Super healthy banana and fruit bread

Banana bread is maths. Well, trying to make healthy banana bread with no butter or oil, that also isn’t rubbery, is maths. The high butter quantity in banana bread has always annoyed me as it feels like it should be a healthy snack. Banana + Bread = healthy, right? Yea, well, Starbucks banana bread is worth about one and a half snickers bars. I know which I’d prefer…

Now to address the elephant in the room – I have been AWOL from the blogging world for the past two months as I was in a play, and needed to find the elusive ‘more time’ in my life. I love participating in community theatre, but during the run of the play it does cut out four hours from each day.

That's sugar on top right there.

But after the play was over I couldn’t find time to blog… and now I’ve learnt a thing or two about life balance. But don’t take my word for it – let me explain my conclusion with maths and a pie chart:

Life when I decided I needed an intermission from blogging (data has been simplified):

Life after I finished the play and didn’t start blogging again:

What would happen if scientists discovered a way for us to not sleep:

Yea. I know. The figures speak for themselves huh.

The lesson for today – make sure you have plenty of things in your life, especially if there is a void to fill, or the path of least resistance will take over. The path of least resistance makes for boring people.

It’s your pie chart. And like any good pie it needs balanced ingredients.

Wow, this post would have rocked if I had made pie! Shame.

But I have made banana bread with NO oil or butter. Which means you can eat half the loaf in one sitting (you’re welcome!).

Put it in the toaster and have it for breakfast. Nom nom.

Ingredients
3 medium or two large bananas
1/4 cup natural yogurt
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ripe mango, or 2 ripe nectarines in chunks, or equivalent of any other fruit you like

A few strawberries, sliced thick, for topping
Granulated sugar and strawberries for topping

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas well. Add the sugar, yoghurt, eggs, and vanilla extract, and whisk briskly to incorporate.
3. Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.  Fold in stone fruit chunks of your choice.
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle with extra sugar and a few strawberries to make it pretty if you’d like.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the centre should come out clean, or with just a few crumbs.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before transferring out of a pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Quantity: Makes 14 slices.

Healthy? 225 calories a slice.

Gluten free? No, sorry. More maths than I could do today.

Storage:  Freezes well. Otherwise wrap a tea towel around it and it will keep for up to 5 days.

Inspired by: Joy the baker vegan mango banana bread.

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