I’m a dyed-in-the-wool planner, so I love making New Year’s resolutions. Keeping ‘em? That’s a whole different story. Like all of you, I’m usually running in about six different directions, so I’m always looking for things to do that fit more than one of my goals.
This year (among other things) I’d like to:
- Feed my kids less store-bought, over-processed food
- Pinch some grocery pennies
- Save time
- Invest more in my most treasured relationships
Like all
of us who’ve enjoyed a few too many Christmas goodies, I’m buying more fruit
these days. I’m always a sucker for discounted bananas—especially when they’re
barely speckled and have just been dumped in the discount bag because they’re
strays that have fallen off the bigger bunches.
Of course,
before you know it, my lovely yellow bananas are looking more like this:
That’s
when I pull out my trusty banana bread recipe. Originally published in a Taste
of Home magazine as “Best Ever Banana Bread” I’ve tweaked it just a bit to
make it work for me.
For this
recipe you’re going to need:
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed—should equal about a cup
- ½ cup vegetable oil (I use ¼ cup vegetable oil and ¼ cup applesauce. You can also substitute applesauce for all the oil. That changes the texture of the loaf a bit, but it’s still yummy!)
- ¼ cup plus 1 tbsp buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Stir
together flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix eggs,
bananas, oil, buttermilk and vanilla, then add it to the dry ingredients,
stirring just until it’s combined.
Fold in the nuts and pour into a WELL-greased loaf pan. Bake at 325 for about an hour. (Baking time varies, so check it by poking the middle with a toothpick. When it comes out clean, it’s done.) I usually have to slip a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen it a bit before turning it out on a wire rack to cool.
Fold in the nuts and pour into a WELL-greased loaf pan. Bake at 325 for about an hour. (Baking time varies, so check it by poking the middle with a toothpick. When it comes out clean, it’s done.) I usually have to slip a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen it a bit before turning it out on a wire rack to cool.
These ingredients
make one lonely loaf, and the original recipe warned that it “didn’t double
well.” However, the first time I made it, I had a lot of sketchy bananas on
hand, so I decided to live dangerously. It doubled just fine, and now I often
triple or quadruple this recipe. This saves me tons of time. It also freezes
beautifully, and I love that! I can easily thaw a loaf for an impromptu coffee
chat with a friend, take one as a last-minute hostess gift, or just pull one
out of the freezer to surprise my family with a favorite breakfast on a busy
morning.
So, there
you go! Home-baked goodness, family time (since I recruit my children to be
banana mashers and walnut-choppers), penny pinching (no wasted bananas and
fewer overpriced prepackaged breakfast foods), and a convenient way to comfort,
bless and connect with my family and friends.
What
about you? What’s on your agenda for 2020? Have any tried-and-true tips or
recipes you’re willing to share? I’d love to hear!
Mindy again, with a sudden craving for banana bread. Be sure to check out Laurel's latest release, A Rancher to Trust. I'm finishing up this book right now and I'm going to be sad to see it end. Definitely a page-turner, and one you need to check out.
Searching for forgiveness…and a future.
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After learning his ex-wife isn’t so ex after all, rebel turned rancher Dan Whitlock is determined to prove he’s a changed man…but Bailey Quinn is just as set on finally ending their marriage. When tragedy makes Dan the guardian of little orphaned twins, he and Bailey are drawn back together. But can she forgive the past and open her heart to the family she’s always wanted?
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Laurel Blount lives on a small farm in middle Georgia with
her husband, their four children, and an assortment of very spoiled animals.
She divides her time between farm chores, homeschooling, and writing. She's
busy, but she's never bored!
Laurel writes inspirational contemporary romance, and A
Rancher to Trust is her fourth title for Harlequin’s Love Inspired. Whenever she's not working, you can find Laurel with
a cup of tea at her elbow, a cat in her lap, and a good book in her hand. Stay in touch by subscribing to her monthly newsletter, full of news,
down-home recipes and fun giveaways!
