Banana Bread and Almond-Maple Butter

* Quick side note: I have been thinking about how to divide up my recipes I post: particularly baked goods.  I will separate out the “everyday” stuff that I have modified to fit into a healthy lifestyle from my more “traditional” baked goods.  These are more once in a while treats, you know for game night or whatever… they are the recipes way too good to change around and really it is completely necessary to have a good cookie or cake every now and then.

The Banana Bread Saga

When we first arrived in Sydney the cost of everything, especially food was shocking.  We really do not know how good we have it back in the states.  Everything is so cheap!  Anyways, we (meaning me) are super frugal with the stuff we buy here.  To the extent that I think I have maybe bought 2 shirts on sale (for about $5 each) the entire time we have lived here.  The stores that sell things I would wear easily cost double what I would usually pay back home.  It has turned out to be a good way to save money I suppose.  I order in bulk from JCrew online and pick it up when we are in the states. 

This money saving scheme however does not work well with food… you know since we need to eat and we both have hearty appetites and all.  Therefore, we have adjusted and just don’t think too much about it anymore.  You can’t compare to how cheap you get stuff in the states because it will drive anyone crazy!  Because of my frugal nature, a lot of the recipes I will post I started making as a way to save money.  In the end, you save money and end up with healthier (with less preservatives) and most of the time much tastier versions than the store bought stuff.

Along this whole idea of crazy food costs, my favorite story is that of the humble banana. Before coming to Sydney, the poor banana was just added to the grocery cart every week as an afterthought.  Yes they turn brown quickly and bruise easily, yes if I don’t eat them in the first 2 days they will have brown spots and I no longer want them… but they are cheap!  And whatever I don’t eat turns into yummy banana bread! 

Fast forward to the move to Sydney last August.  Imagine our surprise to see bananas in the store selling for over $17/kilo… umm yeah that is close to $8/pound.  WHAT!?  For the humble banana?!  Apparently this was blamed on cyclones that had wiped out the crops.

I was sad thinking I was just not going to eat bananas while we were here. 

Luckily, bananas now are back to a normal price.  This means pre-run bananas with almond butter and fresh baked banana bread...

I have been baking banana bread since college.  I had always used my mom’s old recipe, which is great.  Over the years however, I have adapted it to make it easier and healthier.  This banana bread is good.  Really good.   It does have a “healthy” taste to it with the oat bran and is not overly sweet.  But the chocolate chips make it taste like a treat! This is a quick and easy breakfast we always have on hand.  Often times I will double the recipe and put half the batch in the freezer.  It is really good with a bit of homemade almond butter… 

 Start by mixing the honey and eggs together like so...

Whisk all the dry ingredients together...

Combine the honey mixture with the dry ingredients.  The batter will be thick.

 Mash up all your bananas...

 Add milk and vanilla to the mashed bananas...

Mix it all together until just combined... don't over-mix the batter!

At this point you can add in nuts, dried fruit or in my case mini chocolate chips- yum!

Pour it into your greased pan and it's ready to bake- easy :)

I usually have a bit extra batter... which I usually turn into a couple muffins.  I wanted to try out my new mini "doughnut" tin this time.  How cute are these?!  I'm gonna work on some baked doughnut recipes and get back to you with those (although these were delicious and gone right 

after I took the picture!)

Healthy Banana Bread

Ingredients

2 cups whole-wheat flour

¾ cup oat bran

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ cup honey

3 large eggs

3 large or 4 small bananas, mashed

½ cup skim milk (you could also use whatever milk or non-dairy milk you have on hand)

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup mini-chocolate chips or chopped nuts (both optional)

~ Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)

~ Spray a loaf or muffin pans with cooking spray.  I use a 9” x 4” loaf pan and usually have a bit extra batter for a few muffins.

~ Whisk together the honey and eggs in a small bowl.

~ In a separate large bowl and whisk together the flour, oat bran, baking powder and baking soda.  Mix the honey mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.

~ Mix together the mashed banana, milk and vanilla. 

