NC State student Chelsea Phillips was a part of a Community Nutrition class this semester. She was an Operation Frontline class instructor for the Avent Ferry United Methodist Kids Up Front class. A couple weeks ago the class  made this yummy Banana Pancake recipe! Read Chelsea’s recap from the class and try out the recipe below!

It’s Banana Pancake time!! The children voted last week that we should make banana pancakes this week and they were really excited about it as soon as they walked in the door. This week we learned the importance of grains and how fiber is used in our bodies. Everyone got a kick out of trying to picture bread “cleaning” out our system.

This week we decided to cook our meal first so that we could teach them more effectively on what they had just ate in terms of texture, satiety, and taste. We had a bread tasting activity with 5 or 6 types of breads. The children had never had breads such as rye or potato bread and they really enjoyed it. We discussed that grains actually came from the grass! They were shocked to think that their pancakes came from a grass!

Banana Pancakes

• 1 Cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 egg whites, whipped
• 1 cup evaporated skim milk
• 2 medium, very ripe bananas

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.

2. In a small bowl, mash the bananas. Mix in the milk and whipped egg whites. Pour banana mixture into the flour mixture and mix well.

3. Coat a large, non-stick frying pan or griddle with no stick spray. Warm the pan for 2 minutes over medium heat.

4. Spoon ¼ cup of the batter onto the heated griddle for each pancake

5. Cook until the tops are bubbly and the pancakes are dry around the edges. Flip and cook for 2-3 minutes.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all batter is used.

This is one of the simplest dishes I have ever made, and can be done – super easy, and super tasty! My son and I ate these for breakfast today, and later on I used them to make a delicious desert. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:
5-6 bananas (peeled and chopped)
1 cup flax seeds (ground to powder)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract (non-alcoholic)

Preparation:
Mash the bananas real well using a food processor, or do it by hand using a fork. Add the ground flax seeds, cinnamon, and vanilla, and mix real well. Again, you can use a food processor or do it by hand, whichever you prefer. Once the mixture is smooth, spread over dehydrator trays by making round disk-like shapes (like pancakes). Let dry for about 4 to 6 hours. Carefully flip over and dry for another 2 to 4 hours depending upon desired texture. For a dryer more pliable cookie-like texture dry longer. For a more moist pancake like texture dry less. Serve warm or cold -either way this pancake is full of flavor!

We ate ours by spreading coconut butter over them, and drizzling organic maple syrup Grade B with fresh blueberries. For a dessert, I let the pancakes dry a little longer to form a pliable cookie. Then I scooped my favorite raw ice cream, and drizzled raw chocolate syrup over top, adding another pancake on type to form an ice cream cookie – yummo! You could also make banana crepes by thinning the mixture a little with water or coconut water, and then spreading them thinner on the dehydrator trays. This is a super great, nutritious, and simple snack to make! Enjoy!

Haven’t cooked anything representable lately, but just wanted to warn you on one thing. If you think of making those pancakes and thinking of omitting the oatmeal, think again. Better yet, drop this idea! Although there are thousands of banana pancake recipes online, I thought that I’ll experiment this time and just omit the oats from my recipe and it will be good enough. Wrong! They came out inedible; in fact, they were disgusting (of course I still ate them since I hate wasting food…oh well).

Actually, later I did some research and I found that with banana pancakes, the trick is to fry them at low temperature (otherwise they’ll burn and won’t cook inside). I guess that was the trick. Make sure to follow that advice.

Actually I just wanted to share with you my thoughts on Chinese packaging – anybody knows what’s the story? They package absolutely everything in plastic, and not only that, they also make sure that all the packages are sealed in a way that it is impossible to open them without using a knife or scissors. The other day it took me almost ten minutes to open a packet of biscuits, and when I finally succeeded, I discovered that EACH BISCUIT was separately packaged into another plastic bag, which was as impossible to open. And this goes to all things packaged, whether it is a packet of noodles or rice or chewing gum or whatever. What’s the story? Maybe this is why the Chinese people are all so thin.

Morning!

Let’s see where I left off…

Yesterday I had a really comforting lunch before heading off to work.

Garden salad with avocado and vinaigrette:

and

Amy’s black bean soup:

I love soup and salad combos.

Dinner was boring. I had leftover tofu chili (unpictured) and plain yogurt with a little agave nectar and ALOT of pomegranate seeds. After having black bean soup and chili in the same day, I am a little beaned out.

There was also a bunch of leftover Halloween candy eaten at work. I think it might finally be gone! One of the worst things about retail is the unpredictable lunch/dinner breaks. If I get caught up working with a client for an hour or so, I could completely miss my normal break time and end up starving! This happened yesterday, so I absentmindedly munched on candy to appease my grumbling stomach.

There was an event at the store last night (for Red Wing shoes) and the caterers left a tray of mini turkey/lettuce/cranberry mayo wraps. I had about 5 pieces (small) around closing time. At 9:45 PM I was hungry, especially because my break was at 5.

Breakfast today was an old fave. Banana pancakes with chunky peanut butter and honey.

With my morning addiction:

I have a long To Do list today that includes households chores and a bunch of school work. Better get cracking!

