2 Ingredient Banana Muffins

These are ridiculously easy and customizable. I had a box of spice cake mix for pumpkin cupcakes and these bananas were going bad so I threw thia together. You could mix in nuts or fresh fruit even! I topped mine with a mix of oatmeal and brown sugar for some crunch.  The muffins came out light and fluffy (not as dense as traditional banana muffins).

Box cake mix
4-5 bananas mashed

1. Preheat oven to 350* and prepare a cupcake pan with liners or spray.

2. Mix box of cake mix and bananas together. Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 of the way.

3. Bake for 16-18min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Sunday morning breakfast

Waffles with honey goat cheese, strawberries and a drizzle of syrup, eggs, and a 4 berry banana smoothie...

Oven Baked Bacon

If you've ever wondered how restaurants manage to make perfectly crisp bacon that stays flat let me tell you their secret. They bake it. That's right folks! They bake the bacon in the oven. This allows it to stay flat instead of turning into a curly mess that just doesn't work well on sandwiches. It also allows you to make way more bacon than you could in a single conventional skillet. This is usually how I make my bacon. I haven't really noticed that much bacon grease splatter in the oven which I know can be a concern. I like the addition of a sprinkle of brown sugar and chipotle chile powder when I flip it over. It adds a sweetness with a gentle smoky heat that is divine. This bacon is sooooo tasty that my friend Jessica STILL talks about it and it's been years since I made her some. She even told my boyfriend to make sure I make it for him, haha.

bacon
brown sugar
chipotle chile powder

1. Put a piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet and lay your bacon onto it width-wise.

2. Place into a COLD oven and turn to 375*. Once you start to smell the bacon cooking and hear it sizzling check on it. Now, depending on how crispy you like your bacon it will cook for various times. Mine usually goes for 10 minutes the first round.

3. Flip the bacon over and sprinkle with as much brown sugar and chipotle chile powder as you want. Let cook until browned to your liking. For me this is another 5-10 minutes. Place onto paper towels with the brown sugar side UP to absorb excess grease and enjoy!

McCormick is the only brand of Chipotle Chile powder I use...

You can cook a lot more bacon on a baking sheet than a standard skillet

This is how the bacon looks when you flip it over. On the right you can see the brown sugar and chipotle.

Perfectly crisp and ready for a BLT! The bacon on the left has the chipotle on it.

Apple Cinnamon Hootenany

Hootenany is such a funny word to say, but it's an even more delicious and easy breakfast to make. I can almost guarantee you have the supplies on hand right now to make one. This super easy and delicious baked pancake (also known as a German pancake) puffs up incredibly in the oven, so make sure you put it on a rack that's not too close to the top of the oven. I like the addition of apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon for extra flavor. You can make this plain or with any combination of flavor add-ins. Experiment and tell me what you liked!

1/2cu (1 stick) butter
6 eggs
1cu milk
1/2tsp vanilla
1cu flour
1/2cu light brown sugar, divided
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided
1 thinly sliced apple

1. Place butter, 1/2tsp cinnamon and 1/4cu brown sugar into 9x13 baking dish. Place into oven and preheat to 425*. Remove the pan once the butter has melted.

2. Whisk together eggs, milk, 1/2tsp cinnamon and vanilla until frothy then add in flour. Pour on top of butter in baking dish. Toss apples with the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of the batter.

3. Put dish into oven and bake for 25 or until the center is set and the edges are browned. Pour maple syrup over as it comes out of the oven, slice, and enjoy!

Let the butter melt in the oven as it preheats.

Mix the apples with the cinnamon and brown sugar

Pour the batter on top of the butter and top with the apples.

This is how it looks when it comes out of the oven and is done.

Smoothie Tips

We all know that you shouldn't skip breakfast, but if you're like me you just can't eat really early in the morning. Blending up a smoothie is a great way to get something in your belly that's filling yet light. I'm always looking for inspiration on different combinations and one thing that's pretty consistent across the board in recipes is using ice in a smoothie. Now why would you want to use ice when it will just dilute your smoothie?!?

 I've NEVER made a smoothie with ice yet mine always come out delicious, thick, and ice cold. My secret is to use frozen fruit. Peaches, mangoes, and a wide assortment of berries can be found in your frozen food section for much cheaper than buying them fresh usually. I don't buy any of the packages that are marketed as smoothie blends or have added ingredients like yogurt. Just the plain ol' bags of no sugar added fruit. If you shop at Costco and have the freezer space their bags of frozen fruit are even cheaper when you break it down to the per ounce price. Frozen fruit and time to blend well are all that you need.

And if you want to add even more nutrients without totally altering the flavor put in a handful of spinach leaves. I know it sounds weird, but you don't even notice it! I've added the spinach in with every combination imaginable. Canned pineapple and frozen mango, strawberries and peaches, bananas and blueberries, peanut butter and Nutella with banana are a few of my favorites. Lastly, to get the perfect one person smoothie you can put all the ingredients in the smoothie into the cup you are going to drink it in. I put in the frozen fruits first, then unfrozen (like banana and spinach) items, and finally the milk or other liquid. If you are going to add in a protein powder wait until you place everything into the blender and add it in there. When you blend it up it's just enough of a portion to fit into the cup you used to measure everything out. Works everytime for me!

What are your favorite smoothie combinations?