Sweet Saturday #29: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies with Flax

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I am just getting back into the swing of things after returning from my travels to North Carolina (I hope none of you missed me too much!). I hope everyone had a nice one, too. I was visiting my mom’s side of the family in North Carolina. It was an especially momentous gathering since my grandmother intends to move out of her house- the house she has been living in for the last 35 years –by next spring. The very house where I, my sister, and our cousins spent many a fine summers exploring the woods out back, building dams in the creek, hiding in Grandpa’s garden, and enjoying Grandma’s homemade treats like cookies and pancakes every day of each visit. The very house where, each December, Grandma always had the biggest, nicest tree my young eyes had ever seen, and where we’d join her in the Love Feast Mass at her Moravian church on Christmas Eve, and, if we were lucky, we’d get to catch the Christmas light garden, too. The very house where my parents and then my sister got married in the backyard, where I learned the joys of outdoor trampolines, where I used to spend hours catching salamanders and snakes and crawfish and other creepy crawlers (those were my tomboy days!), and where I’d hoped my little Lily would get to spend at least a few good years experiencing the splendors her Great Granny’s home had to offer.

It was a bittersweet visit…mostly sweet, though :)

Source

We had the whole family there for the first time in years; there is usually at least one of us who can’t make it at the same time as everyone else, but this year, somehow we managed to do it. My eldest cousin’s wife recently gave birth to her first child, a sweet baby boy named Declan. My sister has another on the way, plus a toddler who thinks the world of Lily. We ate lots of good food, played Scrabble and Scattergories together, watched a few good flicks, and enjoyed the surprisingly warm and sunny weather.

I didn’t get to make anything for Thanksgiving since we got there a bit later than planned and I had other things to do, but I did bring along these yummy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies and they must’ve been a hit because they all got eaten up :)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies with Flax

(makes 2 ½ dozen)

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 cup butter

1 cup honey

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 cups dark chocolate chips

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

¼ cup ground flax seeds

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp flax seeds

1 tsp honey + 1 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and ground flax in bowl. In a separate bowl, combine butter and honey, then beat in banana, eggs and vanilla. Slowly stir dry ingredients into bowl of wet. Once well-mixed, add in the chocolate chips.

On ungreased baking sheets, drop spoonfuls of cookie dough at about one inch apart. Place sheets on center rack in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until nicely browned on top. While cookies are in oven, mix the 1 tsp of honey with 1 tbsp water in a small bowl. During last 2 minutes of baking, brush the tops of the cookies lightly with a little of the water and honey mixture, then sprinkle on flax seeds. Put sheets back into oven and continue baking. 

These cookies are nice and moist and don’t taste “too healthy” at all. In fact, you could probably even add a cup of rolled oats to the dough to pump up their grain content even more. Mmm…that sounds really good, actually.

Soft and sweet and full of banana, flax, honey, and whole grain goodness, you won’t feel bad about treating yourself or you family with these cookies!

And now for our most-clicked Thanksgiving-themed features!

Appetizer/Centerpiece

Sherry from Jazzy Gourmet shared this incredible bread dough cornucopia. Just look at it! She even has a how-to video on her blog for your viewing pleasure. This is something I really want to try next year. Thanks so much, Sherry!

Main Course

 Mary from Mary's Kitchen always shares wonderful posts with us. For Thanksgiving, she linked-up two recipes for some yummy turkeys and everyone checked that out! Thanks, Mary!

Dessert!

Good Girl Gone Green hits the bullseye on the awesome meter once again with this vegan version of green tea hot chocolate. Perfect pick-me-up for those chilly winter afternoons. Thanks, Stephanie!

Our most-clicked overall were:

Eco-friendly Gift Giving part 4 from Back to the Basics! 

Give Thanks for the Giver! from Saved by Grace 

What's Going on in Vegetable Garden? from carpe diem

 

Thanks to everyone who linked up, and welcome new linkers! Grab a button below if you were featured!

<a href="http://jessica-healthymommyhealthybaby.blogspot.com/search/label/sweet%20saturday" target="_blank"><img alt= src="http://draft.blogger.com/%E2%80%9CADD%E2%80%9D"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z327/ruffandcut/HMHBfeatured_Button.jpg"/></a>

Now on to the party!

Just follow these simple rules:

This weekend's guest hostess is Tammy from Our Neck of the Woods. She has one awesome blog full of yummy recipes, beautiful photos, and tales about her switch from city-living to country-living life. Check her out, follow her, and show her some love! Her linky will not be live until Saturday, but she's still hosting!

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me and Tammy at Our Neck of the Woods if you are not already. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Don't forget to hop around and say hi!

