Pictures are up! I think I’m going to switch them so the more detailed picture is closer to eye level – but I think they look pretty sharp! I am so glad I get to walk in the door everyday and be reminded of all the amazing memories I have of Japan. 🙂 Thanks again to my wonderful parents for the gift!
Sooooo, my secret baking project last night was Chocolate Banana Bread!
For some reason the placement of my fruit basket/banana hanger in my kitchen, always causes my bananas to ripen in literally one day. I could bring home a bunch of green bananas on Sunday, and they’d be as yellow as the sun on Monday. So in my kitchen, the banana philosophy is “use ‘em or lose ‘em.”
I usually cut the bananas that I’m about to “lose” into slices and stash them in the freezer for Green Monsters. Last night I had other plans…
I used this Joy of Baking recipe, but left out the chocolate chips. The result was this decadent, moist, chocolatey banana bread – positively sinful tasting!
This recipe was easy as pie – er, banana bread – and was seriously amazing. I use real butter when I bake too – no subbing in applesauce for fats up in here. I just try to eat my baked creations in moderation. Sometime it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Today it did because this bread is RICH. SO GOOD!
For breakfast, I had a slice of the bread with a crispy Braeburn Apple. Bananas, apples & chocolate? Pretty delicious if I do say so myself!
Lunch today is – you guessed it – an exact repeat of last night’s dinner – Greek Turkey Burger Spinach Salad.
Today I added a sprinkling of dried cranberries for a little pop of sweet & tart in my salad.
The great thing about these burgers, like the frittata, is that they’re just as good cold, as they are hot!
I also packed some Midnight Grapes.
They taste like red grapes, but are a little bit bigger and of course, as the name suggests, a little bit darker!
Today’s Greatest Running Tips
Tips #16, 17 & 19 wrap up the “Starting Out” portion of the 101 Greatest Running Tips list and move into the “Basic Training” section. Again, these are tips from a list of 101 that I felt were particularly helpful for runners at all levels!
Tip #16. Listen up!: “You must listen to your body. Run through annoyance, but not through pain.” –Dr. George Sheehan
– Last winter I ran into some terrible IT band issues that I tried to run through. Not good – it definitely got worse. I let myself rest and didn’t run for a couple weeks, and magically I have felt no pain ever since. I see absolutely no point in running through pain. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Go see a doctor!
Tip #17. Create your own running creed: “My whole teaching in one sentence is: “Run slowly, run daily, drink moderately, and don’t eat like a pig.” –Dr. Ernst van Aaken, renowned German coach
– I think this is really cool. The creed above is really a creed for life, not just for running. What would your life creed be? I’m going to steal the one above, I think it’s awesome!
Tip #19. Take what you can get: “So-called ‘junk miles’–those slow miles done on easy days or during warmups–do count. They burn calories as effectively as fast miles; it just takes longer. Regardless of pace, each mile you run burns about 100 calories.” –Hal Higdon, runner/writer/coach
– This tip is from good ol’ Hal Higdon, so you know it’s good. It kind of goes along with Tip #10 from yesterday. ALL EXERCISE COUNTS. No matter how slow or how short – it counts, so lose the “all or nothing” mentality!
I am literally smiling from that banana bread – it is YUM-E. Definitely a dessert for breakfast kind of situation, but sometimes, that’s ok. 🙂
Don’t forget that the Food Should Taste Good Chip Giveaway ends today @ 1:00pm Central. Enter up to three times to enjoy these crunchy, flavorful, better for you chips!
~~~~~
Do you like breads or loafs? Banana bread, zucchini bread, cinnamon swirl bread, poppy seed bread, lemon loaf, pumpkin loaf, etc.?
i did it up last night with a full on greek meal. Oh so delicious! greek lemon potatoes, chicken soluvaki (sp?), veggies, pita bread, fire feta (this is the only thing i picked up from our favorite local greek restaurant… i wouldn’t dare replicate it!)
I used to only eat green grapes, then a friend told me about the black grapes… those are DELICIOUS!
Heyy love your blog! It has actually inspired me to start my own! I’d love to try the potato and chive chips. They look delish 😉
-M
Mmmm Chocolate Banana Bread! Looks awesome! I just made Banana Bread 2 days ago so next time I will be making this recipe for sure!!
Love that running creed! It is perfect for me:)
I love sweet breads. We used to hide the bananas from my brother so my Great grandmother and I could make banana bread when the bananas got really spotty and brown. I also love pumpkin bread and Zucchini bread when I have the time to make it. And they freeze wonderfuly.
I am in love with the running tips you’ve been posting. I think my creed for running would be, “If you work it, it will work.” When I put the effort into training I get faster and run better…when I don’t I run like heck and get hurt.
OH yum! Banana bread is definitely a fav of mine! I love it when it is super moist and kind of sticky. I also really love zucchini bread!!!! Especially when there are bits of chocolate and nuts in them.
That turkey burger looks great. Turkey and cranberries is a great combo!
Wow! That bread looks amazing! I have a bunch of bananas I need to use so I might try this!
holy yum…banana chocolate bread sounds amazing. i bet slathering on some PB would most likely take that to crack status.
happy humpday dear!
mmm…i just made banana bread the other night, too! not chocolate, but this may have to be the next one I make 🙂
I’ve made that recipe before!!! Want something truly decadent? Make french toast out of it!!
