PB2 and Banana Waffles

You know I have been experimenting several times a week with my new waffle maker!  And finding all kinds of fun and delicious combinations… The Captain is such a great guinea pig for my creations.  And if you know me at all, you HAD to know this was coming.  PB2 and Banana Waffles.  Oh my!

I never cared for peanut butter as a child. The only way I would eat it is in PB and Banana sandwiches… which my own Mother never made for us, but I do recall having them at a young male cousin’s birthday party once.  I think that may be the only time I ever ate peanut butter.  Then, fast forward to my early 20s when my first Mother-In-Law showed me how to make my own peanut butter in the blender… with Just raw peanuts.  It has been love ever since.

And now I have discovered PB2 which is just peanut flour, really.  I use it regularly in my kitchen and I have discovered it is a very good sub for grain flours sometimes.  So it was a natural that I was eventually going to make PB2 and Banana Waffles.  Hope you like them too.

PB2 and Banana Waffles
Makes 2 servings

• 2 Tbs PB2
• 1 large banana
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup egg whites

1. Mash half of the banana in a medium bowl.
2. Cut the other half into slices and set aside.
3. Add the PB2 to the mashed banana and blend in the egg and the egg whites till well combined. 
4. Spoon batter into your waffle iron and bake according to instructions. Remove them to a plate and keep warm while you cook the rest of the batter.
5. Top waffles with banana slices and a bit of syrup serve warm.

Per serving, including banana slices but not syrup
Weight Watchers P+  = 4.
Calories 144; Protein 13g; Carbohydrate 17g; Fat 4g; Fibre 2g.

Printable Recipe

Coconut Banana Egg-ffles

Ever since I bought a waffle maker last week I have been playing with ingredients… mostly eggs I admit… but I have been trying to come up with a real ‘waffle’ recipe. So far I have not succeeded, but these Coconut Banana Egg-ffles is honestly one of my better failures!

It is kinda eggy but just  not too eggy so it is worthy of a bit of syrup or a some applesauce or fruit for topping.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.  Next time I would add some cinnamon and a bit of vanilla… yes, there WILL be a next time….

My ingredients made 5 waffle ‘squares’… I just divided them between 2 plates to serve.  And if you are a vegetarian and don’t eat bacon, just don’t use it of course.

Coconut Banana Egg-ffles
Makes 2 servings.

• 4 large fresh eggs
• 1 medium banana
• 1 Tbs coconut flour
• 1 Tbs crumbled bacon

1. Blend eggs, banana and coconut flour in a medium bowl.
2. Pour approximately 1/2 cup of mixture into waffle iron, or the amount recommended for your own waffle iron.
3. Sprinkle with a few bits of crumbled bacon on the top.
4. Cook according to instructions.
5. Remove to plate and keep warm.
6. Repeat until all batter is used.
7. Serve warm with a bit of syrup or fruit.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 4.
Calories 179; Protein 14g; Carbohydrate 4g; Fat 11g; Fibre 2g.

I used my immersion blender to mash the banana and mix the ingredients.

I don’t overfill my waffle iron with batter cause I am afraid of messy cleanups!

Revmove from waffle iron and keep warm while the rest cook.

Add some topppings and get ready to dig in.

Printable Recipe

Going Bananas with Oh! Naturals

Are you a snacker?  Do you love bananas?  Do you ever get a yen  for something a little crunchy and a little sweet?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, then I have something to share with you that you are going to really love.

Oh! Naturals Flavoured Banana Chips...  now available in three great flavours, Strawberry, Natural, and Chocolate. You can find Oh! Naturals at Safeway stores across Canada,  as well as at Co-op and Sobey stores in Western Canada.  Starting next year, Oh Naturals! will also be available Bulk Barn stores nationwide.

They are made from whole fruit and make a perfect anytime snack because these banana chips:

• are peanut free
• are gluten free
• have no added sugar
• are salt free
• are dairy free

Oh! Natural Flavoured Banana Chips are safe in school lunch boxes and can be easily toted along in sports bags or stored in your desk drawer.... they come in a resealable bag so they stay fresh and crispy.



We recently received a generous boxful of the three flavours to sample, and have been really enjoying them in a variety of ways...

