No Sugar Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I really love having some type of sweet bread laying around. But it's not to good for your waistline to eat sugary bread all the time. And I wanted something like that for Christmas morning. Christmas morning at our house starts very early and we have a lot of places to be. So I wanted to make bread of some sort to grab quick so we weren't starving running out the door. I found a recipe for good for you breakfast loaf. It was good and I wasn't too guilty for eating it. It's made with oatmeal flour and whole wheat flour. This week I wanted a sweeter version of this bread. So I mashed up a couple recipes and threw my own twist in there, and it's delicious. You could play with the ingredients in here, add some dried fruit or take out the chocolate. I think it's a good base and it's better for you than just white flour and white sugar. I LOVE BREAD!

No Sugar Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 Cup rolled oats (ground into a flour)
1 Cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp Agave
1 Cup lowfat milk
1 ripe banana mashed
1/2 C natural peanut butter
Dark chocolate chips (optional)

Directions: Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Mix together banana, peanut butter, and agave until smooth. Add milk and mix until incorporated. Slowly add in dry ingredients until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips and pour into a greased loaf pan. Top with oats (optional) and bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

Puppy Chow

My best friend introduced me to this sweet snack over the summer, but I had yet to make it...until now. Yesterday I stopped by the grocery store and Chex was on sale, so I figured I'd make some for a get-together at my friend's house.

Puppy Chow (I've also heard it called Monkey Munch and Muddy Buddies) is not suitable as a dog treat, but is a very tasty treat! Crunchy Chex cereal mingles with creamy chocolate and peanut butter, a hint of cinnamon*, and powdered sugar. Try it once and you'll be back for more. Did I mention this is easy, too? I made made this and was out the door within 15 minutes. Now that's the kind of "cooking" I like!

Puppy Chow

adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
9 cups Corn, Rice, Wheat, or Chocolate Chex cereal (or a combination)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup margarine
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions 
In large bowl, measure and pour cereal; set aside. In small, microwavable bowl, heat chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave 30 more seconds or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into two-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in fridge.

 

*The original recipe doesn't call for cinnamon, but I'm a huge believer in adding cinnamon whenever possible, especially alongside something sweet with chocolate. Give it a try, it's a good addition!