OMG, you’ve GOT to be joking!!! Brilliant!!!!
Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats https://iowagirleats.wordpress.com http://twitter.com/iowagirleats
That bread looks awesome. I’m absolutely the worst at banana bread for some reason but I can make an incredible pumpkin bread
I love choc banana bread. My mom has a recipe for choc zucchini cake that is possibly the best thing ever.
Try pulling all your bananas apart right after you buy them. They ripen faster when still together in the bunch.
Ahhh – very good tip!! I’ll give that a try!
Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats https://iowagirleats.wordpress.com http://twitter.com/iowagirleats
Wowza–I have never had chocolate banana bread but yours looks ABSOLUTELY heavenly. I love Joy the Baker–and always salivate looking at her creations! I might have to try that recipe now. I second the whole “butter vs applesauce” as fat in baking. Sometimes (more times than not) butter is just SO MUCH better…and balance and moderation will equal it all out.
I LOVE pumpkin bread and cannot wait to start cooking with pumpkin. Banana nut bread. Cinnamon swirl bread. Cinnamon swirl loaf with raisins. I mean I am in love with almost all breakfast breads, loaves, muffins, and buns. 😉
I tried your greek burgers last time (the first time?) you made them and they are sooo good! You give such great recipes (the sweet potato fries are perfecttt!
I will definitely be trying out this banana bread recipe next time i bake 🙂
Thanks for such a wonderful blog!
Yes yes and yes! I LOVE bread. With all my heart. Fave sweet ones are banana bread (lady, you made me salivate hardcore! Fancy nipping up to mpls to deliver some?!) and cinnamon/raisin bread.
Savoury award goes to…honestly I would just end up listing every bread out there – what can I say – I’m a lover not a hater!
Loving all the running tips!!
wow this looks so good! I love baking breads–banana, zucchini, caramel butterscoth…everything! i might have to go make some now after being inspired by your chocolate banana bread 🙂
I love bread! I make banana bread and pumpkin bread in the fall, they are so good!
I love tip 17, I’m going to make that my life creed too.
Did you know that if you separate your bananas from the bunch they will ripen slower? I just discovered that little fact a few months ago, and so far my experimentation with it is proving it positive. I had a hard time giving up my banana rack/hangar though, but bananas that last for nearly a week versus a day or two was well worth it. Try it out and see if it works for you.
Oh my, that chocolate banana bread looks SO good! I’ve made a peanut butter banana bread before (quite possibly my most favorite flavor combo ever), but I haven’t tried a chocolate/banana bread.
I love baked bread/loafs! Pumpkin is my all time fave, followed closely by banana and then lemon. Mmmmm.
Wow, your banana bread looks amazing! I’m also a huge fan of those midnight grapes, too 🙂
That banana bread looks SOOOOOO good!!!! It’s making my mouth water!
I definitely agree with the tip that we should listen to our bodies! That’s something I learned the hard way when I pushed myself too hard training for my first half; now, I let myself walk if I have to walk! It’s not the end of the world!
mmm the banana bread looks so good as chocolate!
i love the “take what you can get” tip. the miles may be slow and you may have to walk, but its still miles!!!!
-muffy
hey kristin –
i just published my first post! yaaaaay! check it out…
julie.
Oooo fabulous!! What’s the URL?
Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats https://iowagirleats.wordpress.com http://twitter.com/iowagirleats
Your salad has such beautiful colors!
I love all of those “breads”, although really in terms of nutrition they are more like cake. But delicious! I actually just posted my favorite banana bread recipe, which is a whole different interpretation- yours is wild and crazy with the chocolate, mine is traditional and just like WHAM BANANA. Someone should do a loaf by loaf comparison!
That banana bread looks great!
That chocolate banana bread is SCREAMING my name! Yummmm.
wow that chocolate banana bread looks amazing! And I totally love every bread you listed, banana bread, zucchini, pumpkin, cinnamon swirl, lemon, I love all of them!
I am a HUGE fan of zucchini bread, and love that you dipped into some dessert for breakfast!
Great tips by the way – especially the junk miles – it’s all a good workout tip. Makes me feel better as I’m slowly making my way up a hill!
That chcolate banana bread looks to die for, are you by chance putting up a recipe? And I love your leftovers uses!
If you click on “Joy of Baking” within the post – it should take you right to the recipe!
Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats https://iowagirleats.wordpress.com http://twitter.com/iowagirleats
I love bread and loaves and that chocolate banana bread kinda makes me want to lick the screen.
sometimes a morning dessert is just what the doctor ordered!!
oh and my creed is actually my new logo…No matter the journey the power to finish is within you
I also like “it’s never too late to be what you might have been”
Thank you for sharing that recipe. I guess I wan’t paying attention enough to see that I could just click on that:) Do you mind if I add you to my blogroll, I just can’t get enough of your amazing recipes!
Wow that bread looks fantabuloso!!! I love banana bread, so adding chocolate must take it to a whole other level!
try putting your bananas in the refrigerator at the point that you don’t want them to ripen anymore. it basically stops the process. they turn brown, but are still good inside. love your blog by the way. a friend told me about it.
Chocolate banana bread!!! Can’t wait to make it. I have some bananas that I got from a fruit basket the other day. Time to go get that recipe.
I think I first came across your website via a link on Twitter.. I like the way you write and I am going to subscribe to read more when I can. Oh yeah, are you on Twitter yet?