Banana Yum

Do you ever bake your own muffins or do you just grab-and-go from your local bagel store/coffee shop?

If you’re a grab-and-goer, you may want to rethink that plan with summer fast approaching. Since muffins can often come close to 400 and 500 calories {each!}, perhaps baking your own is worth the effort. Plus, you can control what goes into it. Take a look at what I baked this week:

IMG_3591Delicious, low-cal and healthy!

IMG_3592Chocolate-y goodness!

I came across a great recipe on Instagram from Colorfulfoodie. Check it out on Instagram if you’re interested. I’ve found other good recipes there as well. This is called a blender cake (but can be put into a muffin tin too as I did). If you’re not a baker, trust me, it’s sooo easy! You can even make it gluten free.

Ingredients:

2 overripe bananas

1/4 cup Greek yogurt or apple sauce

1/4 cup honey or agave

1/4 cup coconut or brown cane sugar

1-2 eggs (or 2-3 egg whites)

1/4 cup almond milk (or any milk)

1 cup flour or a combo of next 3 ingredients

1/2 cup gluten free flour (or any flour)

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1/4 cup almond meal

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

dash salt

handful dark chocolate chips for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350. Blend all ingredients (except chocolate chips) together until mixed well. Prepare muffin tin or cake pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until center is set.

Makes a great breakfast or mid-day snack without the guilt. Try it. You can do it!

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Plancha Delights

If you want to do dinner right, head to Plancha Tapas and Wine Bar on Franklin Ave in Garden City. It had been too long since I was able to get back there so I more than made up for it on a recent visit.

Josh, the owner, will be more than happy to guide you in your food and wine choices. My dinner date and I actually sat down and just asked him to recommend away. And he did. We started with this:

IMG_3597 A lovely Spanish board. Yum…

Is your mouth watering yet? Josh fine-tuned the board a bit and switched a few items around from what was on the menu. Love this about Plancha- they really want you to enjoy the experience and tailor to your preferences.

If you like olives, the olives at Plancha are amazing. We. Loved. Them. We also splurged with the cebada {yum}, shishito peppers {delish but a lot of peppers for just two people}, scallops {excellent}. The eggplant puree with root vegetables and almonds under the scallops was so delicious- I think it deserves a plate of its very own! In short, the meal was fantastic.

Josh paired all of this with a Spanish red that went perfectly- didn’t overwhelm the food at all but complemented it just right. My only regret was not having a second stomach to enjoy some of the other items on the menu.

There’s nothing else like Plancha in GC. Have you been yet?

931 Franklin Ave., Garden City