~ Add the banana mixture to the batter and mix until just incorporated. 
~ Add chocolate chips or chopped nuts. 

~ Pour into greased pan and bake until top is brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center.  Baking time approximately 20 minutes for muffins and 55-60 minutes for a loaf pan. 

~ Cool and enjoy!

 Since I mentioned having this with almond butter, I figured I would add the recipe I use.  No pictures of the actual process right now because I have a lot on hand already, but this is the finished product.  Yes, with Mickey.

You can get good nut butters from natural food stores, but they can be really expensive.  It is much more cost effective to buy large bags of nuts (often times the raw variety are the least expensive) and make your own.  It is really simple and the only thing that takes any time is the actual grinding in the food processor… so no real effort is needed!  I usually can find decent quality natural peanut butter at a good price, but not so much almond butter.  This is the one I usually make on my own.  The especially yummy part about this recipe is the maple flavor!  Clearly growing up in New Hampshire left me with an unhealthy obsession with all things maple.

Homemade Almond-Maple Butter

Ingredients

2 cups almonds

½ tsp maple extract

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp maple syrup (optional and can be omitted)

~ Pre-heat oven to 325°F (160°C)

~ Spread almonds over a baking sheet and roast approximately 10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes to roast evenly.

~ Cool slightly on baking sheet for 10-15 minutes.

~ Process in food processor until smooth.  This process may take some time.  It will look like sand at first, then appears clumpy before starting to get creamy.  Scrape down the sides several times during the process.  Once it actually gets creamy, add the extract, syrup and salt and process an additional 2-3 minutes. 

~ Store in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Phew, this has been a lot of posting the past few days.  It's really just to get all my early thoughts out there since I procrastinated so much in starting the blog.  I think I will probably aim for 2-3 posts/week though.  We are also going to be getting a new camera, so hopefully this will motivate me to practice my photography skills and improve (there clearly is plenty of room for improvement).  

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

The Transition

Culture shock?  No way will that happen in Australia!  Isn’t it just a more laid back version of America where everyone is just relaxing by the beach and drinking all the time?  (gotta love stereotypes!)  No way it takes me six months to adjust… I’m so easy going, so open to new people and situations, excited for the adventure of it all…

I’m not sure how many times I had that conversation with people just before moving and when we first arrived.  Umm yeah, it does take that long.  If I could slap my former self and make it so I was more prepared for the crazy range of emotions you feel I would.  As I have mentioned before, it is a very good thing I did not start a blog when we first arrived.  I was a hot mess!

I was definitely NOT prepared for the stages of culture shock.  Yes, you can find sites that describe actual stages similar to stages of grief.  Lets go through a quick recap shall we…

1. The Honeymoon Phase

I would say this lasted for us for the first 1 ½ weeks before the hubby started work.  Pretty short period of time I know.  This just felt like we were here on vacation.  Taking on Sydney by storm!  New restaurants each night, exploring the city, taking those big red double-decker sightseeing buses all around… it was exciting and scary all at once.  I especially loved at this time because it was “winter” here everyone was in full length puffer jackets, hats and gloves.  Umm it was 65°F and sunny.  We were in shorts and t-shirts.  Ah yes.  These were good days.

2. The Negotiation Phase

Here is where “anxiety becomes apparent” (oh no!) and one starts to notice the cultural differences no longer in a romantic light.  You are living here after all and not just visiting!  Thank goodness there was no full on language barrier as many experience moving to other countries.  I will comment that sometimes we did have trouble understanding Aussie accents and slang and vice versa.  Here are some examples         

• What do you mean arvo? (Translation: Afternoon)

• A fortnight?  (Translation:  Sounds like we are in 19^th century England, but that just means every other week)

• Want to meet for brekkie? (Translation: Breakfast… I have adopted this and I love it)

• Good on you! (Translation: Good for you! I also love this one)

The food issues are considered a big thing during this “phase” as well.  More of that to come later, but suffice it to say we are spoiled with options in the states and the available choices for food in the supermarkets here is much less.  It is also super expensive compared to what we are used to (what, no Walmart?! Ugh).

