These small bread pans* are perfect for baking a pint-size loaf for kids (who love the breakfast bread that fits in their small hands). Using the smaller pans also offers a baking product that travels easily, whether you’re on the road or in the air. In fact, using mini bread pans for different banana bread recipes would be fun.

My youngest child likes nuts, but claims not to like them in bread. I have found that finely chopping the walnuts I use in this bread gives the breakfast bread a wonderful nutty flavor (with more staying power), which my son loves. Of course, he doesn’t know that he’s enjoying the taste of the walnuts in the bread, in a mini form. This mini Cuisinart* does a good job of mincing up the walnuts fast.

The scrumptious fresh blueberries combined with the ripe bananas makes for a wonderful treat any time of day. I love this recipe because it’s made with fresh fruit and butter, and while eating this bread all the time would not be healthy, it’s a welcome treat for weary travelers.

Just think–when you’re traveling and you need a little something to eat to go with your coffee, espresso, or tea, this little bread is the perfect solution. So make a few loaves of this Blueberry Banana Bread, and take some slices with you on your journey. Of course, the bread is simply wonderful to have at home, too!

Blueberry Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray 3 mini bread pans with non-stick cooking spray

1. Whisk together thoroughly:

• 1 1/3 Cups All Purpose Four (unbleached)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

2. In a mixer, beat on high speed 2 minutes:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2/3 Cup Sugar

3. Beat in the flour mixture until blended.
4. Gradually beat in:

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

5. Fold in just until combined:

• 1 Cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 3/4 Cup Fresh Blueberries

6. Scrape the batter into the mini bread pans, dividing the batter as evenly as possible. I put the 3 mini bread pans on top of a baking sheet and carefully put them in the middle rack of the preheated oven.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This bread freezes well.

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Photo by Kelly Estes

Growing up, brunch often consisted of scrambled eggs, homemade potato fries, vegetable soup with homemade bread, bacon or sausage, and fruit salad. Instead of waiting for a table at a popular breakfast diner, we waited impatiently for brunch to be ready, while smelling the wonderful aroma of bacon broiling, homemade soup, and potatoes frying in the pan.

Such a brunch satisfied even the hungriest of teenagers. The potato fries were very popular, much to the cook’s delight.

Now that I’m the main cook, I put my leftover (whole) baked potatoes to good use too. I store those precious baked potatoes in the fridge for a delicious brunch the next day.

Simply cut the chilled baked potatoes into 1/4-inch circular slices, and  then season them with a little kosher salt before ‘frying’ them in about 2 teaspoons of canola oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, about 3 minutes each side. These homemade fries are delicious with a little ketchup, or simply plain.

With Father’s Day coming up on June 20, what do you think are the odds fathers will enjoy these homemade potato fries as part of a delicious brunch?

Photo by Kelly Estes

My family loved this recipe. We came home ‘starving’ after a longer than usual mass. I was thankful my husband had started this crockpot recipe early Sunday morning, so that brunch would be ready when we got home. When we arrived back home, the aroma in our kitchen from this Sausage and Potato Bake was wonderful!

The smokiness and slight spiciness of the turkey smoked sausage permeates the entire dish and adds an addictive, delicious flavor. The crunch of the corn is also delightful, and something my kids loved. I served the Sausage and Potato bake with a few sliced Ugly Ripe Tomatoes (sprinkled with a little salt and pepper). There was one serving left; my 7-year-old claimed it for her breakfast the next morning.

Crockpot Sausage and Potato Bake

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
Total time: 4 hours, 5 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
• 14 oz. turkey smoked sausage, sliced (the Lite smoked sausage contained more fat than the turkey smoked sausage, so be sure to read the labels!)
• 10 3/4 oz. can Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1/2 cup fat-free, reduced sodium Beef broth
• 16 oz. frozen hash browns

Directions

Put all ingredients into crockpot. Stir. Make sure the smoked sausage is not touching the sides of the crockpot, as it may get overcooked there.

