My Favorite Banana Bread

I have used this recipe a ton! I almost always add semi-sweet chocolate chips, but sometimes I'll add chopped walnuts or pecans instead.

*1 Square Butter
*1 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
4 Large bananas, mashed
2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Soda
1 C. Semi-Sweet chocolate chips

Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs and mashed bananas. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and soda. Add to banana mixture. Do not overmix. Pour batter into greased bread pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, until golden brown.

*If you want to make this a bit healthier, feel free to substitute the Butter with 1/2 Square Butter plus 1/2 Cup Applesauce, and change the sugar to 3/4 C.

Taco Soup

This is a no-meat version, and everything in the recipe is shelf stable so it's great for food storage or as a vegetarian dish.

3 Cans Beans (use whatever you have on hand- I usually use black, pinto and red beans. You could also try White, Kidney, or Garbanzo)
2 Cans Diced tomatoes (to make it a bit spicier you can use ro-tel)
1 packet taco seasoning

Simmer together 30 minutes, then add a few handfuls frozen corn.
Top with Sour Cream, Cilantro, Cheese, Tortilla Chips, Olives, Avacado, etc. Whatever you like!
*Optional: You can also add onion, bell pepper, cooked ground beef or turkey to Soup.*

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 C. Salsa
2 Cans cream of chicken soup
1 lb. Chicken breast, cubed
2 C. Frozen Corn
1 Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Soup can Water
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
4 Corn Tortillas, cut into 1" strips
1 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/3 C. Chopped Cilantro Leaves

1. Stir the salsa, soup, chicken, corn, beans, water, and cumin in a 4-quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hrs. or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Heat a drizzle of Olive Oil in a pan. Fry the tortilla strips until lightly browned.
4. Dish soup into bowls. Top with the fried tortilla strips, some shredded cheese, and some cilantro.

Green Bean Casserole

I tried this recipe originally becuase I wanted to make green bean casserole, but didn't have any cream of mushroom soup on hand. Surprisingly, I ended up liking this one better than the traditional version.

2 C. Frozen cut green beans (I have also used canned and they are good as well, although the flavor is a bit different. Just use whichever your family prefers)
1 C. fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1/2 tsp. Ground Mustard
3/4 C. chicken broth
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
3/4 C French Fried Onions

In greased 1 qt. baking dish, combine beans and mushrooms. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and mustard; Gradually stir in broth until smooth. Pour over vegetables. Dot with butter. Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with onions and bake 5 minutes longer.

Mackenzie's Whole Wheat Bread

This whole wheat bread is super healthy and easy to make. We love it!

1/3 C. Olive Oil
1/34 C. Honey
2 1/2 C. Warm Water
1 1/2 Tbsp. Yeast
1 Tbsp. Salt
6-7 C. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. Vital Wheat Gluten
1 1/2 Tbsp. Dough Enhancer (optional)

Combine warm water, yeast, and 2 C. flour in a large mixing bowl. Allow to sponge for 15 minutes.
Add honey, oil, vital wheat glugen, salt, dough enhancer, and 4-5 C. additional flour until dough begins to clean sides of bowl. Do not allow dough to get stiff and dry, It should be smooth and elastic.
Knead the breade (by hand 7-10 minutes) until smooth , elastic, and small bubbles appear beneath the surface.
Form into 2 loaves and put into greased bread pans. Allow to rise in slightly warmed oven until double (about 30 minutes).
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until top and sides are golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Blueberry Muffins

I had tried a lot of blueberry muffin recipes, and wanted one that was relatively healthy, and easy to make. So this made the cut! The original recipe called for all white flour and lots of butter. I cut down the amount of the butter by swapping in some applesauce, and did half whole wheat flour. They tasted just as good, and John didn't even noticed that I had changed anything! Next time I make them I'll try reducing the amount of sugar as well.

1/2 C Butter
1/2 C Applesauce
2 C. White flour
2 C. Wheat flour
2 1/2 C. Sugar
4 Eggs
1 C. Milk (I used skim)
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
3 C. fresh blueberries (I used frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour muffin tins.
Sift flours, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar together. Add applesauce and eggs and beat well. Add milk and flour mixture. Beat until combined. Gently stir in blueberries.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

This recipe is from my friend Christine. I think I could eat it every day! The kids just liked all of the toppings with a little ranch on top. John and I went for the spicey bleu cheese/buffalo dressing, and it was killer!

Lettuce
Tomatoes
Black Beans, drained and rinsed
Corn
French Fried Onions (place on baking sheet and warm in oven for a few minutes just before serving)
Chicken (use a rotisserie chicken from the store, or use grilled chicken, or leftover)

Garnish each salad with bleu cheese crumbles, or gorgonzola is a bit milder. For dressing, mix together bleu cheese, a little vinegar to thin it out, and some buffalo wing sauce.

For a milder dressing mix together ranch dressing and barbecue sauce.