Banana and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

A whole wheat muffin that's delightfully delicious--peanut butter, banana and chocolate chips turn this from humdrum whole grain to a sweet treat.

A few weeks ago I helped out a bit feeding the locusts musicians at marching band camp. I don't mean to call the kids insects--but when 100 of them go through the serving lines in 10 minutes . . . well, what else would you call them? You may recall last year when they demolished Snickerdoodle Cinnamon Ice Cream Sandwiches. I sure do. This year I also made some food--Potluck Tabbouleh will be up at some point--but I got to take home a real treat--leftover bananas.

I'm firmly in the camp of not liking to eat really ripe bananas. I can handle a spot or two, but I really prefer a bit of green at the top of the stem if I'm going to peel and eat it. However, I will take extra bananas any day--they are so useful and easy to store!

I just throw my ripe bananas in the freezer (nestled here with aquavit, unagi and our newest cow--link to 106 Ground Beef Recipes if you also need ideas). When I am ready they thaw in about 15 minutes on the countertop and we're good to go. I'm using them in PB/Spinach/Banana/Yogurt smoothies but I realized I hadn't posted my standard banana muffin recipe here. Time to remedy that. This recipe is from my muffin bible/font of all muffin inspiration in my kitchen: Muffins: A Cookbook (Amazon affiliate link) by my mom's classmates.

Before I get to the recipe, though--I've got some other suggestions for what to do with leftover ripe bananas. Luschka of Keeper of the Kitchen has a round up of 45 Things to Do with Ripe Bananas which you ought to check out. Emilie of Oh My Sugar High has a round up of 35 of the Best Banana Recipes. I've got a few in my Banana Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient.

How We Eat in the Summer

 How do food bloggers really eat in the summer? I polled a bunch yesterday and created a round up of favorite summer dishes to help you through the dog days of summer!

Originally I was going to write a post about how I eat in the summer. The plate above is a prime example--a bit of beet and goat cheese spread, some garlic scape pistachio pesto hummus, and a yellow squash version of zucchini pancakes. All are made ahead of time, and combined with some quick pickled vegetables, olives, cheese, meat and crackers.

Then I got to thinking--this will be a pretty boring post if it's just my favorite sampler plates [above is potluck tabbouleh, grilled green beans, hummus and mini naan bread with salami, feta, olives and the first sun gold cherry tomatoes from our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share]. Since my goal is to be a resource for folks eating from the farm share, the farmer's market and generous gardens, I figured I should offer a wider array of options. So I asked a few food blogger friends to share their favorite summer dish, and I've got them for you below. Such a colorful array of food! [links appear below the collage, left to right, top to bottom]

Spiralized Zucchini with Pesto Tomatoes and Corn by Laura of Mother Would Know

Tomato Salad with Thyme and Honey by Donna of Cookistry

Lemon Asparagus Pasta Salad with Cucumber and Feta by Jenn of Peas and Crayons

Kale Pesto by Gwinn of Swirls of Flavor

Grilled Zucchini Tacos with Mexican Street Corn Salsa by Taylor of Greens n Chocolate

Paleo Shrimp Scampi by Lindsay of The Lean Green Bean

White Acre Pea and Corn Salad by Robin of Simply Southern Baking

Korean BBQ Zoodle Stir Fry Bowl by Margaret of The Plant Strong Vegan

Grilled Green Vegetable Salad by Kelly of Tasting Page

Vegan Summer Pizza with Sweet Corn, Tomatoes and Basil by Karen of Kitchen Treaty

Low Carb Smoked Turkey 'Sandwiches' by Tracey of The Kitchen Is My Playground

Healthy No Bake Cheesecake Cups by Arman of The Big Man's World

Peach Caprese Salad by Joy of The Joyful Foodie

Fruit Salad with Tomato by Dorothy of Shockingly Delicious

Salmon and Heirloom Tomato Farro Bowl by Meredith of In Sock Monkey Slippers

Rainbow Sherbet by Rachel of Baked by Rachel

Vermont Meets New Jersey Ultimate Cobb Salad by Brianne of Cupcakes and Kale Chips

Egg Potato Green Bean Salad by Tara of Noshing with the Nolands

Time of the Tomato by Meghan of Clean Eats Fast Feets

Savory Sweet Summer Rolls by Kristina of SpaBettie

Creamy Corn Penne with Basil and Cherry Tomatoes by Izzy of She Likes Food

Creamy Sweet and Spicy Corn Salad by Christine of Cook the Story

Coconut Cream Fruit Dip by Amber of Dessert Now Dinner Later

Cherry, Grilled Corn and Quinoa Salad by Liz of Floating Kitchen

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini with Shrimp by Taylor of Food Faith Fitness

Thai Green Curry with Summer Vegetables by Laura of The Spiced Life

Broccoli Salad by Michele of Flavor Mosaic



I was delighted to notice that the majority of dishes are vegetable-centric. Eating food when it's picked at the point of ripeness and especially if it's been grown close by means that you're eating food  with as much flavor as possible. And that's always a Good Thing.

I have to admit, though, that your first corn on the cob after you get your braces off is one of THE BEST summer dishes. Ever! Just ask my girlie.

There ya have it--a round up of summer dishes that us food bloggers crave. What do you crave?

For even more recipe ideas, please check out my Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. It's arranged from Acorn Squash Recipes to Zucchini Recipes and many types of fruits and vegetables in between.

Wondering where my Friday Night Pizza Night recipe is? Check out the Visual Pizza Recipe Index for inspiration since I'll be grilling up something good for my honey tonight.

Wanna know how to Use This Blog? Click here.

Spicy Korean-sauced Corn & Green Bean Skillet

Nearly a Korean Succotash, this skillet side dish of fresh corn and green beans is spiced up with a teriyaki and gochujang sauce.

Moving to Ohio I understood that I'd be living in a more rural area. Shoot, I drive past 3 farms just taking my daughter to sewing school [she made a medieval dress last week at camp--how cool is that?].

This fact reminds me of when I joined the Air Force to see the world. This suburbanite drove past 13 barns (!) en route to work each day. Quite a shift from the beltway and subway commutes I'd been used to, so I'd say I did see more of the world even before moving overseas and deploying.

What I hadn't expected in Ohio, and what was a happy surprise, was all the farm produce that appears every summer in addition to our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share. There's a wagon with a red striped awning that parks next to a Tim Horton's with produce each week. A flat trailer that appears with corn in a shady area of a strip mall lot. A 'peach truck' I just heard about from a fellow band parent (but haven't seen yet--saving that for next year). And of course our local farmer's market, a few blocks down the street on Saturday mornings. Thanks to these folks I am able to squirrel away plenty of corn for winter while still enjoying some ears fresh.

note to self--get a pedicure before next farm share box photo

For more recipes using corn, please see my Recipes Using Corn Collection. For more using green beans, please see my Green Bean Recipes Collection. These are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the abundance of fresh produce in my community, and from generous neighbors. I'm on a Corn Sweet Corn Pinterest board with loads of ideas from around the web, follow that for more ideas or follow me in general for all of my pins. Want to know how to use this blog? Click here.