Easy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Banana Bread

I let bananas go bad last week, so I decided to let them keep going to use for baking. They still sat on the counter all week, so Nick kindly asked yesterday if I was really truly going to use the bananas or if we should toss them. That gave me just the boost I needed to find and try this recipe last night. And I'm so glad I did! It's so moist and the chocolate chips give it the perfect touch. I'm also a sucker for fall spices that make it a warm & cozy treat. Or breakfast, I'm not judging ;) 

Makes one 9x5 loaf
Recipe adapted from this blog


Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups flour (I use Bob's Red Mill gluten free, you can use whatever you prefer!)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 drops cinnamon bark essential oil OR another 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon  *
• 2 drops nutmeg essential oil OR 1 tsp of ground nutmeg *
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tablespoon butter (I use dairy free butter - Earth Balance brand, but use whatever you prefer)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 overripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Beat the butter, brown sugar, pumpkin, egg, vanilla, and banana in another bowl until smooth. Stir in dry mixture.

I placed parchment paper inside of my 9x5 loaf pan to prevent it from sticking to the sides. Pour batter into 9x5 bread pan.

Bake for about 1 hour or until cooked throughout. (Mine was done when I checked at 50 minutes! Check yours then too, to be sure it doesn't over cook)

Let cool and enjoy!

YUM. If you make this, I want to hear what you think! I hope you have a great rest of your weekend.

* I personally only recommend using Young Living essential oils because of their commitment to quality and purity. I can't speak for other brands. 

Today's Pinspiration:

(Pinterest Source)

Day 1 of the Whole30

I've done it, y'all! I've made the leap and am doing the whole30 challenge for the next 30 days. No sugar, processed foods, beans, rice, etc. Here are all of the details about the whole30 incase you're curious. 

Many of you know I was able to get off my pain prescriptions last September after years of taking them for fibromyalgia. Going into this year, a goal of mine has been to continue on my wellness journey, doing good things to support my body. I've read for years that sugar is bad for autoimmune conditions, and experts say to exclude sugar with fibromyalgia. The thing is though, I like sugar. ;) I usually eat it each day - I love cookies after my lunch! I saw friends getting ready to do this challenge and just felt right and want to try this for my body. 

I haven't eaten gluten for the past 3 years, and dairy for the past 3.5 years, but this is not going to be easy! I think eating out will be the biggest challenge really. Though I have been used to asking questions about the menu, this will take it to another level. I have seen helpful guides about eating out on the whole30 too, which I appreciate. 

My breakfast today - my first official whole30 meal:) 2 hardboiled eggs, 1/2 tomato, 1/2 avocado with salt & pepper. It was so delish! Adding onions would be great too (though I wouldn't love onion breath all day..). 

Chocolate chili was my lunch & dinner (recipe here! I couldn't find whole30 compliant beef broth, so I used vegetable broth). I prepared the chili Sunday to help myself get through the first few days easier (I'll be eating chili for a few more meals which I love - leftovers are my fave). Plus, cooking mid-week can be a challenge for me! I did sauté kale tonight to add some greens. I caramelized onions first in olive oil, added the kale with garlic (powder since I'm out of minced), salt and pepper. What a great meal. So delicious too! This has been the most delicious day I've had in a long time - and no cookies were even involved ;) 

For extra foods throughout the day, I had 1/4 of a cucumber sliced with salt & some almonds a little bit before lunch, a handful of cherries and a kiwi this afternoon (I'm trying to adjust to stop snacking during this challenge since it's preferred to not snack if it's not needed - maybe I need bigger meals?! I'm such a snacker.). Such delicious foods! Feel free to pass any recipe/meal ideas my way! 

Stay posted. I'm sure I'll be sharing more throughout this journey! I'm posting to my instagram and Facebook page too. 

Today's Pinspiration (about the Whole30):

Source

Catching Up

Hey y'all! Sorry about my month-long absence! I found out our blog-hop is no longer, and then things got busy. Whew! So today, here's a quick glance of some recent happenings. 