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

<a href="http://jessica-healthymommyhealthybaby.blogspot.com/search/label/sweet%20saturday" target="_blank"><img alt="Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby" src="http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z327/ruffandcut/sweetsaturdaybutton-1.jpg"/></a> <br> <br> <br>

Now that November is ending, it is officially Christmas time! (and I'm sure many of you have already started early). I intend to post at least 1 holiday-themed post each week, along with the weekly Meatless Monday Recipe Hop and Sweet Saturday Link Party. Let's hope I can keep it together and stick to that schedule!

Thanks for stopping by, this little get together really makes the weekend even more enjoyable for me, and gives me the encouragement to keep my little blog going :) 

Sweet Saturday #28: Turkey Loaf

I've been sick the past few days, so apologies for this link party being a day late!...Today's post isn't exactly sweet, but I wanted to share this recipe for those of you who don't have to/want to go all out for Thanksgiving this year. If I wasn't traveling to North Carolina to be with my extended family, I'd be home making this simple and tasty turkey loaf for Paul, Lily, and myself. I found the recipe in a book called 100 Best Slow Cooked Dishes and really enjoyed it when I made it a few weeks ago. Although the recipe was for making in a slow cooker, I made it in my oven instead.

Turkey Loaf
(serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb ground lean turkey meat
1 onion, chopped
2/3 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp fresh chopped sage
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ground turkey, onion, oats, sage, Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a greased 9" loaf pan and smooth the top out with a spatula. Place loaf into oven on center rack and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until loaf registers at 170 degrees in center. Slice up and serve after allowing to cool for a few minutes. See? Easy!

We had this with corn on the cob and asparagus baked eggs and it was all very good. The turkey loaf had a savory flavor from the sage and onion, and was just the right texture, didn't even need gravy! It's the perfect recipe for a small family, or for the mom who doesn't want go crazy making a huge turkey that just ends up being leftovers for weeks. The oats contain a lot of vitamins and nutrients that provide you with a natural burst of energy, and support for a healthy heart and immune system. They are high in fiber and can help lower cholesterol, and even lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Had it all again as leftovers the very next day

Lily ate every bite

She LOVES corn on the cob

 Now for our awesome fall-themed most-clicked features!

 
These scrumptious-looking maple brown sugar granola cookies were our most visited sweet treat. A healthier cookie that will still satisfy your sweet tooth ;) Thanks, Tammy, at Our Neck of the Woods! 

Diane at Simple Living and Eating shared this mouth-watering recipe for apple sage chicken that I cannot wait to try. Truly a unique and cozy recipe. Thanks, Diane!

Mary from Back to the Basics shared a post about gifting eco-friendly seeds that is not exactly fall-related, but with the holidays right around the corner, it's no wonder so many decided to click it! Take a look at her array of heirloom seed offerings if you missed it last week!

And the most clicked-on honorable mentions are:

What Can Grow in Your Heart? from Saved by Grace Bible Study

Creamy Dill Chickpea Salad from Determined Darling

Please Help Victims of Sandy from A Writer Weaves a Tale

Thanks to everyone who linked up, and welcome new linkers! Grab a button below if you were featured!

<a href="http://jessica-healthymommyhealthybaby.blogspot.com/search/label/sweet%20saturday" target="_blank"><img alt= src="http://draft.blogger.com/%E2%80%9CADD%E2%80%9D"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z327/ruffandcut/HMHBfeatured_Button.jpg"/></a>

Now on to the party!

Just follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me if you are not already. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Don't forget to hop around and say hi!

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

<a href="http://jessica-healthymommyhealthybaby.blogspot.com/search/label/sweet%20saturday" target="_blank"><img alt="Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby" src="http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z327/ruffandcut/sweetsaturdaybutton-1.jpg"/></a> <br> <br> <br>

Thanks for stopping by, this little get together really makes the weekend even more enjoyable for me, and gives me the encouragement to keep my little blog going :) 

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Simple Turkey Soup

Here is the second recipe in my Thanksgiving series, and will likely be the final one unless I come up with something else awesome. This one is pretty quick and simple as long as you have the stock ready. This would make the ideal quick lunch, at home or to-go.

Simple Turkey Soup

4 cups turkey stock (click here for recipe)

2 cups water

2 cups chunks of roast turkey

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 celery stalks, sliced

1 small or medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Saute the onion and garlic with the seasonings in the olive oil until fragrant for about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and veggies and stir around until coated with the aromatics for about 1 minute then add the stock and water. Boil until carrots are softened. Add seasoning to your liking. Ready to serve or store! Great with crackers and cheese or rolls fresh out of the oven.

This is super easy. You can even make it per bowl if you have everything right on hand; in fact, that’s what I did when I made a version of this with just the turkey, veggies and a little seasoning in broth. I simply boiled the stock then threw in all the ingredients, cooking for 5 minutes on high. Even easier!

