My Favorite.....Banana Bread Recipe

I've noticed that because I'm at home instead of going to a regular job, I am in this constant state of nesting.  The constant cleaning, laundry, ect. really only benefits my household so from time to time I like to do some baking that my husband can take to work and share with his employees.  This is my FAVORITE go-to recipe that is both easy and delicious.  I get more compliments on this than any other thing that I make!

Today I'm making two loaves for the hubby to take to work in the morning, here's what the recipe looks like!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Cup buttermilk*
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
2 Very ripe bananas, sliced*
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt

Optional : 1/2 Cup walnuts or chocolate chips

* If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, just add a little lemon juice to regular milk to make buttermilk!
* I always seem to have one or two bananas in the kitchen that are maybe a bit too ripe but PERFECT for this bread!  I like to slice up a couple, put them in freezer bags and freeze them until I need them for a recipe. You may need to drain off a little liquid after unthawing but otherwise they are ready to use!


1.  Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Lightly grease a 9x5 Loaf Pan

2.  In a mixer, blend together all of the wet ingredients until smooth.  In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients and add slowly to wet mixture.  Stir in nuts or chocolate chips if using them.  Pour into greased loaf pan.

3.  Bake in a preheated oven for about 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack or eat while still warm.

I'd love to know if anyone makes a loaf and what they think of it....let me know!  In the future I'll share my fave cake recipe that is a real showstopper, Fresh Lime Chiffon Cake!

FREE Summer Fun

Last week I finally bit the bullet and forked over a ridiculous amount of money to register our car, so......I was in search of some family activities on the cheap.  I found a couple great things that Lennon, Carter, and I all loved but it also got me curious about other great, FREE attractions.

St. Louis Zoo
I don't think there is a child out there who doesn't love a zoo and there isn't a parent who doesn't love FREE ADMISSION to anything!  The STL Zoo is situated in the middle of Forest Park which is a huge park situated in the heart of St. Louis.  Its a great place to drive to, park your car and just wander.  This is exactly what we did to avoid paying the one charge that the Zoo does collect...$12 for parking.  We literally parked within a 5 minute walk to the front gate for $0!  The setup is easy to walk but if you do want to see a bit more there is a little train that runs the perimeter of the zoo for $5 a ticket.

http://www.stlzoo.org/

Grant's Farm

This is the ancestral home of the Busch family (Think Budweiser!).  It's now home to over 900 animals, including the famous Clydesdale Horses.  We weren't quite sure what to expect but were pleasantly surprised when we arrived.  This is also FREE ADMISSION but you do pay for parking ($11).  If you park across the street and pop the kiddos in the stroller, its about a 10 minute walk along the Ulysses S. Grant Trail to the entrance.  From there you are escorted onto trams that drive you through the property, showing you the wild animals that call the 281 acre property home.  You then arrive at the Tier Garten which is a huge petting zoo and courtyard with food for purchase AND.......the famous Anheuser-Busch Hospitality Room where Mom and Dad get 2 free beers each!  Truly something for everyone!

http://www.grantsfarm.com/

I think we may try these out as well:

Local Farmer's Markets

They tend to have live music, sometimes face painting and FREE SAMPLES!

Festivals and County Fairs 

We will be visiting the famous Rose Festival next week, but there are tons of community festivals all over the country, they're easy to find with just a little digging online

Family Owned Farms

By making a few calls, you can find local farms that are happy to let your little ones come see/pet baby lambs, piglets, calves, foles, ect.... 

What free family fun do you like to do?

My latest obsession.....Kindle (and their store)

My husband got me a Kindle for Christmas in 2009 (after he ignored my plea for a pair of Reebok Easy Tones).  By the time he got around to picking out a gift, the Easy Tones were long gone and I got a Kindle instead!  While I am an avid reader, baby duty usually won out and I neglected to spend some time for myself....until recently!

Lennon is relatively easy to deal with these days so I have been devouring any book I can get my hands on....and since I do a fair bit of research before purchasing, I thought I'd  start passing along what books I've enjoyed recently!



I recently read this during a weekend vaction that we took to the Ozarks.  Thank goodness it rained the whole trip so that I could devour this!  As a mother, I found myself enthralled and disgusted at the same time.  I couldn't believe some of the tactics that the author freely admitted to using in order to get the best results from her children.  An absolute must for ANY parent to read....gives you a whole new perspective on raising children!








Ok, I know I'm a little behind the eight ball on this one (Sorry Oprah) but this was a book that I absolutely could not put down!  It's written so well that you can actually see the circus coming up around you!  Well worth the time!










Happy reading everyone, I'll keep you updated on the next books on my list "Three Cups of Deceit", "The Lincoln Lawyer", and "Please Look After Mom"!

Welcome to My Adventure!

I've been staying at home with my son, Lennon, for almost a full year now.  While this undertaking is full of rewarding moments and all, it can also be very lonely sometimes.  That's why I've decided to write a blog/journal in an attempt to get my feelings out there, express some opinions and share some of the things that I have learned along this journey!  Maybe this can also be a way to bring myself closer the all of the friends and fellow moms that I don't get to spend nearly enough time with!