Work time munchies and consistent left-over and going-bad bananas prompted a search for this perfect quick, yummy, and healthy treat. Raw veggies, fruit, and nuts are obviously great go-to snacks, but sometimes you just really crave some baked goods! Carbs are just the best. So when I came across this little recipe on allrecipes.com I was pretty smitten. These Healthy Banana Cookies use just five ingredients, and I whipped them up in about 10 minutes late one night. They make the prefect little bites to throw in a Ziplock for a midday pick-me-up. And with no added sugar, the sweetness comes entirely from the banana and dates, so these really are guilt free cookies/snacks/treats/nibbles! You can click on the link to see the recipe on Allrecipes, and I've also posted my slight variation below. Instead of oil I used butter and also added a pinch of cinnamon. Happy baking!! Ingredients 3 ripe bananas 2 cups rolled oats 1 cup dates, pitted and chopped 1/3 cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in oats, dates, butter, and vanilla. Mix well, and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown. Viola! All done!
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I've never been a one book-at-a-time girl. Since I was in middle school I've always had a good three or four, sometimes more, going at a time. Obviously, it takes me a lot longer to finish each book, but I love being able to choose what to read based on how I'm feeling any given day. There's also the advantage of not having to wait until I finish one before starting another! (Especially when I'm at a boring part of one book: I’m looking at you, Goldfinch.) The past few months (months, yes sadly. I'm a ridiculously slow reader) I've been reading a really nice set of books that cover a range of topics and styles. Mixing up the types of books I read--fiction vs. non-fiction, modern vs. classic--has not only helped me learn to develop a well-rounded writing "voice" but also keeps each type fresh and interesting. Too much of any one kind (think only Jane Austen or only Cormac McCarthy) gets really old, really quickly. So, if you're looking for something new to try, why not one of my four spring books? (All titles are hyperlinked: go check them out!) The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt, Little Brown and Company, first edition 2013, 775 pp., $30) This is a mammoth book. At 775 pages it is the epitome of the classic yet modern literary novel. Donna Tartt is known for her precision and detail, her work reading almost like a photograph: every moment caught, piercing, lengthy. She is one of the best character writers I've ever read, developing deep internal lives for each one (which accounts for the page count: it takes a lot of words to do this!). I'm only about 300 pages in, and honestly, it's hard to describe what this book is "about." It's about a boy's life after he tragically loses his mom (this isn't a spoiler, by the way). It's about the 21st century in an age of terrorism. It's about New York, and family, and growing up, and loss. I know these sound like vague descriptors, but the best novels are hard to pin down for the very fact that they are about the big, vague things in life like "love" and "beauty" and "pain." In any case, it's worth the read, although I need to remind myself of that because, as I mentioned above, I'm at a boring part and I refused to go on. Must, keep, going. Not to mention, this won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014 and was short listed for the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award. The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain (Bill Bryson, Double Day, Penguin Random House, 2016, 400 pp., $28.95) Thanks to my dad, I've been a Bill Bryson fan for a while now. Nobody combines travel, memoir, and humor like Bryson and I sure do love him for it. This book (and his many others, by the way) is just a delight. Mainly for the fact that it is light. And we all need that sometime. However, despite the humor while frolicking across the quaintest country in the world, he delivers some piercing insights into modern Britain. He is able to lovingly critique needless bureaucracy in the government, laziness in the youth, and the alarming loss of British social mores that once lost will be lost forever. Will we lose the land of crumpets, rambling walking trails, and pubs?! Not if Bryson has anything to say about it. Food Rules: An Eater's Manual (Michael Pollan, illustrations by Maira Kalman, Penguin Random House, first edition 2011, 224 pp., $23.95) This is just a fun book. Michael Pollan is a celebrated New York Times columnist, journalist, professor, and food-writer star, best known for The Omnivore's Dilemma and, most recently, Cooked (which was also made into a four-part Netflix documentary that I highly recommend). What I loved about this book was that he tackles the question of nutrition with graceful common sense. His goal is to help bring back a more simple and healthful relationship with food. The book brings together 75 "rules" that help the reader re-think the food they eat, with the overarching mantra: "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much." One of my favorite rules was number 57: "If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you're probably not hungry." Covering three main questions: "What should I eat?", "What kind of food should I eat?", and "How should I eat?" Pollan gives us a sensible, easy, simple way forward out of the common-place Western diet of highly processed, sugar-filled "food like substances." Make it Happen: Surrender your Fear, Take the Leap, Live on Purpose (Lara Casey, Thomas Nelson, 2015, 220 pp., $15.99) I'll be honest: I'm not normally into this kind of book. The vast majority of inspirational, self-help type of books reeks of quasi-spiritualism. But not this one. I'm only a few chapters in, but I can honestly say that this book is one of a kind. Casey has a passion for helping women live on purpose. Think about it: it's one thing that we in 21st century America are desperately seeking to do and yet more often than not failing at. The majority of Americans lives in a rushed, stressed, constantly striving lifestyle that doesn’t make them happy or feel fulfilled. Casey reminds us that we were made for a reason and that God desires for our lives to be lived for his purpose. It's been a needed kick in the pants for me: I can make what matters to me happen. There is always time for what matters. Yes, it means sacrificing other things. But if you care about it, it can happen. Exercise, cooking, quality time: you--I!