This morning I decided I’d take some time and make some delicious banana pancakes.  Pancakes, waffles, french toast…. nothing says “weekend” like a homemade breakfast.  However, during the week I usually don’t even eat breakfast.  Sometimes I try to grab something on my way out the door, like a yogurt or cereal bar, and sometimes I have a homemade muffin or scone, but often it is just coffee or juice for me.  Since I was lucky enough to have a day off from work today, in honor of our military veterans, I thought I’d take the time to make some homemade pancakes.  Homemade pancakes are so much better than those box mixes, and it is easy to add a little something extra with your favorite fruit.  I’ve made this same recipe with blueberries and it’s delicious as well.  Today, however, I used some bananas, and the results were amazing!  If you prefer, you can just exclude the bananas altogether and simply enjoy these homemade pancakes with warm maple syrup.

Banana Pancakes

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbls sugar
• 2 teas baking powder
• 1/2 teas salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbls vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teas vanilla extract
• 1 banana, diced
• vegetable oil or butter for greasing pan

In a small bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside.  In a medium bowl whisk together milk, oil, vanilla extract and egg.  Add dry ingredients to milk mixture and whisk until moistened, but do not over mix, some small lumps will still be visible.  Stir in banana chunks.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Use a folded paper towel to rub pan with oil or butter.  Spoon batter onto pan for desired size.  Cook until surface of pancake becomes filled with bubbles, and some have popped, about 1-2 minutes.  Carefully flip pancake and cook on second side until browned, another 1-2 minutes.  Remove from pan and ENJOY!  If you wish, you can remove pancakes from pan and keep them warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.  Top pancakes with you favorites (banana slices, maple syrup, whipped cream, nutella).

Banana Pancakes

Can’t you see that it’s just rainin’
There ain’t no need to go outside

But baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you
this song It’s meant to keep you
From doin’ what you’re supposed to
Like wakin’ up too early
Maybe we could sleep in
I’ll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it’s the weekend now
And we could pretend it all the time
Can’t you see that it’s just rainin’
There ain’t no need to go outside

But just maybe, like an ukulele
Mama made a baby
I really don’t mind to practice
Because you’re my little lady
Lady, lady love me
Because I love to lay here lazy
We could close the curtains
Pretend like there’s no world outside
And we could pretend that all the time

Can’t you see that it’s just raining
There ain’t no need to go outside

Ain’t no need, ain’t no need
Can’t you see, can’t you see

Rain all day and I don’t mind

The telephone singing, ringing, it’s too early
Don’t pick it up
We don’t need to
We got everything we need right here
And everything we need is enough
It’s just so easy
When the whole world fits inside of your arms

Do we really need to pay attention to the alarm
Wake up slow, wake up slow

But baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you this song
It’s meant to keep you
From doin’ what your supposed to
Like wakin’ up too early
Maybe we could sleep in
I’ll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it’s the weekend now
And we could pretend it all the time

Can’t you see that it’s just rainin’
There ain’t no need to go outside

Ain’t no need, ain’t no need
Rain all day and I really, really, really don’t mind
Can’t you see, can’t you see

We’ve got to wake up slow

-Banana Pancakes, Jack Johnson

Thats currently my fav song!

The song makes me feel all warm and sunggly inside even though its pouring outside

(:

So here we are, 25 days into the Vegan MoFo III challenge!

Just a few short weeks ago, I made the decision to adopt a vegan diet and while there have been a few challenges overall it’s been very easy and fun.

Now that I am in the final stretch, I’ve had a lot going through my head about what I want to continue after the end of this month. But we’ve still got 6 more days, so let’s wait on that!

Breakfast this morning was more banana pancakes They kept sticking to the pan which is why some of them are a little messy looking but it certainly didn’t impact the taste.

Plus I got to try something new I picked up yesterday.

I have to say…as excited as I was about this when I bought it yesterday, I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

I couldn’t really taste the pumpkin spice at all. I think I need to use more next time or save it for an in between meals drink because it was competing with a lot of other flavors in this meal.

For lunch, we went with my parents and in-laws to Applebee’s which immediately made me nervous because I could never remember them having anything veggie-friendly.

As I paged through the menu, I couldn’t believe that every single dish contained meat and/or dairy. Literally! The only things without meat were some of the appetizers and soup.

I ended up getting the Crispy Orange Chicken bowl minus the chicken.

It contained almond rice pilaf and a tasty mix of mushrooms, broccoli, red peppers, sugar snap peas and shredded carrots and topped with toasted almonds and crispy noodles, all in an sweet and spicy orange glaze. I stole the red onion from Josh’s plate

This dish was really good! I know it couldn’t be vegan or it would’ve been listed on the website but I felt I did pretty well considering the lack of options. My big complaint though is that I had to pick out a couple tiny pieces of chicken that I found in there!

The waiter had brought the chicken out on a separate plate because I “was going to pay for it anyway, so someone might as well eat it.” So what they had done is made the salad as is and then took the chicken off the top before it came out.

I found this a little weird and it’s good ethical animal issues isn’t my primary motivation. I could see where this would rub someone else the wrong way. I remember one time when Court was still a vegetarian, she found a piece of chicken in something and flipped out!

But I didn’t say anything because we were with family and my dad was paying. But I’m thinking about sending an email or a letter just to show my concern.

