Easy banana bread recipe

This banana bread recipe is easy, fast and delicious! Banana bread is a must in our household and you can bet, whenever I make it... it does not last! This recipe is also extremely easy as well! You can mix everything in one bowl and change up the amount of sugar and bananas if you like! Melted butter adds a great flavor so be sure not to miss that part! 

You can add whatever you like to this bread recipe! Toss in a cup of chopped nuts, raisins or chocolate chips if you want! You can also pour the batter into muffin tins to make muffins instead! The possibilities are endless!

Here is what you need for this amazing bread recipe:

2-3 very ripe bananas, peeled.

1/3 cup of melted butter

1 tsp of baking soda

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup of sugar (1/2 cup if you want less sweet, 1 cup if you want more sweet)

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

11/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven go 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 Degrees Celsius), and butter a 4 X 8 inch loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. I used a separate bowl and then added the banana to the bowl of my stand mixer. Melt the butter and add to the bananas. I used the same bowl I mashed the bananas in for this.

Mix in the baking soda and salt. Then you'll want to stir in the sugar, beaten egg and vanilla extract. Lastly, gradually mix the flour in until no large lumps are present (little ones are alright, be sure not to over mix)

Pour your batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from the over and cool completely on a rack. Remove your banana bread from the pan and slice and serve. A bread knife works well for this step, it makes it so your slices aren't crumbly! Enjoy! This recipe can be frozen for 3-6 months. We use a food saver vacuum sealer and have had bread last well over six months. I will sometimes double or triple the batch and freeze a few loaves for later. I just pop the frozen bread out of the freezer and put it into the fridge to thaw overnight. Also, don't forget to label your bread if you are freezing some for later.

DIY Dog ear cleaner (vet recommended!)

Homemade all-natural earcleaner for dogs

Ingredients needed:

Rubbing alcohol
White vinegar
Plastic container
Measuring cup
Funnel
Spoon (optional)

Directions: Mix equal parts rubbing alcohol and white vinegar in a bowl or directory in a measuring cup (that's what I did). I give mine a little stir to make sure everything got mixed up and funneled it into a pump bottle.

To use: Lighty wet a cotton ball or q-tip with ear cleaner and massage into your dogs ears. Make sure to get in between all the crevasses to get all the gunk out. Let dry in ear or pat dry with a dry cotton ball. Repeat as needed. This may be added to was after they are in the water to help to prevent swimmers ear. Consult with a vet and stop use f any irritation is present. Always consult with a vet before using this product. *Pictures will be added soon!*

DIY dog dry shampoo

This recipe is a basic recipe for a homamde powdered dry shampoo for dogs. This can be used in between baths. The powder helps to absorb icky odors and keep the coat nice and grease free.

You will need:

1/2 c. Corn starch
1/2 C. Baking soda
Mixing bowl
6 -8 drops Essential oils of your liking (I chose lavender, leave out if your dog has sensitive skin)
Empty glass salt and Pepper shaker or an Empty 1/2 pint mason jar of your choosing with holes punched into the lid.


Directions:
Mix the corn starch and baking soda in a large mixing bowl (It is powdery so go slow because it can fly up). After it is mixed, I add 6 drops of lavender essential oil and gently fold it in to mix and reduce the fly ups! I chose lavender because lavender is soothing and will help keep dogs calm. After everything is mixed up, I funneled it into a mason jar and screwed the lid on. I punched holes in the lid so I can shake to dispense it. I did find that the essential oil do like to evaporate so If I'm not using it, I did replace the lid with a regular lid to keep the oils in there :) I switch to my hole punched lid whenever we use it, which is every few weeks between baths so its not a big deal for me. If you like though, you can opt for one of the salt shakers with an airtight lid to keep the scent in. If your dog has sensitive skin and you will not be adding the oil, you will not need an airtight lid- just if you have oils in there because they tend to evaporate over time.

Diy Treat dispenser

This is neat idea for a diy Pet treat dispenser! Tutorial photos will be added soon! All I have so far is pictures of the finished project! Opps!

Items needed

Hot glue gun or Gorilla glue
Red acrylic paint
Foam brushes
Tiny planter
Tiny jar with lid
Training treats or Milkbone trail mix dog treats, really anything tiny.

Directions

First, we painted the planter and let it dry. When it was completely dry, we then glued the small glass container with the lid on top and let that dry. It turned out really cute actually! It looked like one of those little candy dispensers! You can customize however you want. The next one I make, I may add some paw prints! Don't forget to add your treats once it is dry!

We used some training treats that we found at the grocery store! My dogs really like them!

Homemade dog food

Here is my recipe for a quick and easy homemade dog food that is healthy and your furry friends will love!

Ingredients:

3 lbs. of a ground meat (Beef, chicken and Turkey, we used turkey)
1.5 cups of brown rice, cooked.
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 Zucchini (Shredded)
2 Carrots (Shredded)
3 cups of baby spinach, chopped.
1/2 cup of peas (frozen or canned, we chose frozen)

Directions:

1. Cook the rice according to the package and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot and cook the ground meat until browned. Make sure to crumble the meat as it cooks.

3. Stir in the spinach, carrots, zucchini, peas and rice. Cook until the spinach has wilted and the whole mixture is heated thoroughly; 3-5 minutes.

4. Let the dog food cool completely and divide into baggies and freeze if you like. I served some to my dog lukewarm and she just loved it. I used little snack sized baggies and had enough dog food to last two weeks. My little pug eats 1/2 a cup of this every morning and night with her all-natural spring dog food that she absolutely loves! Better yet, this recipe didn't cost be a fortune! I did some bargain hunting and was able to find all of the ingredients on sale at my local Aldi. This batch only set me back about $15, which isn't bad at all! It's nice knowing exactly what goes into what your pet eats.

As it cooked, looks good if I do say myself!

She just loved it! I gave her a little bit before I bagged it all up!

We filled up 32 snack sized baggies, this recipe for us yielded 16 cups of dog food! Each baggie has 1/2 cup of food in it. She eats 1 cup a day :) So roughly, this recipe would cost us around $28-30 a month.

Here is the nutrition facts for this recipe :)

$70 for 16 meals!

Recently, I did a little shopping at Aldi. Sure, I got a little extra, but most of all, I got 16 meals for around $70! I was happy with myself.

Here is what I bought. My total was $116. I made one Month of homemade dog food and bought the staples that I needed for the month. I also got stuff for my Halloween party, thanksgiving and a little extra from the house (cleaning and baggies hehe). I got enough to make 16 meals (dinner).

Here is what I will be making:

2 big pots of chilli (5 quarts each)

2 pizzas

2 dishes of tator tot hot dish

Chilitos

Tacos

A taco bake with Fritos

BBQ beef ribs

Chicken and noodle hot dish

Chicken and cheese quasedilla 

Delicious meatballs  w/ gravy

Breakfast burritos
Spaghetti w/ meatballs and garlic toast
Creamy potato soup

The extra money was used for other essential household items such as paper towels, sandwich baggies, garbage bags and of course the homemade dog food!