We had a bag of Brussels sprouts in the fridge just waiting for us to show them some love. And what better love to show then to sprinkle them with bacon? We introduced the Brussels sprouts to the bacon, with a little shallot – and it was a party that we’ll be throwing together again. Even my son ate these Brussels sprouts!

I can’t decide if this is a side dish or a main dish – I think it would work either way. What do you think?

Recipe credit: Rachael Ray, Food Network

What is your favorite way to make Brussels sprouts?

If you like your salads to be pretty, this Winter Bok Choy Slaw could definitely win the title of America’s Next Top Model, Salad Edition. I think it would be a great side (or topping) for some fish tacos or some grilled fish.

My husband, who is not a fan of “slaw” thought this was one of his favorite salads. I think it tastes better overnight in the fridge as the flavors seem to marry and the peppers mellowed.

Add chicken if you want a more substantial meal.

Source: This recipe was adapted from the January/February 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times.

Do you like to make salads when it’s cold outside? What’s your favorite to make? 

I’ve never been able to successfully keep a basil plant alive, ever. Believe me, I’ve tried. But this year, I build raised beds and I jumped into the whole gardening thing – and I’m both shocked and humbled to have just harvested my very first homegrown batch of basil. I won’t go all mushy on you – but I’m feeling very basil-blessed after harvesting it all and making up a batch of the most delicious, fresh pesto I’ve ever had. Maybe it tastes so good, because it came from my garden. Yes, that’s probably it, but that’s okay. I think savoring the bounty is the real reason anyone gardens anyway. So I’ll sit back, smile and savor it. And I’ll share with you my simple, healthier, pesto recipe.

If you don’t have homegrown basil, don’t despair. Buy it from Trader Joe’s (great price) or in the produce section of most grocery stores.

This recipe is a little healthier than other recipes because it calls for less olive oil. I substitute olive oil with water from boiled pasta (pasta water). It also has less cheese and fewer pine nuts than other recipes. I still think it tastes superb, but you can always add more of whatever you like. Want more olive oil? Add less water. It’s very difficult to screw it up.

I like to freeze my extra pesto. This last time I used a mini muffin pan – each spot holds about 1 tablespoon of basil. A great serving size – a little bit goes a long way, especially on pasta. Once it’s frozen pop the pieces into a plastic bag and you can take out one at a time. I used a metal mini muffin pan, but here is a silicone mini muffin pan – I bet it would work great for popping out the frozen pesto packs – HIC Brands that Cook Essentials Silicone 24-Cup Mini Muffin Pan.

If you don’t have a mini muffin pan, you can use an ice cube tray.

What’s your favorite way to make pesto? What types of foods do you like to serve with pesto?

It’s the 3 o’clock hour for me. . . .when I hit a wall. When I think I’m hungry but dinner isn’t far along. When I need a pick-me-up to get me through to dinner time. Well here’s a smoothie recipe that will do just that.

Have you seen International Delight’s new light Iced Coffee? It’s available in both Vanilla and Mocha, is only 100 calories per serving, and is great poured right into a glass of ice. Or if you’re looking for something a little more filling, make this protein-packed Iced Coffee Smoothie with banana and oatmeal. I think it’s like having an oatmeal, banana cookie . . .in a glass with a little caffeine for good measure.

If you’re into protein powders – I bet you could substitute protein powder for the oatmeal, as well.

With less calories and less sugar, International Delight Light Iced Coffee lets you enjoy MORE of what you love! For more fun ways to break up your day, visit ID’s new online games today for a chance to win sweet prizes and coupons to use on your next purchase!

This is a sponsored post.

What snack do you like in the afternoon – that time when you’ve already had lunch, but dinner is hours away?

We had some freckled bananas that were screaming to be eaten. We rarely have too-ripe bananas – as they usually get devoured by my little monkeys before this point. But this week we had a few ripe bananas, so I whipped up a batch of banana bread – adding blueberries. This time, instead of vegetable oil, I added Tillamook Greek Homestyle Vanilla Yogurt and Coconut Oil! I think it was awwwee-mazing and I’m not sure I’ll make banana bread with vegetable oil again!!

Ideally you’d let this cool for another couple hours. But seriously – who can wait that long?

