Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Whenever I get the chance, I love to bake.  I just love the way it makes the house smell.  When I have a bunch of brown bananas, I can't resist whipping up a wholesome banana bread.  This particular recipe come from a friend of mine over at www.homewithb.com  I made a few modifications- substituting maple syrup for honey and used Greek yogurt instead of applesauce for a little added protein.  Hope you enjoy! 

 

 

Whole Wheat Banana Bread (adapted from Home With B)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c whole wheat flour (I used 3/4 c whole wheat, 3/4 c oatmeal, 1/2c soy flour- for added protein)
3/4 tsp baking soda (I also added 1/2tsp baking powder for a fluffier bread)
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBS ground flax
3 ripe bananas (the browner the better for sweetness!)
1/4 c applesauce OR plain yogurt (organic Greek is best)
1/4 c honey OR agave OR coconut sugar  (OR, as mentioned, I used 100% pure organic maple syrup)
2 eggs
1/3 c coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used 2tsp)
Option: 1/2 c chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan with coconut oil. Best when applied with hands  (washed, of-course) ;-)
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and flax.
3. In a separate bowl, mix mashed bananas with applesauce (or yogurt), honey (or agave or coconut sugar), eggs, oil and vanilla.
4. Fold banana mixture into flour mixture until blended. Do not over mix. Add chocolate chips if you desire.
5. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake the loaf for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. (I baked for 50 minutes and it came out great!)

Happy baking this weekend! :-)

Spiced Vanilla Pear Muffintops

I was in the mood for something healthy, something sweet, and something delicious.  With a fridge stocked to the max with pears and dried fruit, I decided to experiment a bit.

Sweet

I wanted them to be sweet, but without tons of sugar.  So I boiled dried fruit for 30min, threw in the food processor with a little avocado for creaminess, a few TB Honey and Agave nectar, and 2TB powdered sugar and viola!...Sweetener!

Healthy

I also substituted 1/2 c of whole wheat flour instead of enriched white flour. 

Moist

I added cream cheese (2 TB) instead of oil or butter.  (It is a healthier fat, and full of protein and calcium)

Delicious

The dough was a bit flour-y, so I added 1/8c skim milk and 1/2 c water.  It was soon the perfect consistency.

Pear-filled

The best part was adding all the pears and spices.  I probably added 2-4TB Cinnamon (yes, these muffins have a kick to them!)

Crumbly

Spiced Vanilla Pear Muffintops

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-35 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:•1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
•1/2 cup whole wheat flour
•1/2 cup all-natural sweetener (1/2c pureed dried fruit, 1TB honey, 1TB agave, 2TB powdered sugar, 1TB avocado)
•1 TB baking powder
•1/2 tsp salt
•3 TB cinnamon
•1/2 tsp ginger
•1/4 tsp nutmeg
•2TB Cream Cheese
•2TB egg whites
•2 TB Vanilla
•1/2-3/4c warm water
•2 large, ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 380 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray
Combine flour, sweetener, baking powder and spices in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine water, egg whites, cream cheese, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add egg white mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in chopped pear. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling them 1/2 full, and bake for 10 minutes.  Dust with powdered sugar.

Makes 18 muffin tops.  (or 12 muffins if you fill them 3/4 full)
High in protein, fiber, and whole wheat!

A Winner! :-)

Enjoy!

In other news, I decided to take today as a rest day since I am running the RACE FOR THE CURE tomorrow.  Time to deck out in Pink!!!! yay!

Happy Friday!

XOXO
Hannah

Baking and Running and Eating!

Don't you just love the smell of something baking in the oven?!?

I decided to try out a new vegan recipe for fruit pizza and was pleasantly surprised how delicious it was. After the Daniel fast, I have learned that Vegan food really is easy to make- just substitute flax seed mixture for eggs, use oils instead of butter, and remove dairy. The result is sweet, wholesome, and quite delicious.

Vegan Simple Sugar Cookies: (from ChooseVeg.com)

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
Egg replacer equivalent of 1 egg
Cinnamon and sugar, to coat


Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a measuring cup (make sure they're blended well). Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Using your hands form the dough into a big ball. (If it sticks together well, then it's the right consistency. If not, add a bit of water and mix it well.)

My fruit pizza crust version: Form into a giant ball..Flatten into 2 pie dishes. Bake at 375°F degrees for about 14min

Top with Coconut Frosting and pineapple, mango, strawberries, and blueberries.

Just for kicks, I did another one to save for later ;-)

As always! I enjoy this dessert best after a nice 5 mile run outside, a protein smoothie, and a few HGTV shows :)

Baking Photo source