After lunch, I embarked on some house cleaning and then got hungry for a snack. I had been thinking about the pumpkin butter I bought yesterday all day long so it was time

So good! I can’t wait to throw it in oatmeal. The other slice had a little bit of peanut butter on it

I’m currently working on dinner, so I’d better get back to it. Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

It’s seldom that pancakes are made in a gluten-free house, but at long last, the greatly-anticipated “Banana Pancake Party” was had. We switched on the iPod and rocked out to Jack Johnson’s Banana Pancakes while we cooked. Can’t get better than that! The pancakes, accompanied by authentic bottles of Ginger Beer imported from New Zealand, were delicious; they paired very nicely. After the In Between Dreams album had played about twice through, we quickly cleaned up and headed upstairs for a late showing of The Holiday starring Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black, and Kate Winslet. Great movie… Good times.

under dynen og nyde

By: Jamie Becker, NC State Student and OFL Class Instructor

 This week we featured banana pancakes for our “Power of Eating Right” OFL class. The kids loved the pancakes, especially putting fresh bananas and strawberries on top! Fixing this recipe helped to hit home our message about eating plenty of grains and the fact that breakfast is the MOST IMPORTANT meal of the day. Why is breakfast the most important meal of the day you may ask? Most people who want to diet skip a morning meal, however eating breakfast has the important job of jumpstarting your metabolism, and giving you brain fuel first thing in the morning to help you at work or school.

Starting your day off right with a nutritious meal is best; a good rule of thumb is to try a breakfast trio. A trio is where you combine three different food groups to create a balanced meal. One of my favorite trios is cereal (Special K, Cheerios, etc.), milk, and fresh bananas sliced on top. The benefit is that you are including one serving of grains (cereal), one serving of dairy (milk), and one serving of fruit (banana).

This starts off your day right and helps to keep you going until lunch.

The best diet includes breakfast!! So try a trio in the morning!

Banana Walnut Pancakes with Honey Butter and Caramelized Bananas

These pancakes are my favorite.  I love to make them on Sunday mornings, whenever I do, it’s a special day.

Pancake Ingredients

1 cup organic whole milk
2 cage free eggs
1/2 stick unsalted, melted butter
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 very ripe banana, mashed
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 banana – sliced and caramelized for serving (recipe to follow)
walnut pieces for serving
oil for grilling the pancakes
Honey Butter (recipe to follow)

Measurement Converter:

http://www.easysurf.cc/cnver2.htm

In a  medium bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, butter and oil together.  In another large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder together.  Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until combined.  Add the mashed banana and the walnuts and stir well until blended.

In a non-stick griddle or large skillet, heat a teaspoon of vegetable oil until very hot, but not smoking. (If you spritz a little water on the pan, it should “sizzle” and the water should “dance” and evaporate immediately.) With a ladle or large spoon, pour the batter in “dollar” size batches and cook until the top is bubbly, the edges are cooked and the underside is golden brown.  With a spatula, flip them and continue to cook about 1 minute longer.  Serve them with honey butter and the caramelized banana slices.  Cheers!

Honey Butter

4 tablespoons softened butter
8 tablespoon honey

In a small bowl, stir until the butter and honey are combined

Caramelized bananas

1/2 banana, sliced
1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar

In a small skillet or pan, heat the pan until very hot.  Melt the butter and sugar until dark brown.  Place the banana slices flat in the pan and cook them until they’re caramelized, about 20-30 seconds.  Flip them and cook the other side another 20-30 seconds.  Remove to a plate until you’re ready to serve.

I just stumbled upon a good song that would be perfect on a rainy, overcast Sunday morning. I’ve listened to this song before, but I just think that it matches the weather right now: gray dismal clouds (with no chance of meatballs!). (Haha, I had to add that in. If you’ve seen this movie, let me know. As curious asI am, I haven’t had the time nor the extra pride to spare to watch it). Anyhow, the song I’ve re-found is by Jack Johnson – who I personally prefer any day to John Mayer. The song has a freestyle, lazy-day feel to it. I’m sure you’ll love it, especially when you’re marking your own banana pancakes on a pajama morning.

Jack Johnson’s Banana Pancakes

The Noddle (Physics) Project

So you’re still here, ay? You haven’t rushed off to go Google Jack Johnson or his amazing disc chorography? Well then, I shall proceed with some more foodie ideas.

I always find it so interesting how my life is so parallel and forever entwined with food. Though I haven’t exactly been assigned the project yet in my Physics class, I will be officially tomorrow. My friend gave me a heads up about the project today. Because of my school’s schedule, she takes her class first. (Lucky me, I know).

The project details are still fuzzy, but the basic gist of it is that I and my partner have to create the strongest bridge we can – out of noddles. Yup, that’s right, noddles. Of course, not after the noddles have been cooked because that would just be silly, but we’re going to be using the uncooked noddles straight from the box. We’ve been studying Newton’s first and second laws that deal with forces and such, so I assume that this is how it’s tying all together.

I’m kind of excited at the thought just to be working with food again! I haven’t been to create anything in the kitchen for the longest time and just the fact that I can work with the noddles enthralls me. Of course, I just took my final big test that I had been preparing for for the last month a half so that means that my weekend classes are done, which means that I have more time to spend in the kitchen meaning that you all get to see lovely pictures and recipes of my latest creations. So from now on, I should be posting up something every 10 days or so. I’ll do my best to try to make something this weekend. In fact, my classes end early on Wednesday so maybe I have some time in the afternoon to make me a galette… hm…any requests as to what I should make?

Yay! Our class did so poorly on the Food Science II exam that there needed to be a curve. I felt so terrible after taking that test (and so did the rest of the class). You all know how hard I studied for it too. I was waiting nervously for the grades because I seriously thought I had gotten a poor score. But I guess everyone did, so the teacher had to curve it…I got a 91!!!! Sweet! Hard work can pay off, even if a curve is necessary. This is my professor’s first time teaching (she took over the course last minute) so I think she is still learning how to make exams, present material, etc. Anyways…I feel better.

