menu monday. {and a CUPCAKE recipe!}

How is it possible that the weekend just went by that fast? I blinked and it was over! 

It was a good one though! Lots of rain ... which meant lots of couch snuggles with hubs & pup! My kind of weekend! 

Lots of yummy goodness on our menu this week! 

But before I get to that ... Can I just say, it has become less & less of a chore and more & more fun to plan these menus and to challenge myself to spend less & less at the grocery! If I've never mentioned before ... I am extremely competitive ... don't worry, it's just with myself! 

I always push myself to do more and better than before. In grad school, this competitiveness allowed me to graduate with a 4.0 .... Now it's allowing me to save more dough at the sto'. 

{omg. I'm a dork but that rhyme just made me die laughing}

So here's what on our menu board this week: 

~ Monday: sushi date night with a GF {so fun!}

~ Tuesday: chicken fried rice

~ Wednesday: pork tacos with yellow rice

~ Thursday: roasted cauliflower pasta 
{we're doing ours without ham}

~ Friday: egg & potato samis

~ Saturday: FIL's bday! 

~ Sunday: spicy grits with chorizo

I think I'm most excited about the pork tacos! I love 'different' kinds of tacos! 

Ok so now the moment all you fellow cupcake lovers have been waiting for ... {drum roll please}

BANANA CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING 

{and the best part: they're from COOKING LIGHT!} 

{Amazing, I know.}

                                                                                  Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 3/4  cup  granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2  cup  mashed ripe banana
• 1/4  cup  butter or stick margarine, softened
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2  large eggs
• 1  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1/4  cup  plain fat-free yogurt
• Frosting:
• 1 3/4  cups  powdered sugar
• 1/2  cup  (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, chilled
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cupcakes, combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and banana; set aside. Beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar, butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana mixture to sugar mixture, beating well. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups lined with paper liners. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare the frosting, beat the powdered sugar, chilled cream cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla at medium speed of a mixer just until blended (do not overbeat). Spread frosting over cupcakes, and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

Now y'all these things are amazing!
They taste like you could eat them for breakfast {which I may or may not have done!}
So try them this week! And tell me how they were! 

Ok, gotta finish my cupcake coffee! Happy Monday Y'all!

*linking to