One outcome of Covid-19 for me and many of my friends is slowing down. I have heard more than once, "I've gotten used to staying at home and I like it." I know personally, I felt like I had to be doing something. I don't read as much as I would like because if I spent much of the day reading, I felt like I had wasted my day even if I was really enjoying the book. I think it was because I didn't have a "product" to show.
I like a clean house, but I've never enjoyed the "work" I had to do to get it clean. Kinda like I have heard people say why they don't make their bed in the morning is because then a few hours later you messed it up, it didn't seem to take too long before the house was messed up again. (Both sons married girls who demand a clean house, but I've just given up on hubby.)
Back in February I was invited to join a 30 - Block Exchange Group that kept me busy thru April. I have one more block to receive and then I will be ready to make my Friendship Quilt from the blocks I have received from these new friends over the US and Canada. It will be my first ever of such a quilt. I'm anxious to start to work on it.
BUT first I have to finish our remodeling job we started in May downstairs in the den or as we call it "Wayne's Domain". We are ready for the baseboards to be sanded and painted since we are using the baseboards we had. Then I can do the outside and inside corners and we will be finished. I will share a picture at the end of what we have done so far. Our MO grandkids Madison and Tyler visited on Saturday evening and Tyler told me he thought it was pretty.
Even though I have found myself getting comfortable with being less active, I haven't found myself back in the kitchen like I was Pre-Covid. Seems like I make one good new recipe a week. I do know one thing that has made a difference is my decision I made a year ago when I had my wellness check up. My cholesterol was higher than it had ever been and high enough that my doctor wanted me to start taking a statin. She also told me to maintain a good diet and so I made the decision to only eat one serving of red meat (beef and pork) a week. I was used to making a casserole that would serve us meals for three or four days, but that ended. (I did have blood work done four months after I started the statin to see how I was doing and to make sure my body was accepting the statin and my cholesterol had dropped 100 points. WOW).
I do continue to look for recipes that I can make with less sugar. Sometimes I can make them sugar-free and sometimes almost sugar-free like the recipe I am sharing today. I didn't add any sugar and only the Maraschino cherries had added sugar to them (1 g/cherry). I used some no-sugar-added chocolate chips. They are sweetened with erythritol. The pineapple was in its own juice - so no-added-sugar. The fabulous thing is - - - you would never know it to taste the bread. The only problem I see is it was hard to just eat one slice.
a printable copy of the recipe
1 yellow cake mix* (I used a Sugar-Free yellow cake mix)
1/3 cup oil
3 large eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple (in its own juice), drained
1 jar of Maraschino cherries cut in half or quarters (I used a 10 oz jar that chopped up measured 2/3 cup)
1 cup (no-added-sugar) chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly spray two 8 x 4 - inch loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray and
then lightly dust with flour.
Tap off excess flour. Set aside.
Mash bananas, drain the pineapple and cherries. Cut cherries in half and quarters if cherries are big. Pat with paper towel to remove any excess juice.
Place ingredients in mixing bowl and
stir until well mixed.
(I added the chocolate chips last.)
Divide batter between the two loaf pans and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 15 minutes on a wire rack.
Run a dinner knife around the inside edges of the loaves to loosen before
removing them from the pans to finish cooling on racks.
Wait for at least hours before slicing the bread. Use a serrated knife and slice in a sawing motion to receive best slices.
Wrap in foil or store in an airtight container for best results in the refrigerator. I froze the other loaf. You could always give it to someone to brighten their day.(That's what I did.)
Here are two pictures of two walls downstairs that shows what we are doing. I also have to fill the cracks at seams. So far we are pleased. I have to get over my being a perfectionist and say it's okay when Wayne says it is close enough.
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