HEALTHY Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies!

This is a slight variation of a cookie recipe I found a couple of years ago on 101cookbooks.com  (I added extra banana and chocolate!) and they have become our favorite indulgence!  GUILT FREE!  Yes, they have some dark chocolate, (heart healthy!) but you won't believe what they DON"T have.......flour, eggs, butter and sugar!!!!  You have to try them!

Ingredients:

4 large ripe bananas

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups rolled oats

2/3 cup almond meal

1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded and unsweetened

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. fine grain sea salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 bag dark chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chips)

                                                              Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl combine bananas, vanilla extract, and olive oil.

Set aside.

In another bowl whisk together the

 almond meal (just pulse almonds in food processor to form almond meal),

oats, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.

Fold in the chocolate chips. 

 The dough is a bit looser than standard cookie dough, don't worry about it.

                          Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart,

onto parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12-14 minutes.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies, enjoy!

What Does Your Front Door Say About You?

he front door of a house speaks volumes about a home's style...after all, the front door is the "mouth" of the home and quite often its focal point.  It sets the tone for the feeling of the house, and perhaps what you will find inside. 

In our home town, we are fortunate enough to be surrounded by many older homes with doors that are not only original, but exude character. As we know, we live in a melting pot of cultures, each of which brought with them the architecture and style of their late European traditions. 

Below are a multitude of door styles and colors from our area  (Although its likely not all these home owners gave much thought to the inner meaning of their curb appeal when choosing the style and palette for their home).  Here is a general breakdown of decoding the inner meaning of color:

Blue: If you want your home’s curb appeal to suggest a feeling of abundance and prosperity, consider painting your front door a beautiful blue.

Dark Blue:  Dark blue doors are believed to create calm and peace for your home...in turn, bringing those feelings to your guests and family who enter through and into your home.

Yellow: Yellow is a color that evokes mental clarity, perception, understanding, wisdom, confidence, curiosity, humor and merriment.

Green:  Green is always a great choice for the front door since it's a color that is said to represent balance, peace, compassion, growth, renewal, and harmony.

Red:  In Feng Shui, a red front door means “welcome.”

Black:  A black door signifies promise and options, like a blank slate that is transformable into anything imaginable.

These are a few beautiful front doors from our hometown...

Before & After Chairs

I am so excited about these chairs!  I found them and could not pass them up!  A new coat of paint and a great fabric will totally revitalize them.  Now I just have to decide what color paint and which fabric will suit them best.   I have been searching for inspiration on how I will refurbish these beauties.  They would be acceptable for outdoor chairs, but I think they have so much more to offer!  So, the "after" of these chairs is still to come....but, these are some pictures I found of other "reborn" chairs that I love, and am considering for inspirational ideas,

These are my chairs......

These are the inspiration.....

{via: Janis}

{via: Susie}

{via: Kirsten Design Sponge}

{via: Nancy}

{via: Danielle}

{via: Jesse}

{via: Jessica}

{via: Susan}

DIY: Recycled Sweater "Valentine" Wine Bag

 Everyone has an old sweater....whether it's red, pink, cream or white, here is a great project for recycling those old sweaters into a "Valentine" wine bag!  Using the sleeve of an old sweater, you can create this adorable wine bag that anyone would love to receive.  Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I love receiving home made gifts!  This one can easily be customized for the recipient by changing the words you use to embroider, Valentine themed of course!  Like the conversation heart candies....I love you...be mine...xoxo....I'm yours.....  You get the point!!

You will need:

-the sleeve of an old sweater

-red felt

-red yarn

-"embroidery" thread + embroidery needle

(I have red pictured here but used white...you can use whatever color you like)

-white thread + sewing needle

-fabric glue

-chalk pencil for marking letters (optional)

-first cut the sleeve to the length of a your wine bottle

-turn the sleeve inside out, and sew the opening that you cut (not the cuff!) closed

-turn right side out, and sew your thread around the cuff to create a "draw string"

-trace a heart on your red felt and cut out

-using your embroidery thread, embroider whatever words you choose.  You can mark this first with the chalk pencil if you would like or you can do it freehand

-once you finish embroidering the heart, affix it to the center of the bag with fabric glue

CHEERS!