Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

The other day, my husband and I were talking about bananas.

Yes, bananas.

He brought up banana nut bread that his mom used to make when they were growing up, I talked about chocolate chip banana bread that we made in treatment one time- and he was in awe that he'd never thought to combine banana bread and chocolate chips. So, when my former dietitian from that treatment center just happened to post the recipe on her Facebook page, I knew that we'd have to store up some bananas so that we could try this out and my husband could experience the gloriousness of chocolate chip banana muffins.

It took some time to store up the bananas. You see, we both rather like to eat this particular fruit- and so do our puppies. I like them before they ripen too much, he likes them super ripe, the puppies just like whatever we give them. So, having bananas stick around long enough to ripen enough to make banana bread isn't a common thing. But, we bought some extra bananas last time around, I told T that he wasn't allowed to eat two of them, and it all worked out- we had ripened brown bananas and we could make some muffins.

Since they are so so yummy, I thought that today I'd share the recipe on the blog. 

This recipe makes 12 muffins. 12 yummy delicious muffins.

You will need:

• 2 mashed bananas
• 4 T melted butter
• 2 T sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 3/4 t baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

These are literally the easiest thing ever to make- combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them up. I just mashed my bananas up in the bowl as I mixed everything up- pregnancy can make a girl pretty lazy, you know. :)

The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, but that just didn't seem like enough for me (Baby likes chocolate). So, I used 1/2 cup...and then poured some more in until Baby seemed happy (very scientific and precise, I know).

Once everything is mixed, spray or grease your muffin ban and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

And then- EAT! As you can tell, I was a little enthusiastic to dig in, so a muffin is missing from the pan...oh well. Baby likes muffins, what can I say?

I'm currently over here trying to convince myself that I can eat these things for every single meal (hey- they have bananas in them, they have to be healthy, right?). I'm honestly not sure how much longer these will be sticking around between a hungry preggo (there's just something about these last few weeks of pregnancy- I'm hungry hangry all the time), a hungry Baby, and a husband that is a garbage disposal. As easy as these are to make though, I'm not complaining! :)

Wedding Recap: First Look

Due to several things, I had already decided before T and I were even a "thing" that I wanted to do a "first look". First of all, I have major anxiety issues, and I knew that seeing my groom pre-wedding would make things much less stressful (for the record- it was). I highly recommend that anxious peoples like me do this. I wasn't afraid of him leaving me at the alter, it was comforting to have him around, and- let's face it- I already had to take multiple anxiety prns before the wedding and was still having anxiety attacks- I think I would have died if I had tried to wait to see T until the ceremony. Plus, it meant we could take pictures together, with our wedding party, and with our families before the wedding and not have to worry about people having to wait around at the reception for all of us to show up. All in all, I thought it was a wonderful choice. 

Our wedding coordinator/my mom's BFF/my second mom highly recommended that we did the first look due to the above issues. She (and our photographer) agreed that we wanted it to be as intimate of an event as possible, and we still wanted to maintain the traditional experience of me walking down the aisle to meet my groom, so we did our first look in the Sanctuary where we were to be wed, and only us and our photographer were in the room. Yes, only T, Julie, and I were in the room. I made it clear on our wedding itinerary (yes, we had a 15 page wedding itinerary that I created and sent out to all involved- I'll talk about that at a later time, but I feel like it was the greatest idea I ever had) that I wanted this to be private and that I didn't want anyone else entering the room, I wanted all doors closed, and I didn't want anyone watching from the windows (or at least, I didn't want to see them doing so). It might have seemed a little Bridezilla-ish, but that's how I wanted this sacred moment to go down- so that's how it happened. I'm glad I stood up for myself, because I cherish the moments that T and I were able to have (mostly) alone. Our photographer was great- she stayed out of the way and I didn't even really realize she was there- she moved quietly and didn't interrupt us, which was great. 

Yes. I cried. It was out of happiness and disbelief that all of this was really real and I was really getting to marry my best friend. They were happy tears- I promise. :)

And T laughed at me the whole time that I was crying. And then, he made some inappropriate joke (okayyy, it was probably "appropriate" being that we were to be wed in a few hours and we had a wedding night coming up- but you get the picture...as my dad liked to say- #handsoffpotthoff).

And I have to throw this one in there- I just love my dad's face/reaction. Originally, we planned to do a first look with my dad before, but timing and stress...it just didn't happen. So I was happy that our photographer captured this moment.

First look- check! Next up- our wedding pictures!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

Remember those Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Oatmeal No Bake Cookies? You mix chocolate and peanut butter and oatmeal together on a stove, then you stick them on a pan to let them cool...yeah, those might be my favorite kind of cookie. When I set out on my first overnight oats adventure, I wasn't planning on recreating these cookies, but it just so happened to work out that way. Apparently, when you combine peanut butter and Nutella- amazing things JUST HAPPEN. I don't know how or why it always works out, but I don't believe I've ever had a peanut butter/Nutella combo that was bad. I just haven't.

