It’s December!  Can you believe it?  Bet you haven’t read/heard that yet.

But seriously, this is my favorite month of the year for many reasons but mainly because people just seem to be in a better mood, myself included.  Holiday cheer…got to love it!

Speaking of cheer, did anyone else watch the SEC championship game on Saturday?  I cheered like I’ve never cheered before but it didn’t help.  SO close.  Oh well, I’m still SO proud to be a Georgia Bulldog!

Another cheer worthy occasion from the weekend was all the decorating Vishnu and I did.  We made another trip to Ikea on Saturday morning and bought a few things – including a book case, some mirrors, and a whole bunch of frames.  We also discovered a Home Goods close to our apartment – dangerous stuff!  We found a few neat frames to pair with our mirrors.

A floating bookcase

Mirrors from Ikea, framed pictures from Home Goods, the genius idea to combine the two from VISHNU!

A cool painting we found at Home Goods for $20

And finally, I was totally cheering last night as I ate a piece of delicious, soul warming Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.  Not only did it taste like perfection, but it made the apartment smell amazing.  Banana bread baking should be a Sunday tradition.  Hmm…

So I’m sure you’ve seen and even tried a number of different banana bread recipes.  And a few of them are probably very good, but I can promise you that once you make this one, you will never try another again.  A Parita promise. 

I went to bed thinking about when I would get to eat another piece – breakfast, post work snack, after dinner treat, all three?  It’s THAT good.  Not too sweet, soft, and freaking delicious.  And the very best part?  It’s ridiculously simple to make.  Let me know if you try it out!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup raw cane sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted Earth Balance (or butter)
1 cup mashed bananas (~3 bananas)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine Earth Balance, bananas, eggs, and vanilla extract.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix well.  Add chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed in batter.  Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.  Bake for 50 minutes.

Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!

Have a great Monday!

What was the most cheery worthy thing about your weekend?