Healthy Banana Oat Bread

       I don't think I mentioned this yet, but my mom is a home economics teacher, and she does a damn good job. Thats probably where my love of food and cooking and all things domestic (besides cleaning) comes from. When she teaches her kids cooking, she is always trying to show them how there are ways to make recipes healthier by altering the ingredients and how it is better to choose whole wheat toast with peanut butter for breakfast over fruit snacks and a capri sun (but it's fruit right?!). She has taught me countless things about nutrition growing up that influence how I cook and ensure I am getting all the necessary nutrients, though sometimes I just ignore all of that, especially when there is a deep fryer in the apartment ;)  But before I go off on a tangent about all the wonderful things in the world you can toss into a fryer, I'd like to share a recipe that my mom teaches her classes, and it's much more healthy, super satisfying and a perfect, filling breakfast meal. It's a banana oat bread, but to me it's as good as cake! (Note the plate - very fitting for a home ec class!) So don't ever throw away brown bananas, use em' up!

     My mom has altered ingredients to come up with this recipe, adding whole wheat flour, oats and lessening the amount of sugar and oil used. It's moist, banana-y (just pretend that's a real word) and sweet - but not so much to make you feel like you just ate a five pound brick for breakfast. It's fibrous so one piece fills you up and lasts you til lunch! Or if you're me, just about ten minutes until I'm back for another ;)

     Comparison - most other recipes call for less bananas, no whole wheat flour or oats, 1/2 cup of oil and 1-1 1/2 cups of sugar! Indulging in a banana bread like that every once in a while is totally fine, but if it is something on a weekly basis, changing up the recipe to be a bit more healthy would make a difference! This is way better for you and there is no lack of flavor! (Believe me I know, I would eat an entire pan in one sitting) We bake this bread in a 9x13 baking dish instead of a loaf pan, and it also works great as muffins.

Healthy Banana Oat Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup skim milk

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

5 ripe bananas 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In separate bowl, wisk together all wet ingredients. Make a well in dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Mix until just moistened. Don't over mix. Grease 20 muffin tins or a 9x13 baking dish. Pour in batter (top with some cinnamon sugar - optional) and bake in preheated oven, 16-18 minutes for muffins or 20-25 for 9x13.

*It tastes great with peanut butter!

(On a quick side note - I'd just like to say that my mom and I have been eating the leftover sweet potato shepherd's pie for lunch all week (and the white chicken chili I made - recipe coming soon!) and it still hasn't gotten old - not even close. Pleeaaase, do yourself a favor and try it because it is sooo damn good.)