Week of Banana Recipes!!!

After seeing "Week of..." on a few blogs, I've decided to try my hand at it. I've decided to start off with bananas...for a couple reasons. One reason is that we had quite a few of them because they are always in our house. My hubby eats them all the time.  And the second reason is because I wanted to try and like them again. For a couple years or so, I haven't really been on the banana band wagon so to say. I don't know why, but I just stopped liking them. These recipes have, I guess you could say, helped change my mind a little. The first thing that I ate the made me start liking them again was banana pudding. We went to a family function and someone had made traditional banana pudding. It was devine! So, one day I will try my hand at good ole traditional banana pudding. For now, try these 5 recipes out. I will be adding more banana recipes down the line, but I had to narrow it to these 5 for the week. I hope you enjoy!

Overstuffed Peanut Butter & Banana French Toast (Hungry Girl Style)
INGREDIENTS
- 1/3 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
- 1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
- ½ teaspoon + 1 dash cinnamon, divided
- 1 no-calorie sweetener packet, divided (I used Splenda.)
- 1 tablespoon fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons reduced-fat peanut butter, room temperature 
- 2 slices light white bread
- ½ small banana, sliced
- 2 teaspoons light whipped butter or light buttery spread
- ¼ cup sugar-free pancake syrup


DIRECTIONS
1. Combine egg substitute, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and half of the sweetener in a bowl, and mix well. Transfer to a small plate and set aside. 
2. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and the remaining half-packet of sweetener. Mix until smooth by stirring with the handle of a fork or spoon. (That's the easiest way to mix this!) (I used a small whisk.)
3. Gently spread cream cheese-peanut butter mixture evenly onto one slice of bread. (If needed, use your fingers, or spatula,  to help spread.) Top with banana and a dash of cinnamon, and then finish it off with another slice of bread. Press down lightly to seal.
4. Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add butter and allow to coat the bottom of the skillet. Meanwhile, evenly coat both sides of your sandwich with the egg substitute. Coat the sides of the sandwich as well. (You won't need to use all of the egg mixture.)
5. Place sandwich in the skillet and cook for 2 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve with syrup for dipping. Enjoy!


Makes 1 serving.


{PER SERVING (entire recipe): 327 calories, 8.5g fat, 700mg sodium, 48.5g carbs, 7.25g fiber, 11g sugars, 18g protein}


**You can substitute ingredients, like the cream cheese. I used Weight Watchers' reduced-fat cream cheese instead of fat-free. You just need to make sure you adjust the calorie & fat counts.**


Recipe Source: Hungry Girl 1-2-3 by Lisa Lillien

Cannoli-Stuffed French Toast Nuggets

Yeah, I'm in a little bit of a cannoli mood, huh? Probably because I have enough ricotta cheese in fridge to be in that kinda mood. Lol! I'm trying to get rid of it before it goes bad. So, I made these yesterday morning. They were actually pretty yummy. Don't be scared by the hot dog bun. It is really light and fluffy. I love them! This is another Hungry Girl recipe. This may not seem like a lot, but it actually filled me up. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup fat-free liquid egg substitute - I used Egg Beaters. 
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided in ½
• 3 tablespoons fat-free ricotta cheese
• 2 teaspoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 no-calorie sweetener packet - I used Splenda.
• 1 light hot dog bun (about 80 calories)
• 2 teaspoons light whipped butter or light buttery spread
• ½ teaspoon powdered sugar
• Optional: sugar-free pancake syrup, for dipping

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix egg substitute, cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. In a separate small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, chocolate chips, remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and sweetener, and mix well.

3. Split hot dog bun open lengthwise, without fully separating the two halves. Spoon ricotta mixture onto the bottom half of the bun. Gently press the top half down over the filling. Carefully slice into four "nuggets."

4. Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add butter and allow to coat the bottom of the skillet. Meanwhile, coat each nugget on all sides with the egg mixture. (You won't need to use all of the egg mixture.)

5. Once butter has melted, place nuggets in the skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, flipping nuggets until golden brown on all sides.

6. Plate your nuggets, sprinkle with powdered sugar and, if you like, serve with syrup for dipping!


Makes 1 serving.


PER SERVING (entire recipe): 228 calories, 6.5g fat, 395mg sodium, 31g carbs, 3g fiber, 10.5g sugars, 12.5g protein


HG TIPS!

-If you can't find fat-free ricotta, go for low-fat or light -- then your nuggets would have 237 calories and 8.5 grams of fat.

-Can't find 80-calorie buns? No worries! Get the lowest-calorie ones you can find, and adjust the nutritionals for this recipe accordingly.

Recipe Source: Hungry Girl 1-2-3 by Lisa Lillien