Guest Post: Using What We Have

I am out of town for the weekend, and Lynn has graciously offered to do a post in my absence. I love Lynn's recipes! Her Oatmeal Pancakes quickly become our favorite pancake, even my daughter, who hates oatmeal, gobbles them up!




I think that one of the biggest things we can do to save money on groceries and food is to use what we have and to not let things go to waste. This is an area I think most of us struggle with., and it is something that past generations were much better at than our generation.



Most of our grandmothers would not have even thought about throwing food out. But all too often I find myself throwing away the last little bit of something. I let produce go bad or something gets hidden in the back of the fridge or freezer, and by the time I find it, it is too late to use it. Does anyone else besides me have this problem? It is something I really am trying to get better at, but I have a long ways to go.



Bananas seem to be the perfect example of something that goes bad before I use them all. I always end up buying more than we can eat before they turn brown, but I don’t want to throw any out. Yes, you can freeze them and use them in things like smoothies. You can also make banana bread, but my family gets tired of those things. So, when I found a recipe for a banana cookie, I knew I wanted to try it. Not only does it have bananas in it, it also has whole wheat flour and oatmeal in it. So, it is semi-healthy.



My family loves these cookies, and they have become one of our favorite ways to use up bananas. I hope you give these a try next time you have bananas that need used up.

Banana Chocolate Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

about 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into the bowl mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chips.Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 2 days.

Lynn is a stay at home, homeschooling mom to three. She loves to cook and try all kinds of recipes. If you want to follow her adventures in the kitchen on her blog lynnskitchenadventures.com.

I can't wait to try them! Thanks, Lynn!

This post is linked to :

• Frugal Friday
• Recipe Swap