--can make this happen. "'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." --2 Corinthians 12:9 What needed words. I've found myself repeating this verse in my head countless times a day this past month. I've felt weak and, well, blind. I want all my plans to work out now. I want to know where we will live, what job I will have, heck, what sort of job I should even pursue, and the crazy thing is that even when one little piece of the puzzle gets figured out (where we are going to live!), I don't feel any rest. More, more, more. It's a battle of the will, against God, against the world, just to control. And gracious is it exhausting. Just this week a little blessing walked into our life. This past year we have been making a very concerted effort to put money into savings, as we knew we would have some hefty expenses this coming summer. Moving and massive tests don't come cheap, ya'll. We also decided to use some of the money to upgrade to some "adult" furniture. So as soon as we nailed down our new apartment, my busy little Type A personality got to worrying about how to decorate, bemoaning the difficulties of finding good quality furniture on a budget that was also stylish and also my style. Well, what should come waltzing along but the most gorgeous couch I've ever seen on Craigslist. Very long story short, we ended up purchasing a custom designed, originally multi-thousand dollar couch from Craigslist for--let's just say--very little money. (This is a huge perk of living in New York: when you shop second hand you are shopping the homes of Upper East Side CEOs). I left the Upper East Side yesterday evening beaming. This find felt like a little gift from God: completely unasked for or even needed, just a kiss of sweetness. Without fail it seems that at the eve of every big transition in my life all knowledge of his previous provision flies out the window. I assume that somehow this next stage will be different: that I will fall flat on my face, that things won't work out, that he no longer cares about the big or the little things. But he does care, the evidence written across my life: I was given an abundantly clear calling to go to Kings and live in New York, without which I would certainly have dropped out and packed my bags long ago. God gave me the most perfect freshman roommates I could have imagined, ladies who remain my dearest friends to this day and who I lived with until I got married. My husband is one of the best gifts I could ever hope for. God has provided the means and way to multiple opportunities, from studying abroad at Oxford to now working at Oxford University Press. I am blessed, and He is good. These are the thoughts I should have been having all the month of March, but alas did not, sheer business taking over. So one of my main goals for April is to let things go and trust the Lord's provision. April Goals 1. Let things go and trust the Lord's provision 2. At the same time, actually house plan and start coordinating the move! 3. Lots of quality time spent with the Svendsens and Beaches and extended family in NJ 4. Have Bethany (my 9 year old sister-in-law) over for a sleep over 5. Be diligent with our budget and put money in savings 6. See An American in Paris on Broadway--one last hurrah, assuming we don't win tickets to Hamilton 7. Have a picnic in Central Park 8. Buy some "New York" art 9. Visit the Natural History Museum: completed! 10. Finish work well My prayer is that this month will be a joyful and purposeful one, where not my weakness but His strength dictates how life functions. March Recap Revisiting my goals from March, I actually accomplished most of them! 1. Register for the MCAT: completed! 2. Apartment hunt online: completed! 3. Choose a date to go apartment hunting in Chapel Hill: completed! 4. Book a hotel and GO visit! completed! 5. Meet my March 15th deadlines at work: completed! 6. Write some letters: completed! 7. Research graphic design and blogging formats. 8. Win tickets to Hamilton. 9. Celebrate a special friend and her March birthday: completed! 10.Enjoy my little brother's visit: completed! 11. Keep cooking. Keep writing: completed! I'll let pictures do most of the talking, but March was one for the books. Apart from our visit to Chapel Hill, which I blogged about here, the month was filled with friends, food, travel, and Easter. A highlight was the weekend my brother Ben and his girlfriend Kristin came to visit, which necessitated Chris and I putting on our New York Tour Guide Hats. That weekend also included a surprise run-in with none other than famed actress Saorise Ronan, star of Brooklyn. I got my picture taken with her. I asked her how to pronounce her name. I'm still nervous pronouncing it. Chris was way more chill and chatted with her about what it was like being nominated for an Oscar, no biggie. Later in the month brought about my darling Laura's birthday, an occasion that mainly consisted of me being in awe of this lady and telling her as much and also excellent food. Now hoping for warmer weather as April unfolds....happy Wednesday everyone! |
Authorwife to a med student and mama to three under three, seeking the joyful and learning to live by faith. Find me on Instagram and Pinterest or shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you!
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