Apple Butter Banana Bread Recipe
I’m going to share with you a recipe that has been a favorite for a long time! When I was in college I waited tables. The tips paid the bills, but didn’t leave a whole lot left over. One day before my morning shift, I made a few loaves and brought them in. The next thing I knew, people were paying me to make them bread. I ended up making about 15 loaves a week! Seriously, people loved this stuff!
This mix of apple butter, bananas, cinnamon and nutmeg is amazing. Usually I make this bread in a mini loaf pan. That way I can wrap up the loaves and freeze most of them. Having individual loaves is great for packing lunches. Not only does it help to keep my portion control in check, but it’s nice when I want a sweet treat I can just thaw out a loaf!
I promise you! This will be your new go to quick bread loaf!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7UB1tb1YHk]
1 1/2 cup
all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp
baking powder
1/2 tsp
cinnamon
1/4 tsp
baking soda
1/4 tsp
salt
1/8 tsp
ground nutmeg
2
eggs beaten
3/4 cup
sugar
2
over ripe bananas mashed
1/2 cup
apple butter
1/4 cup
canola oil-
honey
Servings:
-
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with baking spray.
-
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.
-
In a smaller bowl, mix eggs, sugar and mashed bananas.
-
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
-
Pour mixture into bread pan.
-
Drizzle honey over the top of the mix.
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Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
-
Allow to cool completely before slicing or wrapping for storage.
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Posts on It’s a Fabulous Life may contain affiliate links.
29 of the Best Easter Ideas
Easter will be here before you know it. Are you ready? I admit, we have a lot to do still, but these 29 ideas will have you ready in no time! These are the best Easter ideas around!
Easter Recipes and Crafts:
1. Easy Cake Mix Sugar Cookies (just 3 main ingredients)
2. Easter Peeps S’Mores (including gluten free options)
5. Easter Bunny Patch Recipe using Palmer’s Easter Candy
6. 5 Unique Ideas for a Reusable Easter Basket
7. 5 Creative (non candy) Easter Gift Ideas
8. Easy DIY Resurrection Garden
10. Easy Resurrection Snack and Activity for Kids
11. How to Dye Easter Eggs with Silk Ties
13. How to Plan an Easter Egg Hunt
15. Free Easter Printable for Kids
16. 9 Tips for a Successful Easter Egg Hunt
18. Kids’ Party Food:Mr. McGregor’s Garden Patch
20. 20 Easter Supplies and Favors
22. 25 Easter Craft & Activities
23. Easy Easter Stencil Cookies
24. Kids Party Food: Easy Easter Cookies
25. Kid’s Party Food Ideas: Delicious & Darling Easter Cake Pops
26. Monster Eggs {DIY Party Craft Ideas}
27. 33 FREE Easter Printables Boys Will Like Too
28. [Inspiration] Easter Egg Hunt
29. Bow Tie Easter Party for Your Little Man
Our favorite Easter Traditions:
My Mom always made the ‘lambie cake’ for Easter every year. She has this cake mold shaped like a lamb and she always decorated it up to look so cute every year. I’m not that ambitious but I love a sweet treat for the kids and we have fun filling and hiding baskets and eggs. I think I get a bigger kick out of finding good hiding spots than they do out of finding them!
– Lindsay is the mom of 2 and author of See Mom Click. She shares great deals, Disney happenings and recipes. You can follow her on Twitter here!
Easter was always one of my favorite holidays growing up. My dad would always buy about 10 large chocolate bunnies and hide them around our living room. (Why so many? So he could eat them, too! Haha) After we had our 9am chocolate fix, we’d head to church and then to my grandparent’s house for turkey dinner with all the fixings. Every year it was the same and I loved it. We’re still developing our traditions with my son Sam, but Easter is becoming one of his favorites.
– Stephanie is the mom to Sam and the author of Spaceships and Laser Beams. If you ever need party ideas her site is the place to visit! Specializing in all things boy, it’s full of inspiration! Follow her on Twitter here!
We always had Easter Egg hunts at my grandma and papaw’s house when I was little. Now that I have my own family, we still get together every year with our big ole’ family and let the littles hunt eggs. They always have such a great time. My addiction to those Cadbury Creme Filled Eggs comes into full on and I always have to keep a stash hidden. Shhhhh!!!
– Jenni is the mom of one and the author of Sweet Pennies From Heaven. A hearth and home website, Sweet Pennies From Heaven focuses on recipes, crafts and creating a comfortable home. Follow her on Twitter here!
