Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been testing out some gluten-free recipes lately, and this one is a pretty simple quick dessert.

Flourless PB Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 banana, mashed
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in a food processor.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Form into small balls of dough, about a rounded Tablespoon.

Place on cookie sheet.

Bake 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Cool on sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy as a semi-healthy snack!

Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

This dish has been a big hit among both my vegetarian and meat-eating friends!

Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

One head of cauliflower
1/2 cup Smart Balance Buttery Spread, melted
1/4 cup Parmesean
2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend, cheddar, or any you like)
1/2 cup Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa Pasta Sauce

Chop cauliflower into bite size pieces. Boil in a big pot of water for 10 minutes.

Combine margarine, parmesean, panko, and garlic salt in a small bowl.

Layer cauliflower, shredded cheese, and pasta sauce in an oven safe casserole dish. Top with panko crumb mix.

Cook in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until panko gets toasty.

Enjoy!

Quarterlife Crisis

My office is back in order and is set up even better than previously - it's darn near perfect. So, I am slowly getting back into the swing of things. I did just finish reading a book called, Quarterlife Crisis by Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner. The gist of the book is that college does not prepare one for real life in the working world. The authors don't offer any solutions, they just want everyone aware that this crisis exists and, gee, wouldn't it be nice if employers could slowly integrate college grads into their businesses?

No, college does not prepare you for the real world - that's what part-time jobs are for, that's what volunteer work is for, that's what your parents are for. Having read this book simply reinforces my drive to have my daughters think seriously about what they want to do with their lives long before they think about entering college, maybe even putting college off for a year or two and "live life" to better be able to make that kind of decision. And with homeschooling, who knows when they will graduate from high school - they might be 16, they might be 18. But they will have the freedom to take a bit of time to decide what's best for them and not have to worry about counselors or teachers pressuring them to make a decision too early.

Our Stuff

This is a wonderful video that explains our "stuff" fairly simply.

The Story of Stuff

It really makes you take a look around and say, wow, I have way too much stuff.

We still need to be aware of products with MSG

I found this article today and thought I would pass it on:

Still Beware of MSG

Make sure to scroll down to at least see all the other names for MSG and all the products that contain MSG - I had no clue MSG was in all of these items.

Steampunk

New blog to follow - it's all about Steampunk!

Wings of Steam

Steampunk is the newest interest in our house. This will be tons of fun, especially since there's a Steampunk convention coming to St. Louis in April of 2010!

Rose Society

We're already on the lookout for costume pieces - there are so many cool Steampunk sites on the web, I'll be researching for days!

Homeschooling is Reward Enough

These are two wonderful essays about homeschooling:

Mr. Pointy Nose

Mr. Pointy Nose Returns

I can completely relate to homeschooled children knowing the proper use of terms and the logic behind the science. Our daughters impressed their father this weekend with their knowledge. Our almost 8-yr-old daughter explained what the small weights were attached to the ceiling fan blades and why they were there and one of the twins (6 1/2 yrs old) explained that static electricity made the stray hairs on a brush all stand up on end. Then our other twin picked up a book and read it cover to cover without any prompting to do so. She just wanted her daddy to know she could read well.

I wouldn't give up homeschooling for all the money in the world!!! What have your children learned today?

Eat Less Red Meat and be Healthier

I saw this article today and thought it might be interesting for those who say they'll eat meat until the day they die - your life could be considerably shorter than mine.

Study Reports Eating Less Red Meat is Healthier

The funny thing is, the people who eat red meat everyday are the ones least likely to want to give it up.

1000 True Fans

I read an interesting article over on the Simple Dollar today. To oversimplify, the idea is that to be successful all you need is 1000 True Fans - 1000 people who will read your blog, buy your books/art/music, and spread the word about your greatness. Here's the full article.

1000 True Fans

The author says he started his blog simply because he wanted to write down his thoughts/insights/experiences of dealing with personal finance and hoped maybe a few people would like what he had to say. He has far exceeded his goal.

My quandary is, with so many blogs and websites on the World Wide Web, how does one, such as myself, ever hope of having more than a dozen (if I even have that many) readers? The obvious answer is to write wonderful posts that entertain, inform, or enlighten readers. I guess once I can keep my blogs updated at least once a week, then I can start figuring out how to market them to those billions of people on the Web.

Well, I'm off to my first Yoga/Pilates class - I will lose all this weight this year!!! (I'm much too embarrassed to mention how much I weigh - maybe once I've lost all the weight I will post the numbers.)

Non-Meat Loaf - Belly Bomber Style

Growing up, my mom made a wonderfully delicious meat loaf that tasted like White Castle hamburgers. That was one of the meals I missed when I became vegetarian, so I came up with a non-meat loaf that's just as good without all the unhealthy red meat.

Non-Meat Loaf - Belly Bomber Style

1 pkg. Quorn Crumbles, slightly thawed
1 can of cream of onion soup - low sodium
1 Tbs. organic soy sauce
1/4 white onion, finely chopped or 1/4 Cup frozen, chopped onions
Dash of Pepper to taste
Fresh bread, broken into pieces (I remove the crusts), about 6 slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients, except bread, together in bowl - using your hands may be the best method. Fold bread pieces in last, just enough to be well mixed.

Shape into a loaf and put into a lightly greased (I use non-stick cooking spray) glass pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 40 minutes, give or take a few.

I like this served with mashed potatoes and a green veggie.


Laura Knight copyright 2006

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

My grandmother made the best pineapple upside down cake. This is my version of her recipe.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1/2 Cup Smart Balance (or other margarine)
1 Cup light brown sugar
1 small can of sliced pineapples
3 eggs’ worth of Ener-G Egg Replacer prepared per box directions - divided in half
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla
5 Tbs. pineapple juice from the above pineapple can

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In medium/large size iron skillet melt 1/2 Cup Smart Balance. When melted, add light brown sugar and mix. Lay pineapple slices around the skillet in a single layer. You can add maraschino cherries to the center of each pineapple ring, if you like.

Using half of the prepared Egg Replacer, combine with granulated sugar, flour, salt, baking powder and pineapple juice.

Beat the second half of the prepared Egg Replacer until foamy. Pour into the batter and fold in.

Bake in oven for 35 - 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.


Laura Knight copyright 2006