Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes

Baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you this
Song is meant to keep ya
From doing what your supposed to
Waking up too early
Maybe we can sleep in
I'll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now
~Jack Johnson

And so my Sunday morning began with his song! An inspiration from Pinterest and the craving for pancakes from the past two weeks, I jumped into the kitchen. These are easy, wonderful pancakes. Who would have thunk? Bananas IN the pancake mix!?!?! Yep! And it's delicious! I adapted the original recipe because I like my pancakes fluffier. Bother recipes are listed below.

Homemade Granola Mix

Hi all! Months ago I saw Clinton Kelly on The Chew share his favorite Granola Mix. It looked so delicious and easy I had to try it. It was all that he said it would be! Granola can be so very expensive at the store, and if you purchase all your ingredients separately (in bulk-ish) and make it yourself, overall you'll be spending much less. This made about 2-3lbs (filled a little more than 1/2 a gallon ziplock bag) and cost a total of $4.13 (approximately). In a store you'd pay about $4.99 for 1lb, and it wouldn't be filled with all of these healthy goodies, and would probably have much more fat and sugar!

For me, I already had Old Fashion Oats in my pantry (a staple for those wondering), and I  recently bought a bag of almonds (which can be expensive, but go a long way) and a bag of dried cranberries for snacking. With honey/agave nectar, dried banana and oil already in my pantry, I was able to quickly whip this recipe up. I do a lot of eye-balling when it comes to this recipe, so feel free to do what feels, looks and tastes right!

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This is my famous Banana Bread recipe with Chocolate Chips added in for a little extra sweet taste. It's considered a quick break because no yeast is involved, so it's fairly easy to fast to make. It's always a crowd pleaser, and during college I was often asked to bring loaves back after we'd been on fall or winter break. Everyone likes it!

Heat oven to 350˙. In a large bowl combine 1 cup of flour (keep an extra 3/4 cup to the side for later), 2/3 cup of sugar, 2 t baking powder, 1/2 t baking soda, 1/4 t salt. Mix together thoroughly. Add 2-3 mashed bananas, 1/3 c shortening/margarine/butter, 2 T milk. Mix thoroughly for about 1-2 minutes (hand or stand mixer) or until completely combined by hand. Add 2 beaten eggs and 3/4 c flour (set aside earlier). Add 1/2-1 c chocolate chips and/or 1/4 c chopped nuts if you so choose. Grease and flour a bread pan and add mixture. Bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Careful not to over cook or else the bread will be tough. I advise checking on it after 50 minutes and if it needs more time add it in increments of 5 or 10 depending on how much batter was on the toothpick. When the banana bread is done, allow to cool on a cooling rack for about 5-10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and allow to finish cooling on the rack.

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Banana Ice Cream

This is a great treat for everyone, especially if you love banana! It's very simple and can be done in about 2 minutes (or less)!

1-2 Frozen bananas
chocolate chips (optional)*
peanut butter (optional)*

Blend the frozen bananas in a blender or food processor. You want the bananas to come to ALMOST the consistency of soft serve ice cream. If they need some help, put a dash of milk, about 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon. Throw in however many chocolate chips you want, and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Finish blending. Use a spatula or spoon to scrape sides if ingredients stick so you get a well blended product.

*You can add whatever you want to make this ice cream tasty. I advise putting in small amounts of the 'extras' at a time, taste it, then add more if you like.

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