Banana Oatmeal Cookies

So after being away, I realized my dear husband did not eat any of the bananas I left him. If he has cereal he wants a banana, but I never know when he will want cereal. Anyone else have a similar problem? So we had four very ripe bananas. Instead of making muffins or bread, I thought I would look for a cookie recipe. Well I did a google search and found several that looked good. I took them and combined, added and adapted to my recipe. Here are links to where I started: Oatmeal Banana Cookies, Old Fashion Banana Cookies, Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies. And here is my recipe:
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs beaten
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (Mashing is a good job for a little one)
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini since it was what I had) (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)

1. In electric mixer beat butter, shortening and sugars.
2. Add eggs and mix well. Then add banana and mix well.
3. Combine flours, baking soda, spices, rolled oats and flax seed meal in a separate bowl. Then add to mixer and mix well.
4. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts and/or raisins.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375.6. Drop by the teaspoonful and place an inch apart on cookie sheets covered in parchment paper (for easy clean up). Bake 12-15 minutes watching carefully. Reduce heat if browning too quickly.

I find refrigerating helps to form balls and Hazel can form balls, but cannot drop by the teaspoon, but this dough was too mushy (I used more than a cup of banana since I had so many). The cookies are delicious though!If I make them again, I think I would leave out the chocolate chips. They takeover the taste.

Oh, and hopefully you will not have to clean up the mess I had. Poor Hazel fell off her stool taking with her most of the eggs. Luckily I had already cracked two and was able to save one, but egg is not fun to clean up off the floor.

Enjoy your day!

Baking and Walking and Party Preparing

This will be my last post for a few days. I have to help my mother plan for a big family reunion, so Hazel and I are packing up and going for a visit leaving Steve home to work, take care of the cats and rest. Yesterday was so beautiful out so Hazel and I walked to Bed Bath and Beyond and Kohls to run our errands. It is probably about a mile each way. Hazel of course was in her stroller. Luckily she didn't need a bathroom until we got to a store. Then we went to the library to return some books and pick up some books on fairies. Then we went to run the heavier and further errands. After nap time we made the dough for the cookies from one of my favorite blogs: Creating a Family Home from a post a few days ago. We baked them this morning. Now it is time to pack the car and get ready for seeing family. Have a good rest of the week and weekend!

Nature Walk

After the rain stopped today, Hazel and I went outside. Our mission was to find some sticks for her stick pig house and to jump in the puddles. After a bit of jumping and finding many wet sticks, we changed shoes and went for a walk. Hazel pushing her toy lawn mower around the small loop of our neighborhood. As we walked, Hazel found things to be amazed by, starting with leaves. I explained to her she could bring them back home and put them on her nature table. I started a nature table for her a few months ago (as suggested by many Waldorf readings I have done), but she has shown no interest in it except to take everything off so she can play with the silk scarf on it. As I explained to her again about her nature table, she finally took interest in it. To her collection she added three different types of leaves, a bird feather and a rock and a very wet pinecone which we left in the garage to dry, plus I found a few more sticks which were drier. Of course since she was pushing her lawn mower, I got to carry all of it, but over all it was a great short slow walk (.4 mile) with Hazel finally taken interest in nature again. Of course the wind blew once and she immediately thought we should be home, but besides that one time, she wanted to be out looking, and exploring. I'm hoping tomorrow or Thursday to take her someplace with more trees/woodlike for more exploring and of course to the beach this weekend.

We also added legs, ears and tails to her pigs. I'll post pictures soon.

Have a great day!

Three Little Pigs

Brick House

 Hazel and I started working on a new fairy garden yesterday, when she said to me, "I want to make the pigs' houses." So off we went to JoAnn's for more supplies. We bought small $1 wooden bird houses (we already had one for the fairy garden), scrapbook paper with bricks and with hay and some hay. Tomorrow when it is dry we will go looking for sticks for the third one. I also bought a bag of pom-poms and googly eyes to make pigs. This is what we got done this morning. More to continue this week.

While running errands I ran to the Dollar Tree to buy some pipe cleaners and felt to match our pigs.

Straw House

Beginning of the three pigs

This will be the stick house

Saturday Baking: Banana Almond Butter Muffins

This morning Hazel and I made some muffins. We had four very ripe bananas to use up so we tried a recipe for peanut butter and banana muffins. However when I went to get the peanut butter all I could find was almond butter, so we went with it. I adapted the recipe from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. Steve and I both liked them. Hazel did not, but they may have been too hot when she tried them. I also found that Steve and I only ate one each and we were basically full unlike some of my other muffins that take two or three to fill us. They are overly moist due to the amount of bananas so I don't recommend paper muffin cups.

Banana Almond Butter Muffins

Course: breakfast PointsPlus™ Value:    6 (Weight Watchers info) Servings:  12 Preparation Time:  15 min Cooking Time:  20 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Ingredients

	4 large banana(s), ripe and mashed
	1 cup(s) packed light brown sugar
	1 cup(s) shredded carrots, pureed
	1 item(s) egg white(s)
	1/2 cup(s) almond butter
	1 cup(s) whole wheat flour
	1 tsp baking powder
	1 tsp baking soda
	3/4 cup(s) uncooked old fashioned oats

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 350 and spray a muffin pan with cooking spray. I had Hazel use the potato masher to mash the bananas while I pureed the carrots in my little food processor. (I had shredded carrots that needed to be used up but would have used a whole carrot.)
2) Combine banana, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, carrot puree, egg white and almond butter in large bowl. (Hazel loves to pour the measured ingredients in and mix.)
3) Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and baking soda) in plastic bag.
4)Add dry mixture to bowl and mix well. Then add additional 1/2 cup of brown sugar and stir only a couple of times.
5) Spoon into sprayed muffin pan and put in preheated oven 350 for 20 minutes. 

6) Cool on rack.

Sundae Scoop

http://www.talkingdollarsandcents.net/muffin-monday-breakfast-muffins

Happy Weekend! I shared this recipe on Sundae Scoop and Muffin Monday.