Friday: Chocolate Banana Pudding, Costco Adventures & a Two-Protein Dinner

Got up this morning and decided to start the day by making pudding.

Yes, pudding.

Before breakfast.

And I have absolutely no regrets.

Remember last Friday when I experimented with that chocolate banana peanut butter mixture and put it into my Ninja Creami?

Well, I finally spun it on Sunday, and it was incredible.

But here’s the thing.

The mixture itself was so delicious before I even froze it that I started thinking, why am I turning this into ice cream?

Why not just eat it as pudding?

So that’s exactly what I did today.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Pudding

I am so excited about this recipe.

It’s incredibly simple, uses ingredients I almost always have in my kitchen, and tastes like a really rich chocolate peanut butter pudding.

And the best part is that you don’t have to cook anything.

No stovetop.

No tempering eggs.

No waiting for a saucepan of pudding to thicken.

You just blend everything together.

Ingredients

• 3 large, ripe bananas
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons natural peanut butter
• A dash of salt
• A dash of vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl or blender. I like using my immersion blender.
2. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, making sure there aren’t any chunks of banana remaining.
3. Taste and adjust the flavor if needed.
4. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for a couple of hours until chilled and thickened.

That’s it.

The recipe makes approximately 3½ cups, or about seven half-cup servings.

And it’s naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free, assuming you’re using ingredients that meet your dietary needs.

I tasted it immediately after blending, and it was already delicious.

The bananas give it sweetness and creaminess.

The peanut butter adds richness.

The cocoa powder gives it that deep chocolate flavor.

And the coconut oil helps it firm up as it chills.

I put the whole batch into the refrigerator so we’d have it ready for dessert tonight.

And I already have so many ideas for other things I could do with this mixture.

I’ve made it into ice cream.

Now I’ve made pudding.

And I still want to try making little frozen bonbons dipped in chocolate.

I think those would be fantastic.

And Then the Kids Wanted Regular Pudding

After breakfast, we got started on some schoolwork.

And apparently pudding was on everybody’s mind today.

Because a little later, some of the kids asked if we could make regular chocolate pudding too.

Sure!

We’ve had quite a bit of dental and orthodontic work happening around here lately, so I’ve been trying to keep some softer foods available.

Pudding and Jell-O are always good options when somebody is having trouble chewing.

So I got out a box of regular chocolate pudding and made a batch with the younger kids.

They helped mix everything together, and then we put it into the refrigerator to chill.

Now we had two different chocolate puddings waiting for dessert.

Not a bad situation.

A Breakfast Sandwich Worth Mentioning

I almost forgot to mention breakfast.

My teenager made herself a breakfast sandwich using the last of those square artisan rolls from Costco that I’d been keeping in the freezer.

And it looked so good.

I love those rolls because they’re incredibly versatile.

We’ve used them for sandwiches, garlic bread, and now breakfast sandwiches.

And keeping them in the freezer means I can just pull out what we need instead of worrying about the entire package going stale.

Lunch Was a Little Bit of Everything

Lunch today was another one of those meals where I just pulled out whatever we had in the refrigerator.

Some of the kids wanted leftover focaccia pizza from Wednesday night.

We added fruit and vegetables, and they were perfectly happy.

But Chris was home from work today, and my teenager and I had a different idea.

We wanted Cava bowls again.

Remember the Cava-inspired chicken bowls I made for dinner last night?

Well, all three of us finished dinner Thursday saying we needed to do that again.

So we did.

I pulled out the leftover grilled chicken, rice, vegetables, hummus, and dressing, and we made another round of bowls.

And they were just as delicious the second time.

A Costco Trip With a Massage Chair Takeover

This afternoon, we headed to Costco.

And naturally, Costco provided some entertainment.

They had one of those enormous massage chairs on display.

You know the ones.

The giant chairs that look like they could practically swallow a person whole.

Well, Daphne climbed into one.

And apparently decided it belonged to her.

The other kids were all standing around, wanting a turn.

But Daphne was not interested in sharing her new throne.

She was completely settled in.

Four years old, sitting in a giant massage chair, acting like she had a very demanding week and needed some personal relaxation time.

It was hilarious.

I don’t think the rest of the kids were nearly as amused as I was.

Why We Keep Red Solo Cups in the Car

And then, of course, we had the traditional Costco drive home.

Because everybody knows that when you buy a big bag of chips at Costco, you are morally obligated to open it before you get home.

It’s basically quality control.

How else are we supposed to know whether the chips are good?

And this is exactly why I keep Red Solo cups in the car.

We opened the chips, passed out cups, and everybody got their own little portion for the drive home.

No giant bag being passed around the back seats.

No kids sticking their hands into the same bag.

Two Proteins for Dinner: Salmon and Brat Bites

For dinner tonight, I decided to make salmon.

But whenever I make salmon, I also need another protein.

