Simple Banana Bread Muffins!

There's a saying in my house, "If Mom's baking her Buttermilk Blueberry Banana Bread, then look out!" It doesn't always mean that I'm super stressed, or have given up, so I decided to bake the day away. Sometimes it just means Mom is frugal, and wasted fruits / veggies are not an option in this household! So I guess, yea you should still look out. Kidding, sort of.

So when I lay my eyes on spotty bananas, I know it's time to get to work! I actually get a little excited at this point, it means I get to indulge with a yummy homemade treat. Nothing beats the smell of banana bread when you walk in the door, it always gets a smile.

While I'm a fan of mixing fruits and nuts with my banana bread, I also enjoy the simplicity of plain ol' banana bread. I decided it would taste great as muffins for the boys to easily snack on or take on-the-go.

The darker the banana,
the sweeter the bread!

Ingredients:

8 Tbsp of butter
1 Cup of Sugar or 1/2 cup of Truvia Baking Blend
1 Tsp of Baking Soda
1 1/2 cups of Flour
2 Eggs (beaten)
2 Insanely Ripe Bananas 

Recipe: Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream softened butter and sugar, I use the lovely "Darla," my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I couldn't live without her. Yes, I named my mixer. Don't be all Judgy McJudgerson. 

Add eggs and mashed bananas, keep mixing. Combine Flour, baking soda with wet mixture and keep mixing until smooth. Add to muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Great in a lunchtime snack!

*Makes a dozen muffins

You can serve these warm or freeze for another day. Or you can serve warm with vanilla ice cream, just sayin..

Refreshing Summertime Berry "Melon-ade" Cocktail

Summertime is for enjoying the great outdoors. Family BBQ's & and pool play dates. Each summer I try to find a new recipe for a refreshing beverage the adults can enjoy while sweating in the relentless hot Florida sun.

This year I decided to create my own recipe. Scouring Pinterest boards, I realized that most watermelon drinks were some variation of a mojito. I'm not a huge fan of rum personally, so I wasn't too thrilled with everything I'd found. Well, necessity is certainly the mother of invention because I have just concocted my new favorite drink on the planet!

Ingredients:

16 oz of Lemonade, use your favorite!
1 cup of fresh cut Watermelon
1 1/2 cups of Ice
Your favorite Berry flavored Vodka to taste (we used about 10 oz)
Toss everything in the blender at once (vodka last), and blend to perfection!

It should come out with a slight slush factor with a little foam on top.

*You can easily omit the vodka for a "mock-tini," this is a very refreshing drink for all to enjoy!

Hope you love it as much as we do, it's our "go-to" summertime refreshment this year.

Easy Peasy Summertime Egg Salad Recipe

Some days I draw a blank when it comes to creative lunch ideas. It seems there are only so many different kinds of salads, soups or sandwiches! I like to keep things fresh and exciting in hopes of introducing the boys to a wide range of flavors and encouraging them to try new tastes. My boys are excellent eaters, ask anyone around I don't have to beg them to eat their lunch. They also happen to be great about eating all of their greens, partly because whether they participated or not vegetables have always been a staple on our plates.

Today I realized I hadn't made one of the classic sandwiches I grew up loving in a long while. So simple, so easy, and full of protein! The timeless Egg Salad Sandwich is always a hit in our home, so I decided to share it with you! There are many different takes on this sandwich, they can get pretty fancy or elaborate. This isn't anything like that.

Summertime Lunch

This is my mom's old fashioned classic Egg Salad Sandwich, perfect for picky little eaters who are funny with different tastes or textures. The "No Muss, No Fuss" of Egg Salad Sandwiches, if you will.

All you will need:

About 6 Eggs, hard boiled and diced w/ yolk (this will last two days in the fridge)
1/2 a cup of your favorite Mayonnaise or Vegenaise
1 Tbsp of Mustard (spicy or honey - whichever you prefer)
A dash of Salt & Pepper (or not, I don't use any for the kid's batch)
1/2 tsp of relish (optional for all my pickle lovers)

Fold together in a bowl and enjoy on your favorite bread, I love Ciabatta!

Hope you enjoy this classic as much as we do!


