bananappreciation

Bananas are by far one of my favorite fruits. Not to be biased to all the other ones, but they're just so convenient and functional. You can use them for anything from ice cream to curry to soup. Even Elvis liked them...with a bit of bacon added in, of course. And they're super healthy- high in fiber, potassium, natural sugar, and vitamin C. Low in anything bad for you.

Plus they make great boyfriends.

As an advocate of bananas across the globe, I'd like to bring to to your attention to a banana-related cause:

The Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race Bloggers Grant Competition. This is a five-day, 185-mile stage race in the Pisgah Mountains of North Carolina. A few bloggers are competing for a free entry to the race--the top two with the most votes win. The dashing young man in yellow up there really wants to get out there and ride his bike up and down some North Carolina hills (and his girlfriend would really like a chance to visit her favorite mountain state. Just saying.)

Here's the banana's nifty blog if you want to check it out!

You can cast your vote for him here.

Oh, and another thing bananas are great for? Muffins.

mmm. Here's the recipe:

Gluten-Free Banana Muffins:
(yield: about a dozen muffins)

2 1/2 c Pamela’s Baking Mix
2 eggs
3/4 c water
1/4 c honey
1 c mashed (very ripe) banana
1/4 c gluten-free certified oats
1/4 c ground flaxseed
1/4 c raisins
1/4 c chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla
pumpkin pie seasoning
dash of nutmeg
cinnamon for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients, stirring gently. Pour batter into lined muffin tin by 1/4 cupfuls. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

I had to make my own paper tin liners by cutting bits of parchment paper, but they turned out pretty well in the end.

These are pretty tasty on their own, but they get even better (and a bit more fattening) with a dollop of cream cheese icing and some cinnamon sprinkled on top.

I took some camping with us last weekend, and Montana devoured about eight of them. I hope that's not considered cannibalism. Probably not, since he wasn't wearing the banana suit at the time.