Banner Day....

Ok, so here is my banner day...
1. Great weekly networking meeting
2. Awesome meeting with my Life Insurance Broker—she aligned her company with a bigger outfit and the services she can offer are extraordinary. I can't wait to see her office next week.
3. Finally made it to the pottery studio to copy the plastic tray of my mom's, so she can have a ceramic version. It has a design to it, but since she reads my blog (thanks, mom), I will not share it now.
4. Got to work on my Personal Productivity workshop—with the aid of Google Docs and voice dictation.
5. Baked dessert for a dinner party Saturday night and made the dough for cookies for brunch on Saturday morning (I already made a batch of different cookies for the brunch).

Now you see why I call it a banner day. Was you day a banner day? If not, try and have one soon.

GF Sweet Potato Pancakes

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes

2 eggs beaten
2 Tbsp. GF Flour
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a cookie sheet with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Wash and grate potatoes. Mix in eggs and flour. Form into large "meatballs" and flatten on cookie sheet. Brush tops with remaining olive oil. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm with apple sauce or sour cream. Makes 6 pancakes.

(P.S. These pancakes have been an excellent dessert this week.)

In the kitchen on Thursday: Orange Pecan cake

1 box vanilla cake mix (or butter or golden or yellow)
3/4 C. Orange Juice
1 egg
1/3 C. Pecans.
Butter or shortening for pan

Preheat oven to 350. Chop the pecans. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Grease a bunt pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from the pan. Cake can be sliced and the individual slices frozen for up to 2 weeks.

In the Kitchen on Thursday....Oatmeal Pancaks

1 C. Oats
1/2 a medium Banana
2/3 C. Almond Milk (Soy milk or cow's milk)
1 egg.
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Maple Syrup
Oil or vegetable shortening

Preheat oven to 350. Blend all ingredients in a Cuisinart or high powered blender (I use my Nutribullit). Grease a muffin top pan. Pour batter until each top is 2/3 full. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve with jam, syrup, butter or other topping. I spread almond butter on mine. Makes 6 pancakes.

In the kitchen on Thursday: Healthy Latkes

Baked Sweet Potato and Apple Latkes*

Preheat oven to 400. Grate 2 medium sweet potatoes (aka Yams). Peel half a granny smith apple and grate into the potatoes. Add 1/3 C. oat flour and 2 beaten eggs. Mix all the ingredients together. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and grease with olive oil. Shape mixture into large "meatballs" and flatten on cookie sheet. Brush tops with olive oil. Bake for 15-25 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 12. Latkes can be refrigerated overnight.

(There is no picture because I forgot to take one before I served them and they were devoured.)

In the kitchen on Thursday: Overnight oatmeal

1 C. Water
3/4 C. Oats

Place ingredients in lidded jar or bowl and shake. Place in the fridge overnight. In the morning warm up the oatmeal with whatever add-ins you like.

In the kitchen on Thursday: Easy Marble Cake

Take one box of yellow or vanilla cake mix and prepare according to package directions. Remove 3/4 C. batter to another bowl and mix with 3 Tbsp. Cocoa powder (I used sweetened powder). Pour 1/2 of "vanilla batter" into a greased Bundt pan. Spoon on the chocolate batter. Pour remaining "vanilla" batter. Using a knife in a back and forth motion, swirl the batter together. Bake at 350 for 35-45 miniutes. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.

In the kitchen on Thursday: Banana Walnut Muffins

As easy as peeling a banana....

1 Yellow or Vanilla cake mix
3 medium bananas (very ripe)
1 egg
1 Tbsp. Milk
1/4 C. or 1/3 C. chopped walnuts

Pre-heat oven to 350. Mash the Bananas and mix all ingredients together, except the walnuts with an electric mixer for 2-3  minutes. Stir in the nuts. Pour into 12 lined muffin cup pan. Bake for 25-25 minutes. Allow to cool. Can serve warm with butter or cream cheese.

Tip: I take very ripe bananas and freeze them. When I have three I defrost them and make these.

In the kitchen on Thursday....Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

Easy Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

1 Lemon Cake Mix
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1/4 C. Poppy Seeds
1/4 C. Plain yogurt (I used Greek Yogurt)
3/4 C. Water

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Cool completely before removing from pan. Loaf can be frozen—just wrap in two layers of plastic wrap.

(I placed the batter in 3 greased mini loaf pans and baked for 20 minutes.)

In the kitchen on Thursday...Easy brunch cake

Orange Poppy Seed Cake

1 Vanilla cake mix
3/4 C. orange juice
1/4 C. poppy seeds
Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into greased Bundt pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes When cool dust with powdered sugar.