Banana Spice Cake

This was one of my Nana's favorite recipes using leftover bananas. Unfortunately there is no way to make this one 'healthy' so I won't list the points. If you want to see her other recipe it is Chocolate Banana Cake - not sure I could pick a favorite! 

Ingredients: 

2 or 3 bananas =1 cup 

1 tsp. lemon  

2 1/4 cups sifted flour 

2 tsp. baking powder 

1/2 tsp. baking soda 

1 tsp. salt 

1 1/2 cups sugar 

1 tsp. cinnamon 

1/2 tsp. nutmeg 

1/2 cup shortening 

2/3 cup sour (1 tsp. vinegar to regular milk) 

2 eggs 

1 tsp. vanilla 

1/2 cup nuts 

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. Cream together the shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each. Add lemon juice, sour milk, and vanilla and beat well. Alternate between adding the bananas and dry ingredients until well blended. Grease and flour a 13x9" pan. Add the banana mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until done.

*Feel free to either dust the top with powdered sugar or frost with cream cheese frosting

Kielbasa Casserole

iTrackBites Better Balance - 5 Bites per serving

I got this recipe from my mom and it is a nice casserole with excellent flavor. 

Ingredients:

13 ozs. turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/2" slices 

1 large onion, chopped 

1 pkg. au gratin potatoes 

2 1/2 cups hot water

4 medium carrots cut into matchsticks 

1 pkg. (10 ozs) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained 

3 ozs reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese 

Drizzle a large pan with a little oil and cook sausage and onion until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes, sauce mix, and water. Heat until boiling; reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in carrots; cover and simmer until carrots are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in broccoli and cheese; cook and cover until cheese is melted about 5-10 minutes. 

Serves 4-5

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Blackberry Banana Smoothies

Smoothies are something that has really become one of my go to things on this weight loss journey. There are so many good ones out there but this is one of my favorites.

Ingredients:

2 cups orange juice 

1/3 cup vanilla yogurt 

2 medium ripe bananas, cut into thirds and frozen 

1/2 cup fresh or frozen blackberries 

Directions: 

 In a blender, combine all ingredients. Cover and process until blended. Serve immediately.

Danish Pudding Dessert

This is my Uncle RJ's favorite dessert. I don't think about it too often because we usually only have it for his birthday. I love it and think I'll start making it more. 

Crust: 

1/2 cup butter 

1 cup flour 

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

1/2 cup nuts 

Mix like a pie crust and put into a 13x9" pan patting down. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes and let cool. 

1st layer: 

2-8 ozs. packages cream cheese 

1/2 cup sugar 

3/4 cup nuts 

5-6 bananas Combine well and spread over the pie crust. Cut 5-6 bananas into slices and place over the creams cheese mixture. 

2nd layer: 

2 pkgs danish dessert (Junket)

Add 3 1/2 cups cold water to the danish dessert and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Let cool and pour over bananas. Refrigerate until set.

Ambrosia Cheese Pie

This one comes from a Taste of Home magazine (at least I think it does). This is a family favorite and perfect in summer! 

Ingredients:

1 pkg (8ozs) cream cheese, softened 

1/2 cup confectioners sugar 

1/4 cup orange juice

1 can (16ozs) mandarin orangesegments, drained 

1 1/4 cups coconut flakes, divided 

1/2 cup sour cream

1 container (8 ozs) Cool Whip, thawed 

1 (6 ozs.) graham cracker pie crust

1 can (8ozs.) pineapple chunks, drained 

Directions:

 In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners sugar and orange juice until fluffy. Set aside 8 orange segments for garnish; fold remaining segments into cheese mixture until slightly broken up. Stir in 1 cup coconut and sour cream. Reserve 1 cup whipped topping for garnish; fold remaining topping into filling. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. Garnish with reserved whipped topping, coconut, orange segments, and pineapple chunks.

Chuck's Favorite Mac and Cheese

Here's one of my favorite recipes. I found it on Allrecipes years ago and have made it numerous times and my family never gets tired of it. Here goes: 

INGREDIENTS: 

1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni

1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 (12 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 salt and pepper to taste

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted 

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until done; drain. 

In 9x13 inch baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle topping over macaroni mixture. 

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden.

Cheeseburger Broccoli Chowder

Another great dish and only 5 bites per serving! Feel free to add more veggies but you may have to add some extra broth or water.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion 

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 can (11 ozs) condensed cheddar cheese soup 

1 soup can of water

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 

1 cup chopped broccoli 

1-2 potatoes, peeled and diced 

Directions:

In a large saucepan, cook beef, onion, and green pepper until done; drain. Stir in soup, water, and worcestershire sauce. Add broccoli and potatoes. Bring to a boil Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

20 Garlic Chicken (in the crockpot)

This has been one of my family's favorite recipes for quite some time. Let me say that I don't eat the skin on the chicken and the meat has a nice mild flavor and stays very moist. Depending on how you place the garlic the skin can have a mild to moderate garlic flavor (according to my husband) but it is still delicious! 

Here is the recipe (picture above is the before): 

Ingredients: 

3-4 pounds chicken 

1 large onion, sliced 

1 Tbsp. olive oil 

2 tsp. kosher salt 

2 tsp. paprika 

1 tsp. pepper 

20-40 garlic cloves, peeled but intact 

Directions: 

Place the onion slices in the bottom of your crockpot (I use a 6 quart). In a large bowl blend the olive oil, kosher salt, paprika and pepper. When well blended, rub it onto each piece of chicken and place on top of the onions, trying to cover each one the best you can (I usually double the amount of oil, salt, paprika, and pepper to make sure I have enough). Place the garlic cloves around the chicken and cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Makes 6 servings. 