• right out of the bag
• mixed with nuts and other dried fruits in trail mix
• as cereal toppings
• with yogurt
• dipped in yogurt and peanut butter mixture
• in my Healthy Breakfast Bowls
• in my after-workout protein 'sludges'

Oh! Naturals Natural Flavoured Banana Chips, hazelnuts, cashews, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds



Oh! Naturals Strawberry Flavoured Banana Chips

 

 

Oh! Naturals Chocolate Flavoured Banana Chips topping a mixture of protein powder, milled flax seed, almond milk

 



The three flavours all have very similar Nutritional Information.  This is the back of the Natural bag.



For a generous serving of 28g (approximately 19 - 21 pieces):

 

Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 127; Protein 1g; Carbohydrate 21 or 22g; Fat 4g; Fibre 1g.



They are made from whole bananas, vegetable oil, natural and artificial flavorings, and the chocolate variety has a chocolate powder which may contain soy.  Very simple ingredient list. Nothing you cannot pronounce here!

We are so excited about this new product that we are making sure to share our samples with friends and neighbors, too, in order to get the word out.  We haven't found anyone yet who has had a negative thing to say... everyone who likes bananas, and crispy, crunchy chips will be sure to enjoy Oh! Naturals Flavoured Banana Chips as much as we do!

Check out the Oh! Naturals web site and look for them on Facebook, too.

I was given this product for review but the opinions are my own.

Do you eat dried fruit?

Do you think you would like dried bananas?

Another Banana Omelet

You already know that I am quite enamoured of the Banana Omlet recipe that I posted recently.

I have been doing a bit more experimenting with it, trying to find a way to make it a little less calorie-laden and came up with something pretty good. 

On days when I want that higher protein breakfast, I will still make up my original recipe, but this one is great for those mornings when I want just a bit of something before heading off to my busy day.  It is very tasty... and the banana flavor is much more apparent than in the orginal Banana Omelet.

Give it a try, I would love to know what you think.

I made it this way for The Captain and me, but of course you could halve the ingredients and use a smaller pan.  I served it with a bit of soynut butter on the top.

And if you have a frozen banana, great, just make sure it is thoroughly thawed before you start mixing.  Don't use too high a heat setting - the sugar in the banana will burn fairly easily.

 



Another Banana Omelet
Makes 2 servings

• 1 medium banana
• 2 eggs
• Dash of cinnamon

1. Mash the banana well and mix in the eggs and beat till frothy.
2. Pour mixture into a skillet that has been coated with non-stick spray and set over MEDIUM heat.
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
4. Once the edges of the omelet are a bit dry and cooked, cover and let sit till the eggs are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
5. Fold in half and serve.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 129 ; Protein 7g; Carbohydrate 14g; Fat 5g; Fibre 1g.

Beat the eggs and mashed banana till frothy.  I used my immersion blender.

 

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Fold to serve.

 

With a bit of nut butter and some fruit and toast. 

 

 

Printable Recipe

 

Do you think this is something you would make?  If you do, I would love to know if you liked it.



Banana Omelet... Bazinga!

Are you one of those people who likes to eat the same thing for breakfast every morning?  Eggs and toast, or hot oatmeal, or a bowl of cereal with milk and fruit?  I know that some find it very comforting to not have to make that decision every morning... especially if it is hectic with getting ready to head out to work or to school.

Not me... I am always on the lookout for something new.  I have lots of favorite breakfast foods but that doesn't stop me from trying new ones... very often!

I do like my breakfast to have lots of protein, though.  A starchy, carb-laden breakfast just doesn't get my day off to a very good start.  Usually within an hour, or perhaps two at the most, I am hungry again, and if I don't get something substantial to eat at that point I get shaky and light-headed and hangry!   I am likely to eat the first thing I see.

So, when I first started adding fruit to my omelets several weeks ago, I thought bananas migh be a good idea.  I love eggs in the morning, but I do need a break from eating veggie-ful omelets, as much as I love them.  And I have made omelets with cooked apples and cinnamon, so why not banana omelets? 

I played around with ingredients a couple of times until I came up with a combination I really like. So does The Captain... which is very nice because I really thought  he would not like this at all.  So, when I make this, I have to double the ingredients and use 2 pans because I am making an omelet for each of us.

