Oatmeal Banana Walnut Cookies…with Mini Chocolate Chips

By Jodee Weiland

Want an oatmeal cookie or do you want something a little bit more? Me? I’ll take the something a little bit more, but something a little healthier as well. Oatmeal Banana Walnut Cookies…with Mini Chocolate Chips anyone?

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I love a good oatmeal cookie, but lately I’ve been craving something a little bit more and a lot healthier than the average oatmeal cookie.  So I decided to put something together that meets that criteria for me and my family!

http://learnfromyesterday.comMy oatmeal cookies have mashed bananas and honey in them instead of brown sugar or sugar.  These cookies will not give your kids a sugar high, but they will soon be a favorite, not to mention a healthy treat.  I also added chopped walnuts, which I love, and mini semi-sweet chocolate chips for additional flavor, but just enough.  I was tired of raisins, but you can add them to this recipe if you want, although I think you will like these cookies without raisins.  I used whipped unsalted butter which is lighter and healthier than regular butter. And of course, the main ingredient is the oats, which are always healthy.  So try these cookies and find out for yourself just how good they are.

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Oatmeal Banana Walnut Cookies…with Mini Chocolate Chips

3/4 cup of whipped unsalted butter
1 cup honey
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

I like to use parchment paper on my baking sheets for easier clean up when done baking the cookies.

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Cream together the butter and the honey with a mixer.  Add in the egg first and then the mashed bananas, blending them into the mixture with your mixer.  Continue to blend in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg with your mixer.  Now with a spoon, add in the oats and blend together.  Then add the walnuts and mini chocolate chips, again mixing in with a spoon.  Finally, gently mix in the flour, a little at a time, by stirring in with a spoon.

http://learnfromyesterday.comOnce this is all mixed together, drop tablespoon balls on to the cookie sheet, leaving room between cookies because they will spread out some while cooking.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.  The time may vary depending on the size of the cookie you drop on the baking sheet.  To be sure watch your first batch and check the bottom of the cookie by gently lifting with a spatula.  The bottom should be lightly browned but not burnt.  I made about thirty cookies from this recipe.

http://learnfromyesterday.comThese Oatmeal Banana Walnut Cookies are delicious and a healthy alternative to store bought cookies or even recipes made with sugar.  They’re sweet, but not sugary.  Plus they have oats, mashed bananas, walnuts, and mini chocolate chips.  Your family will love them, and only you will know just healthy they really are.  We love these cookies in our home.  I think if you try them, you will love them, too.  So try them, and enjoy!

Grilled Flank Steak…Perfection with a Balsamic Marinade

By Jodee Weiland

Grilled flank steak is always good when done right.  We like to marinade our flank steak before grilling it.

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We’ve used a number of different marinades and like everyone else, we have our favorites.  But today we decided to try something a little different.  I keep seeing recipes with balsamic this or that lately, so I thought, why not?  Why not try a balsamic marinade with our flank steak?  I’m glad I did, because it turned out great, just like I thought it would.

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I love the flavor of balsamic vinegar in various recipes because of its sweet taste versus other vinegars.  Putting it together with olive oil, garlic, and some additional seasonings seemed a good idea.  As it turns out, it was.  We tried it today, and it really did add to the taste of our grilled flank steak.  It isn’t hard to marinade a flank steak before grilling it and taking the time to do so adds flavor to your flank steak.  If you try this recipe, I think you will be pleased with the results.

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Grilled Flank Steak…Perfection with a Balsamic Marinade

1-1/2 to 2 pound lean flank steak 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 to 2 cloves garlic chopped 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

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Mix all the marinade ingredients above together in a Ziploc and put your flank steak in the bag.  Seal the bag and turn it over several times in order to cover the steak in the marinade.  Place the sealed bag in the refrigerator for 45 to 60 minutes before grilling or longer.  Occasionally, turn the bag in the refrigerator in order to marinade the steak thoroughly.  When ready, grill the flank steak about 3 to 5 minutes, more or less, on each side, depending on how you like your steak done.  This will vary according to taste.  When done, allow the steak to rest for a few minutes and then slice it diagonally.  Once done, serve.

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This grilled flank steak recipe is very tasty, but not overpowering.  The hint of taste from the balsamic vinegar and seasonings is just enough to flavor the steak without losing the flavor of the steak itself.  Best of all, it’s easy to do.  Serve your grilled flank steak with a vegetable and something like red potato salad with vinegar and olive oil for a full meal, or serve with just a vegetable for a little lighter meal.  Some other good grilled vegetables choices are grilled balsamic asparagus or grilled zucchini.  It’s your choice and either way, you will love it.  I know we do!  Try this recipe and enjoy!

Oven Baked Parmesan Chicken Breasts…Tasty and Healthy

By Jodee Weiland

Years ago, I wanted a healthy baked chicken breast recipe for my family that tasted like fried chicken or better without frying it.

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The recipe I ultimately came up with is the result of what I thought would taste good together after trying several different recipes I found in various heart healthy cookbooks and articles.  I played around with a few different things and finally came up with my own adapted version of oven baked chicken.

