The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

Ever need a boost after an exhausting or exasperating day? Looking for something a little more inventive than a handful of almonds or a piece of fruit? How about a shake? I know what you’re thinking: definitely indulgent, but not worth the sugar crash later. Thankfully, with a little creativity, a shake blended with the right ingredients can can actually do a body good.

Many of us throw our slightly-too-ripe bananas into the freezer to use in banana bread or banana muffins. But you can also use them to make a thick, indulgent shake without the guilt of a regular ice cream-based shake. Just throw a peeled, quartered frozen banana into the blender with a little milk, a touch of vanilla and a tablespoon of peanut butter, and you’ve got a refreshing – and healthy – frosty beverage packed with potassium, protein, calcium, fiber, Vitamin C and Vitamin B-6. Want to have this shake for dessert? Add a few dark chocolate chips to elevate the yum factor.

You can thank Tee for this find; she hooked me up with this link a few months ago. We enjoy this treat so much that we buy entire bunches of bananas to freeze so that we can make this shake anytime the mood strikes.

Frozen Banana-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Milkshake
(recipe adapted from the kitchn)
1 frozen bananas (peel them before you freeze them!), cut into chunks
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter (natural PB works great)
1/2 cup skim milk (experiment with soy, almond or rice milk if you’re sensitive or allergic to dairy)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

Blend banana, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla in a blender until smooth. If desired, add the chocolate chips at the end and pulse or blend briefly until they are chopped and incorporated.

Yield: 1 shake

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com

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All of these posts about knee socks and awesome boots have me fixated on the beautiful fall weather happening outside. I can’t wait for the trees to be flaming with color, and for it to be time to pull out the extra blankets for the bed. In the meantime, I’ve been cranking up the oven. One of the things I truly love about fall is to have the opportunity again to fill the house with the wonderful smell of baked goods (that and wrapping myself up in my favorite flannel shirt and grabbing a cup of steaming hot coffee on a cool morning). What are your favorite parts of fall?

Of all the things that I bake, at the top of my list is anything banana. Why? It’s all about the wonderful aromas that come wafting from the oven. Banana bread, banana muffins, banana cake… and now these Chocolate Banana Bars. I’ve held out against combining cocoa and bananas for quite a long time and now I’m really not sure why. Sure, I’ve added chocolate chips to banana muffins and it turned out great, but there’s always been something keeping me from whipping up a true chocolate-banana combo. Until now. These are wonderful, and they’re especially wonderful warm from the oven. Welcome fall into your house with these soon!

Chocolate Banana Bars
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 medium bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and bananas, mixing until completely combined.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well, scraping down the bowl once.

Divide batter in half. Add the cocoa to one portion of the batter. Spread the chocolate portion in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Spoon remaining batter on top. Swirl gently with butter knife and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan and then cut.

Yield: 18-24 servings, depending on size

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com