I love Easter. It’s an important day for us and what it symbolizes. We try to do something really fun each year. Last year for the older kids we put glow sticks in the eggs and let them hunt them after dark. They loved that! It’s a wonderful day filled with faith, friends, family and of course, a trip from the Easter Bunny!
– Amanda is the mom to Joshua and owns It’s a Fabulous Life. If you are looking for a one stop place for all things mom, It’s a Fabulous Life is it! Full of recipes, fashion, DIY projects, recipes and parenting articles it’s the place for all of Mom’s favorites to come together! Follow her on Twitter here!
Be sure to pin!
Super Easy, Mile High Strawberry Pie Recipe
I have been dreaming of warm weather since, well, last summer! I am desperately waiting for flip flops, maxi dresses, ice cream and my favorite, strawberries!
So imagine my delight when I saw that strawberries were only $1 per container at the store the other day! That’s right….summer prices! I couldn’t help but to load my cart up with them and bring them home. I probably could have just eaten them by the pint, but I decided to go fancy and make a super easy and the absolute best, mile high Strawberry Pie.
1
pastry shell unbaked
3/4 cup
sugar
2 tablespoons
cornstarch
1 cup
water
1 package
strawberry Jell-o 3 oz
2 packages
strawberries washed, hulled, & sliced-
whip cream optional
Servings: people
-
Begin by baking the pie shell according to package directions. Meanwhile, prepare your strawberries by washing, hulling and slicing.
-
In a saucepan, combine sugar, strawberry Jell-o, cornstarch and water. Bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally. Let cook for about 2 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and refrigerator 10-15 minutes or until slightly cooled.
-
Once cooled, pour a little of the strawberry mixture in the bottom of the pie crust. Add the strawberries. Pour the remaining strawberry mix to the top of the pie. Place in the refrigerator and let set. Serve with whip cream if desired.
If you love strawberries or plan on making lots of strawberry dishes these are two tools that I use all the time to make it easier!
This strawberry huller is a super useful tool! Use it to remove the stem and hull. Strawberries stay whole for great presentation if you need it. Get it here for just $7.99!
This strawberry slicer is only $3.36 and gives you perfectly cut strawberries every time! Get it here!
Don’t forget to pin!
This post contains affiliate links.
Easy Big Hero 6 Baymax Party Ideas
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BigHero6Release #CollectiveBias
I’m sure you have heard by now, but
BIG HERO 6 IS AVAILABLE ON BLUE-RAY/DVD RIGHT NOW!!!
Yes, it’s true! You can pick up Big Hero 6 at your local Walmart and bring home an amazing movie that you and your kiddos will absolutely LOVE! In fact, Walmart has an exclusive 2 DISC Disc Blue-Ray+DVD and digital copy pack and tons of really awesome Big Hero 6 merchandise from clothes to toys to posters. (For the digital copy, just scan your receipt using the Savings Catcher Walmart app!)
To celebrate the movie release on February 24th, I decide to do a few Baymax inspired ideas and surprise Josh with the new movie.
Here are a few super easy Baymax and Big Hero 6 ideas that you can use at your next party!
Baymax Balloons
What is a party without balloons? This project is so easy, I’m almost not even sure you can call it a project!
You need:
White balloons
Black Sharpie
Inflate your balloons and simple draw two circles and connect them with a line. Ta-da. A la Baymax. (I’m really loving how easy Baymax is to re-create!) 🙂
Baymax Pizza
For dinner I went with a kid classic, pizza. Already in a circle shape, I just made sure to add the pepperoni first and put the mozzarella cheese on top. Then, a few simple construction paper shapes and we have a Baymax pizza!
Baymax Rice Krispie Treats
We usually go for the same desserts – cupcakes or cookies. So I thought I would switch it up and do Rice Krispie Treats – Baymax style of course!
You will need:
6 Cups of Rice Krispie cereal
1 Bag of marshmallows
3 Tablespoons butter
White Chocolate
Hershey Drops
A tube of black cake decorating gel.
To make the Rice Krispie Treats, simply melt the bag of marshmallows and better.
In a large bowl, add cereal and once melted, pour the marshmallow butter mix in. Stir well, evenly coating.
Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray and add the Rice Krispie mix in. Let it sit and cool.
Using a cup or biscuit cutter, cut out circles. Like cookie dough, once you can no longer get anymore shapes out, roll up the mix and flatten it out again!
(Tip you want your circles to be well packed and tight. Otherwise the chocolate will cause them to pull apart.)
Melt the chocolate according to the package instructions. Spoon white chocolate on one side of the treat.
Add 2 Hershey Drop eyes. Place on a plate. Once your treats are coated in chocolate, place in the refrigerator or freezer just until the chocolate hardens.