I like to top our omelets with the other half of the banana and some chunky natural peanut butter.



Basic Banana Omelet
Makes 1 serving

• 1/2 banana, mashed
• 2 whole fresh eggs
• 1/4 cup egg whites

1. Mash the banana in a medium bowl.
2. Add the eggs and the egg white and beat well.
3. Pour the batter into a heated skillet that has been coated with non-stick spray.
4. Cook about 3 minutes until bubble start to form.
5. Cover and leave till eggs are cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
6. Fold in half and then remove to plate.
7. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Per serving, without toppings
Weight Watchers P+ = 5.
Calories 234; Protein 19g; Carbohydrate 16g; Fat 10g; Fibre 1g.

Mash half of a banana.

Add the eggs, and egg white, and beat well.

Pour batter into heated skillet.

Once the edges start to dry and bubbles form, cover and let continue to cook.

Fold in half, remove to plate, and then top.

 

Printable Recipe



Whole Wheat Banana Crunch Pancakes via The Lean Green Bean

I saw this recipe a couple of weeks ago and made a special point of picking up some granola just to try it out.  It is very good.  But it is quite high in Points Plus Values.. so I will only be having it for a special, occasional brunch.

Well worth the 'cost' though.  I urge you to try it!

The original recipe can be found on The Lean Green Bean.  It serves 4.

You will likely have most of the ingredients in your cupboard or fridge already.  You can use any fat free plain yogurt you happen to have on hand, and that pretty much goes for the granola too.  I do suggest you use sliced almonds though... they not only are delicious, but very good for us, too!

I halved the recipe when I made it for The Captain and me.  And it was more than enough to get us through a busy Saturday morning.

Whole Wheat Banana Crunch Pancakes

Here is the N.I. as I made them:

Per serving, not including toppings.
Weight Watchers P+ =  7.
Calories 280; Proteing 11g; Carbohydrate 41g; Fat 9g; Fibre 6g.

Mixing the wet ingredients....

And the dry.

 \

Top as desired!

Find the recipe on The Lean Green Bean

Banana Cinnamon Microwave Muffins

Lately I am obsessed with these  Microwave Muffins .  They are such a filling treat for only 2 P+ and there are so many fun and tasty ways to make them.  And,  I have done some experimenting and found they can be made with spelt, whole wheat or even white flours.

Normally I would make them 2 at a time but today I decided to make just one for me, as The Captain was otherwise occupied with a huge, gooey, fattening cinnamon roll...  so I halved the basic ingredients, and then used even less mashed banana. 

Why?  Well, bananas have more calories than pumpkin or applesauce, which are what I have used when making other versions of these muffins.  So, to keep the P+ count to 2, I reduced the amount of mashed banana to 1/8 cup in this individual serving.  It was plenty and quite tasty!

  

Banana Cinnamon Microwave Muffins
Makes 1 serving

• 1/8 cup mashed banana
• 1 Tbs organic spelt flour
• 1 egg white
• 1 packet Splenda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1. Spray a small microwave-safe bowl or mug with non-stick spray.
2. Mix ingredients well and place in bowl.
3. Cook on HIGH in microwave oven for 2 minutes.
4. Leave cool about 5 minutes in the dish, then turn out and leave another 5 minutes before serving.
5. Top with yogurt, fruit, nut butters, etc.

Per serving, without toppings.
Weight Watchers P+ = 2.
Calories 86; Protein 8g; Carbohydrate 13g; Fat 0g; Fibre 2g.

Ingedients mixed and placed in microwave-safe bowl.

After miking, let it rest several minutes to complete cooking.

Put on your favorite toppings and enjoy!

 Printable Recipe

Here are some other versions you may want to try:

Moist Microwave Muffins
(this one has pumpkin)

Chocolate Microwave Muffins

Applesauce Microwave Muffins

Peanut Butter and Banana Oats

Is there anything better that a hot, creamy oatmeal breakfast on a cool and rainy Fall day?  Comfort food for sure.

I made a rather large batch of oats for the 2 of us this morning and even after a 90 minute walk, we were sustained till noon.  I think it was the peanut butter.  If you want a single serving, these ingredients can easily be halved.  Leave out the Splenda if you don't care for sweet oatmeal.



