Banana Bread Muffins

Goooooood morning!

Sorry I'm coming at you a little late today...I spent last night at my parents' house to watch the Oscars with my mom and took the bus into the city way early this morning. Did you watch the Oscars? I had only seen like 1 movie (The Help!) so I wasn't totally into it, but I always love Billy Crystal...I mean, When Harry Met Sally is legit one of my all-time favorite movies! I always love the red carpet though, no matter what the event! Who was your favorite look?

I hate to admit it because I'm so not a fan...but Angelina Jolie looked pretty fabulous. I think she's my pick for best dressed.

Worst dressed? This one was a tie for me.

I love you Melissa McCarthy, but no. Just... no.

And J.Lo? You are too gorgeous for this monstrosity.

Anyhow...I'm certainly no fashionista, so let's get back to what I'm good at...

When we arrived home late on Sunday evening last week from Penn State, I realized that we had like 10 bananas hanging around that needed to be used up, not to mention a giant container of strawberries.

So Monday I spent the day making muffins!

I tested out some strawberry yogurt muffins...but I think they need a bit of work and so they will have to wait for a while...

 they look a whole lot better than they taste

But!

I had an idea to make banana bread. And then I had an idea to make the bread into muffins. I love muffins because they are already prepackaged and ready to eat.

Though I love a nice slice of bread, I really can't be trusted with a loaf of quick bread. That's just the truth. Oh and I love how muffins cook in about a quarter of the time as quick breads do.

 

These are lightened up a bit but still totally delicious. I could eat like 10 of them. Which is why they now reside in my freezer...so that I don't eat 10 in a sitting.

Banana Bread Muffins

Makes 20 muffins; 4 WW Points+

1 3/4 C all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

6 very ripe bananas

6 Tbsp margarine, melted (I use Land o' Lakes baking sticks)

2 eggs

3/4 C brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a separate bowl, mash up the bananas with a fork. In a mixer or with a hand mixer, combine the melted margarine and brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the bananas until completely combined.

Add the flour and mix just until combined.

Pour batter into 2 muffin tins lined with baking cups. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

Voila!

So there you have it. Some fashion and some food on this Monday morning :) I hope you have a fantastic week!

Questions of the Day:

Did you watch the Oscars? Who were your best and worst dressed?

What do you do with fruit on its last legs?

psst...today I'm blogging about my shoe detox over on The Peach & The Pit...how many pairs of shoes do you own? How do you wrangle 'em?

Nights at Home + Pasta Primavera

I've been loving life post-Labor Day. I always say that the summer is so fantastic and fun, but I'm definitely a homebody by nature. When I don't have enough time at home to keep my life in order, I end up feeling scattered and stressed out. Lately, my apartment has been tidy, I've had dinner on the table before 8:00 and I've gotten to just spend time hanging out with Shaun. I'm liking it a lot.

 

Last night was another one of these nights. Admittedly, we're still dealing with our little terrace visitor.

 

She is still hanging around. Apparently our neighbor who rescued her hasn't found a home yet. We've been feeding her and playing with her. She is so friendly and truly so adorable. We're now on the hunt to find her a really good home. Unfortunately Shaun and I made the decision that we just cannot keep her, but we will do everything possible to take care of her until then and find her the best home we can.

Like I mentioned, we are not cat people. But I've almost changed my mind after meeting this kitten. She (we're no biologists, but are fairly certain she's a girl) just wants to be around people and wants to be loved! If you are in the area and are in the market for a sweet kitten, please send me a message. If I don't find a home for her by the end of the week, I plan to take her to the vet on Saturday for a check up. But she does seem healthy and playful!

 

Shaun is totally smitten with this kitten (and this is a good shot to show you how small she is).

Aside from that, we spent the night hanging on the couch watching Castle and How I Met Your Mother. Castle was so good! Anyone watch?

We also whipped up a little veggie pasta with Ronzoni Garden Delight. I sauteed some zucchini, mushrooms and red pepper. Topped with parmesean cheese, this was an easy, healthy dinner that we will definitely be enjoying again and again!