So, I've been looking for some healthy breakfast options recently. Normally in the mornings, I'm quite lazy. I don't really want to spend the time fixing and cooking a bowl of oatmeal, or finding a bowl that is clean to pour milk and cereal in...so I've been ending up eating a lot of Poptarts. Now- don't get me wrong. I firmly believe that there is a time and a place for Poptarts in a healthy diet. Healthy diets require balance- and a little "unhealthy" food is sometimes what is the healthy choice. But, I'm beginning to realize that fueling my body with Poptarts every morning doesn't really keep me going- and I end up mindlessly snacking, forgetting to eat lunch because I'm not hungry, and then I realize "Oh crap. It's 4pm, my husband will be home soon. He's going to ask me what I ate for lunch and I still need to start getting dinner ready." I like the accountability system we have- him making sure that I'm no overexercising or undereating or whatever- and and I realize the importance of sticking to somewhat of a schedule for meal times. It's what's best for my body, and my hunger cues work much more appropriately when I eat at "normal" meal times.

So, as I began my search for healthy breakfast options, I remembered something I had stumbled across on the internet when I first began recovery- overnight oats. I was terribly afraid of them because- well, calories. And how would it fit into my meal plan and exchanges? But now that I'm free from the confines of my meal plan and don't have to stick strictly to the plan...I can see how overnight oats can make a really great breakfast. They're easy, yummy, and since I fix them up the night before (or several nights before), they don't take much time in the morning. I just have to grab the jar from the fridge, grab a spoon, and I'm ready to take on the world! I like to eat these cold, but I've also heard that you can microwave them.

So, have I convinced you that you need to try them yet? Today, I'll be sharing the recipe, just in case you too want in on the Overnight Oats Craze.

What You Will Need:

• 1/4 cup Oatmeal (I use a packet, because that's what I have in the pantry right now, but you could totally use the oatmeal that comes in a canister)
• 1/2 cup Soy Milk (or Almond Milk..you could probably use regular milk- but I like my vanilla soy milk, so I stick to that)
• 1/2 cup Vanilla Yogurt (Sometimes I use Greek, sometimes I use regular- it depends what I grab at the store. But, I always use vanilla flavored- I need the sweetness)
• A scoop of Peanut Butter (I'm a fan of crunchy, because I like finding the peanut pieces in my oatmeal, but that's just me)
• A BIG scoop of Nutella (Or two or three...I'm not sure that the limit of what is too much Nutella exists)

Here's how you make it:

1. Grab a jar/cup/bowl thing to make your oatmeal in. I use these little mason jar cups that I got from our registry and they work perfect.
2. Pour 1/4 cup of oatmeal into your container.
   
3. Pour 1/2 cup of milk and yogurt (yes, both) into the container- on top of the oatmeal. Sometimes it makes a weird bubbly sound. Don't worry about it- it's okay. Sometimes chemical reactiony things just happen- it's only happened to me with regular yogurt, not Greek. (Note: if Greek yogurt isn't particularly your favorite due to the tartness, I might put in a little less.)

   

   Honestly, I normally eyeball the yogurt. Ain't nobody got time for measuring it out.
   Progress, not perfection.

4. Glop on your peanut butter and Nutella. I like to say to use a scoop of peanut butter and a BIG scoop of Nutella- but I really like Nutella (as previously stated). My ratio of peanut butter to Nutella is normally 1:3 or something like that. At least 1:2. Just eyeball it, it's not really a specific thing- it just depends how sweet/salty you like it.
   
5. At this point, you are probably going to wonder what the heck you are preparing. It might look like oatmealy stuff with poop in it- no worries, it will get better. Add a lid and shake (that's why I use a mason jar- you could probably just stir it together in a bowl, but I've never really tried that). I normally put a paper towel on the outside of the jar, just in case stuff starts leaking out. Shake it for...a long time. I don't really know the specifics, but when it stops looking like poop in the jar, and starts looking like chocolate milk- you're probably ready for step 6.

   

   Before shaking and After shaking.
   Don't shake your baby like this, kids.

6. Now, you are going to stick your jar in the fridge and WAIT. This is like the hardest part for me. Nighttime rolls around, I want a snack, I decide to make my overnight oats for the morning...and I look at them longingly. But trust me- these things need to sit for awhile (I let them "sleep" overnight, but I think official recipes say something like 3-4 hours).
7. Wake up in the morning and enjoy your peanut buttery, Nutellay, oatmeal goodness! I like to not stir my oats and eat them kind of clumpily and thick, but you could stir them if you wanted, or you could even heat them up. But me? I like them cold. Enjoy!

Now, as I'm not particularly sure how healthy they are...I'm not sure on the specifics of calories and fat and protein and all that stuff. But I consider this a healthy meal. I mean, it has grains/carbs (oatmeal), protein (greek yogurt and peanut butter), dairy (greek yogurt and soy milk), healthy fats (peanut butter and Nutella)- I think it's a pretty well balanced meal. Sometimes, I eat some fruit if I'm still hungry (but that rarely happens, these are pretty dense and filling)- and I'll normally have another cup of soy milk with my oats (hey- I like my dairy!). All in all, these keep me full until "lunch time"- when I can eat my second meal of the day at a proper time, instead of snacking throughout. Plus, it makes me feel like I'm making a healthy, balanced choice for breakfast. 

If you are interested in seeing some more of my recipes, before I get them posted over here on the blog, feel free to follow me on my food instagram! I was a bit tired of overwhelming my personal instagram (@laurenpotthoff) with food pictures, but I'm really excited about this new adventure I've started- learning how to cook, learning how to make healthy choices. You can find my food pictures at @RealFoodForRealLife. That name is another story for another day, but for now, go make some yummy overnight oats and eat them! Your tummy will thank you!