This past weekend amidst all the studying (or perhaps because of all the studying), I realized I had somewhere close to a million food items that needed my attention. You may (or may not) recall that I left dinner at Quercy last Thursday night with half a loaf of sourdough bread. I could have eaten the whole thing in one sitting without batting an eyelash, but I didn’t want to do that. I needed to instead incorporate it into a portion-controlled meal (meal = group of foods eaten together with satisfaction potential) that still let me enjoy the bread. And what is the best possible use for day-old bread??
Bread pudding, of course!
Featured Breakfast: Leftover Banana Bread Pudding
Ingredients (and sources)
– 3 cups cubed bread, not packed (obviously, I used my sourdough from Quercy)
– 3 eggs, beaten (Eggland’s Best, of course)
– 3 cups liquid (I used 1 cup unsweetened soymilk and 2 cups water)
– 1/2 cup oat bran for a nutritional boost (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
– shakes of nutmeg and cinnamon, to taste (from cabinet)
– 3 sliced bananas, separated (I used Holiday Inn breakfast buffet bananas)
– 1/3 cup-ish raisins (I used Just Tomatoes raisins.)
About these raisins from Just Tomatoes. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened the package because I was unaware that raisins could be so plump and juicy. Just Tomatoes raisin on the left; SunMaid raisin on the right.
Note: You’ll notice I did not use any sweetener. I find that the bananas and the raisins make it sweet enough. If you think you need sweetener, obviously add it however you like.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Spread bread cubes out in the dish.
- In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and liquid.
- Stir oat bran and spices into wet mix.
- Gently stir in two of the sliced bananas and all of the raisins.
- Pour this mixture evenly over the bread cubes in the baking dish.
- Arrange the slices of the third banana neatly over the top.
- Baked covered (you can use foil) for 20 minutes.
- Remove cover, and bake 20 minutes more until “pudding” is firm. If you like things crispy on top (like I do), broil for an additional 5 minutes.
I sliced my bread pudding into seven pieces because that’s what seemed to fit.
My serving preference:
One slice of warm bread pudding on a bed of 1/2 cup yogurt/ricotta/Pb2 with a chopped Hershey’s Kiss on top and a tsp of homemade pineapple-coconut-ginger peanut butter:
Or froyo the yogurt/ricotta/PB2 and have it on the side 🙂
I’ve been waking up every morning with visions of this dessertforbreakfast in my head, and it’s literally the only thing that has been pulling me out of bed. Well, that and the news ticker of things to do that’s also scrolling through my head.
Featured Contributions: Monday
Of course, a day would not be complete without giving credit to those whose food helped power me through. This is obviously not an exhaustive list of all I ate — just the pleasant food surprises I encountered yesterday!
Tropical fruit salad (papaya, mango, pineapple, kiwi, watermelon, honeydew) from Myrna:
Wrinkly grapes I found and co-opted for myself in the work fridge:
Baby carrots from Jessica:
Class dinner: leftover lunch chicken that Mildred and Myrna gave me at work, an entire chopped cucumber and an entire pint of tomatoes (first a whole bag of arugula, and now this!) that I picked up from the grocery store (I stress-produce-shopped yesterday, too), and manchego cheese samples from the gourmet deli
Post-photo, I mixed it all together salad-style. I don’t think I actually intended to eat the entire pint of tomatoes when I bought them, but these things happen.
Are you more likely to (1) stress-cook, (2) stress-eat, (3) stress-shop, or (4) stress-sleep?
Tales of Expansion: Baby Butternut Edition 
mmm yum! You are so creative. I would’ve stuffed that bread in my face, but you wait and use it again! Genius!
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I used to be stress-cook, never stress-shop and stress-sleep, occasional stress-eat.
Love that banana bread,scrumptious!!!
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stress shop, stress eat, stress cook, then stress sleep. in that order.
i want some of that bread pudding – it looks amazing.
those raisins are crazy!
i hope today goes well 🙂
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I stress-eat cherry tomatoes too! They’re so satisfying!
That bread pudding looks wonderful—I love desserty breakfast foods. In a perfect world, I’d have a chocolate croissant every day 🙂
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Oh my! That’s some serious looking bread pudding! 😉
I love stress baking. I tend not to do it anymore because it’s a dangerous thing. But if I could (without gaining a pound) I SO would!!!
