a failed kitty face pancake

So I thought I'd be all Martha Stewart-like and make a "fun" pancake for my daughter one morning for breakfast. Instead I made this. An angry bear. I really did TRY to make a cat face. And failed miserably.



After texting this out to some friends I got a few replies that are worth sharing:

"Quick! Eat it before it eats you!"
"Please don't quit your day job and go into pancake making as a business."
"Eat it and let's never speak of this again, ok?"

And then there were those that called in hysterics or replied with LOL (laughing out loud) or ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing).

At least my pancake was good for something (brightening the day of my friends) because he was just too scary looking to eat. Even the 3 year old agreed.

banana nut pancakes

(link to original recipe from skinnytaste.com with complete nutritional information)

Servings: 6

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 large banana, very ripe, mashed
1 cup 1% milk (I used skim)
3 large egg whites
2 tsp oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp chopped walnuts (optional)
butter flavored cooking spray

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine milk, egg whites and mashed banana in a bowl and mix until smooth. Combine wet ingredients with the dry and mix well with a spoon until there are no more dry spots. Don't over-mix.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Spray oil to lightly coat and pour 1/4 cup of pancake batter. When the pancake starts to bubble and the edges begin to set, flip the pancakes. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.

Makes about 3 cups of batter which yields 12 pancakes.

We topped ours with extra walnuts, banana slices and syrup! Delicious!

best banana muffins ever

So last night I had 4 very ripe bananas that I didn't want to toss. I tweeted: "I have 4 overripe bananas I need to use ASAP. Suggestions?" Lots of tweeters came to my rescue, but these are what I opted to make - Banana Crumb Muffins. They are the best banana muffins I have ever tasted. I tweaked it a little to use what I had on hand (4 bananas instead of 3, whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose) and it was seriously amazing. The recipe says it makes 10. I got 14 out of my batch and only used about half of the topping. Warning - at the estimated 263 calories per muffin on the recipe site it's not a low-cal treat. But my mind is already turning and I have several substitutes I think I could make without sacrificing flavor. Next time I make these (and there will be a next time or my husband and kids will beat me) I may try those out. If it's a hit with the substitutes I'll share my version.

recipe: fresh strawberry crepes

We had yummy strawberry crepes for dinner tonight. Breakfast was my plan originally (eggs, etc.) but then I saw Weight Watchers tweet this super easy recipe and I decided to try it instead. You should too. I promise you won't regret it!

And yes, it's listed in desserts but it still made a terrific dinner. Hubs requested bacon as well so we had bacon on the side.

Fresh Strawberry Crepes
POINTS per serving: 3
Servings: 8
Serving Size: 1 crepe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 32 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

5 large egg whites
1/8 tsp table salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fat-free skim milk
1 cup all purpose flour
8 sprays cooking spray
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced very thin (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, salt, vanilla extract, melted butter, milk and flour until just combined.

Coat and 8- or 9-inch skillet with cooking spray; set over medium heat. When pan is hot, add 1/4 cup of batter and tilt skillet to cover entire bottom of pan with a thin layer of batter. Cook for 2 minutes; flip over. Top with 1/3 cup strawberries; cook for 2 minutes more. Fold crepe over and slide onto a serving plate; cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining ingredients; sprinkle with sugar.

Devour and enjoy!