I neglected to talk about the health benefits of turkey in my last post, so here’s that info now if you were wondering. First of all, not only is turkey particularly high in protein, but- as we all know –it contains a significant amount of tryptophan, which is notoriously known to promote sleepiness, when in fact there is no research that proves this. It also contains, selenium, B6 and B12, and is a good choice if you are on a low fat diet as it is not associated with the health risks that eating red meat is.

Now I want to talk about celery, which is actually a pretty amazing detoxifier. It contains a large amount of vitamin K as most green veggies do, and a fair share of folate, and vitamins A and C. Celery has cholesterol and blood pressure lowering benefits and acts as a strong diuretic making it the perfect addition to your detoxifying fresh-squeezed juice. In fact, here’s a really good recipe for your juicer if you happen to have one.

Detoxifier

1 apple

2 regular size carrots or 1 large one

2 celery stalks

1 small piece of ginger, approximately the size of your thumb

Squirt of lemon juice

Throw it all in the juicer according to instructions and top off with a squirt of lemon before drinking. Very refreshing!

I also just found out, according to WHFoods.com, that celery contains “coumarins that help prevent free radicals from damaging cells, thus decreasing the mutations that increase the potential for cells to become cancerous.” Pretty interesting! This is a vegetable that is often over looked and merely thought of as a “diet food” or filler for soups and stews, when in fact it is good for you in a number of ways. Makes a great snack with some peanut butter or pimento spread on top!

Lily loves celery with peanut butter on it; it’s the only way she’ll eat it actually! Celery is very good for your little one who has trouble eliminating due to it’s diuretic properties and large amount of fiber. If your young child or toddler (with teeth) has tummy troubles, give them a piece of celery to chew on.

Here’s a classic you may already know that your kids will enjoy:

Frogs on a Log

2-4 celery stalks cut into quarters

Cream cheese

2-4 green olives, sliced

Spread some cream cheese onto each celery section enough so that the little cavern is filled. Top with 4-6 olive slices as shown in the picture below. Serve as an afternoon snack.

Image courtesy delish.com

Kids will like the name and you will like that it’s healthy and easy to make. You could also use peanut butter and raisins instead!

Do you have any interesting celery recipes to share? Share in the comments!

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Spicy Shepherd's Pie with Turkey

So, since I hosted Thanksgiving this year, obviously I had plenty of leftovers. Especially turkey since I thought it was a good idea to get a 17.7 lb bird for 6 people (at least it was free from Shop Rite!).  But, no worries- I love leftovers! I made some yummy stuff with them, and here’s the first one!

Spicy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

2 cups shredded roast turkey

2 cups mashed poatatoes

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

1 cup turkey stock

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

¾ cup grated shredded cheese

Chopped fresh parsley for topping

Preheat oven to 400. Saute the carrot, onion and celery in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat until carrot is softened. Add the garlic and other seasonings and cook for about 1 minute more. Add the turkey and then flour until well mixed. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture thickens for about 5-7 minutes more. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add half of the amount of seasoning suggested above if you do not like it to be too spicy. 

Cookin'

About to go into the oven

Once mixture is ready, grease casserole dish and cover the bottom with the turkey mixture. Layer the top with the mashed potatoes, followed by the shredded cheese and parsley (or you could add the parsley after it’s out of the oven). Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese starts to bubble. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving. Went great with leftover green bean casserole!

Fresh out the oven

Delish

This was extremely tasty, I liked it even better than the traditional shepherd’s pie with beef. Using turkey makes it much healthier since it’s a lean meat (unless you use mostly dark meat, but it’s still better for you than beef!). The mixture of seasonings is super aromatic and your taste buds will be dancing! The day after once the seasonings had settled even more, it tasted even better!

Lily found this a bit too spicy for her taste, although she dug the mashed potatoes with cheese. She opted for the leftover beets with broccoli and queso blanco (a new favorite) instead. If you have children who do like spicy food, try this! They will love it! Otherwise, just make it less spicy by starting with a ¼ tsp of the cayenne and go from there according to taste.

Enjoying her beets with broccoli (and actually offering me a bite with the hand you don't see extended towards the camera)

You could also use chicken stock if you did not think to make stock out of the leftover turkey bones. If you happen to still have some bones left, here’s a super simple recipe for turkey stock:

Ingredients

A pot full of turkey bones with some meat left on them

6-8 cups water (depending on how many bones there are)

1 tbsp olive oil (optional)

1 tbsp thyme

1 tbsp parsley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Throw everything in a large pot and boil for 30 minutes. Cook for an additional 1-2 hours over a simmer, enough so that it is still a bit bubbly. Drain broth and store in fridge for later use.

Check back tomorrow for an other leftover turkey recipe using the stock (can you guess what that might be?). Next week I should be back to my normally scheduled programming, including Meatless Monday, featured blog of the month, and a Friday Family Favorite! Thanks for reading!