Note: You will need a fork for this one:) Hubby tried to eat a drumstick and as he picked it up the meat literally fell off of the bone, lol! The garlic (a few pieces of which you can see here) can also be spread on some nice dinner rolls, they are very soft and have a nice mild flavor. We have made this before and it is a keeper in our house!

***If made with boneless skinless chicken this is 1 bite per serving

Cheesy Potato-Cauliflower Mash

I ran across this recipe in First magazine and thought it sounded delicious. So, I will make it tonight with some pork chops and a salad - we'll see how the family enjoys it!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. baking potatoes 

2 cups cauliflower florets 

5 slices thick-cut bacon 

1/2 cup milk 

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided 

Directions:

Peel and cube potatoes. In saucepot, bring potatoes and enough salted water to cover to a boil. Reduce heat and add cauliflower florets; let simmer 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain. In skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon 5 minutes. Cool. Crumble. Drain all but 2 Tbsp. fat from skillet. Add milk to skillet and bring to a boil. Using hand masher or potato ricer, mash vegetables; stir in hot milk, 1/2 crumbled bacon and 3/4 cup cheese. Top with remaining bacon and cheese. Makes 8 servings

BBQ Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf

This is truly one of my family favorites! We usually have this at least once a month and I do make a large meatloaf to make sure we have leftovers for the next day. Hope you enjoy, and would love to hear some comments if you decide to try it.

Ingredients:

3 lbs. ground beef

4 cups binder (I use equal parts quick oats and cornmeal but use whatever you like)

4 eggs

2 packages Lipton Onion Soup mix

1 small onion, diced

4 ozs shredded cheese (I like to use sharp cheddar, but again, use whatever you like)

1 small bottle bbq sauce, of your choice

3 lbs. baby red potatoes

1 small bag baby carrots

Directions:

Combine the ground beef, binder, eggs, soup mix and onion until well mixed. Separate the mixture in half and form one half into an oval in the bottom of a roasting pan. Sprinkle the top of the oval with the shredded cheese and cover with the remaining meat mixture, sealing the edges to contain the cheese. Pour bbq sauce over the top of the meatloaf, just to cover.

Wash and cube the baby red potatoes and sprinkle around the meatloaf. All you need to do with the carrots is sprinkle them over the potatoes.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. Let the meatloaf stand for about 10 minutes so that when you cut it it doesn't separate. The bbq sauce gives the potatoes and carrots a nice glaze. Serve with a salad and dinner rolls.

(I apologize for the picture, but I was in a hurry to feed the girls...hopefully you get the general idea)

Chocolate Banana Cake

This was a cake that my Nana was known for (one of many things she was known for). I haven't made it since she passed, but maybe it's time to try...and maybe revamp it for a lighter version. 

Ingredients:

2/3 cups shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar 

2 eggs 

4 Tbsp. cocoa 

1 tsp. vanilla 

2 or 3 mashed bananas 

1/2 cup sour milk -1 tsp. vinegar 

2 1/4 cups sifted flour 

1 tsp. baking powder 

3/4 tsp. baking soda 

1 tsp. salt 

Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Cream shortening. Add sugar and cream well. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each. Add vanilla and cocoa and beat until blended. Alternate adding the dry ingredients, banana, and milk until well blended. Grease and flour a 13x9" pan. Add mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until done. This cake (along with the Banana Spice Cake) are delicious alone. But a good chocolate frosting on this is delicious. Or cream cheese. Whatever you prefer. Enjoy!

Chicken Spaghetti

This is a family favorite - we had it this week and my hubby told me this is something that he could eat once a week! It also freezes really well, so when I do make it I make sure to double or triple the batch. It is such a unique twist on traditional spaghetti, if you make it please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. 

Ingredients:

4 cups cubed cooked chicken 

 2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of mushroom soup undiluted 

 2-1/2 cups chicken broth

 1 medium green pepper, chopped 

 1 medium onion, chopped 

 2 celery ribs, chopped 

 2 Tbs dried parsley flakes 

 1/2 tsp salt 

 1/2 tsp pepper 

 1 lb Velveeta, cubed 

 1 package (12 ounces) spaghetti, cooked and drained 

 1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, optional

Directions:

In a soup kettle or Dutch Oven, combine the first nine ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted. Add the spaghetti and olives if desired. Transfer to two greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dishes. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the second casserole at 325° for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer. To use the frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Bake as directed. Yield: 2 casseroles (5 servings each). Servings: 10

Overnight Caramel French Toast

This is one of my family's favorite recipes. We make it every few months not only because it's easy but delicious as well. You have to try this one - no need for syrup as the caramel glaze is perfect on the top (once you invert the pieces after baking). Enjoy! 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup packed brown sugar 

1/2 cup butter 

2 tablespoons light corn syrup 

12 slices bread 

1/4 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided

 6 eggs 

1 1/2 cups milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

DIRECTIONS 

In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Top with six slices of bread. Combine sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle half over the bread. Place remaining bread on top. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar; set aside. 

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, vanilla and remaining cinnamon. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. 

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.

Tropic-Kool Delight Cake

This is a favorite year round, but is especially good when it is warm out. 

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 box yellow cake mix 

3 eggs 

1 large can mandarin oranges (with the juice) 

2/3 cup oil 

Frosting: 

1 small container of Cool Whip 

1 can crushed pineapple 

1 box vanilla instant pudding 

Mix all of these together (you can substitute different flavored pudding for variation - my family likes pistachio) 

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together. Grease and lightly sugar/floure a 13x9 pan. Add cake mix and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting. 

Garnish with fresh fruit (strawberries, kiwi, oranges, pineapple, etc.) Please let me know if you try this and what you think!