Weekend Round-Up

Start your week with healthy Banana Nut Muffins under  150  calories per muffin. They are moist made with yogurt, whole wheat and maple syrup. Sure to be a family favorite.

Cook's notes: Recipe makes 1 dozen and comes from wellplated.com
Ingredients:

• 3 large overripe bananas (about 1-1/2 cups) 
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 2 TB. canola oil or cooled coconut oil  
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla
•  1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 TB. Saigon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place paper liners in a 12 cup muffin tin.
• Mash bananas until nearly smooth. Whisk in egg, yogurt and oil. Mix well and add in brown sugar, vanilla and syrup. 
• In a separate bowl whisk together  baking soda, salt, cinnamon and flours. Gently stir the flour into banana mixture until barely combined. Stir in nuts. Avoid overmixing. 
• Add batter filling each cup almost to the top. Bake 18-20 minutes. 

Out and About in the Tucson Area 
59th Annual Tubac Festival of the Arts, Arizona’s longest running festival. Proceeds benefit local nonprofit organizations. A juried show showcases the work of hundreds of visiting artists, craft persons and musicians from around the country. There were horse-drawn trolleys, roving entertainers and a food court that featured a variety of cuisines. So much to choose from with a range of artwork from fine painting, sculptures, ceramics, crafted wood and leatherworks, shimmering glass, photography, unique jewelry, artful clothing and mixed media works.

A stunning copper fountain

an artist nearby painting 

and a variety of studios open for viewing and purchasing paintings. 

The festival was pet friendly  

with complimentary water stations for your furry friends.  

Garden Rental

I was fascinated with this local community garden space. For a fee you can buy your own garden space to grow produce. There's an individual water supply at the end of each garden container. The idea of growing anything outside in February was almost beyond my Midwest comprehension.  Each garden was covered with a wire/mesh top to protect the produce. And the white plastic sheets were rolled down when overnight temps dip down to what they call frigid 32 degrees.

Next to the gardens was an area  designated for a sundial.

Here a description with  two new words added to your vocabulary analemmatic and declination

And ending the day with an Arizona sunset 

and a poem given to us by our Minnesota weekend guests.

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A Valentine Blitz