Healthy Banana Bread

Greetings! I have not posted on this blog for a long time. In the past year, I have gotten away from baking. It is not that I have cut baking out in its entirety, it is just that I have been baking the same few items. In my schedule, I have limited time so I end up baking what I know...or have memorized. During this time away from baking, I have eaten healthier and increased the amount of vegetables and grains in my diet. I limited my baked good intake, although I indulged in chocolate, cheesecake, and ice cream.

The gap of time has made me sad because baking is something that I enjoy and that I am truly passionate about. Today, I was inspired to bake something new and that is what I am sharing today! I made a healthier version of banana bread. I took a spin on my original banana bread recipe found on this blog. I added wheat flour, flaxseeds, and limited the fat and sugar in the recipe. The modifications with keep you fuller longer but also give more nutrients. Flaxseeds can reduce heart diseases. Whole flour provides more fiber in the diet. When it comes to sugar, manufacturers are overloading food products with sugar. Many people are unaware of how many products contain sugar and the high amounts found in food products. Reducing fat and sugar in this recipe will help reduce the overall amount of sugar fat in our already sugar latent diets.

 Let's jump into the recipe, shall we?

Healthy Banana Bread 
compliments of Y-U-M-M-Y

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8-1/4 cup brown sugar (depends on level of sweetness)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of flaxseeds
3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3 bananas)
1/2 cup 1% fat milk (skim or 2% is okay)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1/8 cup dark chocolate chips (optional; amount depends on desired sweetness)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F (325 F for glass pan).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flaxseeds, and dark chocolate chips (optional).
3. In a separate bowl, combine bananas, milk, eggs, and butter until well combined. Gradually add flour mixture, in 3 batches, until ingredients are just blended.
4. Pour batter in 4-1/2 in x 8-1/2 in loaf pan.
5. Bake approximately 1-1/4 hours or until bread begins to pull away from side and toothpick comes out clean.

If you're using a size pan different from noted above, the baking time will change:
9 x 5 pan - bake 1 hour
3-3/8 x 7-3/8 pan - bake 45 minutes