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OMG…I love bread pudding and yours looks fantastic!!! I definitely stress cook!!!
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I definitely stress-eat!! I wish I did something else, but no.. stress-eat it is!
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those tomato raisins look slightly creepy.. lol : )
i definitely stress eat and then stress sleep.. i wish i would stress bake and then “stress be nice to people” and give it all away.
that would be a better option!!! lol
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What awesome bread pudding. YUM! I love your definition of meal. It’s spot on!
I am actually a stress sleeper when that’s an option. Sometimes I just have to keep going to finish whatever is stressing me out, but I prefer to just nap it away if possible. I think of sleep as sort of a “reboot” for myself. It always helps!
I also recommend stress working out. That helps me a lot too. I wish I’d discovered that years ago!
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the bread pudding looks so good. I go for comfort food and comfort exercise when I am stressed. I don’t necessarily overeat, i just choose foods that make me emotionally happy!
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I am a total stress-cooker (pressure-cooker?! Baaaahahahaha…I’m so funny). I cook for people that don’t even exist. Then I have leftovers for weeks. It’s a real affliction.
I’m probably going to have to make banana bread pudding now.
So, I just wanted you to know that I’m totally not really stalking you, but I had a dream about you last night. Is that the strangest thing you’ve ever heard, or what? I felt scared of myself when I woke up and realized what had just happened. I mean, the dream was completely harmless. We were eating. Of course. But still.
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Most likely to stress cook for sure. It takes me forever to cook so I’m not overeating but keeping my mind off whatever i’m stressing about and then I get some fun, quality food at the end! Win-win situation.
Love all your food concoctions, you’re so creative 🙂 I added you to my blogroll, hope that’s ok!
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The bread pudding looks very good! Good imagination! 🙂
I too love using leftovers to create new things.
have a nice day!
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I’ve never had bread pudding, but that looks so delicious!
I stress sleep. For sure. When i’m stressed out i want to do nothing but crawl into bed and sleep the day away. Not as productive as stress cooking or baking though.
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I stress eat AND stress shop. My poor wallet.
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Whoa – that bread pudding looks seriously awesome! I’m definitely bookmarking this recipe 🙂
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whaaaaaaaat that bread looks amaaaaazingg 🙂
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I find it challenging reading your blog. Because, for example, I just ate my afternoon snack. I thought I was all full and happy and ready to go to the gym. Then? I see things like bread pudding. Breadpuddingporn. Smooshed up against my screen. and i die.
xoxo
s
http://eatfabinnyc.wordpress.com
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Bread pudding looks amazing!!!!
When I’m stressed I usually crave chocolate and want to stress eat (but I try to pop some gum in my mouth or go for a walk instead). I have trouble sleeping when I’m stressed, I think because stress and anxiety go hand in hand for me.
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That banana bread pudding thing is making me expand just thinking and looking about it! I need to make that badboy asap!
For me, I find myself too often sitting on my friends counter, venting, putting my hand in the M&M jar, and throwing them back in my mouth like I was trying to get a buzz or something.
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Bread pudding is one of my all time favorite foods (um HELLO it is basically candy french toast!) and I always get a little bit from the Whole Foods buffet, I can never resist! Yours looks SO AMAZING and I love banana and I am starving and going into sensory overload!
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I’m a stress-read person.
Bread pudding is traumatic for me. I baked it for a school project in 6th grade. While cooking, I accidentally dropped my mother’s favorite mixing bowl and got yelled at big time. Bread pudding still makes me nervous 🙂
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I like to stress-walk, haha but def more likely to stress-eat, or stress- grocery shop/eat ahh!
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When I’m stressed, I’m just way more feisty and impatient with things…..so I get bitchy-stressed! haha!!
Your bread pudding looks amazing….I’d definitely get out of bed for all that goodness too!
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Definitely a stress-cook here!
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I’m 2, 3 and 4.
That recipe looks ahhhmazzinnggg. During the summer, if I bring you leftovers, will you make me things like this? 🙂
Ethiopian food, Ethiopian food 🙂
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Aw yeah – that bread pudding looks amazing!!!!!!!
Stress bake, then eat.
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I LOVE bread pudding. I (attempted) to make a cake the other night, but didn’t bake it long enough, so the middle is kind of like apple spice bread pudding…
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