Alternative to Sugar

Looking for an alternative to sugar and tired of using applesauce?

Try adding a ripe, sliced banana to your oatmeal. For a pumpkin pie, the banana is processed to a creamy consistency and may be substituted for the sugar in a pumpkin pie (previous post on this blog). The pie will have a bit of a banana flavor and my family loves anything banana.

The oatmeal includes dried cranberries and a teaspoon of real vanilla extract for that added zip we need some mornings. The great thing about oatmeal is it holds you until lunch!

For those of us on diuretics, oats are a source of magnesium and bananas have potassium.  Great for breakfast or a snack anytime, ?Sometimes we add small pieces of fresh apple as a garnish, enjoy!

Getting Mom to Gain Weight

I have found a recipe that my mom of 91 years loves to eat before she goes to sleep each night. While she is visiting for the winter, I make her a homemade tapioca pudding that never fails. She loves the extra flavor that fills the kitchen. She can smell it cooking while napping too! Here is the simple recipe for my tapioca pudding: 2 cups whole milk (I need her to gain a bit of weight or at least to stop losing weight) 3 T Minute Tapioca 3T Sugar Let the above stand for 5 minutes in the saucepan that it will cook in and then add: One well beaten whole egg to the mixture of the three items above (the pudding works without the addition of the egg but I feel she needs the egg in the pudding and it gives it a richer texture and color). Next, gently stir well until the egg and milk are mixed. Once mixed, begin cooking over medium heat, watching the pudding until it continues to boil even when stirring. After it has been at a full boil add: 1 t real Vanilla extract Nutmeg -- use a nutmeg grater to grate nutmeg and add to mixture Pour into serving bowls, I use two large or three small bowls. Garnish with a bit more freshly grated nutmeg (optional). The freshly grated nutmeg adds a holiday flavor to the pudding and the smells in the kitchen. My mother enjoys eating the pudding hot and it continues to solidify if it cools. My mother had never eaten warm pudding until I made this recipe for her. In the winter months, if the pudding has been refrigerated she asks me to microwave it so that it is warm. For fun I asked my youngest sister who uses canned nutmeg everyday, what spice I was grating and she could not guess. She was surprised at the wonderful aroma of fresh nutmeg that includes many flavors from lemon to spice!