change is nice.

Before...

After...

I love it! Although my bow making skills have yet to be perfected, I think she's cute.  It just screams Spring.  Wow, I didn't realize how pink it was until now..oh well!

On to..the bread!
So as I was crafting, I was listening to the steady whirl of my bread machine.  I decided to make some homemade healthy-ish cinnamon raisin bread.  I took a trip to Dorthy Lane markets last week and tried their artisan purple wheat raisin bread.  Purple wheat you ask? Yes, the bread was purple and delicious.  So, having polished off the half-loaf I bought, I wanted to try my hand at cinnamon raisin bread.  I also had some buckwheat flour that I thought might be good in a loaf.  I used 1 cup all purpose white, 1.5 cups whole wheat and 0.5 cups buckwheat flour as my base.  I also used honey and sugar for sweetness. I found a simple recipe online and gathered my ingredients...


..and made me some bread!  Although mine is no Dorthy Lane, its not too bad. Hubby and I had some with strawberries and vanilla ice cream.  If I was going to make it again, I think I would increase the sugar, it was a little too yeasty for me, but good raisin and cinnamon taste.


Man, it was a productive day..Tomorrow will be busy too, but hopefully the good weather holds, I will be running 5 miles tomorrow :)! Pin It Now!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Experimental Dinner

I tried a new quinoa dish last night, I added some frozen cauliflower and chopped raisins half way through cooking.  I also seasoned with curry and cumin, I was going for a morrocan vibe.  Served with pork chops and apple slices and drizzle as hubby called it.  Drizzle was a happy accident-reduced pan drippings while the quinoa finished cooking :)  I think it turned out well!

I will remember to take photos next time! Pin It Now!

Monday, March 14, 2011

A Fresh Start

As my thesis work is winding down and the thought of graduating has me giddy, I can't help but reflect on the last year and a half.  A lot has happened, a new house, a new husband (well, first and only husband), starting a new job, maybe a new pet?  I know it's not January, but I finally feel calm enough to think about the new year and all the exciting possibilities...

I started my first week of 8 week half marathon training (!!) Just writing that down seems like a big commitment.  I am still somewhat hesitant about finishing 13.1 miles, but I think I will come around.  I just want to finish within the same day I start the race!  I know the mental stamina is going to be just as tough as the physical aspect.  I've been borrowing a friend's GPS running watch, and it is awesome!  I love knowing my distance and pace, it keeps me motivated, even if I am slow.  Slow and steady baby! 

I can't wait to finish up some renovation projects with my hubby.  I've put a lot of projects on hold to focus on school, and now that its almost over I have no more excuses.  I think we are going to tackle the baseboards and molding first.  It has been a year since we took up the carpet and refinished our hard wood floors.  We still haven't painted and installed all of the base boards yet!  Next I want to refinish an old coffee table that was given to me, I'm thinking some silver antiqued paint with mirror overlays, similar to the Hayworth collection at Pier 1.

Ahh..how could I forget about the garden! I can not wait for some warmer days to go out and start prepping the  garden space for my veggies. I've started the seedlings inside in seed pods, they will still take another 4-6 weeks to sprout and harden off.  I've got some tomatoes, peppers, jalapenos, zucchini and herbs.  As much as I hate northern winters, I love the spring and summer!

I haven't been to adventurous in the kitchen lately, I think once the spring produce starts arriving I will be more inspired.  I'm trying to cook and eat super healthy for the half marathon training, but we'll see how that goes.  I tried a whole food "diet" before where you try and eat everything as close to nature intended it.  Its definitely an adjustment, and more expensive than normal groceries, but I think worth trying.  It feels good that you aren't filling up your body with fillers and chemicals.  Right now, I'm trying to limit my sweet tooth, but sometimes I feel I should just go cold turkey.  Its so hard just eating ONE cookie!! :)

Well, I have a lot on my plate coming up..can't wait to get started on all the exciting new goals! Pin It Now!