The ONLY Banana Bread recipe you'll ever need!

We went away for the weekend and

came home to some overly-ripe bananas.

My boys turned their noses up at the sight of them

but were running back to the kitchen an hour later:

Here's how I turned "Eewwww!" into "Mmmmm!"

{print it here}

 

 Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes.

 Remove from pan onto cooling rack.

Slice it, serve it, savor it.

Portion Control Cheat Sheet

Unless I have my food scale, I have no idea what I'm eating.

Here's a chart with portion sizes and measurements

compared to everyday objects:

 

How do you help control your portion sizes?

FRIDAY FUNNIES: Golf

My husband plays golf.

I tried it once.

I don't play golf. 

 

Plenty of Pancakes

Summer is winding up (less than 2 weeks left!).

There will be no more sleeping-in for my boys.

It'll be back to cold cereal for breakfast.

 

But, until then

BRING ON THE PANCAKES!
Where to start . . .

IHOP Pumpkin Pancakes from Copy Kat

 

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes from Recipe Girl

 

Lemon Pancakes from Jen's Favorite Cookies

 

Vanilla Protein Pancakes from Muffin Top-Less 

 

Maple Bacon Pancakes from A Cozy Kitchen

 

Gingerbread Pancakes from Rosie Eats

 

Hazelnut Cornmeal Pancakes from My Recipes 

 

Orange Blossom Pancakes from Little Box Brownie

 

Hot Apple Pie Pancakes from Chocolate Covered Katie

 

Banana Nut Pancakes from  A Beautiful Mess

 

Peanut Butter Pancakes from Eat At Home Cooks

 

Peach Pancakes from Like Mother, Like Daughters

 

Carrot Cake Pancakes from Foods of Our Lives

 

Red Velvet Pancakes from The Loveless Café 

 

Tropical Pancakes from  Dizzy, Busy, and Hungry

 

 Almond Poppy-seed Pancakes from One Lovely Life

Chocolate Pancakes from Add A Pinch

Mint Chocolate Chip Pancakes from Caramel Potatoes

Sweet Corn Pancakes from Smitten Kitchen

 Cream of Wheat Pancakes from Cully's Kitchen

Now, go get some breakfast on the table! 

Brain Boosts for Remembering Names

I often meet new people at work.
They're always nice and friendly.
They introduce themselves by name.
And I completely forget it . . . like, instantly.
It's gone.

So when I run into them again, I just say stuff like,
"Well, hi there!" Or if it's a child they are now
known as "Sweetie" or "Dude".

This is not a good habit for a teacher to have.
Here are 5 ways I found at Psychology Today
that help me remember names:

FOCUS ON THE EYES

A person's eyes don't change much as time passes.

Perfect example: Disney's Beauty & The Beast. At the end, when The Beast is changed back into a prince, Belle recognizes that it's still him by looking into his eyes.

ADD MEANING

Create a connection in your mind with the name and one of the person's traits.

For example, there are 2 sisters, Rachel & Emily, at my school that look so much alike (to me) that I often mixed up their names. They didn't like that very much. Everyone should get to feel like (and be identified as) the individual they are. So, I made up in my head that the sister with the Longer hair had the longer name. I never had a problem again!

{Here's hoping she never cuts her hair!}

PLAN AHEAD

We tend to remember things better when we see them written down.

So if at all possible, study the names on your class list, guest list, or interview panelists.

That's why "Hello, my name is. . . " stickers are so popular!

 

PRACTICE AT HOME

Quiz yourself on familiar faces, like celebrities, to build your brain power.

I often find myself spending most of a movie thinking, "Where have I seen that guy before?!"

I'm actually one of those people that likes to watch the credits. It's helps me put names to faces.

 

RELAX

When stressed, the body releases higher levels of cortisol (aka: the stress hormone),

which does the opposite of the same hormone in small doses: it hinders memory retention.

Maybe that's why I can't remember my own child's name when I'm trying to give

a meaningful "spontaneous lecture".

 

 I'm looking forward to using my new strategies when school starts in a couple of weeks!
How do you boost your memory?

PB Freckle Cookies

Peanut Butter.

I LOVE this stuff.

When I was a child, my grandpa was a peanut farmer in Oklahoma.

I grew to love everything about that amazing nut

(not my grandpa!)

 

Here's one of my favorite peanut butter cookie recipes.

FRECKLES!

This is how we do it: 

Here's how each step looks:

My boys ate an entire batch in 1 sitting!

What cookie does your family devour? 

Navajo Taco Recipe

Here's a delicious dinner that uses the Cheater Fry Bread

recipe from earlier this week:

Navajo Tacos!

 

This is how we do it:

1- Start your fry bread. (RECIPE HERE)

You can complete the other

steps in between making the fry bread.

 

2- Brown one pound of ground beef. Salt & pepper to taste.

 

3- Add one 26oz can of Ranch Style Beans (undrained)

 

 3- Top one piece of fry bread with beef/bean mixture.

Add other toppings as desired. We use shredded cheese,

lettuce, salsa, sour cream, and olives.

 

Serve them up and enjoy the praise! =)