Banana Bread

This bread is so moist and not too high in sugar! Try asking someone in your produce department if they have any over ripe bananas in the back; they will often sell you a whole lot of already perfectly ripened bananas at a discount!

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
*2 TBSP poppy seeds (optional - i just like the way it looks!)
1 1/2 - 2 cups very ripe mashed bananas
1/2 cup sugar or Grade A maple syrup
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSp lemon juice
1/2 cup butter - softened

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 loaf (or mini loaf) pans.
In a large bowl combine pecans, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, *poppy seeds and salt. In a separate bowl mix together the bananas, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and butter. Add to the flour mixture and combine.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pans and bake about 30 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes then remove from pans and finish cooling on wire racks.
Double the recipe and freeze half the loaves for later!

**Allergy-free substitutions:
Flour - Gluten free all purpose flour or use GF conversion chart
Butter - Smart balance or coconut oil
Eggs - EnerG egg replacer or 2 TBSP chia seeds mixed with 6 TBSP water
Don't like nuts? Omit or replace with coconut flakes instead.

Chicken Crock Pot Pie

You will need a crock pot.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut into 1 inch pieces
olive oil
2-3 large carrots - peeled and cut into 1/2 moon slices
2-3 celery ribs - sliced
3 red skinned potatoes - washed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8-10 mushrooms - sliced
1 large onion - chopped
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 1/4 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk

Combine the flour, poultry seasoning and 1 tsp of the thyme in a large ziplock bag. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat.

Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in a large covered pan over med-high heat. Remove chicken from bag shaking off excess flour (set aside remaining flour) and cook in pan about 5 minutes. Place in crock pot.
Add a little more oil to the pan and stir in carrots, onion, celery, potatoes and mushrooms. Stirring often, cook for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining flour mixture, then add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add all to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.

When there is 1 hour left of cooking time, stir together Bisquick, remaining thyme and milk. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture on top of crock pot contents. Cover the slow cooker bowl with a towel under the lid and cook last hour until biscuit mix is cooked through.
**I added a little extra thyme, salt and poultry seasoning to the crock pot before cooking.

**Allergy-free Substitutions:
Flour - Gluten free all purpose flour
Bisquick - Gluten free Bisquick
Milk - So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut milk
I added pepper to my Bisquick too!