Banana…banana… BANANA

Courtesy wikipedia commons: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Bananas.jpg/1920px-Bananas.jpg

I had to change my life to go forward. I did so, and I have gone forward. I have one great battle, but it is one I am winning. I have dropped enough weight to get on Wii Fit, which was my goal when I got here. Now my goal is to use Wii fit to balance myself, and make a genuine approach to my exercise. Today I start using it! To start my day off, I made a simple new recipe for a lunch shake. I figure, hell, this was so super simple, I would share it with others.

Banana Berry Shake

skim milk (about 250 ml)

1 frozen banana (large)

100 g frozen berries

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

 

Now that is as simple as it gets.

Coupla tips:

1 – freezing bananas.

This is a difficult one for me until recently. Now it is again, just like the recipe, simple. Freeze the whole banana, unpeeled. When it comes time to use it, let it sit out for about 3 minutes, or run it under warm water for a few seconds. Once the peel is softened, just use a paring knife and cut the skin away, like a potato! It cuts super-duper easy, and you can see where the banana is and the skin is, so simple! They keep for months and months in freezer as well.

2 – pulse the blender, shale a little, pulse again. I had to do this about ten times before it all melted enough to blend smoothly.

3 –  Only use as much milk as it takes. If the blender is not pulling the shake down, it is too solid. Add a little more milk. To much milk however, will make the whole thing messy and inconsistent. To be honest, I want it almost to thick to drink, so adjust to your taste and texture preference.

This is a great energy booster, and it fills you up as well, so you can feel satisfied with what you are eating. No sugar, no chemicals, no complex prep, easy to buy items, easy to make. I gotta go get on my Wii now! Let me know in the comments if you like this, and if you have any variations.

 

Magic Bean Nachos

I wanted to make a cooking video, but that’s hard! I made a photo blog though! I have a horrendous digital cam, so pardon the quality, but here we go! This is dedicated to my love, my sweetheart, my Everstar!!!! I LOVE YOU!

We are going to make, guacamole, pico de gallo, and bean and cheese nachos.

For the guac:

• 3 fire roasted jalapenos
• 1 small yellow onion (you’ll cry <3)
• 2 fully ripe avocados
• 2 limes
• 1 cm bunch of cilantro (grab by the stems, about a cm)
• salt
• A vine ripened tomato

Slice the jalapenos in half, clean out the seeds.

Oh bloody hell these look good!

Chop a nice medium fine chop on them.

Next slice the limes in half.

In bowl, add the lime juice to the jalapenos, this will pull out the flavor while you finish.

Hard to see, but it tastes amazing alone, try it!

Next, prep the onion. Cut the bottom off, cut the top, then remove two fresh layers. The onion milk should seep through the bottom, this means yum yum!

Again, a medium fine chop on the onions.

Add the onions to the jalapenos and lime juice.

Now a nice ripe, preferably sweet, low acid tomato.

Showing my method of putting a fine chop on the tomato.

All chopped!

Add the tomatoes to the mix.

To prep the cilantro, chop off the rough ends, about 6cm, or, about a cm from my thumb here.

Toss this out.

Cut in 2mm strips, a nice fine chop.

Add a nice pinch of salt, this will sweat out more flavor while you mash the avocados.

Slice the avocados in half. Do NOT throw the seeds away!

Mash with a fork! I would prefer a mortar and pestle.

Get a good smooth mash, I do one avocado at a time.

Start adding the mixture of other veggies. Use the juice! I add a spoon full and mash it again, then add half the mix, then add the other avocado and mash the rest up in a second batch. I want the mixture to be perfectly smooth and just a little sloppy.

Here it is fully mixed.

I plop the seeds in the middle of the guacamole. This prevents it from turning brown.

Now the pico de gallo!

Ingredients:

• Two high acid tomatos (I used roma, my favorite.)
• 3 serrano peppers
• one small yellow onion
• one lime
• cilantro, again, about cm bunch
• salt

Chop the onion, a little finer than the guacamole.

I put a fine chop on the romas.

And add to the onions in a bowl.

I cut the serranos into julienne strips.

Leave the seeds in for more heat :).

Again, a fine chop on this, finer than the jalapenos.

Add salt before the cilantro, this again sweats out flavor for the pico.

After a good stir, I add the cilantro, finely shopped like before.

Only one lime this time!

A good stir with everything, you’ve just made fresh pico de gallo!

Now the nachos. I went simple and pre-prepared on this recipe, even a microwave at the end, lol.

Ingredients:

• Pepper Jack cheese
• Enchilada cheese, or perhaps a cheddar 🙂
• Triangle tortilla chips
• Refried beans, I used refried black beans for more flavor.

I used sliced pepper jack, cause I wanted it for sandwiches this week 🙂

FREEEEEEEEEHOLEEEEYS

cheeps

Pick out unbroken chips.

I use a fork, and lightly press the beans down, don’t break the cheeps!

Adding a sexy layer of cheese. I love using two!

I usually put them in an aluminium pie plate, or cookie sheet, but time was ticking so I microwaved. 2 minutes on high, or about ten minutes at 230 c, 450 f in the oven.

Add one spoon cultured sour creme if you like, a spoon of guac, a spoon of pico de gallo, and arrange fresh crunchy chips around them, but show off the cheese and beans as well.

Decadent yummie veggie nachos! If you play it right, you can make about six plates, or eat the rest as snacks, be sure to cover all the freshness tightly! It should stay good for up to three days in a fridge.

TIME TO SNARF THIS DOWN!!!!!

Thanks for checking out my recipe! Cilantro can be lowered, and peppers dropped entirely for you softies :).