Peanut Butter and Banana Oats
Makes 2 hearty servings

• 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 2-1/4 cups water
• 1 medium banana, mashed
• 1 Tbs peanut butter (I love chunky the best)
• 2 packets Splenda, optional
• yogurt or milk for topping
• dash of cinnamon

1. Put water in a medium saucepan with lid and set over HIGH heat till it boils. 
2. Add the oats, stir and replace lid.  Turn heat to LOW and simmer till oats are cooked, about 6 minutes.
3. Turn off heat, stir in mashed banana and peanut butter.  Replace lid and let rest for another few minutes.
4. Stir in Splenda, if using, and divide oat mixture between 2 serving bowls.
5. Add a bit of yogurt or milk of choice and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Per serving, not including yogurt or milk.
Weight Watchers P+ = 6.
Calories 217; Protein 6g; Carbohydrate 36g; Fa6t g; Fibre 5g.

Mash the banana before you put the oats on to cook so it will be ready when you need it.

Add the peanut butter and banana to the cooked oats, stir and then let rest a few minutes with the lid on the saucepan.

The Captain likes his with a bit of milk on top.



Printable Recipe

Banana Baked Oats for One

This morning I was craving baked oatmeal for breakfast, but The Captain wanted eggs, so I opted to make up a single serving of the crunchy baked oats.  Instead of using applesauce, I used mashed banana, and it turned out quite nicely.

Banana Baked Oatmeal with Cinnamon and Raisins
Makes 1 serving

• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• dash of cinnamon
• splash of vanilla
• 1/8 cup mashed banana
• 1/8 cup water
• 1 Tbs raisins 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Combine raw oats, spices, applesauce, and water.
3. Coat 1 small ramekin with non-stick spray and pour batter into it.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, or more until it’s firm.
5. Change setting on oven to “high broil” for 3 more minutes (for crusty effect).
6. Remove from ramekin to cereal bowl and add toppings.

Per serving, without toppings. 

Weight Watchers P+ = 3.

Calories 130; Protein 5g; Fat 2g; Fibre 5g.

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.

Put in ramekin that has been coated with non-stick spray.

When baked, remove to a cereal bowl and top with your favorites... yogurt, fruit, nut butters are lovely additions.

Printable Recipe

Luscious Carmelized Bananas

This is a lovely way to add a little zing to bananas that you are going to use as toppings... for oats or other hot cereals, waffles, pancakes, toast, or even icecream or yogurt.

The Captain's favorite flavor is carmel, so this is a natural for our house.  You can easily double or triple these ingredients, as required.  The trick is to be patient, as it does take several minutes for the sugar to carmelize and cook the bananas... but so worth the wait!

Carmelized Bananas
Makes 2 servings

• 1 medium banana
• 1-1/2 Tbs white sugar

1. Place the sugar in a shallow bowl. 
2. Remove the peel from the banana and discard. Slice the banana into half-inch chunks and place in the sugar in the bowl.  Stir the banana pieces to coat them all with the sugar.
3. Coat a saute pan with non-stick spray and set it over medium heat.
4. Add the contents of the bowl to the pan and make sure each banana piece is laying flat on one sliced side.  After a couple of minutes, the sugar will start to melt and bubble.
5. When the sugar is turning golden, turn the banana slices over to cook the second side.
6. Remove from heat when they have turned a carmel brown color.

Note:
Do not turn the heat up higher to shorten the cooking time as the sugar may burn. 
Soak the saute pan in water for easier cleanup.

Per serving of 1/2 banana.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 91g; Protein 1g; Carbohydrate 23g; Fat 0g; Fibre 1g.

Combine banana chunks with sugar in a shallow bowl, coating every chunk with sugar.

Place the bananas and sugar in a saute pan coated with non-stick spray, over medium heat.

The sugar will start to melt and bubble after a few minutes.

Bananas will start to turn a lovely golden color as as they cook.

And then they become carmel-colored when they are ready.  Remove from heat so the sugar does not burn.

On top of The Captain's morning oats.

With a bit of Almond Breeze to top it all off.

Printable Recipe