Cook on high for 4 hours. Enjoy!

Photo by Kelly Estes

These oatmeal muffins are wonderful to enjoy at either breakfast or brunch. The hot blueberries explode inside the muffin, and the lemon zest gives the quickbread a lovely contrast in taste. The baked oats give the muffin a slightly crunchier texture on the outside, delightful as you realize the inside is moist and delicious. If you have blueberry lovers in your family, you’ll delight your family when you put a basket of these muffins on the kitchen table!

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 20-25 minutes
Total time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1 Cup 2% milk (or low-fat buttermilk)
• 1 Cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 Cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 Cup fresh blueberries

Combine oats and milk in a small bowl; let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, stir flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and lemon zest into separate bowl. Mix egg and oil into oatmeal mixture. Add wet ingredients all at once to dry ingredients. Add in blueberries. Stir just to moisten. Fill muffin pan about 2/3 full. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes. When done, let muffin pan sit on wire cooling rack for about 5 minutes before taking muffins out of pan. Makes nearly 1 dozen muffins.

Photo by Kelly Estes

Do you have overripe bananas sitting in your kitchen? Two very ripe bananas were begging for my attention yesterday, so I set out a stick of butter after I drank my coffee, and got out my handy immersion blender.

Using 7 strawberries, a banana, some plain organic yogurt and 2% milk, I whipped up a breakfast smoothie for my kids. I confess I had a couple sips myself — there was a little left over after I had poured their smoothies. Talk about refreshing and delicious! My 3-year-old drained his smoothie right away, and then set to work on his breakfast.

Next I procured a bread recipe very similar to banana bread but adding a twist using a couple apples and a banana, some butter, the usual sugar, eggs, and some walnuts. I then casually asked my husband if he could help me make Apple Banana Bread.

“Sure,” he said, as he sat at the kitchen table eating his bagel, and reading the news.

“Can you make this apple banana bread recipe for me today? I’ve got to take our daughter to the Valentine’s party this afternoon.”

My husband almost choked on his bagel, and then started laughing. “It’s your word choice that struck me so funny,” he was finally able to gasp out. “You went from asking me to help you to asking me to do it all myself.”

Of course, he agreed to make the bread after lunch. He’s good like that.

The aroma in the house after the bread came out was absolutely wonderful. He used reduced fat sour cream instead of the regular sour cream as suggested in the recipe. It’s a very easy recipe to do with a mixer, my husband tells me.

My children love the taste of the apple banana bread, and since they’ll be doing most of the eating of the bread, their taste is what matters most in this instance. Next time, I would spice up the bread a little to suit my tastes more, but the recipe is very well done for children, who tend to have a more, shall we say, demanding palate?

My overripe bananas have been used, my kitchen smells wonderful, and we have homemade breakfast bread in the house. What a great way to start the week!

What is your favorite way to use up ripe bananas?

Photo by Kelly Estes

These cranberry apple oatmeal muffins are a cinch to make, and are so scrumptious they may fool your kids into thinking you are giving them mini cakes for breakfast. Thank goodness they’re yummy and full of good stuff. Notice I cut way down on the oil and added plain, low-fat yogurt to keep this breakfast offering high in energy but lower in fat. What is your favorite breakfast bread?

Cranberry Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Ingredients

• 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 ounces plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• muffin paper liners or non-stick spray
• Cranberry Apple Sauce (my recipe posted yesterday)

Combine oats and milk; let stand 15 minutes. Stir flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into separate bowl. Mix eggs, yogurt and oil into oatmeal mixture. Add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring just to moisten. Put one tablespoon of muffin batter into muffins pan (I use muffin paper liners). Follow with about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons cranberry apple sauce on top. Top with batter to cover the cranberry sauce. You are ensuring a wonderful surprise of cranberry apple sauce inside a muffin. Bake at 425F for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.