Banana Snacks

My son goes nuts over these, so I thought I would pass along this recipe for anyone wanted to curb a sweet tooth, but not pack on the calories.

They are called Banana Snacks in our house, but you can call them delicious if you like.  Ha!

Start with ripe, organic bananas.

Add chocolate syrup or fudge to the tops.

Cover the banana completely with the chocolate syrup.

Pop in the freezer for about 2 hours.

Then serve.

Yep, that's it.  Each banana snack is about 20 calories and less if you use sugar-free syrup or fudge. 

They are a cool treat for the summer time.

My son loves to grab a few after coming in from the pool.  You just can't go wrong with these!

They are a hit.  These are also really great with caramel and strawberry syrup on them too!

ENJOY!

Eco-Tip:  When in doubt with plastic, always say no.  Taking your own bags when you go to the super market or the farmers' market is always the best approach, but be sure and wash them on a regular basis so bacteria won't have a chance to thrive.  For more tips visit The Earth and Me Go Green.

    

Yard Sale Finds: Ricer and Craft Wheel

Score another one for me when it comes to finding cool, forgotten kitchen items.  I got these two items at a discount store here in the county where I live.  The ricer was $15 and the craft wheel was $5....$5!  Can you believe that?

The craft wheel, after a good soapy bath, would make a great homemade raviolis pin or even sugar cookie dough flatten-er.  I even thought about using it for the top of a pie crust.

Can't wait to use the ricer/mill on my homemade rosemary mashed potatoes.

Two great finds and they are going to be put to great use in my kitchen here real soon.  You might want to keep your eye out for these two in future blog posts.  

To see other great treasures take a few minutes to check out the other links that were shared over at From My Front Porch To Yours.

Eco-Tip:  Homemade food tastes 10 times better than anything store bought or purchased from a fast food restaurant.  When it comes to preparing foods at home however, always make sure you are buying quality over quantity. To learn more tips visit The Earth and Me Go Green.

    

Southern Fried Potatoes

Everyone that's from the south knows what southern folks eat and that's meat and potatoes.  There are a few people I know in the south, men in general, that could eat meat and potatoes for every meal.  After awhile though, this gal needs a bit of a change up in the menu, especially with the meat.

Most southern cooks use a lot of potatoes when it comes to cooking up some good 'ole soul food with their meals and one of the best side items to have with your soul food cooking is some delicious Southern Fried Potatoes.

This recipe has been revamped over the course of about 3 years.  I would try different ways and random approaches to nail it to be perfect and I think I have achieved that. Here's how it's done.

Start with some pretty good potatoes.  Normally, if I am just cooking for my family or a family and friends get-together I will pick up a bag of potatoes in a hurry and go with whatever the bag has given me, but for a more formal affair I will pick through the bin of larger, single-sold potatoes to get just the right ones for what I am wanting to do with them.  I've even been known to go through the ones being offered at the local farmers' market just to make sure I get some perfect potatoes.

You want to wash and peel the potatoes and then dice them into small squares about the size of an inch all around.  Place them in a small bowl with about a cup of water and microwave them on high power for about 2 minutes.  While the potatoes are cooking, prepare your skillet with 2-3 cups extra virgin olive oil.  You can use other forms of oil, but olive oil is really great with this recipe and it also contains healthy fats that can be great for your diet.

Once your potatoes are done in the microwave, slowly start adding them to your heated oil and submerge all potato squares in the olive oil.  

Allow to cook for about 10 minutes without turning or moving them.  After the 10 minute cooking time, slowly start adding your seasonings listed below.  You may add or take away from this list to suit your taste or your diet needs. 

1.  1 tsp. Sea Salt 

2.  1 tsp. Black Pepper

3.  1 tsp. Fresh Rosemary

4.  1 tsp. Season Salt

5.  1 tsp. Chili Powder

6.  1/2 tsp. Fresh Thyme

7.  1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

8.  1 tbs. Celery Flakes

9.  1 tbs. Lemon Pepper Seasoning (Shhhh my secret ingredient)

10.  The juice from one whole lemon and one whole lime

Mix each one in completely after each addition to the potatoes. The salt additions can be adjusted for taste and salt intake amount.

Allow the potatoes to cook for about 30 minutes or until crisp on the outside.  Then serve!

These potatoes are so delicious and can be cooked with the skin on or skin off.  Either way, they are wonderful and don't last long in my house. 

You can also get the same results with the spices when added to red potatoes in a steamer if you are cutting calories.  

ENJOY!

Eco Tip:  Have a night of powering down in your house.  Turn off all electric items that require some sort of outside power and enjoy a night of zero dependency.  The more we power down the more we can save.  To learn more visit The Earth and Me Go Green.