Lynda In The Kitchen

​Amazing! Me in the kitchen. It really is!
I’ve never been much of a baker.
A childhood trauma would turn me against it.
The Oven
It was winter of 1968 in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio when Mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas. That’s “easy”. I only need one gift—just ONE:  an avocado-colored, metal Easy-Bake Oven.  All my friends have one—Janelle, next door, Michelle down the block and Ruthie across the street.
Aww, sweet memories.
Loved that boxed chocolate cake mix that came with it.  It was a blast to watch the light bulb turn the batter into an honest-to-goodness fluffy cake.

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​A Christmas Story
I thought mom might say “I’ll let Santa Claus know”. Instead, she would tell me this—something that still haunts me today: “You’re old enough to use the big oven.”  This always reminds me of Ralphie in the movie “A Christmas Story” hearing “You’ll shoot your eye out” when he asked for his Red Ryder BB Gun.
Mother!
But seriously, I’m convinced not getting that toy oven under the tree scarred me for a long time.
But after 50 years of pouting, I’ve come to grips with using the big girls’ oven.

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Baking Bonanza
​In the past couple of years, I’ve stepped up my baking game—I’ve had to.
With—what seems like—dozens of food sensitives and allergies,
I have to be diligent about what I’m eating.  
One of the best ways to do that is to make it myself—duh!

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Pumpkin Bread
One of the concoctions I’m most obsessed with these days is my pumpkin bread. You are going to love this!
I’ve combined various recipes, tweaked them, added a healthy spin to it and made it my own. I really think you’ll love it.
Keep in mind, it’s not real sweet but that’s the beauty of this recipe. You can always dust some slices with powdered or cinnamon sugar and add the sweetness to it as you like! So, without further ado here it is:
Lynda’s Protein Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
1/3 cup Coconut oil (If hard, soften in microwave)
1/4 cup honey I always use this Manuka honey—healthy, great antioxidants
Two ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup milk or water
1 tsp freshly ground sticks of organic cinnamon
½ tsp fresh nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
¾ cup protein powder (I use this--THE best egg white protein)
½ cup ground oats
¼ cup freshly ground whole golden flax seeds (I use and love, love!! THIS brand, also buy it in bulk here—best price)
¼ cup wheat flour
Instructions
Butter a 9X5 inch loaf pan, bake at 325 degrees for about 60 minutes.
Lynda’s notes
I usually quadruple the recipe. I freeze two, give one to mom (Yes we’ve buried the “oven” hatchet!) and put one in the ‘fridge.
I love sprinkling these dark chocolate chips on top for a bit of healthy cacao—a great antioxidant.
Mom likes to butter it sometimes. My dad adds powdered sugar to make it sweeter but he also likes it plain.
And my favorite way of eating this? A little unconventional but its yummy. I’ll add some unsweetened coconut flakes and a couple table spoons of chia seeds. Delish—with crunch and again—nutrition from those chia seeds! Love this brand!
Try It!
So, come on--hey, if I can do this--so can you! Contact me and let me know your thoughts!!  And I want to know if you put your own spin on it, too! It's such an easy recipe to change up to ingredients you like!
I do hope you’re enjoying my blog. Please share if you know someone who might enjoy it and especially if you know someone who might love my Protein Pumpkin Bread!
 
Make it a great day!

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