JUST LIKE BANANAS AND BACON RECIPES

Some things just naturally go together: The Brady Bunch and Bell-bottoms, Oak trees and Tire swings, and Bananas and Bacon. Er … is that last pair a tough sell for you? Well then, just wait because this involves chocolate, too.

So, hang on.

I’d like to show you how you can learn to accept thoughts, ideas, and concepts that you currently feel are objectionable. In other words … how to change your mind. This involves fun, food, relaxation and a very creative recipe!

Here’s another combination that goes beautifully together – Relaxation and Recipes.  That’s my favorite sort of R&R in the kitchen! It’s fun to approach meal planning and prep with an effortless frame of mind.

When it comes to recipes, can you actually think outside the box and still have things “turn out?”

That all depends on your expectations.

How many of you out there – let’s see a show of hands – are Measurement Purists? If your recipe calls for a half cup of butter and you have, what looks more like a third, does your next step involve hopping into your car and racing to the store?

Here are three reasons why, I believe, a Measurement Purist is born:

1)    Mother always said so – we’re taught as children that this is “the way” of doing things. There’s no room for ambiguity. The kitchen has rules, after all, and it’s certainly not the place for loosey-goosey measurements.

2)    We happen to be more of a “baker” than a “cooker.” Baking often does require specific measurements so that our chocolate souffles don’t fall or our cookies don’t spread into one big amoebic glob when baked.

3)    We’re simply afraid. What if we swap out an ingredient, or change the measurement and it doesn’t “turn out?” What if we’ve wasted not only our time, but our money as well? Ingredients aren’t free, after all. What a waste it would be to throw it all away!

Here’s the truth – I’ve been mixing and matching, sampling and experimenting, for more than a decade. I’ve never once had to throw anything away because it was a complete failure. Did everything always turn out as expected? Nope.

The experimentation that comes to mind that turned out the least like I expected was a particular batch of oatcakes. I took the standard recipe and made healthier substitutions as I usually do.

I compressed each one into a flattened ball and placed them into a muffin tin. They smelled cinnamon-ey and heavenly delicious. They baked beautifully. They became a lovely golden brown and when I tipped the muffin tin over to let them cool, exactly zero of them popped out. I loosened each one running a knife around the edges. I tipped them over again. An avalanche of crumbs fell onto my counter, like a sandy landslide. Not even one individual oat held hands with another.

A recipe experiment disaster?

Not really. Sure, it’s true, I couldn’t pack one to take on the go, but the flavor was marvelous. I poured the crumbs into a large sealed container and did what any relaxed chef would do. I ate it by the spoon. Why not?

It was delicious.

The point is that there’s a big difference between “not turning out” and “not turning out like you thought it would.”

One implies failure, the other — healthy experimentation.

Here’s my challenge to you – go forth and experiment! Relax in the kitchen and have fun! The kitchen is not a place of rigid rules and either “success or failure.” Try healthier substitutions, increase or decrease quantities of ingredients to your liking, and try new and interesting flavor combos.

Which of course leads me to the bananas and bacon recipe. Would you ever think to put these flavors together? Well, The Civilized Caveman did and you only know that half of it! The recipe in question not only pairs bananas and bacon, it pairs them with another amazing flavor combo – almond butter and chocolate. Yep, you heard me. CHOCOLATE!

If this isn’t an example of being loosey-goosey and relaxed in the kitchen, I don’t know what is. Whether or not you try this Chocolate Bacon Almond Butter Banana recipe, I hope you get the point … that playing around with foods, flavors, and interesting combinations can be great fun.

I hope I’ve changed your mind about experimenting with your recipes. Are you a Measurement Purist and are you ready to grab some healthy R&R in your kitchen? Tell me your plans below!

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Interested in co-creating your own program to heal from the inside out? Check out Sue’s Rebuilding Wellness site – and click on the Work With Sue tab to learn more.