Healthy Banana Bread

Let me just say, I am SO excited for tomorrow's Mystery Spice Monday! So excited that I've actually already made next week's recipe! It's gonna be awesome! I'm gonna try to put it up tonight after the girls go to bed, so for those of you who are equally excited, you can check back here around 8pm Pacific time and hopefully I'll have it up by then.

In the meantime I thought I'd tide you over with yet another recipe from Feed Me I'm Yours. Only $5 on Amazon, go pick up a copy! You'll thank me later. :)

I didn't do step by step directions this time. Sorry. I was multitasking. But here's the end result!



Ever feel glum? Bored? Don't know what to do with yourself? My suggestion? Make this bread! It'll make your house smell like heaven and the flavors will almost be like a week-long vacation in Hawaii! Well... almost. :)

Breakfast Banana-Nut Bread

1/4 cup butter of margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup bran cereal or oatmeal, uncooked (I used oatmeal)
4-5 ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups), mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla (I used 2)
1 1/2 cups flour (white, whole wheat, or a combination)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (I used macadamia nuts, totally added to the tropical feel)
(Original recipe doesn't call for it, but I added a couple tablespoons of flaxseed meal)

Cream shortening and sugar until light. Add egg and mix well. Stir in cereal, bananas, and vanilla. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and add to the first mixture, stirring just long enough to moisten the flour. Grease and flour a loaf pan; pour in batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until bread tests done.

Hint: What to do with that leftover, ripe banana? Mash it, add a bit of lemon juice or Fruit Fresh, and freeze until you make banana bread. If chopped nuts aren't yet appropriate for your child, whirl them in a blender before adding to batter.


Our Verdict? I'm not a huge banana bread fan, in fact, I'm not really a fan of bananas in general. So it has been a LONG time since I've made banana bread. Hubs on the other hand LOVES it and was SO happy that I made this! He said it was excellent as far as banana bread goes, said the mac-nuts really made the recipe for him. Half the loaf was gone this morning when I woke up, so he did some 3am munching. Both of the girls thought it was pretty good too, they kept saying Mmmmmm.... with their mouths stuffed full. Even I tried a bit.. ugh, I just don't think cooked bananas and me are ever going to go together. lol