Using the black cake decorating gel, draw a line connecting the two eyes.
With the balloons, pizza and dessert you are now ready to pop in your new Big Hero 6 movie!
Have you seen this movie yet? What did you think?
Super Easy Bunny Pie Pops – An Easy Easter Treat
Spring is almost here which means all kinds of awesome things: warmer weather, flowers, and Easter. I’m a huge Easter fan and everything that it stands for. We make it a huge celebration in our house. We always have a Resurrection Garden and we love making silk dyed Easter eggs. But we also love making fun treats. These Super Easy Bunny Pie Pops are beyond easy and even more adorable.
You will need to have cookie cutters and lollipop sticks for this project.
1 box
Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts
1/2 cup
pie filling homemade or store bought-
Lollipop sticks
1
egg beaten-
sugar -
flour -
cookie cutter
Servings:
-
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray cookie sheets with cookie spray.
-
Sprinkle flour on your work surface and unroll the pie crusts onto the flour. Using your Easter cookie cutter, cut your shapes out of the crust. To make additional Easter Pie Pops, roll the excess dough out flat and use cookie cutter to create additional shapes.
-
To make your Easter Bunny Pie Pop, press the lollipop stick into the bottom layer of crust.
-
Then, top each crust with about ½ tablespoon of pie filling and cover with the top layer of crust.
-
Using a fork or extra lollipop stick, press the edges of the two crusts together to seal the Easter Bunny Pie Pop together. Brush the tops of your Easter Bunny Pie Pops with beaten egg and sprinkle sugar on top.
-
Bake for 9 minutes or until Easter Bunny Pie Pops are golden brown. Remove Easter Bunny Pie Pops from the cookie sheet and let them cool completely on cooling racks.
These would be easily made in tons of different flavors and with any shapes!
There are lots of fun shapes that would be perfect for Easter.
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The Boxtrolls Family Night
“” “This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Universal Pictures, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BoxtrollsFamilyNite ”
The most important thing in the world to me is Josh. There really isn’t anything that I wouldn’t do for him. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that he’s 11. Wait, scratch that. It’s always hard for me to believe that he’s 11. I’m not sure where the time has gone, but i know that there is a lot more time that I want to spend with him and things I want to do! I’m definitely not ready for him to grow up anytime soon.
One thing that we love to do is watching movies. We have been wanting to see The Boxtrolls ever since we saw the previews for it! So while I was at Walmart the other week and I saw that it was available on DVD and Bluray I was really excited! I knew that we needed to get it and have a family movie night.
So I was sure to pick up some of the must have movie necessities:
- The Boxtrolls on Blu-Ray
- Pop Secret Popcorn (We are fans of the 10 count bags of Movie Theatre Butter Popcorn!)
- White Chocolate
- Candy…..Lots of candy! 🙂
It’s a proven fact that you shouldn’t watch a movie without popcorn. Ok, maybe I made that up, but we all know it’s pretty much the truth! 🙂
While Josh was getting the movie set up, I was getting the popcorn ready. It was a Trash Popcorn evening! What’s Trash Popcorn? It’s when the kitchen is up for grabs. Pop your Pop Secret popcorn as instructed in the directions. Then, pick your toppings. We’ve melted chocolate and drizzled popcorn, but get creative.
Then add your mix ins. I like to buy mini-candies to mix in. Their size is perfect! We’ve done chocolate candies, peanut butter, chocolate caramels, etc. We’ve also used things like crushed cookies, pretzels, and sprinkles.
Seriously, open up your pantry and cabinets and get creative. Having a popcorn buffet is fun and makes movie night extra special!
If you haven’t seen The Boxtrolls yet, it’s a sweet story. There is a rumor in town that the Boxtrolls are evil and kidnap children. So the Boxtrolls come out at night, collecting trash and are very excellent at using that trash to make new things. They also help raise a young boy. This boy thinks he’s a Box Troll, but in time meets a young girl. She takes him to meet her father and they try to tell everyone that the Boxtrolls aren’t evil, but no one will listen. They have been tricked. But when the town is in trouble, the Boxtrolls come to the rescue!
Hey now, I can’t tell you the whole ending!
Overall, we gave this movie two thumbs up. It was well done and really cute. And of course, it had a great message for the kids!
Pick up your copy of The Boxtrolls at Walmart and be sure to grab Pop Secret (our favorite is the 10 count Movie Theatre Butter Popcorn!) to make your own family movie night extra special! (Walmart availability is while supplies last!)
Don’t forget to pin!””