Yesterday = work day

Today = home with school work day

I woke up and went to the gym. I spent 35 minutes on an elliptical (I half-assed it, not going to lie) and then I lifted weights for about 15 minutes. Better than nothing! Once home, I made banana pancakes! I seem to be making these a lot lately. They are so good! Even better when I top them with an awesome peanut butter!

This stuff is so yummy! I think the company originated as a restaurant in NYC and then started marketing their peanut butters. I have been to the restaurant and it is good. The best PB sandwiches hands down. I try to only eat the cinnamon raisin kind every now and then because it has added sugar. Still so delicious!

Hmmmmm…raisiny goodness.

I also had a nonfat latte. Perfection.

I am fueled and ready to start the day. Have a good one!

I have a large majority of male friends and more than my fair share of … admirers.  They come from a variety of different social groups – athletes, brains, punks, etc. – but the common thread uniting most of them is their ability to play guitar.  Not all of them can play well (not that you’d ever be able to convince THEM of this), but most of them can play.  This means that the last five years of my life have been filled with boys singing songs for me; at this point, I’m a bonafide expert on what is an acceptable song choice and what is NOT.  Most think I’m evil, but in this case I’m going to use my powers for good to help the amateur crooners out there pick an acceptable song for their next heart-pouring session.  Take notes.

RULE #1

I don’t care how many hours you’ve spent perfecting “Wonderwall” or “Crash Into Me“; forget you ever heard them.  They are EXCELLENT songs, and you’re RUINING them.  I’ve lost count how many times these have been played for me and while some were good and some were (really) bad, they were all the same:  UNWANTED.  As much as I enjoy being told that you’re a hott mess and your fate possibly rests on my shoulders (“Maybe you’re gonna be the one that saves me” – Wonderwall) or being told to show you my lady parts (“Hike up your skirt a little more and show your world to me” – Crash Into Me), there are more creative options out there.  Every frat boy and hipster in the U.S. of A. with access to Daddy’s credit card and a local pawn shop has used these two songs to slay some cooch – GET NEW MATERIAL!  If the girl is worth wasting your time on, they won’t (or shouldn’t!) work and if they DO work on her, there are guaranteed easier ways to get into her pants.  Take a quarter to the plastic ring machine at Pizza Hut and call it a day.

RULE #2

Don’t sing it if you don’t mean it.  Nothing good can come from pouring your heart out if it’s not legitimately FULL.  Scenario A:  she’s overwhelmed with emotion and feels the same way, even though you DON’T necessarily want to marry her on the spot and produce an epic litter of children.  In this case, you’ll either hurt her feelings or get annoyed because she’s “crazy” and dump her.  Scenario B:  she’ll be terrified that you’re singing to her, think you’re a crazy breeder, and dump your ass.  Either way, you’re going to do serious damage to your rep.

RULE #3

You are not John Mayer.  Just sing the damn song.  Even if it’s sweet and heartfelt and appreciated, it’s going to be awkward; don’t make it more awkward by dragging it out and trying to do puppy dog eyes.  Don’t take it super-seriously, either.  I’m not suggesting you end it with a fart joke or anything, but acknowledging the awkwardness and having fun with it, rather than acting like you’re auditioning for a spot on Idol will make it easier for both of you.  Also, don’t have expectations regarding her reaction.  She won’t rave about it to her friends and you won’t have various undergarments flung at you the next day as you cross campus.  There’s a good chance she’ll be embarrassed, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t do a good job or that she didn’t appreciate it; it means that it’s a little embarrassing.  It’s not the most important thing you’ll ever do in your life – take it all in stride.

RULE #4

It doesn’t have to be mushy-gushy-lovey-dovey.  Play a song that MEANS something to both of you, even if it’s not necessarily derivative of your relationship.  For example, someone once played Everclear’s “Amphetamine” for me and it was one of my favorite performances … EVER.  For those of you who don’t know, the song is about a mentally-disturbed (possibly drug-addicted) girl who “came out West … to sit beside my window and listen to the sirens“; also, it states that she is “perfect, in that fucked up way“.  Not necessarily the lyrics of true love, but it had meaning to the person who sang it for me and, therefore, was a success.

Other than those four tried and true rules, I can only give you this:  don’t over think it, don’t over-accessorize it, JUST DO IT.  What’s the worst that could happen?  She hates it and breaks up with you for being yourself?  Then she didn’t like YOU anyway and you just saved yourself time and stress.

Favorite songs ever sung to/played for me and why (in alphabetical order, because I can’t put them in favorites order; I try not to make a habit of hurting feelings):

