Apple Banana Bread

This recipe combines two of my favorite things, apples and banana bread, into one moist and tasty loaf. Super quick and easy to make, this bread is the perfect way to deal with ripening bananas, and the apples add a nice subtle undertone, compared to traditional blueberries.

Apple Banana Bread
Adapted from Wellsprings Classics "Apple Recipes"
1 loaf, roughly 16 slices

Ingredients:
8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3 tbsp sour cream
1 banana, mashed
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 apples, peeled and chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a bread pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the eggs, butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.

3. Whisk in the sour cream, banana, and vanilla.

4. Gently stir in the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and flour.

5. Gently fold in the apples.

6. Spread in the prepared bread pan.

7. Bake for roughly an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center and side comes out clean.

8. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info per Slice:
Calories 183; Total Fat 7g; Cholesterol 43mg; Sodium 44mg; Total Carbs 28g; Protein 3g

Apple & Pork Dinner

Although I enjoy eating pork chops, I sometimes find it difficult to find creative dinner ideas to enjoy them in, and while the combination of pork and apples might not be new, it is certainly delicious. The brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter topping really makes this dish as well, and the saltine crackers (or in my case oyster soup crackers) add a little something extra to the pork breading.

Apple & Pork Dinner
Adapted from Betty Crocker "Best Bisquick Recipes"
4 servings

Ingredients:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp firm unsalted butter, cut up
1 medium apple, unpeeled and chopped (I used a Macintosh)
1/3 cup Bisquick mix (I used the Heart Smart Mix)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
5 saltine crackers, or one serving of oyster crackers, crushed
1 egg white
1 tbsp water
4 boneless thin pork chops

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

2. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter, until crumbly.

3. In a shallow dish, mix the Bisquick, salt, pepper, and cracker crumbs.

4. In another shallow dish, whisk the water and egg white.

5. Spray large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.

6. Dip pork chops one at a time into the egg mixture, then coat with the Bisquick mixture. Place in heated skillet.

7. Cook pork chops in the skillet until they are browned on both sides.

8. Once browned, transfer pork chops to a large an ungreased baking dish.

9. Arrange apples around the pork chops and sprinkle entire dish with brown sugar mixture.

10. Bake 20 minutes, or until center of pork chops is no longer pink. If using thicker pork chops, double the cooking time.

11. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info per Serving:
Calories 319; Total Fat 13g; Cholesterol 140mg; Sodium 585 mg; Total Carbs 30g; Protein 24g

Apple Squares

While this dish may be called apple squares, it is essentially a giant apple sugar cookie in the shape of a square. It's great both by itself and with a nice scoop of ice cream.

Apple Squares
Adapted from Wellsprings Classics "Apple Recipes"
9 servings

Ingredients:
8 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 apples, peeled and chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9x9 inch pan with cooking spray.

2. Cream butter and sugar together.

3. Beat in the egg.

4. Gradually mix in the baking powder, salt, and flour.

5. Gently stir in the apples.

6. Spread in the baking pan. Don't worry if the whole dish is not covered with dough, it will spread out as it bakes.

7. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info per Serving:
Calories 251; Total Fat 11g; Cholesterol 51mg; Sodium 103mg; Total Carbs 38g; Protein 3g

Cheesy Beef & Kasha

This dish is both fast and easy to make, and very filling. If you've never tried kasha before, this is also a good dish to try it in, as it blends perfectly with the other flavors and textures. You can find kasha at places such as Whole Foods, where I was able to get the cup I need for about $1, which is probably the cheapest purchase ever made at a Whole Foods!

Cheesy Beef & Kasha
Adapted from Betty Crocker "Whole Grains"
6 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb ground beef (I used 85% lean)
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked buckwheat kernals or kasha
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles, undrained
1.25 oz of taco seasoning mix (roughly 1 package)
2 cups frozen corn kernals
1 1/2 cups water
4 oz sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1. In a 12-inch skillet, cook the ground beef and onion over medium-high heat, until beef is cooked through.

2. Stir in kasha until kernels are thoroughly mixed in with beef.

3. Stir in tomatoes, chiles, taco seasoning mix, corn, and water.

4. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cover, cooking until kasha is tender.

5. Sprinkle cheese over kasha mixture.

6. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info per Serving:
Calories 540; Total Fat 23g; Cholesterol 109mg; Sodium 713mg; Total Carbs 45g; Protein 39g

Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Although I've been making garlic mashed potatoes since I was little, I had never used the method called for in this recipe before - cooking the garlic with the potatoes. This is my new go-to method for garlic mashed potatoes! They came out with a perfectly subtle garlic flavor, and unlike in the past where you might end up with a small chunk of garlic in one bite and none in the next, the garlic was perfectly blended throughout. The cheese added a little something extra, but you can leave it out if you like.

Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Adapted from Betty Crocker "Heart Health Edition Cookbook"
6 servings

Ingredients:
2 lbs peeled potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup milk (might need more or less depending on the consistency you enjoy)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1.5 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese

1. Place the potatoes and garlic in a saucepan with enough water to just cover them.

2. Heat to boiling and then reduce heat, covering and simmering 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

3. Transfer potatoes to a medium mixing bowl. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes and garlic together. If you want even smoother potatoes, use an electric mixer.

4. Add the butter, salt, pepper, and cheese. Mash mixture together.

5. Add enough of the milk to make the potatoes as smooth and fluffy as you desire.

I like my potatoes a bit thicker.

6. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info per Serving:
Calories 199; Total Fat 6g; Cholesterol 18mg; Sodium 251mg; Total Carbs 32g; Protein 6g

Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Well, it's getting to be that time of the semester, when the work is piling up and everything is due way too soon. Inevitably, my cooking slows down during this period, as I turn to some of the dishes I have frozen over the past few months, but I do still try to get in some cooking as I can. When I made this pork tenderloin, I originally had no desire for a pork dinner, but they were on sale, and looked too good to pass up. In the end, I'm glad I grabbed these while at the store, the smell of the seasoning alone while baking was amazing, and they came out nice and juicy.

Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin
Adapted from Betty Crocker "Heart Health Edition Cookbook"
6 servings

Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins
1/2 cup plain, dry breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fennel seed (optional, can be a bit over-powering)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 450F degrees.

2. Spray shallow baking pan with cooking spray. Place pork tenderloins in the pan.

3. In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients.

4. Spoon herb mixture evenly over pork.

5. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

6. Bake 20 minutes, then remove foil.

7. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest section of each tenderloin reads 155F degrees.

8. Cover pork loosely with aluminum foil again and let stand 10-15 minutes, or until the thermometer reads 160F degrees.

9. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info per Serving:
Calories 279; Total Fat 7g; Cholesterol 138mg; Sodium 374mg; Total Carbs 7g; Protein 44g