9 Awesome Valentine’s Day Ideas – Moms Check In
Are you as excited about Valentine’s Day as I am? I’m not sure if it’s all of the pink or the hearts, but something about it gets me feeling all happy. Here are some of our favorite Valentine’s Day ideas! #MomsCheckIn
Valentine’s Day is so much fun for us. I mean…chocolate, right? And love. What could be better? One of our favorite homemade Valentine’s are these Rainbow Loom cards. Just print out the free template and attach the bracelets my daughter can make in her sleep. She gave them out last year and the kids loved them. On Valentine’s Day we have to have dessert too (of course)! This Valentine’s Day Pudding Parfait is so easy, pretty, and totally delicious! Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
– Lindsay is the mom of 2 and author of See Mom Click. She shares great deals, Disney happenings and recipes. You can follow her on Twitter here!
I LOVE Valentine’s Day. It’s fun to create special memories with Sam including home made crafts and treats. We always have a great time together. I also try to do a special dinner date with Mike each year.
– Stephanie is the mom to Sam and the author of Spaceships and Laser Beams. If you ever need party ideas her site is the place to visit! Specializing in all things boy, it’s full of inspiration! Follow her on Twitter here!
Valentine’s Day is just the coolest. We love to make our own Valentine’s Day cards for little man’s classroom exchange. They’re just always a bit more unique and fun, I think. Here are some really great Valentine’s Day printables for cards, treat toppers and more. We also make up baggies of these strawberry muddy buddies to pass out in his classroom. That stuff is SERIOUSLY addictive – so beware!! xoxo
– Jenni is the mom of one and the author of Sweet Pennies From Heaven. A hearth and home website, Sweet Pennies From Heaven focuses on recipes, crafts and creating a comfortable home. Follow her on Twitter here!
Every year we make homemade Valentines to pass out at school. We try to do something more than candy and super fun. A few years ago I made printable tags to attach to mini boxes of cereal. They were a HUGE hit! This year we are sending in lip balms for the girls and bags of chips for the boys.
– Amanda is the mom to Joshua and owns It’s a Fabulous Life. If you are looking for a one stop place for all things mom, It’s a Fabulous Life is it! Full of recipes, fashion, DIY projects, recipes and parenting articles it’s the place for all of Mom’s favorites to come together! Follow her on Twitter here!
How do you plan on celebrating Valentine’s Day?
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Bacon Pull Apart French Toast Muffins
I’m a sucker for breakfast. I love scrambled eggs, pancakes, hash browns, and bagels. But one of my favorite breakfasts ever is French Toast. I absolutely love it. But it’s one of those breakfasts that only happens on the weekends every so often, because I’m not sure about you, but I don’t have time to make a big breakfast during the week.
I’ve tried the over night French Toast bakes and they are really good (remind me to share my recipe for pumpkin strusel baked french toast because it’s really good!), but sometimes the baked french toasts can get a little soggy in the middle. Call me a french toast snob.
I like my french toast to have a little crispiness to it.
Crisp. Not soggy.
Enter the French Toast Pull – Apart Muffin.
You can make it ahead of time.
It doesn’t get soggy.
It tastes delicious.
But of course we just had to take it up another notch. With bacon.
Because bacon makes everything better.
Yes. These are everything I thought they would be and more. We made an extra batch and Josh had breakfast all week!
1 loaf
French Bread cut into 1 inch cubes
5 slices
bacon cooked and chopped into bite size pieces
3
eggs
1 1/4 cups
milk
1 tsp
sugar
1 tbsp
vanilla extract
1 tbsp
cinnamon
2 pinches
salt-
cooking spray -
syrup -
powdered sugar optional
Servings:
-
In a large bowl beat the eggs. Then add the milk, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt and mix well. Add the French bread cubes and gently stir coating the bread. Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
-
Fill the muffin tins up halfway with the bread mixture. Using half of the chopped bacon, add some bacon crumbles on top of each.
-
Put another layer of the bread mixture and top with the remaining bacon.
-
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes.
-
Top with syrup and powdered sugar if desired.
This was seriously a delicious breakfast! Whether you pull it apart….
Or go the fork route, this is a must make!
Don’t forget to pin!
This recipe was originally posted here.
Skinny Bacon, Chicken and Asparagus Penne
My favorite dishes all usually have one thing in common: pasta.
I love me some pasta.
Shells. Lasagna. Spaghetti.
But my favorite of all favorites has to be Alfredo.
You can get the jarred Alfredo sauce, but ehhhhhh. It’s not the same. You need homemade sauce. It’s creamy and cheesy and delicious. And luckily making homemade sauce only takes a few minutes to make. And even LUCKIER is that I have a lightened up version ready for you.