I am usually a pretty positive person, but this was a trying period for me.  I guess it lasted about 3 months or so and I couldn’t get past constantly comparing life here to back home.   And it really was never in a good way.  I would try and be really positive, but fail.  Clearly not trying hard enough.  Little things like making a doctor’s appointment, finding an apartment, buying stuff for the apartment… all eerily similar to the states but different enough that it was a challenge.  Christmas time was a challenge. It was warm out. There was no snow. 

One more example before I move on.  We shipped most of our furniture from the states here.  It was a great moving package through the hubbies work and it was paid for, so we figured why buy all new stuff?  The shipment was crazy pants. It took close to 3 months to get from our condo near Boston to Sydney (although it did travel by boat so I suppose I understand).  That is a long time to go without our things!  I’m getting off track though.  The point of the story is because we shipped most of the furniture, we were only looking at unfurnished apartments.  Very interesting point to note that no one bothered to tell us until we were with an agent looking at apartments… unfurnished really means unfurnished.  No fridge, no microwave, no washer/drier and no dishwasher.  Ummm…. What?! We need to buy all that stuff for just 2 years?!  We got really lucky and found a place where all we needed was a fridge.  It is interesting when talking to a lot of Aussies, they do not realize all that stuff is included in rentals in the States… their reactions are pretty funny because they think it is gross that we would use the same fridge as someone before us!

And just like that, we got Australia'd.  This term I coined myself to describe these ridiculous situations, which really come down to cultural differences (that often are surprising).  These are situations which clearly are stressful at the time, but make for entertaining stories after the fact J  I really could go on and on with stories about this phase, but there is always more time for that later.  Keep reading the blog and there will be many more mentions of getting Australia-ed in the future!

3. Adjustment Phase

Here you become accustomed to the new culture and start to have your own routines. For those who are moving or recently moved to a new country, or even a new state in some regards, this was the best thing for me.  I have always been a creature of habit and really struggled being away from supports back home and surprisingly more of a struggle was not working.  I went from having my career be a big part of how I identified myself to not having it at all.  It was hard.  Really hard.

Developing interests here and things that I could do to have a routine during the week made such a huge difference in my overall attitude towards life here.  Taking online courses, nannying, and other interests like running and baking really take up a big part of my time and it is great! 

Instead of crying and being upset about missing friends and family, I look forward to skyping and visiting home (really soon in June!).

I have stopped comparing in a negative way and try and see the good things that are different.  We certainly did not have these views back home nor would we be able to travel to places we have.  

I laugh about getting “Australia'd” now.  The differences are what make things interesting and make us grow and learn more about ourselves along with other cultures.  I think the key is to be able to take it all in, process it, and still maintain your own sense of identity from your home country as well.

Ah yes, look at us all well adjusted now.  These are some photos from our recent trip down to Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road.  Good times.

4. Mastery Phase

These are persons who were able to participate fully in the culture, while keeping traits from their earlier culture as well.  Not quite sure I am at this point… but I would like to think I am close.

That’s it for the phases.  Those who have lived away from home I’m sure can relate. I can look back at the first few months we were in Sydney and laugh at everything because it is so ridiculous.  Not that your emotions seem crazy at the time… of course it is logical to have a breakdown about not being able to buy peanut butter M&Ms at a reasonable price…

I couldn't find my picture of the expensive peanut butter variety, but here is the $10 bag of Christmas M&Ms.  And no I did not buy them.

Better late then never...

Past Travel Adventures

Since I was slow to start this blog after moving here, I missed out writing about a couple trips we have done.  Here is a quick recap.

Christmas in Bali December 2011

This was the hubby trying to be all artistic and what not... good attempt.  I believe this was the day I was a bit "under the weather".  Really no trip to Asia is complete without some gastro issues... or you are not being adventurous enough with eating!

