January 19, 2017
Does anyone else find that in January they get a new lease on life for cleaning? It might just be me, but I know I get this desire to do a serious spring clean. I’ve decluttered my whole apartment it feels like, throwing out or donating things that I haven’t used over the past year. It is actually a really therapeutic exercise. Honestly, I feel so much lighter and happier being at home with less stuff. I am a bit of a hoarder, as I tend to buy things when they are on sale, or keep things I deem as special for a rainy day. But I’ve realised that this has resulted in me accumulating a whole heap of stuff that I never end up using which either sits there gathering dust, or goes off before that special occasion comes around! So this year I’ve decided to try and change by habits, and focus on having less stuff, and using the things I have more often!
A part of my spring cleaning I went through the cupboard. This is where I swear my hoarding takes on a whole new level (second only to my closet, which my bestie helped me declutter a few months ago). I am seriously the worst at buying things that I may need some day in the future, but do not need now. I must be the target audience for those weekly specials at the supermarket, I reckon they are like “oh Ella will buy this for that obscure time that she needs obscure item a to cook with”. As a result, our cupboard is full of rainy day items that I use so infrequently, they end up going off.
So I decided it was time to really take stock and start actually using the items in my pantry before buying more things. Not only does it mean that you spend less money because you are using what you have, but it also means that you can get more creative in the kitchen! I feel so good about using up my pantry items, as it leads to less clutter and means I can actually see what I have. But it also means I’m trying new things and being a little more exciting than usual with what I cook. It really is a win win.
So this week I really felt like baking, and instead of finding a recipe first and then going out and getting the ingredients, I instead took a look at what was in my pantry, and what I needed to use. I have so many big containers of pantry staples that I never seem to get through and that have been sitting there for an age, so I decided it would be awesome to put my baking to good use and clear out some of these!
I decided in the end to make these banana oatmeal cookies, as they used up only ingredients that I had on hand, and they also only required one bowl, and one spoon to make! As long as you have some oats, peanut butter, and bananas on hand (things I always seem to have an oversupply of as I love all three), you can make these cookies. Not only are they quick and easy to make, they are also pretty good for you, except when you add in chocolate chips like I did. But overall, not as bad as your regular cookies! And baking always needs to be a bit of a treat, right?
- 2 overripe bananas
- 1 ½ cups of oats
- 1/3 cup of peanut butter
- ¼ cup of chocolate chips I used white chocolate because I had them on hand
- ¼ cup of raisins this is optional, I used them again because they were there
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Preheat your oven to 180C (300F) and line two baking trays with baking paper.
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In a medium bowl, combine the bananas, oats and peanut butter, stirring until completely incorporated and ensuring that the peanut butter is evenly mixed through.
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Add the chocolate chips and raisins to the bowl, and stir to combine.
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Use your fingers to make small balls of dough and place evenly on the baking trays, with a little bit of space between each cookie. These cookies don’t expand much while baking so you don’t need to worry too much about space.
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Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until brown on the top. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.
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Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
As you can see, these cookies are so simple to make, you’ll be asking yourself why you never have in the past! I know I was. For something this tasty to be ready to eat in 20 minutes, it’s really a win win. They are the perfect little treat that is quick and simple to make when you are craving something sweet.
These cookies are absolutely delicious, especially if you love peanut butter as much as I do. You won’t believe that these are good for you, and if you leave out the chocolate chips, they really are healthy! Although it’s nice to have a bit of a chocolate kick! These cookies would make for the perfect grab and go healthy breakfast if you are short on time, or a snack to take to work for when you need a bit of a sugar kick!
You can easily customise this recipe for whatever you have on hand. I just added white chocolate chips and raisins because I had them, but you could easily substitute for nuts, dark chocolate, cranberries, coconut or even just leave them plain! It’s really up to you what you add in, which is what is so good about this recipe!
So I killed two birds with one stone this week: I discovered a delicious new recipe, and also managed to use up a few things in my pantry! This recipe cleared out my oats and also my peanut butter, as well as a couple of overripe bananas! That is a win in my book when I am trying to declutter. Thank god for delicious cookie recipes. You really have no excuse with this simple, quick and healthy recipe to use up your pantry items!
Do you have any spring cleaning tips for me? I’d love to hear them!
Until next time, happy eating!
Ella xx
