I’m sure everyone has had Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies before.  I remember when I first tried these cookies, I thought they were magical.  I mean, how could any human being possibly make something that tastes sooooo good?

Now that I’m a baker, I am apparently magical and I can make things that people didn’t know were humanly possible.  It’s funny to be on the other side of the fence.

Seriously, before I knew how to bake, I was impressed every time my mom made a box mix cake.  Now, I’m a box mix snob (okay, not really, Funfetti cake will always hold a special place in my…stomach) and willing to take on any magical baking challenge.

If you’re like I was, saying, “These cookies are magical, how did you make them?!” then you’re in the right place.  This recipe is so simple, but so impressive.

I followed the All Recipes recipe word for word, so click here for the recipe.  P.s. When the recipe calls for chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped, do not skimp out and use Great Value.  Trust me, I use Great Value for almost everything else, but do not replace the real Reese’s.

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Honestly, I would have titled this post “My Favorite Banana Bread” and not just “My Favorite Healthy Banana Bread,” but my moms banana bread will forever be my favorite.

I’ve made many, many, many banana breads, so it’s saying something to give this recipe such a label as “my favorite.”  

So, here you have it, my favorite healthy banana bread.  Full of chia seeds (which I do not suggest you leave out because they add a fantastic crunch), honey, whole wheat pastry flour, orange, banana, coconut oil, and other good-for-you ingredients.

What’s your favorite banana bread recipe?

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Anyone who knows me knows I love Joy The Baker.

I turn to her when I have rotting bananas sitting on my counter, when my bread starts to stale, or when I don’t know what to do with peanut butter.  That last scenario is very rare, by the way.

She gets me.  Even when her suggestion for peanut butter is making it into a peanut butter & pickle sandwich, I trust her.

So, when I had 4 black bananas on my counter, I knew I could count on her.   She didn’t let me down.  Her recipe for this skillet cake only had 1 banana, but I had 4, so I made it work.  And work it did.

This awesome recipe is adapted from Joy The Baker, if you haven’t gathered.

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Spinach and bamboo shoots: two things I never thought I’d bake with together, one thing I never thought I’d bake with at all.

Can you guess which one I never thought I’d bake with?

I was really craving some hot spinach and artichoke dip and just happened to have some almost-starting-to-wilt spinach.  Lucky me, right?  Right, but I didn’t have artichoke hearts.  So, like usual, I improvised.

For some reason, my dad loves bamboo shoots.  He eats them every so often, so we usually have them in stock.  Lucky for me, because they have a similar texture to artichoke hearts and not too much of a taste.

I really wanted to pat myself on the back when this came out of the oven because I’m pretty sure the bamboo shoots were the best idea ever.  This dip is so creamy, rich, and flavorful.  It tastes best right out of the oven (duh), but is still delicious the next day (also duh… how can you go wrong with mayo, sour cream, and cheese?)

Also, I made this in a total of 25 minutes from start to finish.  So stinkin’ easy.

This fantastic dip is adapted from Food Network.

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Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Here I go again, being late with my festive posts, but luckily, if you don’t have time to make this trifle today, you can enjoy it any time, not just on Cinco De Mayo.  This trifle is amazing. If you love the combination of pineapple and coconut then you will be a huge fan of this trifle.  It may not be as refreshing as a Pina Colada (Paula Dean can help you out with that recipe), but I guarantee it’s just as tasty (tastier, even).

I hate to inform you that this trifle has no alcohol in it, but feel free to add some!  For a boozy edition, just go ahead and whip in your favorite alcohol (preferably pineapple, coconut, or whipped cream flavored) with the whipped cream.

P.S. the Toasted Coconut Pound Cake I used in this recipe can be found here!

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A lot has been going on lately! Bad (kind of) and good.

I’m still looking for a job, but I quit worrying about it and I know one will come when it’s supposed to.  

We got 3 of our animals at the same time, so they’re all getting old at the same time.  Bad idea.  They’re all 3 having problems at the same time and it’s really wearing on us! But, it’ okay!  Everything will work out and be okay, but it’s sad to see my animals sick.  Our dog, Sunny, has congestive heart failure and she’s been having some seizures lately.  Our cats, Tabby and Chloe are just having various issues that come with age.

Anyway, good things have been happening lately, too.

I’ve been substitute teaching and it’s been going really well.  I’ve subbed almost every K-12 grade now, so that’s a kind of cool accomplishment.  The little kids are hilarious and I always have funny stories to tell.

Intuitive eating is going really well and it’s completely changed my entire mindset, so I’m feeling great!