And it’s so delicious and awesome ….. you would never know!
Now, I will admit this recipe has a few steps, but nothing difficult. And the end result is SO worth it. It’s one of my favorite recipes to make and a dinner that is requested A LOT in our house!
(Don’t forget to pin!)
| Prep Time |
| 20 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 20 minutes |
|
|
|
|
Creamy and cheesy – you would never guess that this Alfredo has been lightened up! With the smokiness of the bacon, Italian chicken and delicious asparagus this is sure to be a new favorite dinner that will be requested time and time again!
|
1 pound
boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp
olive oil
1 tsp
basil
1/2 tsp
dried thyme
1/4 tsp
salt
1/4 tsp
pepper
12 ounces
penne pasta
1 pound
asparagus ends trimmed, steamed and cut into pieces
1 1/2 tbsp
butter
2 tbsp
all purpose flour
2 cloves
garlic minced
1 3/4 cup
milk
1/4 cup
heavy cream
3 ounce
Neufchatel cheese (light cream cheese) diced
1/3 cup
shredded Parmesan cheese
5 slices
bacon cooked and crumbled
Servings:
-
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, stir together basil, oregano, thyme and 1/4 salt and pepper. Sprinkle half of the herb mixture evenly over tops of chicken. Add chicken to skillet, herbed side down, then add remaining herb mixture to the top of the chicken. Cook until fully cooked through, about 8 – 12 minutes. Let the chicken cool and then dice into bite sized pieces.
-
Cook pasta according to the box directions.
-
In a skillet (this will need to be a large one!), melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and stir continuously for about 1 minute. Add garlic and stir for 30 more seconds. Then add milk and cream as well as salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil while still continuously stirring. Once it has reached a boil, reduce the heat and add both the Parmesan and Neufchatel cheeses. Stir until completely melted.
-
Toss pasta in the skillet with the sauce, coating evenly. The add your steamed asparagus and bacon bits. Mix together and serve!
This recipe was originally from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom!
I’m so glad I found it on Pinterest and tried it out!
Secret Ingredient Banana Bread
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TasteTheMiracle #CollectiveBias
Our house over the holidays gets a little, well, busy. It’s full of family and friends. We are always have something go on it seems like.
And I love it.
The saying “The fondest memories are made when gathered around the table.” is so true. It seems that every get together we have or attend, everyone is gathered around the food. Eating, talking and laughing.
I am always looking for new recipes to add to my company’s-coming-let’s-get-baking list. And this Secret Ingredient Banana Bread recipe is one of my go to’s! Not only does it smell delicious, but everyone’s first reaction when they walk in the door is
Oh my gosh. What smells so amazing?
Seriously, while this banana bread is cooking in the oven, your entire house smells AH-MAZING.
I have to say though, this is not my own recipe. It’s actually from KRAFT! And there is one ingredient that I wasn’t expecting, but it really helps to make this banana bread one of the best I’ve ever had!
The ingredients are super important on this one! You will want to follow the recipe exactly!
You can find the ingredients at Walmart!
1
egg
1/2 cup
KRAFT MIRACLE WHIP Dressing
1-1/3 cups
mashed bananas (About 3 bananas)
1 1/2 cups
flour
1 cup
sugar
1/2 cup
Planters Walnuts Chopped
1 teaspoon
baking powder
1 teaspoon
salt
Servings:
-
Pre-heat the oven to 350 (F). Beat the bananas, egg, and KRAFT MIRACLE WHIP Dressing until well blended.
-
Mix the rest of the ingredients into the banana, egg and KRAFT MIRACLE WHIP Dressing mixture.
-
Pour banana bread mix into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until a knife or toothpick will come out clean after being inserted into the center.
-
Let cool completely and enjoy!
I left the banana bread sitting on the stove to cool. Just a word of warning: Don’t leave it out of your sight if you are wanting to get a photo of it! 😉
My family couldn’t wait to cut a piece and enjoy it!
This recipe is for sure a keeper! It’s perfect for anytime of year, but it’s especially wonderful for any time that you are planning on entertaining!
A loaf of this bread would also make for a perfect holiday gift for teachers, neighbors, co-workers, and friends! Just be sure to include the recipe because after tasting yours they will surely want to make it again for themselves!
You can see the original KRAFT recipe here.
If you need more inspiration, check out the Cooking Up Good website. It has recipes, sweepstakes, loyalty programs, coupons and more! What’s not to love? If you’re looking for a new dinner idea or a chance to win some awesome prizes, be sure to check it out!