Aerosmith – “Crazy”  This was sung to me by a friend who seriously hearted me.  Unfortunately for him, I didn’t feel the same way.  It makes the list because at this point, he had pretty much accepted that I didn’t feel the same way and he decided to poke fun at it with his entire band in front of a packed room.  I appreciate people who can laugh at themselves and make me laugh as well.  Also, it’s not easy to cover Aerosmith or to impress me, but he and his band managed to do both. 
Alan Jackson – “Chasing That Neon Rainbow”  This is one of my all-time favorite songs.  I had been having a rough couple of weeks and a friend learned this song just because he knew it would make me smile.  He did a really good job with it and I still ask him to play it every time we hang out.
Alan Jackson – “Gone Country”  Again, with the Alan Jackson.  I LOVE country music and this is another favorite song of mine.  A friend of mine has a bit of a family band (don’t worry Haley; it wasn’t Heafie), and they play this song pretty regularly.  They invited me to dinner and played a few songs, but finished the “set” with this one, just because they knew it would make me smile.  Mission accomplished.
Bill Withers – “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone”  Once upon a time, a very nice boy sang this a capella in a talent show, in hopes of getting my attention.  He succeeded in getting me to notice him (although we were never more than friends) and this performance still ranks pretty high up on the list of the coolest shit I’ve ever seen.  You have to be able to SERIOUSLY sing to pull this one off.
Black Crowes – “She Talks To Angels”  This is a good example of the song not having to be derivative of the relationship you have with someone.  A very good friend once played this for me via Skype because it “reminded him of me”.  Although that’s a bit odd and possibly even a little offensive (“She never mentions the word ‘addiction’ in certain company.  Yeah, she’ll tell you she’s an orphan after you meet her family ...”), it flattered me that such a powerful song made someone think of ME.  Plus, he KILLED it.  I’m even tempted to say he did a better job than the Crowes, themselves.
Blink-182 – “I Miss You”  First of all, if you can play Blink-182 as well as Tom, Travis, and Mark, then you’re one of two things:  a GOD … or Tom, Travis, and Mark, themselves.  An excellent song, played really well; what more could you ask for?  … Other than to live like Jack and Sally, that is.
Brad Paisley – “She’s Everything”  My best best BEST friend played this song for me in the middle of the night once.  He wrestled on the team I worked for and I was up all night with him, trying to help him through his hunger pains.  This had always been “our song” and, unbeknownst to me, he had been learning to play it to keep himself busy.  Even though he’s refused to play it for me or anyone else since that night, it was easily one of the greatest things that ever happened to me and I’ll NEVER forget it.  SO GOOD.
The Cardigans – “Lovefool”  You’re probably very confused right now and you have every right to be.  This is a very odd song to make the list, but there IS an explanation.  I have a very odd, very hyper, very exaggerative friend who likes to make me laugh (and who also has a bit of a crush on me).  I keep pretty odd hours and he’s always travelling for work, so we often find ourselves talking via Skype in the middle of the night.  One night he told me was going to sing a song for me.  I was prepared to mock him mercilessly, but he turned his on his iTunes and proceeded to dramatically sing into a beer bottle, stroke the screen, and sing “Love me, love me, SAAAAY that you love me” in his best girly voice.  I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.
Carrie Underwood – “Get Out Of This Town”  This was sung by the same person that sang “Crazy” for me, again, with his band.  We had a whole CD of songs about running away that we used to play while we drove around for hours with the windows down.  This was “our” song and though it was originally sung by a lady with killer pipes, he did an excellent job of slightly altering it for his vocals.  It was an awesome performance that awed everyone in the bar.
Chris Ledoux – “Thank The Cowboy For The Ride”  I don’t have a lot of friends who are into country music, so when I find one, I hang onto them.  I went to Jamboree in the Hills with this particular friend and one night after I had slaved over the campfire to make a delicious feast, he pulled out the guitar and surprised me with this song.  It was absolutely fantastic.  If you’re looking for something to sing to a country girl, you can’t beat a Chris Ledoux tune.
Del Amitri – “Roll To Me”  The explanation for this one is simple:  it’s one of my favorite songs from my youth and the band did an excellent job with it.  Nothing more is needed.
Fall Out Boy – “Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner”  The acoustic version of this song is so beautiful, even though the lyrics are a bit troublesome (“Wear me like a locket around your throat.  I’ll weigh you down, I’ll watch you choke.  You look so good in blue ...”), but if you can REALLY play the guitar (I mean REALLY) and can sing REALLY well, give this one a shot.  It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard.
Garth Brooks – “She’s Every Woman”  Oh, the poor little guy that sang this to me!  If you’re not an excellent musician, don’t try to cover Garth Brooks.  He’s a legend (despite his douchiness) and you’re likely to make a fool of yourself.  This one makes the list simply because it took a lot of fucking nerve to sing such a difficult song with such intense lyrics in front of so many people.
Jack Johnson – “Banana Pancakes”  I was friends with a guy in a band who was/is an unknown musical GENIUS.  He can hear a song once, pick up his guitar, and recreate it; I’ve never seen anything like it.  I had spent the night at his house after his team had a party and when everyone woke up to go to class the next morning, it was freezing and POURING.  No one wanted to leave, so I decided to make everyone banana pancakes.  They were all sitting in kitchen while I was at the stove, and he just picked up his guitar and started playing this song.  It became an instant sing-along staple when we hung out there.
Journey – “Don’t Stop Believin’”  Despite Haley’s hatred for Journey and this song in particular, it has a lot of meaning for my life.  The word “believe“, alone, is something that I carry with me everyday (although not in a religious sense) and this song is an obvious classic.  To hear someone cover it accurately and well was surprising and enjoyable.  When this song is played, I always feel like it’s just for me; it just so happens that THAT time, it was.

