While peanut butter and jelly is everyone’s favorite sandwich, there are quite a few other peanut butter combinations out there. My favorite would have to be the peanut butter and banana sandwich. But most peanut butter banana sandwiches are missing a critical step…

You have to toast the banana! A warm banana on warm bread, plus melting peanut butter, is great. So let’s put an end to warm bread and peanut butter plus cold, raw bananas!

You will need:

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1 medium banana
• 1 or 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter

And then follow these instructions:

1. Grab two slices of bread.

Take your two slices of 100% whole wheat bread and lay them out side by side. One will be for the banana, one for the peanut butter.

2. Slice the banana.

Slice the banana into little circles (like you are putting it in a bowl of cereal.) Then spread the slices out on one slice of bread. Cover the entire slice of bread, using half-slices of banana to fill in the gaps.

3. Toast everything.

Put the bread and banana in the toaster oven. (Be careful when putting the banana slice in; you have to support the weight of the banana or the bread will flop over.)

Toast as desired, or until bread is golden brown. (Afterwards, remove bread from toaster.)

4. Spread peanut butter.

Spread peanut butter over the plain piece of toast.

5. Put it all together.

Put the peanut butter slice on top of banana slice. Cut in half and serve.

Mmm mmm, it’s all warm and gooey! Now isn’t that the best peanut butter and banana sandwich?

Are you fed up with paying $2 or more for a protein bar? I sure am, which is why I’ve been making my own energy bars and protein bars for the past five or six years. The recipe changes each time, but (with the help of my mother) I think I found something I can enjoy eating for a long time.

Without further ado, here is our recipe for a maple walnut flavor protein bar:

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups Oat Flour (How to make your own oat flour.)
• 1 cup Honey
• 1 cup Plain Yogurt
• 3 scoops Protein Powder (1 scoop is 28g)
• 2 tbsp Maple Flavor
• 1/4 cup Organic Cane Sugar (optional)
• 1 cup Ground Flax Seed (Gold or Brown)
• 1 cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans

1. Warm the Honey and Maple Flavor.

Warm Honey and Maple Flavor together, either on stove or in microwave. (Now is the time to add the sugar if desired.)

2. Stir in Yogurt.

Add the yogurt to the mix and stir it in.

3. Mix in dry ingredients.

Add Oat Flour, Flax Seed, Protein Powder, and walnuts. Stir.

If the mix seems too wet and sticky, add more Oat Flour.

4. Prep the pan.

Spray a 13″ x 9″ baking pan with non-stick spray. Then sprinkle on a little Oat Flour.

5. Pour mix in pan.

Drop the mix into pan and spread out the best you can. It should be stiff.

6. Smooth out the mix.

Finish pressing flat and smooth with wax paper sprayed with non stick spray. You can sprinkle some Oat Flour on the top also.

(The oat flour on the top and bottom of the bars will prevent them from sticking to your fingers.)

The easiest way to smooth this out is to spray your hands with non-stick spray and then press it down; the wax paper method is used if you don’t want to get your hands messy, or if you don’t want your greasy bike mechanic hands to contaminate the food.

Pressing down with your hand will give you a smoother top, though.

7. Cool bars.

Place pan in freezer for at least 3 to 4 hours before cutting. You can leave it overnight, but you may have to let it sit a while before cutting if it gets too cold.

8. Cut bars.

Cut the bars to whatever size you prefer using a butter knife. You could do bars or bite-size chunks. I like the bites. (Speaking of bites, these tasted quite a bit like the maple walnut flavor of Simbree Energy Bites, but these were more moist/wet.)

The finished product:

Mmm mmm, they’re really good! Let’s eat!