In the Kitchen: Whole Wheat Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

By bobbi
September 3, 2020
No Comments

I posted on Instagram a photo of some banana oatmeal cookies I baked and a few people asked for the recipe, so here it is. This has been a family favorite for years! Originally, I read a number of various cookie recipes and then adapted them to come up with one that works for us. It has become one of our go-to recipes for fall (or anytime we have an abundance of over ripe bananas.) Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 and 3/4 cups quick cooking oats
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup non fat vanilla yogurt
a little less than 1/2 cup cane sugar*
a little less than 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas
a handful or two of chocolate chips (We prefer chocolate to raisins. 😉 )

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
Add egg, yogurt and banana. Mix well.
Add dry ingredients. Mix well.
Drop using a cookie scoop (or teaspoon) onto ungreased cookie sheet.**
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges turn lightly brown.
Cool on wire rack. This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies.

* I have also used coconut sugar for a healthier version, but it is less sweet.

** I love these MIU silicone parchment sheets when baking. Cleanup is super easy and the patterns help the boys know exactly where to place the cookie dough.

Here is the final product…and they didn’t last long. (Which was good for me since they kept calling my name every time I walked in the kitchen. 😉

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, 😉

(NOTE: Revolution of Love is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. I purchased these items on my own and am sharing my honest opinion about them.)

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 38): Country Potato Salad

By bobbi
August 4, 2015
5 Comments

I was hoping to switch up my entry into the Pinterest Party by doing something other than a recipe but time is short and no matter how busy I am, I’ve still gotta cook! So it’s another recipe, but at least it’s a tasty one.

The inspiration for this recipe came from Gina at SkinnyTaste.com. I changed the recipe to suit my family’s taste.

In gathering the ingredients, it has been fun to pick herbs and vegetables from our little garden on the deck. This is the first year that we have actually yielded produce, mainly because I put the boys in charge of watering. (I have a knack for forgetting to water and killing everything. LOL.) The boys were excited when they could pick their first tomatoes for a salad.

For this meal, Matthew, who is always ready to “help” me cook, picked fresh flat leaf parsley.

It was a proud feeling that made me understand why people had gardens. I’ve always been a “why bother if you can just buy it at the market” but now I’ve begun to understand why people bother!

Ingredients

6 cups of red potatoes cut in bite size pieces
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1/2 medium onion (or one small red onion), chopped
2 Tbs fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 & 1/2 Tbs olive oil
2 & 1/2 Tbs mayo (or light mayo)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Instructions

— Place potatoes in pot and cover with water. Boil 10 – 15 minutes until soft. Drain and cool.

— Combine the olive oil, mayo, Dijon, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well.

— Once the potatoes are cool, add the red pepper, red onion and parsley. Stir.

— Mix in the sauce and let sit briefly.

— Enjoy!

* * * * *

I’m linking up this post with the sweet Jess and Kate over at Sweet Little Ones Blog.com for this week’s Tuesday Talk. 🙂 Go check out their blog. There’s plenty of good stuff to read!

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

2. In your post, link back the original blogger/idea, rather than your Pinterest pin. That way credit goes to the proper person. 🙂 (But feel free to add your Pinterest profile link so we can follow you!)

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active for a month. Have fun!

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, Spotify or Instagram. 😉

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.

An InLinkz Link-up

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 37): Homemade Coconut Granola

By bobbi
July 7, 2015
4 Comments

Years ago, the thought of making my own granola sounded way too crunchy mama to me. (Let’s be honest, eating any kind of granola was too crunchy for me.) After Brian was diagnosed with cancer, I had to rethink my attitude. It was time to learn to DIY in the kitchen.

At the time I was also taking Elizabeth Foss‘ wonderful Restore workshop. (I wrote about it here.) In one of the lessons she posted her family’s favorite granola recipe. I apprehensively followed the recipe and was surprised to find that it wasn’t that hard, it tasted delicious and the family loved it. Now making granola has become second nature. I have since played around with Elizabeth’s recipe and a number of others ones I found on Pinterest and narrowed down the ingredients and flavors that worked best for our family. The great things about granola is that you can easily add and subtract to suit your tastes.

Ingredients

(Part 1)

7 cups of rolled oats
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup unsweetened coconut

(Part 2)

3/4 cups coconut oil, softened
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon

(Part 3: Optional)

1 cup of raisins
1/2 a cup of dried cranberries.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.

In a smaller bowl, combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir well. Place in a large roasting pan. Bake 45 minutes, stirring the granola every 15 minutes.

When the granola is done pour it onto two cookie sheets. (I tried following other recipes that cooked the granola on cookie trays but it didn’t work as well for me as the roasting pan.)

Next add the raisins and cranberry if using. (I make one tray with the dried fruit and leave one plain.) Let the granola dry and harden for about 1/2 an hour. Eat and enjoy!

Keep the leftover granola stored in an air tight container for up to a week or so. (If it lasts that long.) 😉

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active for a month. Have fun!

PPS – This post contains affiliate links.

An InLinkz Link-up

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 33): Slow Cooker Rotisserie-Style Chicken

By bobbi
December 2, 2014
2 Comments

Welcome to the RoL Pinterest Party. Join me as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, planned, organized, followed or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards OR share something original that others can pin onto their boards.

