What I Ate Wednesday - Veggie-fied

Who am I kidding? It's always a veggie-fied party over here :)

Happy What I Ate Wednesday! There's been a lot of talk about love and V-Day and spoiling your sweetie, but I think it's important that we also remember how important it is to love ourselves. One thing we can do to show our bods a little love and respect is to eat lots and lots of fresh  fruits and veggies.  I try to fuel myself with lots of fresh and delicious produce, so this month's "Love Your Veggies" theme has been pretty darn easy to follow!

Check out my eats from Monday: Breakfast I've been staying true to my green smoothie ritual every morning. I make a batch that lasts for 2 days and store it in the fridge in a mason jar. This beauty contains baby spinach, celery, apple, pear, banana and lemon.  It's as good as it is green ;-)  

 Lunch I`ve been craving fresh salads alot lately, so that`s what I often pack for lunch at work. Baby spinach, olives, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, and a crumbled quinoa veggie patty was on the menu Monday. I top the salad with an olive oil and balsamic mix - and of course you`ve gotta add some dijon! This was amazingly delish! 

 Snackage Snacks are a must in the afternoon. Most of the time I reach for an apple or a banana and we`ve also been loving pineapple lately - only $2 for a peeled and cored beaut!  

 I also had a mini raspberry cheesecake before I gave the rest away. Hmmm....it looks like someone else really wanted a bite of that cheesecake!!! (Look very carefully for a cute little puppy dog face) 

 And I also had to taste test my fresh baked banana bread before I posted the recipe yesterday! Add a wee bit of organic butter and you have a swoon-worthy snack. It`s so good that I ate it up before I could even get a pic!   Dinner I`m still eating alot of lonely girl dinners - veggie scrambles (1 egg and a splash of almond milk scrambled up with some sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, goat cheese, baby spinach and green onions) and roasted butternut squash can often be found on the menu.  I know you`ve seen this type of meal before, but I absolutely love it and the fact that it`s quick and easy makes it perfect for those nights when I`m cooking for one.  

 I think I`ve packed as much veggies as I can into one day of meals wouldn`t you agree :-) If you`re looking for more veg-tastic meal ideas, head on over to Peas & Crayons and check out what other bloggers have been eating this week.
Have a great day --- and go make yourself a green smoothie right now! Please, try one just for me and let me know how much you love it!

How do you incorporate more veggies into your meals.
Tell me the best thing you`ve eaten today.

Andrea

Banana Bread Love

I promised you banana bread and banana bread is what you shall get my loves. Happy Tuesday!!

I wanted to shower you all with love today by finally sharing this much requested recipe. This is another oldie, but goodie. I've tried variation after variation to make it a little healthier but each one has failed miserably. It was either too dry, too dense, not sweet enough, to pasty or just not good ;) Ah, kitchen failures - you gotta love 'em!

This recipe is perfect just the way it is and I've now officially tapped out on trying to tweak it. So I hope you enjoy this original, unedited version of one of my old faves.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Makes 1 loaf

1 egg
1/2 c white sugar
1/3 c vegetable oil
3 large ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2/3 c chocolate chips (I like milk or dark chocolate, but since they were both wasted in previous fails, I went with semi-sweet :)

Preheat your oven to 350. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the bananas, egg, sugar, oil and vanilla.

Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. Mix well.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour your batter into the loaf pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick can be inserted into the middle and comes out clean.

Remove the loaf from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and cool on a cooling rack.

Slice and serve.

oopsie daisie - we had a little accident :)

 mix your wet ingredients

then add the dry

stir until well blended and then fold in your chocolate chips

If you're like me, you won't be waiting until the loaf is cooled. I wait until I'm able to handle a piece and then help myself to a big ol' slab slathered in organic butter.

Mm Mm Mm Mm Mm. Now this is what I call LOVE <3!

Do you ever bake your own bread? What type of bread is your favourite to make?

Do you have any plans on this day of love?

Whatever your plans, I hope you have an amazing day <3

Andrea