Banana Walnut Bread + recipe

 
3 bananas, mashed

¼ c. melted butter

1 egg, beaten

1 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

½ c. walnuts, chopped (could use pecans instead)

Mash bananas first. It's easier to add the other ingredients this way. Try to use bananas that are overripe with some brown splotches on the peel. Bananas that are green or just ripened will be difficult to mash.

Combine everything in a large bowl and pour into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees (325 if you're using a glass pan) for 45 minutes. Insert a toothpick - if it comes away clean, the bread is done. So simple and easy! And so delicious! I recommend it with a big cup of coffee...

- Mother Nature Mom

First Day of the Semester Bento

Are you glad to be back in school? Yeah, me either...

Leftover Tuscan chicken and whole wheat penne pasta in a lettuce "cup"
Edamame, star fruit, kumquats, and a very sad attempt at an apple bunny

I wound up taking a very quick picture outside (where it is 30 degrees, by the way) because the lights were out in the break room in the Arts & Sciences building. Don't know why...? Oh well. Natural light is better anyway.

I want to do a full-fledged Year of the Rabbit bento when my new bento supplies come in (because, yes, I bought more). The apple bunny was mostly for practice. Looks like I could use a bit more...

It's absolutely freezing outside. No outdoor lunch today, or for awhile. There's still some residual snow/ice on the ground around campus. Milledgeville was hit harder than Dublin in Snurricane 2011. (Snurricane? Snow-cano? Snow-nami? I'll stop.)



Is it Spring yet?

- Mother Nature Mom

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Who would have thought that making homemade laundry detergent would be so easy?

I went the really easy route - I made a powdered detergent instead of a liquid one. Lazy? Maybe. Time saving? You bet!

1 bar soap, such as Ivory, Zote, or Dr. Bronner's

1 1/2 cup borax

1 1/2 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda)

Finely grate the entire soap bar into the container you plan to use for your detergent. Add the borax and washing soda. Mix well. Use 1 Tbsp per load (2 Tbsp if you're washing cloth diapers.)

That's it. Seriously.

I used an empty, cleaned applesauce jar for my detergent. A large, empty yogurt tub would work well, too. The scoop is from a can of formula. It's the perfect size since it measures out to be very close to a tablespoon.

(Pardon the glare.)

I found all of the ingredients at my local Kroger. The borax and washing soda was in the detergent/cleaner aisle, and the Dr. Bronner's soap was in the Natural Goods section. Ivory, Zote, and other similar soaps would be near the borax and washing soda. Dr. Bronner's is an all-natural alternative that I found to be highly recommended on several other blogs while doing research. Plus, it comes in so many different scents! Tea tree oil, peppermint, lavender... the list goes on and on. I bought almond, because I'm a little nutty about almond. (Ok, I'll stop now...)

All in all, I paid about $11-$12 for my ingredients, but I still have plenty of borax and washing soda left over to make at least two more batches of laundry detergent. That price beats the pants off the store-bought stuff any day!

For a liquid laundry detergent recipe, visit my friend Sarah's blog, NaturalFor.

- Mother Nature Mom

Freezer Cooking: The Planning Stage + easy Asian marinade recipe

I had every intention of going to the grocery store today, but it didn't happen. It was raining and dreary outside all day long. Plus, I'm still nursing a cold that I seem to have picked up after eating at my parents' house a few days ago. (Thanks, Mom!) So, I took the opportunity to make a list for everything I'll need for my Freezer Cooking Day.

Keep in mind, I plan on doing a very small FCD. Some people cook enough to last their families for an entire month (hence "once-a-month cooking") - and I'm talking breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I'm not that ambitious, and my freezer is not that big. And since this is the first time I'll be attempting a FCD, I'm going to start small.

I reevaluated my "to-make" list after looking in my cabinets and freezer, and based on Kenny's requests. As of right now, I'll be making:

Kenny's Mom's Spaghetti Sauce X2 (at least)

Lasagna

Asian marinated chicken and shrimp (using a marinade recipe found at Life as Mom)

Chicken Casserole X2 (using my friend, Kat's, recipe)

Mini burgers for bentos (using a recipe from the Just Bento cookbook)

MoneySavingMom has great printable worksheets to use for FCD. They make it simple to figure out what's already in your pantry/freezer, brainstorm recipe ideas, and shop for additional ingredients. There's also plenty of room for notes, and an additional page to write out prep work.

Here's what my lists look like. (Can you see my new Just Bento cookbook? And Kenny's Alton Brown cookbook?) There's another printable sheet to write out recipes, but I already have mine printed on index cards.

I gave the Asian marinade a trial run tonight for dinner, just to see if it we'd want it again. It was delicious! I deviated slightly from Life As Mom's recipe, because I didn't have any sesame oil on hand:

7 Tbsp rice vinegar (mine is basil and oregano infused)
3 Tbsp soy sauce (I used lite)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup oil (I used olive oil)

The original calls for a tablespoon of sesame oil, which probably kicks up the Asian-ness a bit. I compensated with an extra tablespoon of the rice vinegar. I marinated three fairly large chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag in the fridge overnight, then cooked them on top of the stove. They stayed very moist and tender. I served them alongside whole wheat penne pasta and corn. Pretty delicious.

I'm planning on grocery shopping tomorrow, weather and illness permitting. It's time to see what this freezer cooking business is all about!

- Mother Nature Mom

Freezer Cooking: The Introduction

Am I really crazy enough to do this? Guess so.

Freezer cooking, or once-a-month cooking, is when a crazy lady (i.e. me) decides to cook A LOT of food all at once, not eat ANY of it, and then stash it in the freezer to eat at a later date.

Ok, so that's not the entire story. But that's basically what I've gotten myself into.

I've considered doing a freezer cooking day for quite some time. I thought it sounded great last semester when I was up to my ears in papers and books and finals. Of course, that was not the time to attempt to do freezer cooking in any capacity, so I decided to put it off until I had a break from school. Since one of my New Year's resolutions is to be more organized, I thought it would be the perfect time to attempt freezer cooking! The idea is to prepare, at least in part, several meals for future use at the same time. This cuts down on cooking and prep time since you're cooking/preparing multiple meals at once. It also cuts down on the stress of having to prepare dinner, especially if it's on a school day. And, if planned correctly, it can save a ton of money.

Interested yet?

With the help of Money Saving Mom and Life As Mom, two wonderful blogging ladies with lots of freezer cooking days under their belts, I think I might be able to pull this off.

The Food:

Lasagna
Kenny's Mom's Spaghetti Sauce
My Mom's Meatloaf
Lawnmower Taco

Lots of marinated chicken and shrimp

Eventually, I'd like to do cookies and muffins as well, but I think I have enough to deal with for the time being.

So, what are some of your favorite meals? I'm willing to try them out and give them a freezer cooking day seal of approval! Especially if it involves chicken, 'cause I have a lot of chicken...

- Mother Nature Mom