Maple Syrup Banana Bread

I've loved banana bread for as long as I can remember. When I was little my mom and I would make it and I would eat it with butter or cream cheese. My tastebuds have come a long way from those days. I no longer gleefully pour white sugar on my corn flakes (that used to make my brother soooo mad, "Doesn't she know they're already sweetened?!") or eat brown sugar by the spoonful (or handful, whatever works). But I am still baking banana bread every time a spotted brown banana appears on my countertop. Here is what, to date, is my favorite banana bread recipe ever. Also, it's vegan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix dry ingredients:
2 cups unbleached organic white flour (in the future I'll try out wheat, but for now I've only tried white)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Mix wet ingredients:
2 mashed medium-small bananas
1/2 cup original unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup vegan stick butter (I've also used cow butter, both work fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine wet & dry ingredients. Butter loaf pan. Add dough to pan. Spread out dough to level it a bit. Bake for 45 minutes. (Check often.)

You could definitely add walnuts to this recipe. In fact, I recommend it. But I didn't list them in the ingredients because personally I never have them in the kitchen!

I really like this recipe because it doesn't use applesauce like most vegan baking recipes; I usually don't have it on hand. It also doesn't use eggs - I never have those! It uses maple syrup instead of refined sugar. I don't like to bake or cook with regular sugar. That's just a personal preference. I really want to explore baking with fruit juice as a sweetener. That would be fun.

Feel free to de-veganize or do whatever you want to this recipe! This is just what has worked for me. Let me know how it turns out (and what you substituted/added/removed) in the comments.

On the braces front, I can eat banana bread just fine although it does tend to get stuck. I've also been eating most everything else, even really crunchy pita chips. The only foods I have been avoiding are sticky things. But that's not even an issue because there aren't any super sticky foods that I eat regularly. So far no broken brackets!

Homemade Deodorant & No More Yellow Stains

I've been making and using my own homemade deodorant for about half a year now. I started last summer. If you think that sounds gross, I understand. I was really nervous at first to try it because I thought making my own deodorant would be difficult and I would smell bad. But you should read on because 1. it's easy to make your own deodorant, 2. it's cheap, and 3. it's much better for you than unnatural deodorants. OH YEAH and 4. it works!

I used to use Dove deodorant in an unscented formula. I think most scents are way too strong and really just...yucky. They can even give me a headache. Plus mainstream deodorants have really, really horrible ingredients. Ingredients that are known to have chemicals that can harm your body. Plus, to top it all off, your underarms area is very susceptible to absorption. So those ingredients go straight into you. So about a year and a half ago I began my search for a natural deodorant without harmful ingredients.

There are a lot of 'natural' deodorants on the market: JASON, Tom's of Maine, and Kiss My Face, just to name a few. These are the brands that you can find in health foods stores like Whole Foods. But I've also seen these brands in mainstream grocery stores like Publix. There are also plenty of designer deodorants that don't have nasty chemicals, an example of which is the variety by La Vanila that you can find at Sephora. A tiny bottle sells for $18. Ouch. The other brands are less expensive, but can cost you as much as $6. The problem is that THEY DON'T WORK! (At least not for me. And I have tried every single variety I can find.) 

So, after smelling pretty bad for a pretty long time, I decided to try to make my own. You can use my recipe (which is very informal) to make your own! I've found that it's easiest to apply using your fingers (oh come on, don't freak out, you'll get used to it) so you can put it in really any empty container. I use an old deodorant container because I had one on hand. Plus then I know exactly what it is and so does anyone else who happens upon it. But the upside is that you could actually eat this deodorant (yes, I tried some, it's OK if you think I'm insane or just disgusting) because it's made from ingredients that you might use in a batch of cookies anyway.

My deodorant is made from: coconut oil, baking soda, and cornstarch plus OPTIONAL oil essences. You could use vanilla or peppermint. I've tried both and they work fine.

My method for whipping this up is not very scientific. Don't let that drive you crazy. You just want to get it to a consistency that you can easily rub on your underarms to create a thin coating. Here are the steps:

1. Put a scoop of coconut oil in a small bowl.

2. Pour in a bit of baking soda (amounting to a little less than half of the coconut oil)

3. Add in a bit of cornstarch (less than the baking soda). 

The coconut oil is the main ingredient. The baking soda helps with odor, and the cornstarch helps absorb moisture. 

4. Mix it all together with a fork, or better yet your fingers if you are already feeling brave, and add whatever ingredients you need more of (more baking soda/cornstarch if it's too wet or goopy, more coconut oil if it's too dry or crumbly).

5. Squish it all into your container.

6. Use to your heart's content!

If you live in a really hot climate you may need to keep it in the fridge. But I live in the southern United States and I just keep it in my travel bag. No biggie if it gets a little melty. My underarms and I are now best friends forever so it's all good.

If you've read this far than you deserve to know a secret. This stuff is also the magic cure for yellow underarm stains and lingering odors on your lovely clothes. I haven't had either since I started using this stuff. I would recommend putting it on AFTER you put your clothes on though. Otherwise it can make a mess. 

Good luck and happy underarms!

Brownie in a Mug

So this is a little different, but nevertheless I am posting a recipe! Lately I have been very busy because I have midterms next week in school, and of course work is keeping me busy as usual.

I checked out close to a dozen 'cake in a mug' recipes found via Google today. I took what I learned, and I made my own! I would call it 'brownie in a mug' though because I did not find it to be light and fluffy like cake at all. It was chewy & gooey like a brownie. I love to experiment with baking, and although this does not involve an oven, it was an experiment that turned out quite well.

Brownie in a Mug

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sugar (I used plain white sugar) note: most recipes called for an equal ratio of flour to sugar. I chose to chop that trend in half because I like other flavors besides 'sweet' to shine in baking.
4 tablespoons flour (I used organic all-purpose flour)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
pinch of sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil (always use extra virgin olive oil, or evoo. make sure your bottle says those exact words.)
2 tablespoons almond milk (almond milk is my favorite alternative to dairy milk because it is gluten free)

Instructions:
Combine dry ingredients in a normal size mug and mix. Add wet ingredients and mix. Microwave for 1.5 to 2 minutes. I started at one minute and just kept microwaving in about 20 second intervals until the consistency was moist without being overly liquidy.

Yum! I had never tried 'baking' in a mug before, but I am now a fan. It's great for a quick dessert when you are alone. Next time I might try adding a little vanilla. I meant to, but I forgot. This recipe is very forgiving, I think!

I might go try my hand at an applesauce-cinnamon-coconut milk-almond milk ice cream recipe now. Ice cream recipes are much more difficult to invent, however!