Since I last posted, we also had Valentine's day. I love date nights with Nick, so any occasion for a date is fine by me! We went to PF Chang's and the food was SO good. I'm so glad we went there! Since I stopped eating dairy 3 (three! Isn't that crazy?!) years ago, and gluten 2 and a half years ago, I've had so many salads. Sometimes that's fine, and sometimes I just want some delicious food I don't have to make:) and PF Chang's has a great gluten free menu! The main thing I'm aware of with Chinese food, is that they need to use a GF soy sauce. They do on the GF menu and I'm so thankful. That's why I love Pei Wei so much too (owned by PF Chang's I believe) since they have great choices too.

I'm always thankful for extra time with my man! Life can get so busy and it feels like we hardly have a chance to ask how each other's day was some days. And we don't even have kids yet. Haha! I'm always thankful for extra time set aside. Quality time is my top love language!

This is from when Ranger was sick in the past few weeks. He wanted to snuggle right up to my neck, like he usually does when he doesn't feel well. He has had on and off symptoms of not feeling well. Breaks my heart when he's sick! We're exploring options to see if we can help him not get sick like this so often. 

We had two weeks back to back with snow and ice, where I was snowed in for at least a day. I so appreciated the extra down time! 

This was one of my snow days:)

Ranger doesn't love getting his nails trimmed. This was once we were done - he avoided eye contact with me, haha! Nick has to help hold him still while I clip. Ranger even screams when I get close to his nail with the clippers. He's so funny! 

A sweet friend gifted me with this beauty as a "happy Monday" with a sweet note. This was the flower one week later! I've been so thankful for the joy it brings on my desk every day. 

My assistant and I;) before an online oils party I taught Thursday night. He was mid-yawn. He yawns when he's nervous and this photo op must have been one of those times! He laid by me for the whole event (and slept on the job!). 

Also-- Go ISU! Love my Cyclones. 

Today's Pinspiration:

Pinterest Source

Catching Up & Taking a Breath

I don't know about you, but the past month and a half have been so busy for us! Between making Christmas gifts (I'll have to do some posts on what I made - I'm proud of myself :)), traveling to see our family, packing, moving, and unpacking, I feel like I'm just now taking a breath! Oh yeah, and my mom's, dad's, and my birthdays in the last few weeks! Ha! So much fun stuff (and I love celebrating birthdays!), but still busy stuff. A busy schedule can be hard on my body, but thankfully I've been doing alright lately. My headaches have been better lately which is a huge blessing. 

Here's a glimpse of some of the things I put together for Christmas gifts:

I used this blog to get the idea of how to make these wreaths. Such helpful tips! 

Here is the blog I used for this idea. It has the recipe, and printables to print the label, and a little card with directions for your recipient to bake them. Such an easy and sweet gift. 

I absolutely love this printable from my friend Rachel's shop, The Burlap Bungalow (she has so many cute prints!).

We're getting more organized and even got some things hung on the walls with our extra day off this week which makes this place feel much more like home. I'm getting back into my routine of having a smoothie each morning on my way to work (with my Ninja I got last year for my birthday... apparently kitchen appliances are my birthday gift preference-ha!) and now I can have easy delicious coffee at home with my Keurig. 

I'm researching new flavors to order and am SO excited! Over 250 options and I just read on their website, "Additionally, all coffee and tea K-Cup® packs are egg, dairy and gluten-free. " (source). Great news for me! Let me know if you have any favorite flavors, I'm excited to try new ones!

I can say though, now that this cutie sleeps on our bed, it's harder getting out of bed in the mornings. I heart puppy cuddles. He seems as annoyed as me when the alarm keeps going off! Once I get going, I'm ok, but getting going in the morning is rough (remember this post? It's still tough). I thank the Lord every day for Nick - he lifts me up every day and faces my pain and fatigue with me. I have to pace myself and operate slower than he'd ideally like to (like resting in between errands to regain energy for example), and he thankfully has so much grace and understanding. 

