Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

PREP TIME: 15 MINS

COOK TIME: 35-40 MINS

MAKES: TWO LOAVES

INGREDIENTS:

8 tbs melted butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 large egg

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Baking is one of those things that brings back so many happy childhood memories for me. Thinking back on the times I helped my Nana make apple crumble, when my Mum let me lick the spoon when she made brownies, & all of the delicious smells that filled the house brings a smile to my face. Banana bread was one of those delicious desserts that fortunately, my Mum didn't mind us snacking on throughout the day & was especially delicious fresh out of the oven, smothered in butter! The only thing that could possibly make banana bread even better is if you add chocolate chips & if your husband is anything like mine, throw some pecans in there as well!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Spray the metal loaf pans with cooking spray or grease with butter.

3. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt & cinnamon together.

4. Mix egg in with the mashed bananas & add the sour cream, vanilla, & melted butter.

5. Combine both wet & dry ingredients together & mix well.

6. Fold in chocolate chips & pecans.

7. Transfer the batter to the loaf pans & smooth out evenly.

8. Bake for 30-45 minutes until the top is lightly browned & a toothpick comes out clean.

9. Run a butter knife along the sides of the pan to loosen the bread.

10. Serve warm with butter or let cool & serve at room temperature!

Halloween Hacks for The Mum on a Budget

Halloween is one of my absolute favorite Holidays! There's trick or treating to look forward to, pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING & of course, dressing up as something other than yourself for a change. 

This year, we kept it pretty simple. We got creative & made costumes out of items we already owned, we went trunk or treating instead of trick or treating (when you have smaller children, this is ideal because they don't have to walk nearly as far & often times they end up with a lot more candy) & we carved & painted pumpkins at home. I even got adventurous & made homemade pumpkin pie from scratch! My point being, you don't need to put out a lot of money to make the Holidays enjoyable. Here are some of my tips to keep Halloween cost-effective & fun!

#1 CHECK OUT LOCAL FREE EVENTS ONLINE

I'm always finding so many fun, free events on google, facebook, & even my city's event website. You can even find coupons for food or activities or discounted tickets for sale, so be sure to check back every couple of days because they are always posting awesome events for the whole family & even just for adults!

#2 GET CRAFTY!

Hot glue, fake flowers & an old headband can be transformed into a flower fairy crown! One of Dad's old t-shirts can be cut into a cape for your little superhero! Even the dollar store is a treasure trove of potential costumes - all it takes is a little hot glue & some imagination! 

#3 SAVE ON PUMPKINS

I'm not saying by any means that you should ditch pumpkins altogether, but shop smart. Local roadside pop-up shops & pumpkin patches can be great for a photo op, but their prices are usually outrageous! You'll be spending upwards of $15.00 per pumpkin! Instead, check out your local supermarket. Walmart, Target, & Smiths (if you are local to Utah) usually all sell their pumpkins under $5.00 each. It may be tempting to carve pumpkins earlier, but they tend to get mushy & gross by the time Halloween comes around. Wait until the week of & you'll not only save money, but you'll also save yourself from having a rotten pumpkin smelling porch for the next month!

#4 DOLLAR STORE CHALLENGE

Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on decor, why not host a crafting night with your girls? Here's the kicker though. You can only use items from the dollar store! Pinterest has hundreds of step-by-step tutorials for everything from wreaths to centerpieces, even for the craft-impaired! If you're feeling naughty, you can even break out a bottle of wine to ensure that it's a fun-filled giggle fest! 

#5 DON'T GO BROKE TRYING TO MAKE IT MEMORABLE

This one should speak for itself. If you are like me & you have little ones, you know exactly what it's like trying to resist the urge to go overboard. The photo ops, the events, the costumes, & the candy. Halloween can get really expensive when you're trying to make it perfect for your kids! But here's the thing... will they really remember if their hat was a different shade of blue than their costume? Are they going to remember how much effort you put into decorating the doorway just like that post you saved on Pinterest,  or are they going to remember making not-so-perfect streamers with you & dancing to The Monster Mash in the kitchen with you instead? What kids really value above anything else is TIME. The time we spend with them is what truly makes the Holiday memorable, & that is what we need to remember.