My kids devoured this. My six-year-old son exclaimed, “This is fantastic mom! It’s the best you’ve ever made. And the crust. . . it’s perfect!” Well if that isn’t a compliment, I don’t know what is!

I hope you (and yours) enjoy this recipe as much as we did!!

I adapted this recipe from Food Network Blueberry-Banana Bread from Giada De Laurentiis

What’s your favorite variation of banana bread? 

Since we happened upon 63 pounds of bananas, we’ve been enjoying all things bananas this week –  Roasted Coconut Banana Bread, banana chocolate chip cookies, banana smoothies and dried banana chips! Today we kicked off the weekend with banana, oatmeal, brown sugar waffles – and seriously, they were so good we didn’t need to use an ounce of syrup.

This recipe comes from Waffles: Fun Recipes for Every Meal.

Last month we made homemade waffles with enough butter to make Paula Deen proud, check those out!

Do you have a favorite waffle recipe? 

We’ve been enjoying our bananas this week – with a Roasted Coconut Banana Bread, banana smoothies, banana chocolate chip cookies and dried banana chips! The first batch my son helped me make – it was a super kid-friendly project. It took about 13 hours in the dehydrator  – as we wanted them extra crisp and let me tell you, they didn’t even last that long!

I borrowed a food dehydrator from another preschool mom and I’m not sure I want to give it back.

Basically we just sliced bananas thin (and as uniform as possible) and dropped them into a mixing bowl with lemon juice. This helps keep them from turning dark brown. We started the dehydrator around 8 p.m. at night and let it do it’s thing until around 11 a.m. the next day. Every other recipe I read said 8-10 hours, but I wanted extra crisp banana chips, so we left them on longer.

We stored them in an air tight container – although that didn’t matter much since they were devoured in day.

A couple things I learned from this process:

• The super duper crunchy ones you find at the grocery stores, the ones in trail mix and fancy packaging. Um yea, they are probably not dried, but rather fried. Sad, but true.
• On the second batch I tried a tray without lemon juice – and they looked exactly the same. Doh! AND they seemed to stick to the tray less.
• They did stick to the dehydrator tray. I popped them off with a knife. Only lost one finger in the process.
• For the person who eats the most in the house (ahem, my handsome husband) – have him pull the banana chips off the trays on the second batch. He’ll see how much work they are and think twice before eating the entire container in one day. Haha.
• Your entire house will smell like bananas.

If you’re in the market for a dehydrator I recommend watching Craigslist, garage sales and thrift stores – they seem to be fairly common. If you prefer to go the new route, Amazon has some great dehydrator deals.

What is your favorite thing to dehydrate? 

Yesterday I posted about roasted coconut banana bread (yum) and I’ll lighten things up a little today with a banana smoothie. My kids have been gulping these down ever since we picked up the 63 pounds of bananas for 11 cents this last weekend – it makes me happy knowing they are getting a healthy snack.

Smoothies are really very simple, seems silly to post as an official recipe – so we’ll keep it casual. . .

1. Dig your blender out of the depths of your pantry.
2. Add bananas and any other fruits you have hanging around. We added frozen strawberries and blueberries. I think using frozen berries in the summer time makes it thicker and more refreshing! To freeze the bananas, I just sliced in half and placed in plastic bags. I also sliced them onto a cookie sheet and froze them this way – which is easier for the blender to digest.
3. Add a 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of yogurt, we added vanilla yogurt
4. Add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup milk
5. Blend until perfection

You can play around with the proportions to get it the right consistency. Since I was using frozen bananas and frozen strawberries I had to add a little extra milk so my blender could handle all the hard items. It’s a little different every time you make it – but always good. ?

What are your favorite combinations for smoothies? 

Let the banana recipes begin. This weekend I was able to score 63 pounds of bananas for only $7 (only 11 cents a pound) – so we’ve been making the most of them! Yesterday I made a roasted coconut banana bread that my family loved! The recipe comes straight from Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads.

What’s your favorite kind of bread to bake?

This salad is super easy. Most of the ingredients can probably be found in your freezer or pantry. Add more of the ingredients you like and leave off the ones you don’t. You can’t really mess it up.

Source: This recipe was adapted from a recipe I found in the May/June 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times.