Least favorite sons ever sung to/played for me and why (again, in alphabetical order, although if you’re reading this, your feelings are probably already hurt):

Aaron Lines – “You Can’t Hide Beautiful”  Something about this song has always struck a nerve with me.  I just don’t like it.  And to have it applied to ME?  As if I would ever try to hide my fabulousness.  He meant well, but no dice.
Alan Jackson – “Remember When”  “Remember when 30 seemed so old?  Now looking back, it’s just a stepping stone to where we are, we’ve been …”  Really?  Because I’m pretty sure that I’m only in my early twenties (I believe it was late teens at that point) and have no intentions hearing “the sound of little feet” with you.  Ack.  NonononoNO!
Backstreet Boys – “Helpless When She Smiles”  This was sung during a drunken karaoke night so, while I don’t hold it against him, it still makes the list.  I LOVE the Backstreet Boys (despite the mocking), so you CANNOT drunkenly sing one of their best songs to me and expect swoonage.  Nick Carter, you ain’t!
Blessid Union of Souls – “I Wanna Be There”  This was sung by the same boy who so excellently pulled of the Chris Ledoux tune, but it was a FAIL.  First of all, Jambo is no place to invoke The Souls.  Second of all, if you want to “be there when my baby cries“, then just turn in your application with the rest of the nannies when (heaven forbid!) I birth my future children.  Creepy and weird; do NOT want.
Brad Paisley – “Little Moments”  This really wasn’t this poor boy’s fault – it was just rotten luck – but it’s an excellent learning experience.  I was VERY good friends with a boy in high school whose family moved suddenly; I still don’t know what happened to him, but he severed contact with all of his hometown friends.  This was “our song“.  Hearing this brought back a lot of sadness and even though it wasn’t the poor guy’s fault, I couldn’t control how upset I was.  You should probably know about things like traumatic events in someone’s life and the songs that correlate with them before you try to play something for them.
Carlos Santana – “Why Don’t You And I”  Really?  You’re going to attempt to play the guitar as well as Carlos motherfucking Santana?!?  I still don’t know if it was ballsy or ludicrous but the performance was not on par with dear old Carlos and therefore, an epic fail.  Also, you probably shouldn’t suggest to someone that the two of you “take on the world and be together forever” or tell a girl who can make a sailor blush with shame that they won’t let you into heaven without her; it’s nonsensical.
Carter Twins – “Heart Like Memphis”  I SECRETLY love this song.  I SECRETLY love this band.  Calling someone out on their guilty pleasure musical choices in front of people they don’t know very well is just bad form.  I was mocked for weeks.
Counting Crows – “Big Yellow Taxi”  This song is EPIC; it’s also REALLY overdone.  In fact, it’s nearing DMB/Oasis status.  Put it to rest.  There are infinite song choices out there – TRY to be original.
Gloriana – “Wild At Heart”  I literally knew this person for six hours when he and his friends played this song for me.  First of all, the fact that you can whip a song out that fast leads me to believe that it was in the recycle bin and had been sung for someone else.  Second of all, don’t ever tell someone that you’ve known for a quarter of a day to “stick your hand into my back pocket, light me up like a bottle rocket“.  That’s just weird.
Johnny Cash – “I’ve Been Everywhere”  This is a hard song with tricky lyrics.  If you aren’t 1000% percent certain of the lyrics to a song, DON’T SING IT.  That goes double if you’re singing a song to someone who WORSHIPS the artist.
Neil Young – “Unknown Legend”  Not only was this sung poorly, it didn’t make any sense.  I never worked in a diner, my daddy never kept on moving, and I have yet to ride a Harley-Davidson through the desert.  His heart was in the right place, but it was very odd.
Poison – “Fallen Angel”  The 80’s hair band wild child in me LOVES Poison.  I also LOVE this song.  My mom always said this was my song and to have it mutilated by an untalented drunk person in my honor was annoying, to say the least.
Tim McGraw – “Blank Sheet of Paper”  This is a great song, but the situation was a bad one, all-around.  Sung to me by someone who I don’t like (in fact, very nearly HATE), who can’t play the guitar AT ALL, while he was drunk off his ass, in front of all of our old friends.  A little liquid courage never hurt anyone, but don’t take it too far; you’ll embarrass EVERYONE involved.

With that, grab your guitar and learn a new tune.  I hope these tips and examples will be of assistance and save you from future embarrassment.

Deux artistes au talent exceptionnel (oui, je sais, je devrais faire Michel Drucker quand je serai grande) qui se rencontrent, je suis tombée dessus par hasard et autant vous dire que j’ai trépigné de joie en voyant la liste des titres qu’ils ont joué ensemble. Petit florilège :

I woke up this morning and spent some quality time with Kyle. He just left for his tour. I miss him already. I made us banana pancakes for breakfast. I added a little peanut butter and honey to mine. So good!

I also made some black tea with skim milk to have with the pancakes.

To Do list for today:

• Write post on Healthy People 2010 for my doctorate class
• Attend budget meeting for Kappa Omicron  Nu
• Brainstorm idea for term project for my doctorate class
• Read a few chapters in Marion Nestle’s Food Politics

Be back later!

It’s Sunday.  I am glad.  Why?  because I made it through another week.  This week has been kind of hard for me…because I’ve been constantly thinking about what I need to do next, or I need to finish that, or I have to do this…and my whole head has been in a whirlwind..my mamma encouraged last night though, and that helped a little.  She told me to take it one day at a time, and just trust in the LORD.  I admit, I’ve been kind of lax in my trusting the LORD.  I wish it wasn’t so hard to know what to do.  It’s just hard for me to get out of this thinking mode.  I was thinking about this this morning(while sitting on a little stool and drinking my lemongrass green tea), and something popped into my head.  “Be Here Now”.  I’m supposed to be here now, not there, or over there.  I’m supposed to be RIGHT HERE NOW.  I’ve been reading through Ecclesiastes lately, and I have never been more enthralled with the book.  I feel like the writer of that book…I feel rather overwhelmed with the world, and life, and Ecc.  has just spoken peace to my heart.

