Hello, Monday. It's not nice to see you.
BUT, banana bread! Does anybody else have Gwen Stefani to thank for knowing how to spell bananas? Ya, me neither.
My husband and I have both had food allergies that we have dealt with over the years, namely dairy. (Insert quiet sobs)
It has been so hard for both of us to accept this fact that we have literally been in denial up until a few months ago. We both found ourselves feeling yucky and we decided to cut the deliciousness out of our diet. Boy, has it made all the difference! With that being said, we have experimented with a lot of different dairy substitutes and most have not cut it! But, then on the 2nd day, God created coconut oil. And all was well. But fa reeaaall, it is the best! We have substituted this in all types of recipes, but baking recipes are the best for coconut oil. Typically, you substitute the exact same amount of coconut oil as you would with butter. Which brings me to the BEST banana recipe on the planet...that I have kind of made up through trial and error. Ready? Check it out:
Cream together...
8 Tablespoons of room temperature coconut oil (I use the Kirkland brand Organic Virgin Coconut Oil)
1 cup of sugar
Stir in...
2 beaten eggs
4 mashed bananas
Slowly, mix in...
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 Cups flour
Pour in greased loaf pan. (I usually separate it into 2 smaller loaf pans) & Bake @ 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
THATS IT!!!!
It always turns out sinfully moist (I feel all sorts of weird saying that word) and sooo delicious that you don't need butter on top. (Seriously!)
Banana bread makes any Monday better! Am I right or am I right?! Now go make some.
Speaking of food...lets talk about the spiritual kind
I was driving and listening to worship music a couple days ago (this is usually where I talk to Jesus the most, mainly because my kids are all strapped into their car seats and I can actually articulate my thoughts without a child trying to climb onto my head) & God started talking to me about what I am allowing in. Allowing into my home, my heart, my body (food!) and all of the things...and how this directly affects every aspect of my life. Are you treating your body like a temple and consuming what God would have you consume (ouch!)? Are you putting the right types of entertainment in front of your eyes and the eyes of your children? Are you allowing people into your home that disrupt the peace of it? It was a pivotal point for me. I want my home and my heart to only invite admirable and Godly things. And I want to WANT those things. You know? It is funny because I notice when I purpose myself to get up in the morning, turn some worship music on and speak words of life over my family members, there is a noticeable shift that happens in my home environment as opposed to when I don't. I can feel it and see it. This doesn't just stop at what I allow in, it also goes for what environment I am putting myself in outside of my house, and that of my kids. Can I tell you a story? More like, a testimony. Awhile back, one of my kids went over to a friends house and came home with a rotten attitude. Not just a tired-need-to-go-to-bed attitude. A baaaadddd attitude. We noticed it took a couple days for this child to "snap out of it". My husband called me from work on day #2 of this "episode" and said he had a strong sense that The Lord spoke to him and felt like it was the atmosphere of the home he had been in. Yes, you heard that right! The home he was in. I knew it was The Lord, as I had been asking God for wisdom on how to pray for this child and I wasn't getting anything. As soon as my husband spoke those words, I felt strongly that he was right. When Luke got home from work that night, we both laid hands on this child and prayed over them and I kid you not...the next morning it was like a different kid woke up! Why do I share this? Because if it can encourage or help just one other person, then I will have felt like I used this blog for a greater purpose. We are all going through different things in our lives...and parenting adds a whole different level of stressors and challenges. BUT, I do believe God equips us to handle it all with His grace. So I challenge you to ask yourself as I have, "What am I allowing in that I shouldn't?" This may be the very key to breakthrough in an area of your life.
Sayonara, friends. Until next time...XO