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First of all, I use chicken breasts that are boneless and skinless, not chicken legs or thighs.  You can use legs and thighs, but be sure to use skinless.  The second thing I do is to soak my chicken in skim milk, although you can use low fat or whatever kind you like.  The third thing I do is to use crumbled corn flakes instead of bread crumbs and I add Parmesan cheese and seasonings to my mixture.  Last of all, I oven bake my chicken.  It all adds up to tasty chicken that is healthier than fried chicken. As I have said before many times, I am a health nut, but that doesn’t mean I want to eat bland tasteless food.  That just wouldn’t work for me.  After all, I’m Italian, and I love good food, so here it is.

http://learnfromyesterday.comOven Baked Chicken Breasts…Tasty and Healthy

2 to 4 boneless chicken breasts without skin
Skim milk for soaking chicken
1/2 to 1 cup corn flakes crushed
1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
1/2 to 1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 to 1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Olive oil spray

Spray baking pan with olive oil.  Cut chicken breasts in half in order to coat more of the chicken (this is optional, but in my family we like more coated pieces).

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Crush the corn flakes by putting them in a sealed plastic bag and running your rolling pin over the bag.  Once crushed, mix in the Parmesan cheese, parsley, basil, and black pepper. Mix together well.

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Soak the chicken breast pieces in the skim milk, then dip into the mixture of corn flakes and parmesan cheese coating completely.   Place the coated chicken breast pieces in the prepared baking pan.  Then bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

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The blend of corn flakes and Parmesan Reggiano cheese with seasonings as a coating for this oven baked chicken makes it not only very tasty, but healthy as well.  Serve your oven baked chicken with the sides of your choice and enjoy a meal that is not only satisfying but has an abundance of flavor as well.  The coating is crunchy and when the chicken is baking, your whole house will smell great!  This is definitely an appetizing alternative to fried chicken and as far as I’m concerned, it’s better.  If you try it, you will know exactly what I mean.  Try it and enjoy!

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina…Beautiful Oceanfront Sunrises and Seashells

By Jodee Weiland

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is a beautiful place to visit and watch the sunrise each day.  Once the sun rises, the day is filled with beautiful views of the oceanfront from morning to night.

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Day or night though, I don’t know what it is about the oceanfront, but it calms me to listen to waves as they roll into the shoreline.  The steady beat of nature’s voice as the waves hit the shore inevitably lulls me into a state of inner peacefulness as I watch the waves continuously hit the shore over and over again.  Who needs more of a reason than this to want to visit Myrtle Beach? Not me!

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But there is more to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, than this.  For one thing the access to fresh seafood is wonderful.  All up and down the oceanfront and nearby, visitors can find a multitude of restaurants offering everything from seafood entrees to seafood buffets.  I’m not really a fan of buffets, but I do love a good restaurant that serves fresh seafood entrees done well.  The choices are unlimited from Pawleys Island to Murrells Inlet to the oceanfront Myrtle Beach boardwalk and beyond, the Grand Strand as they call it.  Just look through all the readily available visitor guides and start choosing what appeals to you.

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One of our favorites in Myrtle Beach was the 2nd Avenue Pier House Restaurant.  We had the best crab cakes here as an appetizer.  Our server told us they used no fillers in their house made crab cakes, just fresh crabmeat served pan seared with remoulade.  They were fabulous.  They also had crab cakes as a main course or a sandwich on the menu, so it was up to you just how you would have them.  For our main course, we enjoyed their blackened grouper with creole crayfish cream and their broiled scallops in lemon butter topped with seasoned breadcrumbs and parsley.  These were just a few of the wonderful dishes we had there.  After dinner, you could go out on the pier and view the ocean up close.  It really was an enjoyable way to end your meal.

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Of course beyond the seafood, you have the obvious, sitting on the beach and relaxing as well as shelling, swimming, dolphin cruises, and all the other oceanfront activities one would expect.  For those interested, there are entertainment venues like “The Carolina Opry” and more. Then there is also plenty of shopping venues and various family oriented attractions, but there is one attraction easily recognized by any Myrtle Beach visitor.  That attraction is on the Myrtle Beach boardwalk and can be seen from long distances up and down the oceanfront, especially at night.  It’s the 200 foot high SkyWheel, lighting up the sky at night and has tourists lining up for the ride with a view.  It definitely makes a statement because it is not just any ferris wheel ride.  If you visit, you will find out why.

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But for me, it’s all about relaxing, enjoying the oceanfront, eating wonderful seafood, and well…enjoying life!  So if you ever travel out to South Carolina and you get the chance to visit Myrtle Beach, take the time to explore a little and find out all the wonderful things you can do and see while there.  There is so much more than I can describe in this short post.  But it’s a great place to visit and if you’re like me, just listening to the sounds of ocean and watching the waves roll in will be enough of a reason to visit.  So if you do visit for whatever reason, enjoy!