What's your favorite go-to sandwich? Tell me all about it in the comments section below!

Follow me on Pinterest for more yummy recipe's!


Essentially yours,

Erika

Summer's Best Grilling Tips and Recipe's! Stubb's Legendary BBQ Gift Pack Giveaway!

Now that the warmer weather is upon us, it’s prime time to get out and barbecue!

 Stubb’s Legendary Bar-B-Q brand ambassador and grandson of founder C.B. “Stubb” Stubblefield, offers a few tips and recipes he’s picked up over the years to make you the grilling hero of any barbecue, family gathering or even weeknight dinner. Stubb’s is the maker of authentic, premium, BBQ sauces, rubs and marinades and was founded by C.B. “Stubb” Stubblefield in 1968.

Rocky Stubblefield Stubb didn’t just make barbecue, he made friends, serving up his slow-smoked brisket, cole slaw and beans, all with his wide, trademark smile at his restaurant in Lubbock, Texas. It was during this time that Stubb first began bottling his now famous sauces at the request of his friends.

Rocky’s Grilling Tips

Today, Stubb’s heritage lives on in his legendary sauces, marinades and rubs, continuing to make people feel good all over the world.

• Use indirect cooking for larger meats (indirect is cooking away from the fire), and direct cooking for smaller meats (direct is cooking over the fire).
• When marinating, beef chicken and pork can be marinated up to two days in a refrigerator. You should only marinate seafood for a few hours.
• When using charcoal, allow coals to ash over before adding meat to the grill.
• When cooking burgers, make a thumbprint in the middle of the patty before putting it on the grill. This will help the patty come out nice and flat (not puffy in the middle) and the meat will be cooked evenly throughout.

 

Stubb’s Toasted Pecan Burger

 

• Soak vegetables in cold water before grilling – it keeps them from burning or drying out too fast.
• For a juicier steak, let your meat rest for at least 10 minutes after it is done to allow the juices that were forced into the center of the meat when cooking to distribute throughout the steak.

Grilled Ribeye Steak, Stubb-Style

• Don’t cook ribs ‘til they are falling off the bone – ribs should be grilled until they begin to pull away from the bone, but you should be able to bite into and leave a bite mark as you eat it off the bone. Overcooked ribs become dried out and less flavorful – even a little bit mushy.

Sweet Baby Back Ribs

Clean grill after every use. You can use a ball of foil or an onion – just cut the onion in half, and while the grill is heating up, rubs the onion across it. The juices from the onion clean the grill and get it ready for use.

Now for the fun part! Head below for your chance to enter the giveaway below to win a personalized grilling set, Stubb’s branded spatula Stubb’s heavy duty, hand-carved cedar wood cutting board, Stubb’s hat, bag, T-shirt and $30 in Stubb’s coupons this fantastic set is worth $150! Perfect for making your Fourth of July celebration Legendary!! Giveaway is open to US Resident only and ends on 6/26 at 11:59pm EST.  

Entry-Form

Disclosure:All opinions are 100% mine. This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network.. Open US only must be 18+. Confirmed Winner(s) will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor will be responsible for product fulfillment to winner(s) of the giveaway. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. For questions or to see your product featured in an Event you can contact Elia At Conservamom.

Essentially yours,


Erika

Homemade Birthday Breakfast Cupcakes

A new and growing trend online are these "Funfetti Birthday Pancakes" parents are making for their children the morning of their birthday. I'm all for cooking my little guys a special breakfast and indulging a bit on their birthday, like any parent I want to mark the occasion and make them feel as special as possible. Still, I'm having a hard time rationalizing feeding my kids cake batter (essentially) in the morning. 

Perhaps it's because I don't make a habit of filling them with sugar and hydrogenated oils on ANY morning that makes this breakfast hard to swallow (pun totally intended). Maybe it's because I've worked hard to show our children food doesn't come from boxes or cans, and I've tried to instill a real sense of what they are putting into their bodies. I've seen parents go so far as to feed their kids cupcakes first thing in the morning on birthdays. Hey, I'm no party pooper. I love celebrating life as much as the next stay-at-home mom (we really know how to let the freak flag fly, don't let the yoga pants and minivans fool you).