Not on Pinterest? No problem. Link-up your own creation to inspire us so we can pin in to our own boards. It can be a recipe, sewing project, Catholic craft, homeschool project, organizing/ homemaking tip, themed birthday party, whatever you’d like.

Don’t have a post ready? The link-up will be open for a month so there’s still time. Plus, feel free to link up a new post or an older post that hasn’t had much traffic lately. 🙂

PLEASE NOTE: Because we are entering the busy season of the holidays, I will be doing the Pinterest Party only once a month. It will be every first Tuesday of the month and the link up will be open for 30 days, so there is plenty of time to join the fun! 🙂

* * * * *

With the busyness of the holidays, we can all use some quick dinner recipes. The first time I cooked a whole chicken in a crock pot I was a little apprehensive but I’ve learned to love it! I changed the ingredients a bit, but I got my inspiration from the recipe for CrockPot Rotisserie-Style Chicken from A Year of Slow Cooking.

Ingredients

(For the rub)

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Italian seasonings
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme

(For inside the bird)

1-2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 onion, quartered
3-4 large garlic cloves
1 lime, quartered (You could also use a lemon or an orange.)

Directions

Remove the insides of the chicken and the skin. (You can leave it on if you prefer. Removing all the skin is not as easy as it sounds but I hate all the grease that comes with the skin.)

Mix the rub.

Place in the bird the fresh thyme, quartered onion, quartered lime, garlic and 1/4 of the rub.

Use the rest of the rub on the outside of the chicken.

Place the chicken breast side down in the slow cooker (without water). Cook 4-5 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Mine was done in four hours on high when I checked the temp of the dark meat. (When cooking a whole chicken I use an instant read thermometer to make sure the thigh has reached 165-175 degrees. Need a temp cheat sheet? Click here.)

Here is a picture of our finished product moments before it was devoured by the family. (Remind me to ask for a serving platter for Christmas.) 😉

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active the whole month. Have fun!

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.

An InLinkz Link-up

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 31) and 31 Days of Gratitude: Love of Fall and Pumpkin Donuts

By bobbi
October 7, 2014
2 Comments

AND

I love Fall and today was the first day that it felt like it. The fog cleared and the sun came out, yet there was still a little chill in the air. There are pumpkins everywhere and changing leaves and it makes me want to bake something that will make the house smell like cinnamon and nutmeg. So today is a mashup post! For my 31 Days of Gratitude Challenge I’m grateful for the season of Fall and for the RoL Pinterest Party I’m trying a new pumpkin recipe. 🙂

* * *

For the Pinterest Party, join me as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, planned, organized, followed or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards OR share something original that others can pin onto their boards.

Don’t have a post ready? The link-up will be open for 10 days so there’s still time. Plus, feel free to link up a new post or an older post that hasn’t had much traffic lately. 🙂

PLEASE NOTE: Because we are entering the busy season of Autumn and the holidays that follow, starting now, I will be doing the Pinterest Party only once a month. It will be every first Tuesday of the month and the link up will be open for 30 days, so there is plenty of time to join the fun! 🙂

* * * * *

You can find me on Pinterest here.

I saw this recipe for Chocolate Covered Pumpkin Donuts from My Whole Food Life.com and I knew I had to try them. I especially liked that these donuts are baked, made with whole wheat and have no processed sugar.

Normally, I change a recipe to my liking but for the donuts, I followed Melissa’s ingredients exactly. I think the next time I may use a touch less ginger and cloves.

Ingredients

For the donut:
1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (To make them gluten free, just sub GF all purpose flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg (I used a flax egg replacer)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

For the chocolate coating:
2 cups chocolate chips
3-4 T milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

Melissa’s Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a mini muffin tray.
In one bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
In another bowl mix pumpkin, maple syrup, applesauce, egg, milk and vanilla until smooth.
Add dry to wet and mix just until combined.
Spoon mixture into the mini muffin tins and bake for about 11 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
After the mini muffins have cooled start the chocolate coating.

Chocolate Coating
Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and the milk until you get a smooth chocolate sauce.
Roll the donuts into the chocolate sauce until it is covered.
Then place each covered donut onto a baking sheet or plate and put in the freezer for at least 10-15 min.
Store them in the fridge on a plate or baking sheet.

(Melissa has a lot of other delicious looking recipes that I want to try. Check out her blog at – http://mywholefoodlife.com/.

Now, when I made Melissa’s recipe, I didn’t have mini muffin tins. Instead I made one batch in my mini-donut pan and one batch in my regular donut pan. I also didn’t have a double boiler so instead I stuck a handful of chocolate chips in a bowl with a dash of milk and microwaved it for 30 seconds. I stirred it and added milk to make it the right consistency. It worked great.

The final verdict. When I tasted the donut plain, I wasn’t convinced since it seemed like it had too many spices and not enough sugar. However, after topping each with the chocolate, which added plenty of sweetness, I thought they tasted really good. The proof? I can’t show you a photo of the mini-donuts because the kids wiped out the batch. So there you go. 😉

What kind of things have you been creating lately?

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active until the end of the month. Have fun!

PPS – This post contains affiliate links from Amazon.

An InLinkz Link-up

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Category Archives: recipes

In the Kitchen: Whole Wheat Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 38): Country Potato Salad

Ingredients

Instructions

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 37): Homemade Coconut Granola

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 33): Slow Cooker Rotisserie-Style Chicken

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 31) and 31 Days of Gratitude: Love of Fall and Pumpkin Donuts