My kids loooooove bananas.
They eat so many bananas at times I expect to see my son sprout a tail and start swinging from the chandelier.
Oh wait, he does that anyway.
But like anything else we find our kids love, we tend to WAY over buy them. And of course just like the traditional toddler mindset,having plenty of something on hand is their cue not to like it anymore, such has been my luck with Yogurt, Applesauce and Sun Chips. But too many bananas on hand can make for a sticky situation. They don't want the perfectly ripe ones because the skin has brown spots and who I can throw out that perfectly ripe banana that will go bad in like, 5 hours if it's not consumed. Great excuse to whip up a couple loaves of this banana bread. I found on Epicurious.com. The one bowl use equals minimal clean up and the easy recipe means you can bake this bread with unlimited interruptions, breaks in trains of thought and your kids nipping at your heels, now that's my kind of recipe.
Aunt Holly's Banana Bread
Ingredients
•3 to 4 ripe bananas
•1/4 cup melted butter
•1 cup sugar
•1 1/2 cups flour
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•1 egg, beaten
•1 teaspoon baking soda
•Chocolate chips (as many as you want!)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash the bananas in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon. Bake in a buttered loaf pan until a toothpick stuck into the bread comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Slice and serve.
This recipe makes one loaf. I added a 1/2c of sour cream to make it a little moist, you can also add a 1/2 cup of low fat yogurt. I made two loaves, one without nuts and then made another loaf adding 1 cup of chopped Walnuts, my husband's favorite accessory to any type of bread or cookie.
Enjoy!
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Friday, May 21, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Coming Clean
If you'd walked into my house yesterday around 3:30pm, this is the snap shot you would have seen:
A love seat wedged into the doorway of one of my rooms on the first floor, me unable to get it through (probably should have gone the other way). And in my moment of pure desperation, I relied on my daughter,shaking her magic princess wand at the couch and the doorway to see if she could get it to budge.I looked at that pink toy wand in her hand, as she shook it from side to side and secretly hoped it really possessed the magic powers she insisted it did!
Our house is over 100 years old, which equals very small doorways. I guess I should have listened to my husband when he told me to wait for him to get home from work because we would have to carry the couches around the front to the back from the outside. But stubborn as usual, I didn't listen and when confronted with a task, something I really want to get done, instant gratification takes over and there is no waiting!
I swore I'd never become one of those parents, with one of those houses, where it looked like the kids have taken over. We moved into this house 2 years ago, a nice 103 year old Colonial/Victorian style house in my husband's hometown and under some obviously very cloudy thinking, I was determined to keep it immaculate.
I was determined to make it look like, at least from the entrance to the front room and halfway back that this area was untouched by kids, or at the very least, neat kids who knew not to make a mess and put their toys back....Right.
But my reality check took place somewhere between the one hundredth piece of Geo Trax and the the birth of the third baby. The back room I had been insisting was "their" space was not enough.
So I reorganized our house to fit them.
But isn't that life as parents.
I giggle now, that I am on my 3rd, at the first time parents or parents-to-be who insist, life will be the same after kids. Those who insist the kids will be on their schedule and life will remain the same. Life will remain organized, schedules intact and everything will go as planned.
And then somewhere between the 10th time you leave the house and get the kids buckled into their car seats and and someone shouts, 'I have to go potty', after you asked 3 minutes ago or the time you get your daughter dressed, put your shoes on, grab your purse and go to grab her and you realized that your once neatly dressed baby is now...naked, you give in just a bit...and then a whole lot.
And you realize, although they don't have total control, you reorganize your house and your car, giving in for that mini van you swore you'd never buy. And you give up your Coach bag and designer heels, because you know you can't chase those kids with 3 stillettos.
You organize your life to fit them, and at times, in those rare glimpses of reality, you realize it's one of the best decisions you've ever made.
A love seat wedged into the doorway of one of my rooms on the first floor, me unable to get it through (probably should have gone the other way). And in my moment of pure desperation, I relied on my daughter,shaking her magic princess wand at the couch and the doorway to see if she could get it to budge.I looked at that pink toy wand in her hand, as she shook it from side to side and secretly hoped it really possessed the magic powers she insisted it did!