Yesterday, I decided I just want a simple, peaceful life.

This morning I made banana pancakes, and had this song running through my head(o;

The boy’s on the soccer team call us the banana girls(o:

I’m off to get ready for church now.

just

remember.

be.here.now.

love…

ria♥

***PLEASE NOTE*** The name,”The Food Fairy,” is federally trademarked by North Carolina personal chef Terri McClernon. For more information about her business and services, please visit her site here.

Today, I’m on KUOW talking about how preparing great food ahead of time makes me feel like there’s a food fairy in the fridge. It works like this: I get hungry, I open the door, and boom – there she is, all twinkles and glitter, handing me the perfect mayo-less pasta salad.

Unlike more typical pasta salads, in this one, it’s the vegetables (and a good hit of vinegar) that shine. Crisp corn, juicy cherry tomatoes, and summer’s best green beans compete for attention in each bite. Instead of the usual dairy component, the salad gets its creaminess from white beans—which means it’s also packed with protein.

Oh, how I love the food fairy.

If you listened in, here are the other make-ahead recipes I mentioned:

Quick Bulgur Salad with Corn, Feta, and Basil (PDF)
Sausage and Summer Vegetable Strata (PDF)
Lulu’s Carnivore-Friendly Vegan Banana Pancakes (PDF)
Basil-Champagne Vinaigrette (PDF)

Bean and Bright Vegetable Salad (PDF)
TIME: 20 minutes active time
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings

1 cup orzo or other small pasta
1/4 pound thin green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1/2” pieces
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/4 cup champagne wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Kernels from 1 large ear corn
1 (15-ounce) can white or Great Northern beans, drained, or 1 cup dried beans, soaked and cooked
2 cups baby tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Cook the orzo for 7 minutes in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Add the green beans, cook 2 more minutes, and drain them both together.

Meanwhile, whisk the mustard, shallot, vinegar, olive oil, and a bit of salt and pepper together in a large mixing bowl. Add the hot pasta and beans as soon as they’ve been drained, then stir in the corn and beans. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then fold in the tomatoes and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve. (Salad can be kept in the refrigerator, covered, up to 5 days.)

                        Hello children!!!!!!!!! Okay. I feel like ranting about today. I just entered middle school. All I gotta say is scary. Today has been sooooo weird. So I am going to rant about it heehee. By typing. So if you get bored you can always just go down to the next paragraph/picture. Okay. Let me begin(: OKAY. TODAY HAS BEEN THE LONGEST DAY OF MY LIFE. FOR ONE THING, I ACCIDENTALLY BROUGHT MY MP3 PLAYER to school and it was ON!!! So everyone in class was all like “what the heck? why is there music. what is that?!” and I was like…. Don’t Trust Me? And it was coming from my PANTS. That wouldn’t have been so bad if you would not get into trouble if you didn’t have it on. So then, MY PRINCIPAL WALKS IN. And he’s like why is there music? and blah blah blah. So then I was like trying to turn it off but I wasn’t pushin the right button… so I like stuffed it as far into my pocket as possible and like pushed the button as fast as I could while they weren’t looking. Ugh. It was so weird. And then afer that I had P.E. I thought it would be cool and stuff, but then I walked in. For one thing– uniforms. For the next thing– dodgeball. I was scared. And it was as scary as I had thought. Okay after that I had a really awesome teacher, so I’m not gonna rant about that. Okay. I don’t feel like ranting anymore. That’s not it at all but that’s enough I guess. Lol. Thank you. I feel MUCH BETTER.

So here are the funny pics.

Todays song of the day is BANANA PANCAKES BY JACK JOHNSON

That’s it for right noww!!

–Savvie

Wow, never did I think I would believe that!  But, a wise woman (a.k.a. my mom!) once told me that our emotions are what we make them.  Negative feelings don’t really exist, but rather are a result of the feelings or emotions that we attach to our thoughts.  In other, hopefully more sense-making words, I haven’t really been feeling bummed out lately, but I have been letting myself feel bummed out.  I have been taking my thoughts and turning them into negative thoughts.  In other words…life is what you make it!  There, does that one make any kind of sense?  I know, Kate can be a little too deep for me too sometimes!

Anway, she is so right!  Yesterday, I decided to start fresh with a great attitude and positive thoughts… and guess what?  I had a wonderful day!  The work day went by faster and I had tons more energy, even after work (!) to go out with my friends!

I honestly believe that each and every one of us has the power to change our emotions by how we approach our thoughts.  I just need to remember to do that more often when those heavier, ickier thoughts start creeping their way into my head!!

Anywho, we can leave my attempt at an in-depth post now, and move onto what we’re all really here for..the FOOD!

Last night, I invited Ash to come over for dinner to help me eat the bison that I had purchased a while back (and had been keeping frozen in the freezer, don’t worry!).  We had planned to grill the burgers on our apartment complex’s community grill, but apparently they just got a new one and it wasn’t up and running yet. Boo. So, we moved on to my apartment to use the regular ole stove top.  No biggie, but the grill would’ve been a little more summery and fun!

I mixed the bison meat with salt and pepper and some red onion.  Then, I formed it into two patties and dished them into a medium heated skillet.

While those were cooking up…

Ash and I dug into a little bit of this…

look how perfectly it fits in the fridge! looooove the bota!

And I went to get the mail.  To continue with the theme, I had a little package from Mama Kate!

two more jars of mighty maple!