Kellen and I had a great time at his formal :

Annd, lastly, I’ve been baking a lot. These cookies were (obviously) inspired by Reese’s.  I was really craving some chocolate/peanut butter in a cookie form, so I made these.  If you don’t like too much peanut butter in your chocolate, you might want to make your peanut butter balls smaller when you make these!  I am a huge fan of peanut butter, though, so that’s why my peanut butter lumps are so huge.  These are faaantastic cookies!

How do you deal with stressors in your life?

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The weather today is beautiful where I live.  I don’t know if it was 80 degrees and sunny where you live, but baking probably isn’t on the top of your priority list if it is.

However, these chocolatey marshmallow peanut butte might change your mind.  I love baking with marshmallows because they disappear when you bake them and I’m a kid at heart and magic still impresses me.  (It’s magic, not science, okay?)

Chocolate and peanut butter also still impress me, so this recipe is perfect for all you kids-at-heart out there.  I also thought I’d stick with the kid theme by using a word in my title that is not actually a word.  It happens.

These bars are ooey and gooey and the flavors are seriously perfect. (If you’re wondering why there’s a red spot in one of my pictures, I used red velvet chocolate instead of chocolate chips…I suggest it if you can find red velvet chocolate!)

What’s your favorite ingredient to bake with?

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Today’s going to be a super short post, but I wanted to give you a head’s up that Sunday is National Blueberry Pie Day!

If you’re wanting to celebrate, check out Tasty Kake’s recipes at A Bull’s Eye View.  Check out these beautiful photos from Tasty Kake (these are not my photos):

For the recipes, click here!

I have actually made my own Blueberry Pie Ice Cream before! However, this was before my photography skills improved… aka the photos are horrendous, but I promise it still tastes good!

Oh my, that is an embarrassing photo.

Have a happy National Blueberry Pie Day on Sunday and have a wonderful weekend! 

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This toasted coconut pound cake is just comforting.

That’s the best way to describe it.  It’s a dense cake with an almost creamy texture, but the crust is crunchy.  The textures of the creamy inside and the crunchy outside really compliment each other.  The taste is sweet (but not overly sweet) with a deep, nutty hint to it.  Toasting the coconut is mandatory! No if’s, and’s, or but’s!

I used to be obsessed with coconut, but we’ve gone our separate ways.  Since making this cake, our connection has been rekindled and I have gained my love for coconut again.

In all seriousness, this cake is the boooomb.

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My intuitive eating journey is still going really well.  I’m getting through the book quickly (it’s so informative and fascinating!) and I just feel, like I said before, so free.  Like Heather said, it’s great not to be a part of the clean your plate club anymore!

I’ve noticed that since I’m not always worrying about being healthy and what foods I should be eating, I’ve been a lot happier.  I’m not only thinking intuitively when I eat, but also in everything else I do.  The book, Intuitive Eating, gives tons of advice that can be related to eating and everyday life.  The authors write about taking deep breaths before beginning an act and taking a second to realize what you’re doing.  It really makes life more enjoyable when you’re more aware.  It personally helps me to be more grateful, too.  I just cannot say enough good things about this book!

The authors also write about not setting your goals for “perfect,” but instead being happy and respecting your body as it is now.  It’s kind of strange because I read that, and then I was in adoration on Friday, I read this quote from a book in the chapel:

“He who seeks perfection before action and labor will achieve nothing.” -Isaac the Syrian

Although Isaac was referring to praying, it’s true in every aspect of life.  This one’s tough for me to wrap my brain around because I’m definitely a perfectionist.  For example, all of my “healthy habits” started when I first set a goal to get abs.    I was soooo determined that I was going to get abs.  It’s kind of weird (but not really) that since I set that goal, I’ve actually gained weight instead.  If you’re starting a task or a diet or anything with the intention of being perfect, you’re just setting yourself up for failure.  Instead, try to be happy with what you’ve got and thankful for the things you do have instead of upset about what you don’t have and the rest will follow.

It might just be a coincidence (doubt it!), but lots of good things have been happening since I started this “journey.” For example, my Cake Batter Popcorn was featured on BuzzFeed yesterday.  How cool is that? A few other good things are in the works, too.  I really have nothing to complain about!

If you’re looking for more reading on intuitive eating, you should check out Tracy’s post: 10 Ways Intuitive Eating Could Make You Happier and Healthier.

Are you mindful in everyday tasks?  I know I certainly could still use some work on that! 

I made this homemade sweetened condensed milk because I ran out of regular sweetened condensed milk.  I realize it probably would have been easier to just run to the store, but I wanted to try making it.  It turned out pretty well.  I will say, it doesn’t exactly taste the same, but the texture and thickness is the same.  The taste is a little nuttier, probably due to the coconut milk.

Since I copied the recipe exactly, you can check out Detoxinista’s website for the recipe!

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