{Banana Breakfast Cookies}

This recipe is a new one I just tried over the weekend.  May be one of the easiest recipes in my arsenal thus far.  Super satisfying and healthy as can be, these banana breakfast cookies are a big hit.  I packaged them three per baggie and they're perfect for an on-the-go breakfast.  Oh, and did I mention there's only three ingredients?! Yes, that's right, THREE INGREDIENTS!  Doesn't get much better than that.


{Banana Breakfast Cookies}

4 mashed bananas, very ripe

2 cups quick cook oats

Dash of Cinnamon


{Directions}: Preheat oven to 350.  Mix ingredients together.  Spoon onto baking sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray.  Bake for 15 minutes.  That's it!  The only WW Points comes from the oats! {1 WW point per cookie, if you make 15 cookies}

{Note from Mrs. Munana}: You can add chocolate chips, nuts or any other mix-ins you'd like.  I just made a very basic version, which is still delicious!

Right out of the oven! Yum!

 

Perfect with a cup of joe!

Xox,
Mrs. Munana

{Oven Roasted Broccoli}

I try to incorporate veggies into my daily diet as much as possible.  Sometimes I get bored with the same ol' way I prepare veggies, whether it be steamed or raw.  My taste buds crave something different.  I ran across a new recipe on Pinterest a few weeks ago {what would we do without the wonderful world of Pinterest, right?!}, and I knew I just had to try it.  Oven roasted broccoli.  Sounded strange to me, but also sounded too good to pass up.  I am a crispy freak, so the idea of one of my favorite veggies going from steamed to baked and crispy really caught my attention.  I've made this as a side dish for dinner and also a main course for lunch.  Oh and my hubby absolutely raves over it and doesn't want me to cook broccoli any other way!  It's super super easy to make, check it out!

{Oven Roasted Broccoli}

1 head of broccoli, rinsed & cut into pieces

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Other seasonings of choice {I am obsessed with "Wing It" seasoning mix}


{Directions}:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a bowl, mix the broccoli pieces, olive oil and seasonings.  Spread out onto a baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and crispy. 4 servings, 1 WW Pt each {The only points in the recipe come from the olive oil.  Can use less, if desired}

{Note from Mrs. Munana}:  As mentioned above, I use my new favorite seasoning called "Wing It" seasoning mix.  It's the perfect blend of seasoning with a kick of heat.  You can literally put it on everything!  It can be purchased at the Made in Oklahoma store on 41st street across the road from On the Border.

Xox,
Mrs. Munana

{Enduring the Move}

The past month has been absolute chaos for my hubby and me.  Our little family has been dealing with selling a home, packing up the contents of that home, and moving into a new place.  I've never been through the whole "selling a home" process, since my husband owned the home before we met.  It's a very difficult process I've learned.  In the last few days before closing, we were without a washer, dryer and our fridge.  That makes it very hard for a wife to keep up with things, and I felt so distraught not keeping our "schedule" of going to the gym every night then cooking our meals.  We caught ourselves going to eat somewhere quick, then being so stressed out and having no time, we skipped our workout.  Luckily, I didn't end up gaining any weight during this stressful process; however, I could tell it was taking a toll on my body.  I hated the way I was feeling during that chaotic month, but thank goodness the whole ordeal is finally over! 

This past month has really shown me how our bodies and minds react during those "stressful" moments.  I can see now how stressful times can result in sinking into bad habits again and the feeling of being overwhelmed can be physically exhausting.  I've realized the importance of keeping your mind sharp and your body well.  Looking back I now realize that during those weeks before closing, I wasn't drinking hardly any water during the day.  That alone affected me more than I realized.  Also, I was more exhausted than ever, and if I had just made time for a 30 minute workout at least, I know I would have felt better and it would have relieved some of that stress I was experiencing.  Ultimately, I lost focus of myself and let the outside world consume me, but now that I am reflecting back, I can learn from this and try to do better with future experiences.

We are now moved and settled on the 3rd floor of a new apartment complex, our home sweet home.  We strategically picked the third floor for a reason: leg workout each day going up and down the stairs.  Plus, if you saw our view from the third floor overlooking a huge pond and the Battlecreek golf course, you'd understand our other reasoning.  Last night was our first opportunity to explore our new surroundings on an evening walk.  The weather was too gorgeous to pass up.  It was exciting to check out the exquisite homes surrounding us, feeling the warm sun, and simply enjoy each others company.  It is by far one of my favorite activities to do with my husband.  A free date night together!

We all deal with imperfections and weaknesses, especially when the going gets tough.  I hope today's blog post helps to encourage and strengthen you in those moments when you feel weak.  We all have those moments, and it's okay.  We can learn and be bettered by them.

Home is where I am with you...

Xox,
Mrs. Munana

{Banana Oatmeal Bread}

Over the weekend I was in the mood to do some baking.  I had several leftover bananas that were perfectly ripe for making banana bread of some sort.  I looked up a few recipes on my Weight Watchers app for banana bread and ran across this one.  Luckily, I already had most of the ingredients needed for the recipe.  Our house smelled AMAZING while the bread baked in the oven, and my husband absolutely LOVED it.  It's super easy to make, delicious, healthy, not too sweet and the oats in the recipe make it pretty filling. 

{Banana Oatmeal Bread}

1 1/4 Cup Flour, White
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
3 tsp Canola Oil
1 Large Egg, beaten
2 Large Egg Whites, beaten
3 Large Bananas
1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats (uncooked)

{Directions}
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients (minus the oats).  Add oil and eggs, mix together.  In a smaller bowl, mash bananas.  Add bananas and oats to batter.  Spray loaf pan with cooking spray.  Pour batter into loaf pan and bake until loaf is firm to touch, 45 to 55 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool. {10 Servings, 5 WW Pts per Serving}
 


 

Enjoy!

 

Xox,

Mrs. Munana

{Oven Baked Salmon}

Going back to my previous blog post, I promised you a few “lean protein” recipes.  I’ll start out with one of my husband’s favorite recipes, Oven Baked Salmon.  Salmon is more than just a “lean protein”.  It’s good for you on so many levels: it's high in omega 3 fatty acids and is full of vitamins such as Vitamin D & B12.  One thing I will briefly mention regarding salmon is that you should always choose “Wild” versus “Farm Raised” salmon.  Farmed salmon can be higher in PCBs and other contaminants because they're fed ground fish meal which is high in contaminants and then they “fatten up” the farm raised salmon.  I guess you could say “wild” salmon is the more organic version of salmon that doesn’t contain all those contaminants.

{Oven Baked Salmon}

Salmon Fillet, “Wild”

Olive Oil
Lemon, sliced
Salt
Pepper
Other Seasoning of Choice

{Directions}:

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.  Place salmon skin side down on large piece of foil (spray foil with cooking spray first).  Season with salt, pepper, and desired seasoning.  Lightly pour olive oil on top of fillet, then line the fillet with lemon slices.  Secure foil packet around the salmon and place on a baking sheet.  Bake in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes.  You’ll know when the salmon is completely cooked when it can be “flaked” with a fork.  {4 oz = 5 WW Pts}

Xox,

Mrs. Munana

 

Gimme some of that LEAN PROTEIN!