Brown Bananas and a Healthy Household.

Banana Bread.  The morning, afternoon, evening, anytime dessert.  The go-to recipe when our bananas are browning on the counter.  The first recipe I ever created on my own.

I grew up with parents who were extremely health conscience.  I would be baking something in the kitchen and you would hear my dad call from the other room, "hey is that made with Splenda?".  My mom is considered to be the "exercise queen", so the last thing she wants is some calorie-filled dessert after an hour of Zumba.  Therefore, they are the reason I created my healthy banana bread recipe.  That, and probably because we had some brown bananas lounging on the counter that my mom threatened to chuck.

As we all know, there is nothing in this world that I enjoy more than a moist dessert.  So my goal was to add deliciousness without adding extra calories or fat.  I have three words.  Instant pudding mix.  Yes, my secret to this recipe is fat free/sugar free instant banana cream pudding mix.  It keeps the bread moist and adds tons of flavor without adding those "bad guys".  Also, to add more flavor into banana bread sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg to really give it a boost.  I found this very surprising but most people don't add any spices into their banana bread recipe.  I'm telling you, give it a try, you won't be disappointed!  

Nelly's Naner Bread

Makes 8-10 servings.

1 2/3 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 eggs
2/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of applesauce (unsweetened or old-fashioned)
3 bananas
3 Tablespoons of light sour cream
1 package of sugar free/fat free instant banana cream pudding mix
1 teaspoon of vanilla

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a standard size loaf pan.
3. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Keep to the side.
4. In a large bowl, beat together eggs and sugar until throughly combined.  Add applesauce, mashed bananas, light sour cream, pudding mix, and vanilla.  Beat all the ingredients together.
5. Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture in 3 doses.  Beating after each dose.
6. Once all the ingredients are beaten together well, pour batter into prepared pan and bake immediately.
7. Bake the bread for 45-50, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

****This bread has less than 2 grams of fat and less than 200 calories per serving.  

~Tip:  Try adding some variations into this banana bread to make it your own.  Walnuts, chocolate chips, or raisins can be added into the batter before baking.  After the bread is baked, you can spread it with cream cheese or peanut butter. Mmmmm dee-licious!