Ahh yes, like a mild form of India... Bali was like India-lite.  Not quite as crowded or polluted, but the same kind of feel to it.  Lots of people, lots of energy when you are out, great food and lots of people trying to sell you stuff.  

We did a ton of sightseeing while in Bali.  Here are some of the temples...

We hung out with some wild life like elephants...

This one was a bit hungry and did not enjoy when I ran out of food.

We also went to "Monkey Forrest" in Ubud...

Ever since taking a course called Primates in Psychology while an undergraduate, I have been a bit obsessed with monkeys and other primates.  However, these little guys are a bit too used to human interaction and quite aggressive... this was as close as I wanted to get.

We did an amazing bike tour as well... it was pretty much the entire day spent with the guides who took us to the middle part of the island and biked our way back through villages and rice fields.  It was really an amazing experience to see and interact with villagers, especially children, who were so happy and welcoming.  At one point during the ride it started to pour and really did not let up for the rest of the time, but somehow made it seem even more magical (Yes, I said magical. It is my love for all things Disney coming out).

And did I mention the amazing food?  Since moving to Sydney I have a new appreciation of all asian cuisines, but really had not tried much Indonesian prior to this trip.   Like in most other asian countries, you can get really amazing food for very little money.  

Take for example this massive plate of chicken sate with rice and vegetables.  I think the whole thing was under $5.  And it was amazing.

Although I don't watch nearly as much television here, I was obsessed with No Reservations back in the states and would pretty much listen to anything Anthony Bourdain said in terms of food while traveling.  We hit up most of his suggestions in Bali, but the best by far was Ibu Oka for some Babi Guling (roast suckling pig).  Oh my, this was good.  Almost worth traveling to Bali just for this... 

 

Not as amazing, but just as exciting was finding a Dunkin' Donuts- Woo!  None of these in Australia let me tell you.  It was very different than those in the states.  No "brewed coffee" as we know it and no ice coffee, except for the premixed stuff.  However, they did have peanut butter filled doughnuts, so all was forgiven (hence the 3 trips we made in our 10 day trip).

To round off the trip we did some cooking classes.  Fun times touring around the local markets, learning about ingredients I have never heard of and how to cook some traditional Balinese food.  The hubby also put in a good effort with the Nasi Goreng...

Hunter Valley January 2012

This area is the closest “wine country” if you will to Sydney.  It was pretty much our first trip more than 40 minutes outside of the Sydney area in Australia.  

The hubby braved driving on the left and handled the 2+ hours of driving quite well.  I drove to and from dinner one night and that was all I was allowed :)

The area is really beautiful and quiet.  It is really amazing how close you are to Sydney, yet feel like you are in another world.

We did our fair share of wine tastings.  And ended up bringing back more wine than I care to mention.

We stayed at a brewhouse while in the Hunter.  It is pretty different than in the states how the accommodations work here.  Although there are always some hotels/motels, many stay at the wineries/breweries as they have their own accommodations as well.

Yeah.  We are this awesome.

 We saw our first kangaroos in the wild while on this trip.  A women we met working at one of the cellar doors had suggested an area to drive around at dusk to look for the kangaroos and it worked!

Tasmania April 2012

Okay last big trip to update since the move was to Tassie.  For those who don't know, Tasmania is a state in Australia that also happens to be an island located South of the main continent.  It is known for outdoorsy type activities and has pretty much all different climates from rainforest to mountains to beautiful beaches.  We encountered pretty much all seasons while on our trip as well from hot summery days when we first arrived, to comfortable autumn weather (perfect for hiking) and then even had some snow!

We spent the first few days exploring Hobart, a fun little city on the southern coast. Not sure what is going on with this ship, but it made for a fun picture. 

I saw this while we were walking by and loved it. We ate dinner here one night as well... good food and crazy pirate decorations.  Very Disney-esque and I loved it.

View from the top of Mount Wellington looking down to Hobart.

Sadly, we did not actually see any Tasmanian Devils on the trip.  Just these signs.  Everywhere.

