LARABAR

I hadn’t had a Larabar in such a long time so I decided to take one to work as a mid afternoon snack today. Turns out this flavor is really good and tastes a lot like actual banana bread.

As I was enjoying the nutty and sweet bar, I got inspired to use the brown bananas I had put in the freezer. When I see my bananas starting to get over ripe, I peel them and put them in a freezer bag, and plop them in the freezer. Once I have enough for a batch of banana bread I take them out, let them thaw in the fridge and then use them in whatever I’m making.

With banana bread in mind, I came home after work, flipped through Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Cookbook and adapted her morning glory muffin recipe into a recipe of my own.

Hearty Banana Oat Bran Muffins

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup oat bran
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup agave syrup (I used Wholesome Sweeteners Cinnamon flavored Agave)
• 1 egg, and 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°

2. Line muffin tin with liners or coat well with cooking spray

3. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well

4. Combine all wet ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

5. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.

6. Fill each muffin cup 3/4 of the way full and bake for 15 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and let cool.

This batch made 9 good sized muffins. They’re hearty, healthy and not overly sweet. Perfect for a quick breakfast or a mid day snack. I spread a little nut butter on one and had it as an after dinner snack. I loved the carrots and sweet raisins sprinkled throughout. And with the nut butter, it was over the top delish. I’ll definitely be enjoying these little guys throughout the week, but not too many because I’m only keeping a few for Isaac and I and sending the rest to a friend.

Speaking of dinner, after baking I stayed put in the kitchen and started whipped up some kale with peanut sauce (recipe coming soon, I promise) and broccoli rabe with quinoa and bulgur wheat.

Broccoli rabe was one of our CSA items this week. I’d only ever had it prepared by someone else and wasn’t certain if the yellow flowers that are on it were edible, but I googled it and turns out they are fine to eat! I found this easy recipe online and went to work. I followed the recipe for the most part, but used 1/2 quinoa and 1/2 bulgur wheat and also added a little tamari to the sauteed veggies.

This recipe turned out to be quite yummy. In addition, it was easy, cooked quickly, and didn’t require a ton of ingredients – making it perfect for a mid-week meal.

I spent the majority of my evening in the kitchen and was totally loving life. Cooking is really relaxing to me when I have ample time to spend. Tonight I just turned on some music and enjoyed the chopping, mixing, the smells, and ultimately, the flavors. It was a blast.

Do you enjoy cooking or do you find it to be a pain?

-Brittany

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