Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Very much like spiced banana breakfast shake, this could be a simple and wholesome meal in itself, especially if you like savoring a full 16oz in one go :)

Now, I used soy milk and whey protein powder in this just for a boost, but, can leave it out. Frozen bananas are the key, in my book at least, to get the thick rich texture.

A few fresh strawberries from our garden was handy, so I used them for garnish and presentation here.

Instead of strawberries, either blueberries or chunks of mango (my favorite), or even raspberries(D's favorite) can be used.

This has become such a favorite with Ana, especially when I whip it up in no time at her request that it almost seems like she is taking it for granted. Well, no matter - what are mom's for, right?! And, since I don't have to shell out 5$ to 7$ for a tall 16oz., I am glad to make it at home in its simplest and most-satisfying form :)

Ingredients
1 pint freshly picked sweet Hood strawberries*
2 medium bananas, peeled and left in the freezer for about 30 minutes
1 Tbsp whey protein powder
2-3 cups soy milk (or skim milk)
1-2 Tbsp Agave nectar

*Or any kind is fine, just that Hood that we picked are incredibly sweet and juicy

Preparation
Simply combine the ingredients and blend, adjusting milk/soy milk to get desired consistency.

Spiced Banana Breakfast Shake

Banana is versatile and nutritious, as we all know. And, when I was growing up in India, we always had bananas at home to be eaten as a snack, or even dessert. There were at least half a dozen varieties of bananas I remember, each with distinct flavor, look, and size - from the small "manjal pazham" (yellow banana) to my favorite "nendran pazham" (i have no idea what the translation or botanical name for nendran is - I guess I could look it up...).

While I relish bananas as-is, I also like this simple shake which is low fat with a hint of spice. This thick, cold, and hearty shake with bold banana flavor and a hint of allspice and cinnamon is a great way to start the day.

This Spiced Banana Breakfast Shake is for this month’s Jihva for Ingredients - Banana. JFI was started by Indira of Mahanandi, hosted this month by Mandira of Aahar.

Ingredients:
2 large medium ripe bananas
½ tsp allspice powder
1 cup 2% milk
6 oz Yoplait™ low fat banana creme yogurt
cinnamon powder for dusting

Preparation

1. slice 1½ bananas and leave in the freezer for about 30 minutes
2. slice the remaining ½ banana for garnish
3. when ready to assemble the drink, combine the milk, yogurt, frozen banana slices and all spice powder in a blender and blend to a smooth drink
4. garnish with sliced bananas stuck through a toothpick and dust with cinnamon, serve cold

The quantity listed above makes about roughly two 8 oz drinks as in the picture.

strawberry banana yogurt nut muffins

Strawberry season is not far away now. We still have a small stash of yummy frozen strawberries picked last year from local farms. And a large stash of blueberries. I am trying to use them up so we can pick some fresh ones again this year.

I am not particularly fond of muffins, but, thought it would be a nice breakfast treat for my wee tot.

Muffins are not as easy to make as they seem. At least not to me, as I love to just throw things together and see what comes up. Baking is more precise and demanding than the usual cooking I do. Not much room to play around and experiment. And, my oven seems to have a mind of its own. I have mucked around with baking recipes to end up with batches of paper-weights :-)

Thanks to ATK (America's Test Kitchen), at least I now know that sugar is considered a wet ingredient in baking and the amount of sugar matters a lot to get the end product just right. And, mixing techniques do affect the outcome. A hand-held power-whisk with speed control is better than my arm-power?!

Wanting to make low fat, low sugar goodies, I used to cut back on sugar and butter from standard recipes, but, now I know better ;-)

I wanted to use yogurt, nuts and fruits in the muffin recipe. Milk:Yogurt ratio can be adjusted to your liking, to make up 1½ cups total. I was quite skeptical about how it would turn out as I was meddling with the recipe a bit, but, it turned out all right :-)

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup 2% milk
½ cup plain non-fat yogurt
4 Tbsp melted butter or ghee
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
¼ cup dried cherries & cranberries
1 cup banana and some strawberries - mashed together to make 1 cup

Preparation

combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, dried fruits and nuts in a large bowl

beat the eggs, milk and yogurt in a bowl

whisk in the egg+milk+yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients; add the strawberry+banana mash; fold them in gently; this muffin batter has the consistency of a thick pancake batter

pre-heat the oven to 400°F, grease a muffin pan, and maybe a small 4" cake tin, or bundt cake pan

pour the batter into muffin pan, about half full (or more, if you like it to swell up and form a mushroom-like 'top'); and if any batter is still left, pour into the greased tin; i had enough for 12 muffins, plus a small 4" bundt cake mould

bake in 400°F oven for about 20-25 mins; check part way and turn the pan around if needed; insert a toothpick - if it comes out clean, muffin is done