I was a bit excited to see some foliage.   Although nothing in comparison to New England, it was still nice :)

One of the highlights of the trip was a place called Kate's Berry Farm.  Oh my goodness.  We stopped in for ice cream (all homemade with different berry flavors) after a hike one afternoon.  We ended up there again for breakfast the next day before we drove to our next location.  Nothing beats pie and ice cream for brekkie!

View of Port Arthur.  This was one of the convict settlements in Australia and now a big tourist stop.

View from a lookout point down to Wineglass Bay.  It looks much cloudier than it actually was that day... it was much sunnier when we were down on the beach as well.

We saw this little wallaby on the hike.  So cute!

Bay of Fires

 We all loved this sign.  I'm pretty sure it is supposed to be showing you wrecking your car by hitting a kangaroo... but I like to think that it is just a really angry kangaroo flipping the car over.

View of Cradle Mountain.   This was the surprise day of snow.  We were pretty excited at first, but then it was a bit much doing the walk around the lake at the national park.

On the drive to the mountain, we saw some snow on the side of the road.  Of course a couple from Boston and another from Britain would need to pull over and make a snowman.

And then move him to the side of the road for others to enjoy.

I also found the promised land on a morning walk.  Oh Bruce why are you not touring in Australia?

Our last day was at Bruny Island.  Back to warmer weather and sun.  Not to mention some amazing views to cap off the trip. 

Phew.  So those were our big Aussie trips thus far.  Hopefully I will stay on top of posts now so I don't need to to a massive one like this again!  Thanks for visiting the blog and check back soon for some fun recipes and stories of living in Sydney!

First official post- woo hoo!

Here we go... my first official post, how exciting!  Like my little "about me" intro says, I love travel, baking and food and decided to start a blog to document my adventures.  Yes, I know this is what everyone else and their mother does, but it will help me to keep track of life and all our adventures while living abroad.

My husband was transferred to Sydney for work for 2 years.  We are about 1/2 of our way through our time here already and loving it.  Before the move neither of us had ever lived outside the Boston area... so it was a pretty big move!

My job pretty much does not exist here (at least in the capacity it does in the states) and they would not transfer over my credentialing (blah).  Most think it would be amazing to not have to work for 2 years, but I am a bit too high strung for that.  It took a while, but I have finally filled up most of my week with activities…

~ Part time Nanny-Extraodinarre!  Cutest little guy ever, and I spend part of the week playing with him :)

~ Running… because what else to do with my free time really. Yes, this is a picture of the hubby and I dressed as Santa for a 5k fun run in Sydney.  Yes, it was hot in a ill fitted polyester suit… but pretty ridiculous and fun. I will have ½ marathon pictures coming soon!  Really soon actually... May 20th is sneaking up on me real quick!

Then I end my run stretching in the park at the end of the street with this view... not a bad start to a day.

~ Baking ah yes my stress relief

~ Volunteer work. No pictures of this. Hopefully by the time I leave I will have helped to spread awareness of Operation Smile Australia.

~ Online Courses – you know, just in case I didn’t have enough stuff to do

Clearly I am keeping myself busy now.  Initially I was feeling a bit selfish doing so much stuff for myself while here, but I have been starting to like it more each day!  Living overseas has been a fantastic life experience thus far, and I feel very fortunate to have this type of opportunity.  We are feeling pretty settled after the rocky first 6 months or so.  Besides feeling like I am living a double life, things are good :) But really how bad can they be with this as a view...

I had all the intentions of starting a blog when I first got to Sydney to document what we are up to (in part to save myself from writing the same email 20 times!).  I will post some pictures and stories from our adventures so far, then hopefully be able to keep up with everything starting now as well!

Food has become a big part of helping with feeling homesick.  There is something about making one of my mom’s recipes for dinner that makes everything seem good… a “no worries” moment if you will.  You also can’t get a lot of foods we eat back in the states here, so I have started to come up with my own versions of these foods as well.

Alright, now that I have actually motivated myself to start this blog, I will be on top of making posts.  First up will be some quick recipes and recaps of travel adventures this year...