Category Archives: Food

Quick & Healthy NuttZo Banana Bread Recipe

03/10/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Oh boy, do I have a treat for you! Peanut butter and banana sandwiches used to be my staple snack, but they can be a bit messy when out and about. Plus, I’m too good for regular ole peanut butter; we’re a NuttZo loving family now!

NuttZo makes excellent sandwiches on its own or with a banana, but I still wanted something that travels well so I could feed Avery and myself when away from home. Then the light shone down upon my jar of NuttZo and I suddenly had a brilliant healthy recipe idea; use my favorite ingredients to cook them right into a bread!

I quickly removed the jar from the light and the windowsill after my epiphany. Too risky!

We can’t get enough of NuttZo in our house lately. Avery, Kelley, and myself have been wreaking havoc on each delicious jar that comes our way. This recipe had to impress my lovely ladies or I risked breaking the “Happy wife, happy life” motto along with the lesser known, “Happy kid and you still live” motto. Scary, huh?

I used the microwave to make this bread, but have provided instructions if you want to bake it instead. Microwave cooking is my top choice, and while not gourmet, it still turns out tasty, healthy meals for any time of day.

Make this bread, then cover it with more NuttZo and have zero regrets as you enjoy every last bite.

Until you realize those bites were for your kid…..oops!!

Healthy NuttZo Banana Bread

by RC Liley

Prep Time: 10 min

Keywords: bake microwave bread breakfast dessert snack nuttzo

Ingredients (12 thick or 16 thin slices)

1 cup whole grain spelt, whole-wheat, or brown rice flour (I used whole grain spelt)
1 cup unflavored or vanilla protein powder (I used an organic plant protein powder, but other types should work fine); if not using protein powder, just add another cup of the flour you used above
1/4 cup peanut flour (or another nut flour of choice)
4 tbsp NuttZo (any flavor); warm in microwave to make sure it mixes easily
1/4 cup mashed ripe banana (applesauce or pumpkin puree would be good, but you’ll have to change the name)
1/4 tsp liquid stevia extract (or use 1/4 cup sugar/honey/agave if you don’t have or like stevia)
2 – 4 packets of stevia powder (I used Pyure Sweet Stevia)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 ½ tsp cinnamon
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk of choice (reduce by 1/4 cup if using honey or agave)
Optional: Add 2 egg whites for extra protein and to help bread rise. I did not do this and the bread turned out fine though.

Instructions

In the oven

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients to combine well, and then mix in the wet.

Pour into a lightly oiled or non-stick loaf pan (a muffin pan would be great too!) and bake 40-45 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack for 10 to 20 minutes.

In the Microwave

Coat a microwave-safe bowl with cooking spray, coconut oil, or good quality butter. You will need to do this in two batches for this method.

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients to combine well, and then mix in the wet.

Pour half of the batter into greased bowl and microwave on high for 7 minutes.

Let cool in bowl at least 5 minutes to allow bread to pull away from the sides, and flip over to allow it to fall out. You might need to give a little tug if it doesn’t fall right out.

What I love about this recipe is you can swap out the banana for applesauce or pumpkin puree for a totally different, yet equally delicious bread. Give it a try and let me know how you love it!

Now, excuse me as I make another batch to make Avery happy again. Remember that motto…..

Phew, crisis averted!

Food, WIAW

Changing Amazon Mom to Amazon Family + WIAW #2

03/04/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Have you heard of the program Amazon Mom? If you’re here in celebration of What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW), chances are you’re a foodie. Annnnnd, I suspect that many of you, foodies, parents, or anyone really, frequently order from Amazon. Am I right?

I realize there are a lot of moms out there that order from Amazon, maybe you’re one of them reading this right now, but there are also plenty of guys, dads, that do the same. I’m one of them.

The name Amazon Mom feels like having dirt kicked in my face as a father, and that I’m worthless. I’m not alone in these feelings. In fact, Oren Miller, the man who recently passed away from cancer and I wrote a tribute post about how he will live forever, put a call to action several years ago for this very thing.

Please, if you can, find the time to read his post about Why You Should Sign the Amazon Mom Petition. Just yesterday, our Dad Bloggers community along with many helping hands (yes, moms too) lit up the social media world requesting Amazon to change their program from Amazon Mom to Amazon Family.

We are pushing for the long overdue change in honor of Oren and for all parents who give a damn out there. As Oren mentions in his post, the same program in the UK already goes by the name Amazon Family, so why not here in the U.S.? Sense made = ZERO!

Simply follow the hashtags #Dads4Oren and #LoveWalkForOren and you’ll see how big of an impact he has had and still is having on our community. I never met him in person, but just seeing how caring and supportive he was as a friend, father, husband, and person, I want to help however I can.

