Banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

This is a recipe from Martha Stewart that I have changed a little. It had about 3 times as much butter and sugar so I just added more bananas and I think they are still really yummy.  It is a good snack to make if you have bananas that go brown before you can eat them. I also like to use the mini chocolate chips in these. I think you can get away with using less chips because they are small and you get little bits of chocolate. 



2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups rolled oats
Chocolate chips I used 1 cup of mini
Combine dry ingredients set aside

Cream together
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
3-4 bananas
1 t salt
1 t soda

Mix wet and dry ingredients together and bake at 350 until set

Groovy rice crispy treats

Rice crispy treats are one of those easy treats that you can really change up. This batch I made some with crunch berries and one with fruity pebbles. We like them with half cocoa pebbles and half regular rice crispies too.  Try some different cereals next time you make them.

1/4 cup butter

10 oz bag mini marshmallows

6-8 cups of cereal

Melt butter in large bowl in microwave

Add marshmallows and cook until just melting

Mix in cereal and spread in a 9x13 pan.

Colored sugar popcorn

My sister gave me a Whirly Pop popcorn maker for my birthday. We love it, it makes the best popcorn. I like it because you can control the amount of oil you use. This recipe would probably work if you cooked it in a pan with a lid you would just have to shake it to make sure it doesn't burn. It is important to use fresh popcorn or it won't all pop. If you have had the kernels for a while put in an air tight container with a tablespoon of water and let sit a day. The kernels will soak up the water and pop up better.

1/3 c popcorn kernels

1/3 cup sugar

3T oil

food coloring if desired.

Add everything to the pan and start cooking. Cook until it stops popping being careful not to let it burn, it burns faster with the sugar. Let cool on cookie sheet. Try to find someone to share it with so you don't eat the whole batch.

Brown Rice

Have you ever made brown rice and it was all sticky and chewy and just not that good? Well I decided to investigate and try to find a better way to cook it. It is healthier than white rice because it still has the bran attached and has more vitamins minerals and fiber. I read a few ways to cook it, in the oven, adding more water ect ect. I found a way that cooks it like pasta then drain and let it steam and it worked great! The rice was nice and fluffy and not sticky or chewy.


You can start with as much rice as you need. I used 2 cups so I would have leftovers.

1-2 cups rice
12 cups water

Rinse rice off in strainer.
Boil 30 minutes, drain just like you would pasta. Return to pot put on tight fitting lid and let steam for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Granola Bars

This is a recipe I found online and changed a little. They are a little crumbly, not like a granola bar from the store. You could eat them on yogurt or with milk if they are too crumbly. I had a coconut I needed to use so I chopped it up but I am sure the stuff in the bag would be fine too or leave it out.

Preheat oven to 350

Spread 2 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup chopped coconut

Toast for 10 minutes

Then mix in

1/2 cup wheat germ

3/4 cup honey

1 t vanilla

1 cup dried fruit, I used dates

I also added some almond extract and 1/4 cup of chia seeds.

You could also add some nuts.

Mix all together and press into 9x13 pan. Bake at 300 for 25 minutes or until golden.

Let cool before cutting.

Oven Omelet

Well technically this might be a frittata but I will just call it oven omelet. This is more of an idea with guidelines than an actual recipe. You can use whatever you have or like in an omelet.
This is how I made it this time.

4 potatoes peeled and sliced

1 orange bell pepper chopped

1 onion sliced thin

A few handfuls of frozen spinach

Saute your veggies until they are cooked through and soft, they wont get much cooking time once you add the eggs and cheese

8 eggs

salt and pepper

hot sauce

shredded cheese

I made this in a 9x13 glass cake pan, you could make a smaller one and use less eggs and veggies.

Once the veggies are cooked, mix the eggs and stir together. Put into a well greased pan, sprinkle cheese on top and put in the oven at 400 degrees. Cooking time will depend on size of pan and how well you like you eggs done. Just keep an eye on it and try not to over cook, it will keep cooking once you take it out of the oven. I like to have it with a salad or some fruit. You could add cooked meat also, my husband said it would have been good with sausage added.

Sundried tomato hummus

This is a recipe I got from my friend, she always seems to make it better than I do even if I do it exactly how her recipe is. This batch turned out really good. I used my chili powder that I made and it has some chipotle in it so it has a nice smoky flavor. You could use a chipotle in adobo if you like the smoky-ness.

I like to eat this with carrots, celery, crackers or toasted bread. It is a nice snack to have around. Every time I make it I think why have I waited so long to make this again! Sorry about the bad picture, I think santa is bringing me a camera so I wont have to keep using my phone.

2 cans garbanzo beans drained

6 sun dried tomatoes, re hydrated in boiling water

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup oil (I used canola)

Juice of 2 lemons

Spices, as I said I used 1 t of my chili powder. You can put oregano and basil or cumin or whatever you like.

1 t fresh ground pepper

1t or more salt to taste (I think I used almost a T of kosher salt)

Water, enough to make it as smooth as you like I used about 3/4 cup

Throw it all in the food processor or blender and mix until desired consistency.