One of my kids has a fish and shellfish allergy, so salmon isn’t an option for everybody.

And that’s fine.

Because if I’m already turning on the oven, it’s really not difficult to cook two different proteins at the same time.

Tonight I made salmon and brat bites.

Both on sheet pans.

Both incredibly easy.

And everybody could choose what they wanted.

My Easy Oven-Roasted Salmon

I love making salmon this way because it’s almost embarrassingly simple.

I took a whole salmon fillet and placed it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Then I seasoned it with:

• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder
• Dill
• Lemon juice

That’s it.

No complicated marinade.

No special sauce required before cooking.

Just good salmon with lemon and herbs.

Then I put it into the oven at 425°F convection.

I like using high heat because it cooks the salmon quickly and gives it a nice exterior while keeping the inside tender.

The exact cooking time depends on the thickness of the fillet, so I check for doneness rather than relying only on the clock. For fully cooked salmon, the USDA recommends 145°F.

And because we’re dealing with a fish allergy, I also make sure to keep the salmon and the other protein separate, using clean utensils and avoiding cross-contact.

Brat Bites: One of My Favorite Easy Proteins

For our second protein, I made brat bites.

I’ve talked about these before, but they’re one of my favorite ways to prepare bratwurst.

Instead of cooking the brats whole, I slice them into little rounds.

They cook quickly, they’re easy for kids to eat, and they’re perfect for serving on platters or adding to lunches.

I bought a big package of brats, and I cut the entire package into pieces.

But I didn’t cook all of them.

I took half of the sliced brats and put them into a freezer bag for another day.

Then I spread the other half onto a sheet pan.

And into the oven they went.

That’s the entire recipe.

Seriously.

For raw pork bratwurst, I cook them until they reach 160°F internally.

And because they’re cut into smaller pieces, they cook quickly and get those delicious browned edges.

Now I have brat bites for dinner tonight, leftovers for the weekend, and another batch already prepped in the freezer.

I love that.

An Avocado Dill Sauce for the Salmon

I also decided to make a little sauce for the salmon.

And this turned out really good.

I pulled out my mini food processor and started adding ingredients.

This wasn’t something I measured precisely.

I just added what sounded good, blended it, and adjusted the flavor.

Creamy Avocado Dill Sauce

Here’s what I used:

• 1 whole avocado
• Lemon juice
• Lemon zest
• Fresh or dried dill
• 1 pickle
• A splash of rice wine vinegar
• A little honey
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Black pepper

I blended everything together until it was creamy.

Then I tasted it.

And this is the important part.

Whenever I’m making a sauce like this, I don’t just follow a list of ingredients and assume it’s finished.

I taste it and ask myself a few questions.

Does it need more acid?

More salt?

A little sweetness?

More garlic?

Sometimes all a sauce needs is another squeeze of lemon to really bring everything together.

Or a little extra salt.

Or a touch more honey to balance the vinegar.

So I adjusted it until I liked the flavor.

And it was delicious with the salmon.

The avocado made it creamy, the dill and pickle gave it that tangy, herby flavor, and the lemon kept everything tasting fresh.

I’ll definitely be making this again.

Rice, Green Beans and Blackberries

For our sides, I kept everything very simple.

I had leftover rice from Thursday night’s dinner, so I warmed that up. I also had some leftover cooked pasta and some kiddos wanted to eat that too…heated that up as well.

Then I cooked some frozen green beans.

And we had fresh blackberries from Costco.

So dinner was basically a big assortment of things.

Salmon.

Brat bites.

Rice.

Pasta.

Green beans.

Blackberries.

And the avocado dill sauce.

Everybody made their own plate.

Some wanted salmon.

Some wanted brat bites.

Some wanted both.

And that’s exactly how I like serving dinner.

Same sides, different proteins, everybody gets something they can eat.

I didn’t have to make two completely separate meals.

I just cooked two proteins at the same time and served them with the same sides.

And now I have leftover salmon and brat bites ready for the weekend.

Which will make fantastic lunches and snacks.

Two Chocolate Puddings for Dessert

And then, of course, we finally got to try the puddings.

The regular chocolate pudding had been chilling in the refrigerator since this morning.

And the kids were very excited about it.

One of my boys made himself a bowl and added a truly impressive amount of Reddi-wip.

I think there may have been more whipped cream than pudding.

But he was very happy with his creation.

And then I pulled out my chocolate banana peanut butter pudding.

It had been sitting in the refrigerator all day, and it was beautifully chilled and creamy.

I added some chocolate shavings on top.

And oh my goodness.

SO GOOD.

I really love this recipe.

It’s rich, chocolatey, creamy, and has such a nice peanut butter flavor.

And I love that I can make it without gluten, dairy, or eggs.

I’m so glad I tried turning that original banana filling into something different.

Because now I’ve got a pudding recipe, a frozen dessert recipe, and hopefully soon a chocolate-covered bonbon recipe too.