I feel bad for the children, really. I couldn't imagine being able to function properly after dumping that into my stomach. Let alone a developing brain trying to cope with a "sugar coma." Sure they get a moment of pleasure off of this sugar high, which also sends them spiraling into a terrible sugar crash. As always, I was on the hunt for an alternative to this "dessert-fast." 

I usually do not have to stray very far when looking for creative and fun ways to keep our kids interested in food. Weelicious has a ton of awesome recipes for kids and toddlers. Sure enough I came across this wonderful recipe for Breakfast Cupcakes. These cupcakes are "pancake fluffy" AND made using actual ingredients. I personally substituted the cream cheese with plain greek yogurt and I used applesauce instead of sugar and.... Voila! Birthday Breakfast Cupcakes for my boys and I to enjoy!

What's your favorite birthday recipe?

Essentially Yours,

Erika

Top 10 Tips for a Healthy Homemade Super Bowl Party!

"Are you ready for some footbaaaaaaaaaaaaawl?"

I'm not a dedicated fan to this high impact aggressive sport, but I do have fond memories of sitting on my dad's lap as a kid while he cheered on the 49'ers. The sound of football on tv in the background on Sunday afternoons brings me right back to my childhood. Once I was married, I sort of adopted my husband's team and followed them during the playoffs. Hey, I enjoy a good beer and wings were sort of my "thing."

Super Bowl parties can be loads of fun. Getting together with a room full of people excited to root for their team can be pretty exciting. Unfortunately, this can also mean enduring some not so healthy food options. I'm all for letting loose every once in a while, but some of the stuff that gets offered at these parties can be pretty scary. Does accepting an invitation to your super bowl party mean I have to subject myself to loads of preservatives, additives and GMO's?

Seriously?

So I decided to search for some pretty awesome Super Bowl party staples that could be tweaked in order to not completely abandon all my beliefs. For me, it isn't so much about the indulgence of it all. More so, when you've spent all year eating whole foods in an all natural well balanced diet, the guacamole stadium stacked with frozen/ boxed or canned food made of artificial flavors just doesn't seem appealing at all. If you've ever felt this way, then keep reading!

So here are a few tips that helped me to keep my family happy AND healthy this football season.

Tip#1 Recipe's Were Meant To Be Broken:

Daphne Oz: Relish Recipe

• Don't feel pressured to stick to the recipe. If there is an old favorite you absolutely love, you don't have to completely abandon ship. You can replace a few simple ingredients to turn a "heavy" dip into a simple and light surprise. I substitute sour cream or cream cheese with plain greek yogurt, it keeps the texture the same without the dense flavor. Daphne Oz's Fish Taco Coleslaw is the best I've ever had, I was able to substitute with plain greek yogurt and it was still amazing!

Tip #2 Up the Ante On Your Ingredients:

• You can switch all of your ingredients to healthier options i.e., organic, free range and grass fed dairy if any at all. During the holidays or for special events I will pay the extra for raw milk, it's a stretch for the wallet, but the fresher the ingredients the better the taste.

Tip #3 Keep It Conscious:

• I prefer fair trade whenever possible. You'd be surprised how different you can feel about a dish if you know its ingredients were naturally grown, cruelty-free or the employeespaid fair wages for their work. If I can't find organic or raw ingredients, then I shoot for locally grown fruits or veggies. I'm infamous for scouring the local farms on the weekend to gather my bounty. 

French Onion Greek Yogurt Dip w/
Kale, Pita & Carrot Chips

Tip #4 It's Never Too Late to Teach An Old Dog New Tricks:

• If your dedicated to your dip recipe, then try changing the sides for variety. Chips don't necessarily have the market cornered, feel free to change it up with some veggies or fresh toasted pita bread. 

Yummm..

Tip #5 Change Is Good (Or So I've Heard):

• Try changing how you prepare your dish. Skip the frying and try baking or roasting for a different, lighter approach. This alone will be appreciated by all party goers who are watching their waistline. The Crockpot is a wonderful friend in the kitchen, these Honey Bourbon Glazed Wings were made in my Crockpot and they were so tender and delicious! You can find the recipe here.