 For my birthday lunch last Sunday, we went to Pei Wei which is an easy place for me to get a tasty gluten and dairy free meal. Gluten Free Pei Wei Spicy (I get it mild) is the ticket. 

This was last Sunday too, running errands with my "It's my birthday" pin. My dad wore it for his birthday and wanted me to continue the tradition - Nick is next!:)

My sunset view from earlier this week. So peaceful. 

Also, here's some Ranger entertainment for your viewing pleasure:) 

If you can't see it for some reason, you can find it here on my youtube page. 

I'll have to show more of our decor as we get settled. We're off to enjoy the rest of the weekend - I hope yours is great!

Today's Pinspiration:

There are so many things in life we can stay on the fence about - let's see where we can take some small steps in this new year. Our journey is filled with lots of little steps - let's take it one step at a time and we'll be on our way before we know it! 

Source

BLTs, Puppy Cuddles, Etc.

 My mom's house in many ways is a pool centered house. You can see it from the front door, from the kitchen, living room, and her bedroom. This is the view from the couch. So lovely. 

 Tongue-out baby Indy, as usual:)

We Made BLTs this week. I don't know the last time I had one (it's been years!) and it was SO delicious. Every summer needs a BLT. Or multiple BLTs. 

 I added mayo to each piece of toasted bread, a thick slice of tomato, big pieces of iceburg lettuce, and some thick Texas bacon. Then I squished it to eat it ;)

My mouth is watering now, wanting another one of these. I shared this photo on Instagram and tagged Udi's Gluten Free Bread and got a like and comment the next day! I think things like that are pretty fun. 



Similar story: I follow Lisa Leonard on Instagram and one time I commented on her photo (that showed a beautiful spring day with sandals and I commented that it was snowing currently in Minneapolis (ha! This winter was so rough), and she liked my photo I posted of it and started following me. I was so excited! Yes, I took a screen shot of it when it happened;)

Then not even an hour later, one of my BFFs texted me, "How did you get Lisa Leonard to follow you?!" Ha, for someone else to notice was even more fun! Lisa has liked a few of my photos since then which is always neat:) She has well over 11,000 followers so I always think it's neat to connect with someone like that! A bit nerdy, I know. I love her jewelry too. 

 As you can probably guess, I got more cuddle time with the "puppies" as I call them, though neither of them are really puppies anymore.. This is Boo being sweet (and wanting his belly rubbed). 

Boo cuddles again and Indy beside him. 

 Cuddles with both puppies. Do you like my blanket-scarf? Ha, even in this Texas heat, I get chilly moments inside and was wearing a few blankets at this time... 

Me and Boo buddy. I also call him Boo-manchu or Boo-friend to name a few. :) 

One of my co-workers brought garden fresh tomatoes. They are one of my favorite foods.. in moderation since they give me canker sores. Love them with a little salt!  

On Thursday, we had a wild storm run through. Hail, crazy winds and all. It was short lived and very isolated to a short area, but it was weird seeing the storm clouds come through. I bet it's rained/stormed 3 times since I got here at the end of May. Locals were so thankful for rain since it's been SO dry! 

The storm had a light blinking on my way home, causing me to go about a mile in a half hour, then further on my commute home, traffic went from three lanes to two because of construction. Ugh. An hour and twenty minutes after leaving work, I arrived home. And went straight to bed for a nap.  

Another storm cloud overhead.  

My cousin sent me this headache idea (she gets terrible ones too). Anything is worth a try! Anyone else have helpful home remedies for headaches? 