Our house is over 100 years old, which equals very small doorways. I guess I should have listened to my husband when he told me to wait for him to get home from work because we would have to carry the couches around the front to the back from the outside. But stubborn as usual, I didn't listen and when confronted with a task, something I really want to get done, instant gratification takes over and there is no waiting!
I swore I'd never become one of those parents, with one of those houses, where it looked like the kids have taken over. We moved into this house 2 years ago, a nice 103 year old Colonial/Victorian style house in my husband's hometown and under some obviously very cloudy thinking, I was determined to keep it immaculate.
I was determined to make it look like, at least from the entrance to the front room and halfway back that this area was untouched by kids, or at the very least, neat kids who knew not to make a mess and put their toys back....Right.
But my reality check took place somewhere between the one hundredth piece of Geo Trax and the the birth of the third baby. The back room I had been insisting was "their" space was not enough.
So I reorganized our house to fit them.
But isn't that life as parents.
I giggle now, that I am on my 3rd, at the first time parents or parents-to-be who insist, life will be the same after kids. Those who insist the kids will be on their schedule and life will remain the same. Life will remain organized, schedules intact and everything will go as planned.
And then somewhere between the 10th time you leave the house and get the kids buckled into their car seats and and someone shouts, 'I have to go potty', after you asked 3 minutes ago or the time you get your daughter dressed, put your shoes on, grab your purse and go to grab her and you realized that your once neatly dressed baby is now...naked, you give in just a bit...and then a whole lot.
And you realize, although they don't have total control, you reorganize your house and your car, giving in for that mini van you swore you'd never buy. And you give up your Coach bag and designer heels, because you know you can't chase those kids with 3 stillettos.
You organize your life to fit them, and at times, in those rare glimpses of reality, you realize it's one of the best decisions you've ever made.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wine, Legos and Spring...OH MY!
This weekend, summer will be in the air, why not get out and enjoy! Here are my top picks for fun things going on around town this weekend!
1.There are always tons of fun things to do at the Garden State Discovery Museum and this weekend is no exception. This weekend kicks of the International Celebration of Spring. Make baskets, crowns, and necklaces of flowers as honorary May Queens and Kings. There are sure to be lots of laughs and smiles as the clowns from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus entertain you and your children from 2pm to 3pm! http://discoverymuseum.com/2.Dad's here's a good one for you! Take the kids for a fun-filled day at The Crayola Factory Saturday and get a jump start on those mother's day cards, no planning, no preparation...all you have to do is show up! That's my kind of craft! While you're there celebrating mom, you can also nominate your teacher to win a prize in celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week and get involved with National Physical Fitness month by writing an essay about your favorite activity! With all these activities going on here this weekend, the word bored shouldn't come out of your kids mouths!
3. Now this looks like something I'd love to do...only if my kids were a little older and could sit still for more than 10 minutes. Check out the new Kimmel Center and introduce your kids to contemporary modern jazz for FREE! Yes...that's right for free! Enjoy the dynamic, infectious sounds of The Three Blind Mice in this free concert open to the public at the Kimmel Center at 5:30pm Saturday May 1. Now, how often is it that something free for the family is something EVERYONE will enjoy? Not Bad.
4. I add this one because my children are addicted to animals and Legos and this weekend at our favorite place to go....The Philadelphia Zoo you can enjoy both! As you explore the Zoo, enjoy the The Creatures of Habit displays, a remarkable new exhibit of life size sculptures of birds and beasts crafted from thousands of pieces of Legos! Yep...LEGOS! This amazing exhibit is on display until October, but why wait until then, when you can enjoy the beautiful weather and go this weekend. Just be prepared when your kid ask, "Where can we get that Lego set?". This set will bring a whole new dimension to your kids Lego play!
5. Since it's going to be beautiful outside this weekend why not enjoy The Wine and Jazz Festival Saturday at Longwood Gardens. Enjoy the beautiful landscape, fine wines and local fare while the picturesque scenery comes alive with Jazz as accomplished musicians take the stage. Take your kids to explore the magical Indoor Children's Garden and explore the Bee aMazed Children's Garden that includes lots of fun and activities.This one sounds like a ton of fun, but may be a little tricky: one parent has to decide to drive and not drink and just make sure your kids don't kill your buzz! Enjoy!
Have something to add? Please leave your idea in a comment below!!
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