Going Bananas

This week we had bananas on the brain.   

 


Bananas are a great treat for dogs and people.  They are loaded with B vitamins that help calm the central nervous system and they are said to boost brain power, so they'd make a good before before training session snack!  Bananas re also a good mood food, they contain a protein that get converted into serotonin in your body and that's the chemical that makes us feel nice and happy.

For us pups mom made Banana Oat Drop Cookies

 and they couldn't have been easier.   It took her about five minutes to mix them up, so if your 'rents are not baking inclined these are a good easy treat for them to start with.

Banana Oat Drop Cookies

  4 bananas mashed

2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup coconut flour, or substitute whole wheat flour

1/2 cup apple sauce 

2 tbsp honey

1 egg beaten 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.   Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl until completely combined.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and drop the dough on in heaping tablespoons.  Bake about 45 minutes but watch closely, you want the cookies to firm up and brown a little but not get to over cooked.  We like them kind of soft.

 

After the cookies we still had  a lot of bananas so mom made one of Dad's favorite deserts.  Banana Pudding from the famous Magnolia bakery.  This desert takes a while to make, it has to sit over night, but its very easy to mix up and you never have to turn on the oven.

Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1½ cups ice cold water
• 1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers
• 4 cups sliced ripe bananas (about 4-5 bananas)

Remember to start his recipe the night before  you want to eat it.  In an electric mixer beat the pudding mix, with the condensed milk, and water for one minute on medium speed.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.  The next day about 6-8 hours before you want to serve the pudding, whip the 3 cups of heavy cream in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.  Fold in the pudding mixture.  Take a large serving bowl and place a layer of Nilla wafers at the bottom, about 1/3 of the box, top with 1/3 of the sliced bananas and 1/3 of the pudding.  Continue the layers finishing with a layer of pudding topped with wafers.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6-8 hours, you need to refrigerate it so that the cookies will get soft and cake like.   

Now I can't claim the pudding is healthy, but it will put you in a good mood!