Let Us Celebrate

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them.”  ~   George Bernard Shaw, Mrs. Warren's Profession

So I was going to save this blog until the 30 by 30 monthly report for January, but I'm frankly so darn proud of myself, that I just can't wait.  Remember how cooking 10 new recipes is one of the 30 items on my list?

Well, this past Sunday I decided to make two new recipes that my dearest friend Loud Oklahoma Girl sent me....at the same time.  Now, normally this would spell disaster for me.  If you've followed me for any amount of time, you know that cooking for me frequently involves a smoke alarm, fire extinguisher and/or second degree burns.  In fact, I think that this was made in my honor by the internet fairies: 

However, this weekend I successfully made my two new (and healthy!) recipes At. The. Same. Time.  No fire, no smoke, no injuries.  BAM!  Here's the scoop.

Skinny Taste Baked Potato Soup
So first up we have a healthy baked potato soup.  (Recipe and nutrition info here.)

The main idea of this soup is that instead of using all potatoes, you use about half cauliflower instead.  Veggies instead of carbs.  I'm here to tell you, I couldn't taste any difference and this stuff was AMAZING.  Seriously perfect for the cold weather we've been having.  Here's a picture:

I made two minor modifications to the recipe:  (1) I added an extra 1/2 C of chicken broth because the soup got pretty thick on me; (2) I don't like chives, so I used parsley instead.  I honestly cannot recommend this recipe enough.  Try it.  You'll thank me.  And Loud Oklahoma Girl for finding it!  I'm linking up with Leslie for The Great Souptacular and Kelly's Corner....so you can check out other soup recipes on her page!

Protein Packed Banana Bread
Second up we have a recipe for Protein Packed Banana Bread.  LOKG got this one in an email and we're always struggling with what to have for breakfast, so I was excited to try it!  Again, it did not disappoint.  It was awesome.  Plus it's super healthy and the protein will fill you up so that you're not hungry in an hour.  This is becoming a regular for this girl!  Here's the recipe for ya:

Ingredients for bread:

1.5 scoops chocolate protein powder
.5 C whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
.5 teaspoon cinnamon  {I also added nutmeg because I don't pay attention to what I'm doing and might have though it was cinnamon...no harm, no foul.}
2 mashed ripe bananas
2 egg whites
2 tbsp vanilla greek yogurt
Optional:  1/3C chocolate chips  {Optional?  Listen, people, in my book, chocolate chips are never optional. You better believe that I included these bad boys.}

Ingredients for topping:

1/3 C oats
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
Drizzling of honey {I'd estimate 2T ish for this}
Sprinkling of cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and then mix dry bread ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Add bananas, egg whites, and Greek yogurt.  Mix well.

Spray a bread pan with non-stick spray and then pour mixed ingredients into the pan.

In the same medium mixing bowl (which is now empty), mix toping ingredients with clean hands.  {Two things here...recipe that lets me just use one bowl?  Victory!  Second, I used a spoon, I don't like mixing food with my hands.}  Be sure you use enough honey that the topping begins to stick/clump together.  Sprinkle on top of bread batter in the pan.

Put in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out mostly clean.

Nutrition Info:  {This was calculated by me, and I suck at math, but I think it's close!}

Serving size:  1/6 pan
Calories:  204
Carbs:  37
Fat:  4
Protein:  7
Cholesterol:  3
Sodium:  39