Tip #6 Get Creative, Be Inspired:

• I love the fried green beans appetizer at P.F. Changs, the boys just go wild over it. I'm addicted to their Spicy Mayo, so I decided to re-create it at home. One of the best parts of making everything from scratch is you get to put together all the pieces in your mind as you go along, using your senses. It makes it all the more rewarding when you finally nail it! Turns out, I like my Spicy Mayo a lot more!

Tip #7 Round Up The Troops:

• Don't commit yourself to just one set of recipe's. I like to mix and match different styles from some of my favorites. Ina Garten has a great Tomato Soup w/ Grilled Cheese Croutons recipe, and Giada's Beer Battered Cremini Mushroom Caps are a hit! Both excellent party options for the Super Bowl or any get together.

Quinoa Pizza Bites - just add your
favorite Marinara to dip!

Tip #8 Challenge Yourself:

• I always like to use special occasions / parties to help push my own limits. I use it as an opportunity to take an ingredient I'm not particularly fond of, and incorporate it into my theme. Therefore, I'm challenging my mind and my taste buds. Turns out I wasn't much of a fan of Quinoa, as healthy as it is I just wasn't interested in the texture. In this case the quinoa bites replaced the traditional pizza pie at most football parties. These Vegan Quinoa Pizza Bites helped to change my mind and inspire me to incorporate more quinoa in my repertoire.  Which leads me to my next tip..

Tip #9 Diversify Your Portfolio:

• Appetizers are like shoes, you can never have too many. I'm pretty sure that's a famous quote, right? It's always best to have some diversity for all the meat lovers, vegans, vegetarians or pescaterians in your life.

Tip #10 Have a Backup Plan:

• When in doubt, the Internet is your friend. If a new recipe is a total flop and you don't have time to get super creative, Pinterest can be a lifesaver. If you don't keep a well stocked pantry with a variety of different grains, spices or condiments, then you don't have time to sort through a million pins only to find out you are missing items. In which case, SuperCook is for you. It's an awesome website where you can type in the ingredients you have in your pantry, and it will provide you with a list of all the possible recipes you can make. Brilliant!

Bonus Tip:

Entertainment is key at any soiree, and that isn't exclusive to the adults. Sometimes the sitter cancels and being a parent I find it best to make other parents feel as though a gathering is "kid friendly". There isn't much we do without our little ones, so we understand completely. Making them feel apart of the occasion by providing crafts or activities is a great way to spend time with your friends and family. At the end of the day isn't that what it's all about anyway?

And so it begins..

What is your favorite go-to Super Bowl Party Recipe? 

Essentially Yours,

Erika

When Life Gives You Bruised Bananas... Make Banana Bread!

Some days I wake up wondering exactly how I am physically going to accomplish everything that needs to be done. It seems there just aren't enough hours in the day, I'm programmed to tell myself this. Now I stop myself and think, "There are just enough hours in the day to accomplish whatever it is I need to get done". The former control freak slowly loses this battle as I become more and more aware of my words and the power they hold.

As I get older I realize that I cannot do EVERYTHING all of the time. I simply cannot be EVERYTHING to all people in my life, and I'm finally okay with that. I feel as a society we get wrapped up in "yes" and don't realize the wonderful power in the almighty "no". Being okay with however things turn out and accepting them as if they were chosen to be that way has been a power struggle for me. There is no such thing as "perfect", only how your mind chooses to perceive the way something should be. Anything outside of that is okay too I've come to learn. It's ALL okay and is going to be just fine. The belief in this is what has lead to my peace and stillness while things seem chaotic or overwhelming.

There is a certain surrender that happens when you have children (especially if you have them close in age) that helps you understand that at the end of the day it's not all under your "control". A surrender I feel is necessary to be able to enjoy the "bruised bananas" so to speak. Let me elaborate...

