an update and a recipe

Grace is doing much better.  Thank you to everyone who emailed or called to find out how we were doing.  She was sick till Friday and then she gave her illness to me.  I was sick starting on Saturday till yesterday and I passed it on to Mark.  We are a family that believes in sharing. 

Mark and I were sitting on the couch Monday night comparing our symptoms, then we talked about my dentist appointment and my new crown, then we talked about needing to remember to take our fiber and then I went to bed at 8:30.  I told him, if that happens again to start calling me grandma.

October has not been able to make up it's mind and I sent the kids to school wearing shorts at the beginning of the week.  This weekend the weather was beautiful. Since it was so nice, John spent a lot of time riding his bike.  It is so fun to see how happy he is that he mastered this skill. 

I try and bake something for my family each week.  It is just something that I like to do and they enjoy home made treats.  I usually make muffins or some sort of bread.  I try to stay away from cookies too often but we do love sweets in this house.  One treat that never lasts long and is somewhat healthy is my banana bread.  I thought I would make some today using my new mixer and wanted to share the recipe with you.  The original recipe is from Cooking Light but I have adapted it over the years.

I am not a food blogger, so I have no pictures during the baking process but I do have a picture of my mixer to share.  I can't even say how much I like this color.  I know that it is wrong to like a mixer this much but every time I see it, it makes me happy.  I know I'm silly.  Please ignore all the stuff you can see in the reflection in the bowl behind me.  We are making some slight decor changes in our house and our kitchen table became the place that all the displaced stuff ended up on.

Banana Bread

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups mashed ripe bananas

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup yogurt (I use either plain or vanilla)

2 large egg whites

1 cup all-purpose flour*

1 cup whole wheat flour*

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Beat sugar and butter until well blended.  Add banana, milk, yogurt and egg whites; beat well.

3. Add flours, baking soda and salt; beating until blended.

4. Spoon batter into 4 mini-loaf pans coated with cooking spray.  Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

* The original recipe called for 2 cups of all-purpose flour but I like to use half wheat flour, you can make the bread without wheat flour and it will still taste great.

I have also made muffins instead of the mini loaves.  If you are making muffins, you will only need to bake for 20-22 minutes.  I like to make the mini loaves, because they seem to be the right size for my little ones to eat.  Plus, I often make this when asked to bring a baked good and a small slice is just the right size when you are at a brunch.

All my boys love this banana bread.  In fact, one loaf disappeared within 10 minutes of it coming out of the oven.  They would have eaten more, but I wouldn't let them eat any more that close to dinner.

What's your favorite treat to bake for your family?  Now that the weather is changing, I need to find a reason to use my mixer I'm in the mood for baking and I'm always looking for new recipes.