Amber, my SIL, texted me this photo of Hank-man yesterday that melted my heart. Nick and I gave Hank that monkey for Christmas (far before he was born in April, but he was top of mind for all of us last Christmas!). She said he was fussy yesterday so she decided to try giving him a stuffed animal for the first time and game him our monkey. You can see his tear-glossy eyes and little arms gripping that monkey. Oh my melted heart! Can't wait to hold that cute boy next time we see them. It was also Amber's birthday yesterday:)

Today's Pinspiration:

(Pinterest Source)

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes {gluten and dairy free!}

So many things to catch up on, where to start?!

I'll start with cookies:) I've been doing a lot of cooking and baking lately (recipes coming soon!). 

Chocolate Chip

Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal chocolate chip)

Trisha Yearwood's Fancy Chili

I got a pedicure a few weekends ago with my co-workers (I realized I hadn't had one since before Nick and I were married - over 3.5 years ago which seems crazy!). 

Our lovely landlord turned off our heat to our building. But we live in Minnesota and it's still been cold here. I was completely bundled in numerous layers to survive the weekend inside our apartment. I didn't even complain about it (ok.. that was sarcastic.. I totally complained - sorry honey:)).

Yesterday was Fibromyalgia Awareness Day! I wore my purple today (since I wore my PJs yesterday.. :)) to support it. The butterfly is also a recognized symbol for fibromyalgia. One day, fibro will no longer have a grip on me. 

(source)

The good news is that our high jumps from 70 today to 92 tomorrow and I'm quite excited about it! I got a pedicure you know and I've hardly been able to show to the world yet with chillier temps! Things are also finally turning green outside (longest winter evvvvverrrrr).

Speaking of things I've baked lately, these cuties really take the cake! Cupcake that is ;)

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

I baked these for a co-workers birthday a few weeks ago. OMGosh, if you like chocolate, make these. You won't regret it. 

I texted another co-worker to see what the birthday girl's favorite flavor was. Chocolate. So I went for it! The more chocolate, the merrier. 

These cupcakes are so dense, filling, and satisfying, I must say.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose flour (or regular if you eat gluten)

2 1/2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt (I didn't add this since I used salted butter)

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (mine is Ghirardelli's 72% cocoa (dairy free))

11 tbs Earth Balance butter (or regular dairy butter)

3/4 cup plus 2 tbs sugar

3 eggs at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin pan with liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Place the chocolate and butter in a microwaveable bowl, and microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave in 15 second increments until it is melted and smooth (careful not to overcook). Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, 10-15 mins.

Using a wooden spoon, stir the sugar into the chocolate mixture until combined. Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour mixture until no traces of flour remain; do not over mix.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each one about 3/4 fill. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 22-24 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes and transfer the cupcakes to the rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. While they cool, whip up the buttercream frosting below. 

Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients:

3 cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar

8 tbs Earth Balance Butter (or regular)

2 1/2 tbs almond milk (or regular), plus more if needed

Cocoa powder - I didn't measure, but maybe added 2-3 tbsp

Hershey's syrup (optional) - I didn't measure, but maybe added 1 tbsp (I tasted the frosting and tweaked it until I liked the amount of chocolate flavor)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt 

1 dash of cinnamon (optional - I just love it)

Mini chocolate chips as garnish - grated chocolate would be really cute on top too!

Directions:

Have all ingredients at room temperature

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, almond milk, and the vanilla and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Then add the cocoa powder, let that get mixed in well, and add the hershey's syrup (this is optional) and allow it to mix together. When you like the chocolate flavor you've reached, increase the speed to medium and beat until you reach your desired consistency, adding more milk or powdered sugar if needed. 

I put the frosting into a ziplock baggie and cut off the corner to use to pipe on the frosting. I start on the outside, making a large circle, and keep circling in until you get to the middle, I typically build the middle a little higher for fun. I added the chocolate chips individually to get them to stick into the frosting.

I ended up having a little bit of frosting left over (warning - this frosting is highly addictive, and once you eat one spoonful, it may be difficult to stop). It's great on cookies, graham crackers, etc. to use up any extra. 

You've got to try these ones. 

Today's Pinspiration:

From Instagram - credit on photo