How My First Time Hosting Thanksgiving Went

Well, my first time cooking and hosting Thanksgiving dinner turned out to be a success. Everything came out tasting good, nothing got burned, I made (almost) everything I wanted to make, and absolutely no one left my house hungry! We had my parents and our friends and their son over and everyone contributed something. My dad made the gravy, my friends made sautéed beets and rice and beans with turkey, my mom made candied yams, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and brought a pecan pie, and I made the turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, green bean casserole, stuffing, and pumpkin cheesecake. Paul cleaned up :)

For starters we had a platter with spicy cold cuts like carrots and cauliflower, mozzarella with proscuitto, olives and cheese, accompanied- of course -by crackers. I also finally got to make these delightful-looking mini apple and brie quiches I'd been wanting to make ever since I saw the recipe in Eating Well last year. They came out very yummy and everyone enjoyed them!

So delicate and easy to make!

Handling a cold, sticky, strange-feeling, very dead and hairless turkey for the first time was an eerie experience indeed, at least at first. After I got over having to pull the neck out from inside the carved-out bird (I’m embarrassed to say I did not find the gizzard bag until after the turkey was cooked!) and got past a mini meltdown, things were pretty smooth sailing from there. I had expected my parents to arrive a bit early so they could assist me with preparing the turkey since I felt a bit clueless, but suffice to say, they did not arrive when I thought they would, so I had to “wing it” (Haha, get it? Get it??). I stuffed the bird with crumbled cornbread, chopped gala apple, fresh cranberries, turkey sausage, celery and a variety of herbs; I smothered it with canola oil, orange juice, lemon juice, and mixed herbs including oregano, rosemary, and sage; then, I let it sit in a trough of water with added orange and lemon slices and fresh sprigs of tarragon, rosemary and marjoram. 

The bird after 2 hours. Here's the recipe used

It didn’t take as long to cook as I thought it would, and when it was done it was beautiful! I never thought I could be so proud of something I cooked. The squeals of delight and mouths singing “mmm” around the table was enough to let me know I’d done it right. Honestly, I thought it could have been juicier, but for my first time, it turned out even better than I had imagined.

Finito!

The stuffing was my “bold” dish, as it was inherently fruity and contained an interesting blend of herbs and spices. The one thing I was disappointed in about it was (and this was my error) I felt I added too much lemon juice, although everyone else said they thought it was just fine. I really liked having the gala apples in it though, I must say.

The stuffing was based on this recipe

The green bean casserole was the traditional Campbell’s recipe, so no surprises there. The rolls were…as much as I hate to admit…Pillsbury, only because I wanted to keep that simple due to lack of oven space. The mashed potatoes I also kept classic and simple, making them with Idaho potatoes, butter, chives, garlic, salt and pepper. The gravy was light (in a good way), but very tasty and disappeared quickly. The beets were Lily’s favorite and very tender, and the turkey with rice and beans my friends brought was quite a treat since I don’t normally have that type of dish on T Day (I was glad they left the leftovers with us!). 

This was always my favorite growing up

You can't go wrong with mashed potatoes

Basic buttermilk rolls

I believe- other than the turkey –the candied yams were the star of the show; everyone loved them (except Lily, who was in a picky mood and decided to eat only fruits, rice and yams throughout the day) and they went quickly as well. Half of what Paul ate consisted of the yams. They were really buttery and sweet and topped with lots of marshmallows!

Yummmm...I wish I'd gotten a shot of the bright orange sweet potatoes underneath

For dessert, I only had the pumpkin cheesecake I made and I was mostly pleased with that. It tasted very good, albeit a little dryer than I wanted since I think I let it bake a little longer than I should’ve, but the other pies looked great too. The apple pie seemed to be the most popular; it had the most delicious golden crust and cranberries which made it extra sweet and tangy. We truly ate like kings and queens for this blessed day.

Mom's cranberry apple pie glistening in the sunlight

We enjoyed red Carter wine chilled with sliced oranges, a sweet white Qualitatswein, and a heavy red Italian wine my friends brought that made quite sleepy after only a few sips. I had four glasses and somehow managed to not even get tipsy (if only a bit tired).

The Qualitatswein- MERROW!

It was quite a day with Gozilla vs Mothra and Elmo in Grouchland on the tube to entertain the guests, gorgeous sunny weather, and lots of good people. Lily and my friend’s son, Louis, looked adorable in their holiday clothes! (Sorry to say i did not get single decent shot of them together!) I have so much to be thankful for, and I just wanted to share my gratitude with my readers and my experience in cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the first time. Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully I will get back on my A Game and start regularly posting again, so check back soon!

P.S. If you wrote an awesome post about how your Turkey Day went, please post a link in the comments! I would love to read all about it!