Last week was a doozy! A busy week where it seems we just couldn't seem to catch up. An endless rotation of dishes, laundry, packing/unpacking snacks and lunches, groceries, meals on the-go and rushing through our bedtime routines. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job. I call it a job because it is the hardest work I've ever done in my life. Although it is my greatest pleasure to raise my boys and be able to witness the constant evolving miracle they are, it's a round-the-clock, never-ending, no-lunch-break-having, lucky if you get a shower in before racing out of the door kind of job. Still, I consider myself a very lucky woman, whose husband is not only capable of providing for his family but wouldn't have it any other way. I am well aware of the struggles that working mom's go through as well, I couldn't imagine working a full shift and only getting a few stolen moments with my boys each night before rushing to do it all again the next morning. I also know working moms who couldn't imagine pulling off what work-at-home moms do all day without a break or much adult interaction.

I feel as though sometimes mom's compete in this arena. DON'T! We ALL have our struggles, no matter what we choose. What works for you may not work for other moms. What you may be willing to sacrifice could be unimaginable for some. We come in ALL shapes and sizes and so do our families! The more comfortable you are with your decisions, the less you need others to be comfortable with it. So do what works for you and your family un-apologetically and move on! (That's all I have to say about that) I can only speak from my own experience and my experience is this:

Some days I look at my house and have no idea how I am going to pull it all off. Last week I looked at dishes piled high (the price you pay for being Eco-friendly and refusing to use paper products AND cooking everything from scratch) and decided I was going to skip the frantic cooking/cleaning mom bit and do what makes me feel good in the midst of chaos, BAKE!

I had some old spotty bananas and remembered I had pinned an awesome banana bread recipe that called for some fresh blueberries. I decided to round up my two favorite assistants and get to work!

The joy that they get from helping me bake is endearing, all they have to do is hear my Kitchen Aid stand mixer turn on and they race from the playroom to the kitchen with bright eyes eager to help. These baking breaks we take are fun and informative. They are allowed to add and mix the ingredients and following recipes all on their own as I stand by and facilitate for safety and the good chuckle I get from their little conversations. I enjoy showing them the process of cooking / baking from scratch and using whole ingredients, teaching them the importance of using real food instead of canned / boxed items. I stop and embrace these simple special moments knowing that all too soon they will be in school and a new phase of our lives will begin.

It still doesn't take away from the nagging pressures of everyday responsibilities, sweeping, mopping etc... I used to have internal meltdowns or hustle until the wee hours trying to get it all done, only to start again each day. I often see new or young moms struggling with the same pressures and figuring how to juggle it all. I've since learned to stop in these moments I feel overwhelmed and get back in touch with what really matters. To center myself and be fully present in the moment, no matter what it may be. My boys won't remember how clean the kitchen floor was growing up or how dinner was always promptly at 5pm. They will remember those times their mom threw caution to the wind and "changed the dance" so to speak. Those evenings she left the laundry on the couch and took them for pizza at the park on the inter coastal to watch the boats go by at sunset. Or the time she used all the bananas in sight to bake the best Blueberry Banana Bread known to man in a kitchen that would scare Cinderella.

Having lost a parent I know all too well the memories that stick with you the most and get me through the toughest moments long after they are gone. If all I'm doing is dishes and laundry what sort of memories will I leave my boys with? What will I teach them about coping with life and learning to let their freak flag fly? How will they learn to be silly and draw laughter and perhaps a bit of grace from those tense moments life often offers.

So if you come on over and the floors are a little sticky, or the tables, windows and counters aren't polished. You must excuse us, we are baking memories...

Buttermilk Banana Blueberry Bread Recipe

Essentially Yours,

Erika

DIY: Dish Soap

I've finally found a dish soap recipe that works! I loved the smell of the Seventh Generation dish soap I've been using the past few years, but I found it more cost effective to buy a large bottle of my favorite Dr. Bronner's Castile soap since I can use it in so many of my other homemade recipes.

So here it is!

You will need:

2 cups of unscented castile soap

20 drops of Lime essential oil

8 drops of Lemon essential oil

6 drops of DoTerra's Citrus Bliss essential oil

I threw in a few drops of OnGuard for good measure! The anti-bacterial properties are incredible!

Fill a large, clean glass container with Castile soap; dilute according to instructions if using concentrate.

Tip: When adding any citrus oils you must use glass containers.

Add the oils, and shake before each use.