My mom had actually purchased these for herself, but she’s working on dropping a few LB’s and is doing Weight Watchers to do so, so these were just a tad too many points for her.  Hey, even though I’m still not through the first ones she sent me, I’ll gladly take these babies off her hands!

Inside was a little note…

That’s a good question, Mom!  Let me show ya:

there's one on the side of the fridge door...

oop...and another!

and then you might find some when you open the cabinets...

...and in my bin in the pantry

Whew…how many was that?  Wait, don’t tell me.  I might think of myself as some creepy peanut butter hoarder.  Oh, ha, I already do!  Oh well.

So anyway, back to the burgs.

paired mine with a few kale chips (no stems this time!)

ash's...and her seal of approval!

Delish!!  After dinner, we walked over to the Orpheum Theatre to see a showing of Fried Green Tomatoes.

the stage/screen

I haven’t seen this movie in AGES, so it was like basically seeing it for the first time.  I forgot how cute it is and how funny!  I must’ve seen this movie when I was pretty young, and I’m SURE I didn’t understand about 1/2 of it.  There are so many inappropriate parts that Ash and I were just cracking up about!  It also had a great message about the importance of female friendships…which I am especially feeling these days!

Just look at how awesome my roomie Kathleen is:

Knowing that I’ve been a little down the past few days, she brought over my FAVORITE and hard to find little treat and a lottery ticket!

Which by the way…

I won! 2 dollas! hollaaaa

Isn’t she a cutie?!  Thanks again, Kath!

Post FGT, we went to a little Irish pub in midtown to see my favorite local band that I somehow have not seen ALL summer!  We stayed for one brewskie and couple songs and called it a night.  It was so great to go out after work instead of pooping out on the couch at home!

This morning, despite being out past my usual bedtime, I still managed to wake up early for the gym.  My workout was less than stellar, but that’s ok.  It was enough to work up an appetite for a breakfast that rivals with yesterday’s faux pancakes…real pancakes!

I modified this recipe on the back of the bag/box:

I used 1/3 cup of the mix (the serving size), 1 egg white instead of a whole egg, 1/4 cup almond milk, splash of water, splash of vanilla, sprinkle of cinnamon.  Then I went all kinds of crazy with one whole banana.  Not only did I put it into the mixture, but I smashed it in between the stacks and sliced it on top!

Yea, I got a little snap happy this a.m., but I wanted to be sure to capture all the deliciousness from every angle for y’all!

Fully satisfied, I’m off now to clean my apartment!  Yep, that’s right…another guest this weekend!  One of my best friends from college is coming to town from Nashville.  I’m so excited!  I’ll leave y’all with a few pics of us throughout the college years.

sophomore year...roomies!

junior year...amanda's birthday

senior year...rush

this summer...at a wedding

I hope everyone has a great Friday!  I’ll see y’all back here for a weekend recap and more specifically Sunday…S.E.E. what we’re eating!!  To give you a hint…I had my first one in Germany! Stay tuned!!

hello…it’s Saturday!

First, let me say that Julie & Julia was wonderful! I really, really enjoyed it. Meryl Streep was fabulous as Julia Child and she was so much fun to watch! The movie definitely made me want to cook something and then eat it. It’s such a cool idea to cook your way through a cook book, no? How fun!

This morning I slept in and went downstairs for breakfast with my sister…banana pancakes! They were good And they made me smile. There’s something about pancakes on the weekend…sleeping in and then talking with your family while eating pancakes.

{these are not my banana pancakes, but they look equally as delicious i think}

Last night I was worried about a lot of stuff. I found myself worrying about things I should not have been worrying about. Or apologizing for things I should not be apologizing for. I was even beginning to think I should change for someone…to try to please a friend.  I read this verse this morning and it is just so perfect…

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries and prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

Isn’t that beautiful?

I don’t know if y’all like soft t-shirts, but I do and C&C has some some new fall arrivals and they are offering FREE shipping with any new arrivals purchase. I love free shipping!

It is a rainy down down here today. I hope it is sunny where you are, though. But if it is not…enjoy your Saturday anyway!

]]> http://sherunsforjesus.com/2009/10/18/sunday-brunch-special-heart-shaped-banana-pancakes/ Sun, 18 Oct 2009 04:53:09 +0000 sheilabadeaux http://sherunsforjesus.com/2009/10/18/sunday-brunch-special-heart-shaped-banana-pancakes/

It’s a beautiful, hot cool Sunday afternoon here in the city of Brownsville, Texas. I’ve decided to blog outside in our backyard and I’m still in my pj’s at 4:20 in the afternoon. It feels good to be lazy one day out of the week, lol.

We had brunch this morning, I whipped up some whole wheat banana pancakes. I’ve been craving pancakes all week long and was saving it for today; it was worth it.

I used this pancake mix that I purchased at Big Lots a couple of weeks ago. I love that store, you never know what you’ll find in there.

Banana pancakes are my favorite and they are easy to make too!

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat pancake mix, 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of non-fat milk, 1 whole riped banana (smashed), 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, 1 tsp. of cinammon, 2 tbsp. flaxseeds, and 1/2 c of chopped walnuts

Directions:

mix all ingredients and you want the batter to be runny but not too runny that it looks like water. heat skillet, spray it with some pam (canola), and pour batter in, I used 1/2 measuring cup to pour in batter. Make sure the heat is on medium heat, you don’t want to burn your pancakes. You can slice up your favorite fruit and serve it over your pancakes.

this was the hubby’s plate

mine

it was a lovely brunch and the pancakes were delicious! we had  happy tummies!