Please, click the link below and help out by signing the petition. All parents should support this simple request which would give us all the dignity we deserve.

On behalf of our Dad Bloggers group as well as parents everywhere, we thank you in advance for any support!

Okay, so now it’s time for my second installment of WIAW. Big thanks to Jenn, recent mom to an adorable “chickpea” and fellow foodie who I hope supports the change on Amazon!

I don’t eat much in the morning as I prefer to workout first and then chow down, so I start my day a ~~cup~~ gallon of coffee. Lately, it’s been via my homemade cold brew French Press method which is so simple and very delicious!

But, I do have an adorable growing toddler to feed, and she’s quite demanding of my microwave breads. I use pureed fruits and veggies along with coconut flour, oats, peanut flour, kamut flour, etc to make sure she’s getting plenty of nutritious and delicious food. So far, she still begs for whatever I create that day, and it’s only better when I smear some NuttZo on top.

I don’t have to hold my hand out long before……

….she takes it and runs!

After my workout, lunch is a hodge podge of steamed veggies, homemade beer bread, and slow-cooker salsa chicken with black beans.

On the side I enjoy having steamed broccoli sprinkled with nutritional yeast. Could eat this all day!

Avery keeps it simple and just has the chicken and black bean mix.

For dinner, I load up with more veggies in a salad topped with goat cheese, raw beets, onions, red peppers, and a can of wild salmon.

Afterward I’ll have several slices of homemade peanut butter banana bread along with more NuttZo. Really love the stuff, and if you order on their website and use code liley15, you can get 15% off. If you ask me, that’s an awesome deal! 🙂

And that’s been a typical day for me this week. Hope you’re having a good one so far, and please, help support all parents and push to have Amazon change their program’s name!

How do you feel about so many businesses still using “Mom” or “Mommy” to describe spending time with kids and promote products?

As a father, this definitely gets to me more than it ever has, but I’m curious how mothers feel about it. Wouldn’t you want your husband/boyfriend/partner/baby’s daddy to be included too? At least most of you should, right?

Food, Going Healthy

Easy Homemade Cold Brew Coffee Recipe

02/27/2015 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Remember my post from yesterday where I mentioned I was in the process of making cold brew coffee? Well, if not, I did. I tried some the next day and love it, and even have more brewing as ~~we speak~~ you read this. Since I like to share (sometimes) good things, I’ll tell you this super easy cold brew coffee recipe to try for yourself.

Traditionally, to make cold/iced coffee, it’s brewed hot and served over ice or refrigerated to cool it down. But cold brew coffee, as the name implies, is never heated and brewed entirely with cold or lukewarm water over several hours. With this method, you lose most of the acidity/bitterness that results from brewing with hot water, which gives you a smooth, highly enjoyable, and bitter-free coffee that is wonderful on its own or with a bit of milk.

Using a French Press makes this simple recipe even easier. If you don’t have one, don’t fret, it’s still easy as ever and wayyyyy worth it. Unless you don’t like coffee, which is weird and unheard of in the parenting community. What, do you have natural energy? Well, coffee is natural, so there!

Sorry, now where was I? Oh yes, coffee, cold brew, homemade…recipe. Okay, I’m good, here you go.

Easy Homemade Cold Brew Coffee

Ingredients: (Yields 4 Cups of Concentrated Coffee)

1 Cup Coarsely Ground Coffee

4 Cups Good Quality Filtered Water

Directions:

Add coarsely ground coffee to a large bowl or French Press.
Pour in your cold water and stir to mix everything together.
Cover and refrigerate 12 – 24 hours.
After sitting/brewing for 12 – 24 hours, strain your coffee.
1. If you used a French press, just press the lid down to strain the coffee and pour it into a separate, sealable container. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
2. If you used a bowl, get a separate bowl and place a strainer lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth on top of it . Pour the coffee and grounds into the cheesecloth and let sit until the liquid has passed through. Remove the strainer with filter or cheesecloth and serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Once strained, you now have coffee concentrate. Make sure to dilute it based on how strong or light you want it. I like it fairly strong and find 2:1 coffee/water ratio works best.
Add milk and/or sweetener (I like stevia) if you want, but please try it alone before adding anything. The cold brew method makes it a lot smoother and even sweeter.

For the best results, use high quality coffee beans. Probably obvious, but Folgers or Maxwell House just won’t cut it……ever. Also, if you’re able, buy your beans whole and don’t grind them until you are ready to start. Make sure the grind is coarse and not fine. Using finely ground coffee will not give you good results with the cold brewing method!

For those of you that aren’t a fan of coffee, you might end up loving the cold brew method since it’s not as bitter as the traditional method of brewing. Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Have you ever tried cold brew coffee?

Have you made it at home or plan on making it now?