That's it! How simple is that?

I'm in love! This smells fresh and works really well at cutting through any grease. 

I'm so happy to be adding this recipe to my collection.

What homemade cleaning recipe can't you live without?

Essentially Yours,

Erika

Essential Oils: Summertime Stash

Summer is here and in full effect!

Here at #CampMom, we are keeping very busy on our hunt for all natural playscapes that offer up an opportunity for "true play". (Imagination included)You can read about some of these adventures at www.ModernBocaMom.com.

During this process we have hit a few bumps in the road, i.e. bug bites, sunburns, bumps & bruises, even a sniffle or two. (Onguard withdrawals, more on that later)

I've been busy nursing two sneezy toddlers this week and concocting all my blends to last through the rest of the summer, as always I'm sharing them with you!

Bug Spray Recipe:

2oz glass spray bottle
10-15 drops doTerra's TerraShield Blend
Fill the rest of the glass bottle with water, shake and spray!

This has helped tons and smells way better than a lot of my favorite all natural over the counter brands (most of the all natural kinds smell really strong).

Homemade Lysol Disinfectant Spray

1oz glass spray bottle
5-6 drops doTerra's Purify Blend (I also use this blend in my homemade deodorant)
Fill the rest of the glass bottle with water, shake and spray!

This came in handy this week when a close friend of mine was visiting with her three gorgeous babes. I had been nursing two sniffly toddlers earlier in the week, so I made sure to spray everything before they came over. #germsarenotforsharing

Homemade Sunburn Spray:

10 drops Lavender
10 drops Frankincense
10 drops Melaleuca
10 drops Peppermint
Fill the rest of a 15ml glass bottle with Fractionated Coconut Oil

This is a miracle worker for the hubby, I cant seem to get him to wear enough protection and his poor skin always pays the price. This sunburn spray will not only soothe and protect, but it also shortens the duration of what I like to call the "Lobster Face".

Owie Spray:

20 drops Melaleuca
20 drops Lavender
10 drops Frankincense
40 drops of Fractionated Coconut Oil
(I like to add a few drops of the miracle oil Helichrysum)

This is a Mommy Must Have!!!

Having two boys so close in age has proven to test not only my blood pressure, but also my cat-like reflexes. I'm able to reach for this spray in an instant and it has everything I need to help my little guys.
It not only disinfects and soothes, but the Lavender and Helichrysum also aid in speeding up the healing process and keeping any germs from getting in. (Annnnnnnnnnd resume playing!)

Plus, this will not sting or burn like some of those "tried and true" chemical ridden over the counter remedies.

With the over-exposure of chemicals in today's society, it feels good to have some sort of control or say-so in the process of helping to heal and soothe our children of the sometimes uncomfortable experiences in every day life. Let's hear it for #DrMom!

More info on chemical exposure in our everyday lives and how it effects our children can be found at: www.unacceptablelevels.com

If you would like more information or would like to purchase any of the oils mentioned you can find them at www.mydoterra.com/erikasessentials

Happy Fourth Everyone!


Essentially Yours,

Erika

Best Chicken Salad Ever!!!

So I love chicken salad sandwiches. When I worked in corporate America, there was a tiny Italian deli who used to make the most perfect chicken salad ever!  

I'm not biased or anything, seeing as how it's my recipe (sort of). 

It's been haunting me ever since! I've gone through about a dozen recipes but by mixing a few of these recipes together I think I found the perfect fit.

So here it is:

1 Air Chilled Certified Humane Raised Chicken Breast (Humor me)

I grill mine, I like the char marks!

2-3 celery stalks chopped (two if long, three if it's the short kind)

2 Tbsp of fresh chopped Basil

Salt / Pepper to taste

2 Tbsp of dried cranberries

1/2 cup of Mayo ( or Vegenaise) 

Squeeze about a Tsp of juice from a lemon

Fold mixture in and spread on some delicious Low Sodium Ezekiel bread, toasted if you like. 

The celery adds the crunch I desire, while the lemon and basil add a fresh and light feel. The cranberries are just the right sweet surprise to round it all out. 

Hope you enjoy as much as I do!

Essentially yours,

Erika