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Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins are the perfect snack for a summer’s afternoon: the moist bananas, savory chocolate chips, and warm yet crumbly dough are perfectly delicious.

A Cauldron Full Of Thoughts shares her delicious recipe with us:

These muffins are always in demand!

Ingredients:

• 3 large ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 tsp each baking powder and baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 3/4 - 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Prepare a large muffin pan with either non-stick spray or paper cups.

Mash bananas. Add sugar and combine. Mix in slightly beaten egg. Stir in the butter. Add all dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 12 large muffins.

Enjoy!

Looking for the perfect No-Bake recipe? You’ll love this delicious recipe, shared by A Cauldron Full Of Thoughts!

(Photo by Flickr user Penguin Cakes. Recipe by A Cauldron Full Of Thoughts)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp of butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 500g of icing sugar
• 30 tea biscuits, broken into small pieces
• 175 ml. strong coffee
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 Tsp vanilla
• Pinch of salt

In a big bowl, mix the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Add the salt, butter and hot coffee and mix well. Add the yolks and vanilla and mix well. Fold in the tea biscuit pieces.

Press the mixture into a pyrex dish and cover it with waxed paper. Refrigerate for one hour. Cut into squares to serve.

Watch the people you share it with smile. 

Enjoy!

From Totsy Blog:

So, we don’t really know who decides these things, but April is National Grilled Cheese Month.  Who doesn’t love a salty, buttery, toasted slice of bread sandwiching ooey gooey cheese??  It’s the ultimate comfort food.  We at Totsy love it and our perfect grilled cheese sandwich is kid-approved!  Your little ones will love this!

Servings: 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of white sandwich bread
• 1/4 pound cheddar cheese, slice 1/3” thick
• Unsalted butter, room temperature

What You’ll Need:

• Skillet - cast iron works best
• Spatula
• Knife

Directions:

1. Heat the skillet on low heat and add enough butter to coat the pan evenly.
2. Assemble the slices of bread with the cheese and gently press them together to hold them in place.
3. Put the sandwich in the bottom of the pan.
4. Cook over low heat.  Use the spatula to check for a golden brown color after 5 minutes.
5. After a golden brown color has been achieved, flip the sandwich over and check after 5 minutes for the same golden brown color.  Cheese should be completely melted at this point.
6. Plate the sandwich and serve with a bowl of tomato soup.  Yum!

Healthy alternatives:

• Use whole wheat bread.
• Look for cheeses made with skim or part-skim milk.
• Instead of butter, use an olive oil spray.  If you really want that buttery taste, use non-hydrogenated, omega-3 butter like Smart Balance.
• Add a slice of tomato - added dose of vitamin C and lycopene.  Research shows that lycopene can prevent certain types of cancer.

OATMEAL BANANA PANCAKES, serves one.

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 small banana
• 1 packet sugar sweetener (or sugar, whatever floats your boat)
• Cinnamon and vanilla extract to taste

While making recipe, heat a nonstick skillet. Blend all ingredients in blender until completely smooth. Pour into skillet a little at a time, flipping when the edges have dried out and the center is bubbly. Flip, let cook on other side.

Nutritional breakdown: 

• 350 calories
• 8.7 grams of fat
• 41.8 grams of carbs
• 5.3 grams fiber
• 10.2 grams sugar
• 26.8  grams of protein

Source: runlikeella.tumblr.com and The F Words

These delicious Vegan Almond Chocolate Chip Muffins are the perfect treats for your next Rainy-Day-In!

Foodie Friday post by Stephanie at Petals and Sunshine:

This is one of our favourite go-to muffin recipe. The almond extract really gives this muffin so much more flavour!
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rice milk (I used vanilla)
• 1 Tbsp pure almond extract
• 1/2 cup honey or other sweetener (we don’t use regular sugar since my son has sensitivities and it makes him really hyper).
• 1 Tbsp ground flax in 2 Tbsp water, reserve for a few minutes until it thickens
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup coconut oil (or half coconut oil and half applesauce)
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix milk, almond extract and honey. Add coconut oil and mix well. Then add the flax/water mixture, and all the dry ingredients, including the chocolate chips and mix.

Bake at 370 F for about 20 minutes.

I made mine in a mini muffin tin, because my kids love mini muffins! If you do too, you’ll obviously have to bake them for a much shorter time.

Cool off before storing in a container… if it even makes it to a container!

For a cozy, wintry recipe that is so easy even your little guy can help, we recommend this delicious casserole from one of our blog friends Love, Mommy.

Kid-friendly and hearty, this recipe makes a great dinner or side dish and we love that it only requires 5 ingredients! Brilliant. It might even be the perfect crowd-pleaser for an upcoming Superbowl Sunday party. Check out the original recipe below!

Photo via Love, Mommy

Cream of Chicken and Biscuits

• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
• 1 package of biscuits (8-12 count)
• Cheese
• Butter
• Peas of your choice

Place the biscuits in a deep pan. I like to use glass just because I can see when everything is finished easier. Preheat your oven and then start on the peas.

Boil the peas until very soft and then drain.

By now, your biscuits should be ready, so place them in the oven and set a timer for half of the time it takes your biscuits to cook (usually about 8-10 minutes).

Then, make the cream of chicken soup.

When the timer goes off, pull the biscuits out of the oven. pour the peas as evenly as possible over the biscuits, then add the Cream of Chicken soup on top of the biscuits, spreading evenly. Add the cheese to the very top and sour cream (if desired).

Place the mixture back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes, then pull out, and VIOLA! A wonderful meal everyone in the family can enjoy.

Image via Ohio University

For today’s Foodie Friday, we are considering a fresh twist on the standard brown bag lunch.

In a time when saving money and seeking healthier options is on everyone’s mind, packing lunch for your little one is a no-brainer!  Now that we are deep into winter and mid-way through the school year, it may be time to freshen up his or her school lunch. 

Check out these fun ideas from Parenting.com:

We especially love this update on the boring ham and cheese sandwich. Easy Ham and Veggie Pinwheels are a healthy way to brighten up his day!

Photo via tasteofhome.com

Ham and Veggie Pinwheels by Rosemary Black 

Prep time: 10 minutes // Serves: 4

How kids can help: Measure ingredients; assemble wraps.

• 4 eight-inch flour tortillas
• 3/4 cup light cream cheese 
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced thin
• 4 large slices baked ham
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced thin

1. Arrange the tortillas on a cutting board. Spread each with about 3 tablespoons cream cheese, then top with cucumber, ham, and tomato slices.

2. Roll up each tortilla, pressing down firmly as you go. Place wraps, seam side down, on a cutting board, and cut each into 4 sections.

Per serving: 314 calories, 15 g fat (8 g saturated), 736 mg sodium, 51 mg cholesterol.

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Yum!

We’d love to hear your tips and tricks for packing a lunch with a punch. Share them in the comments below!