edible sound bites

Good morning everyone!

TGIF!!! Don't you just love that feeling when the weekend is right around the corner? I do.

I start thinking about those fabulous lazy mornings that I don't have to wake up early. I love mornings when I don't have to rush around. You also have more time to make things like this...

A warm slice of banana bread is a great way to change up your breakfast routine. The same old thing day-in and day-out gets dreary after awhile. Sort of like the weather. I saw a glimpse of sunshine today, the first in a week and that was between the persistent snow squalls. If you're Canadian then you know what I'm talking about. One minute the sun is shining brightly and the next thing you know there's a blizzard outside your window. Yeesh! It doesn't make for a fun drive, but does make for some pretty sweet snowboarding conditions, which is what I really wish I could be doing this weekend.

I have to say as much as I love winter and being Canadian, I still love warm temperatures more. It's only January and I think I'm already in need of a break from this weather. So I'm glad to say that instead of letting it drive me to drink..eek!.. it drove me to the kitchen.

This is a reasonably healthy quick bread that I slightly adapted from the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. It's got heart healthy flaxseed (nearly a whole cup), and only half a cup of sucanat, which is an unrefined dark brown sugar that retains it's molasses content and is basically pure dried sugar cane juice. It's also sourced from Costa Rica quite possibly one of my favourite places in the world right now. Le sigh.

It's also partly sweetend with the help of apple butter and is full of fibre.

Spread some pure Canadian maple butter on a slice for your breakfast, make a fresh pot of tea or coffee, sit back and watch the snow fly because it ain't going nowhere to soon.

Banana Breakfast Bread (makes 1 loaf)

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium-sized bananas)
• 1/2 cup sucanat or other unrefined sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup apple butter
• 3 egg whites
• 1 whole egg
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour or red fife flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Grease a loaf pan and if desired line with parchment paper so that it hangs over the two long sides.
3. In a large bowl, combine banana, sucanat, vanilla, and apple butter. Add eggs one at a time and beat together until smooth.
4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda and powder, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and fold together with a spatula until completely incorporated.
6. Pour batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted into middle of the bread comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

One thing is for sure: breakfast will not stand to be dull and dreary.

Happy Thursday!

One more day to go and its the long weekend here in Canada.

Yippee!

First, I have news. I have learned the greatness that is twitter! Yep, edible sound bites is now on twitter. I was skeptical about it at first, but now I'm obsessed. So if you tweet be sure to follow me for healthy tips and great recipes:)

And now onto Food. Mmm...breakfast.

Weekday mornings can be pretty crazy in our house. There's lots of rushing and attempting to apply make-up at the breakfast table while eating as quickly as possible, so we can all get out the door on time. Does this conjure up any hilarious images? Here let me help you with that:

bahahahahahaha. That was such a good episode. My brother and I used to watch The Simpsons all the time after school at my grandparents house. We'd listen for them coming down the hallway and quickly change the channel if we heard them.

Getting back to breakfast, I'm usually the one to make it for everyone and on most days it's oatmeal. Oh who am I kidding, its almost always oatmeal. Rolled oats cook quick enough and are healthy, filling, warm, and comforting. And now that wild blueberries are in season I've been adding them to my oats like there's no tomorrow. I can't get enough! I picked these guys up in Muskoka on the weekend. You have to love the highway summer fruit stands. Local, fresh, and delicious.

PB & Blueberry Banana Oatmeal (serves 3)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 3 cup water (or 1 1/2 each, water and milk)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1 rounded tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• 2 tbsp wild blueberries

Method:

1. Mix the oats and cinnamon together and add to water/milk on the stove top. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally until desired thickness and consistency. I aim for 5 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and let stand, covered, for 2 minutes
2. Stir in the flax and top with sliced banana, peanut butter, wild blueberries, and more cinnamon.

This was so satisfying. Whenever I have oats I can be certain that it keeps me full for a solid 3 hours. The perfect eat clean breakfast.

How do you like your oats?