 

Pasta Primavera
1 lb pasta
1 zucchini, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 pkg button mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
kosher salt
pepper
dried thyme
dried parsley
1/2 C parmigiano reggiano
1/2 C+ reserved pasta water

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sautee for 30 seconds. Add vegetables and sautee until soft. Season with salt, pepper, thyme and parsley.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package. When finished drain about 2 cups of the water into a glass measuring cup. Drain the rest through a strainer. Move the pasta back to original pot or a serving dish. Add vegetables, 1/2 C reserved pasta water and parmigiano reggiano. Add more water or parmigiano reggiano to taste. Serve and enjoy!

So fresh and yum-inducing.

So that's what I've been doing with my nights. And I've been liking it! Have a great day friends!

Questions of the Day:

Are you a homebody?

What do you do on slow evenings?

Do you want to adopt this cutie pie kitten? :)

Garlic Teriyaki Pork Chops from Lauren's Latest

Hi friends! I'm still on vacation, but today I have a fantastic guest post for you from Lauren @ Lauren's Latest. I recently found Lauren's blog and was instantly smitten by her beautiful photos and ah-mazing recipes (try her Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Filled S'mores on for size! Yowzah!). Today Lauren is sharing a recipe that has my mouth watering! I adore teriyaki and I just don't make enough pork chops, so I cannot wait to try this one!

As I was leaving for vacation, I hooked up with Lauren to trade guest posts, so be sure to check her site for my guest article coming up soon!

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Hello readers! I'm Lauren from Lauren's Latest here guest posting while Rachel is on vacation! I haven't been following The Avid Appetite for long, but I definitely was hooked after one look at Rachel's Pizza Dip.

I found it, bookmarked the recipe and made a version of it the next day. Yeah....it was amazing. I'm hooked and now dream of this pizza dip. Literally. I had a dream about it. My husband and I ate the whole thing in one sitting!

I am not embarrassed. {You'd understand if you made it.}

When I'm in the kitchen, I typically only like to make recipes that are simple, easy, delicious and use very common ingredients. Whoever doesn't cook like this probably doesn't like cooking. Just sayin'.

Today I'm posting a Garlic Teriyaki Meat Marinade that is really versatile, really easy to put together and will leave you salivating.

It all started when I found some pretty little pork chops at the grocery store. They looked really good and were on a super sale. {That's usually how things end up in my cart.} I brought them home and rummaged through my cupboards to see what I could come up with for dinner and this is what I got. A moist, juicy, sweet yet savory piece of pork with a smokey undertone from the grill. Yeah....they were good. Like, really good.

I got rave reviews from everyone who tried them and even my two year old daughter said "yummy, Mommy!" which is unheard of these days. It was the definition of a culinary home run. And don't forget this marinade would be good with any other meat too! So, give this one a whirl!  You will love it! Happy grilling! :)

Garlic Teriyaki Pork Chops
yield: 4 servings

by: Lauren Brennan of Lauren's Latest

Ingredients:

for the marinade-
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup pineapple juice + 1/2 cup pineapple tidbits {I used canned pineapple...}
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced

4 1/2-inch thick Rib Pork Chops {bone in} or any other meat

Directions:

Mix all ingredients for marinade together in a small bowl. Pour into large plastic food storage bag. Place meat inside bag with marinade and seal. 

Move bag around to coat meat, place into plastic container {incase the bag breaks} and refrigerate to marinate. The longer the better! {I marinated mine just over 24 hours.}

When you are ready to grill, preheat outdoor BBQ to medium heat. Remove meat from marinade and place onto hot grill. Cook 5-7 minutes per side or until grill marks form and meat it thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat and cover with foil for 10 minutes before serving.



So a giant thanks to Lauren for sharing this fantastic recipe! I hope you'll all give it a try...I know I will definitely be adding it to my repetoire! What is your favorite marinade for pork, chicken, or any other grillable (or roastable) delight?

Psst...Kimberly's talking about working out while on vacation over on The Peach & The Pit. Hope you'll check it out!