Healthyish Banana Loaves

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is a week from tomorrow. Even more so, I can’t believe that Emmett turns one a week from today. To celebrate, we’ll be hosting a joint birthday/Thanksgiving feast for my family and I’m pretty excited. In fact, I’ve been planning the menu for months. You’d think I would’ve nailed it down by now but I keep changing my mind, or thinking of new recipes.

My folks are flying in for the occasion and my younger brother, with his wife and two sons, will be joining us. The only folks missing are my big brother, his wife, and their five daughters but I hope we’ll get to Skype them in from Israel! Everyone will be showing up in the morning so I’m planning a birthday brunch for Emmett, and then we’ll all hang until Thanksgiving dinner. I know it would be easier to combine the two but I want the kiddo to know he’s special and that his birthday deserves it’s own celebration. So, I’m working on menus for two meals for the day. Yay!

For brunch, I’m thinking something super easy. A crustless quiche packed with veggies, banana bread with pumpkin butter, and some fresh fruit. Oh, and of course I’ll bake a mini cake for Emmett and a cupcake for each of his cousins. This morning, I tested out a new banana bread recipe and I can’t believe it, but it came out perfect on the first try. Absolutely perfect. I call it healthyish because the ingredients all sound pretty healthy. But let’s be honest, even fruit or “naturally sweetened” baked goods are baked goods, with plenty of sugar and calories. Lucky for us, I believe in indulging as often as possible.

Healthyish Banana Loaves

makes 5 loaves, or 9 muffins

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare a mini loaf pan, or muffin tin, with non stick spray.

In a large bowl, beat together:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of mashed very ripe banana (about 1½–2 bananas)
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup milk or your favorite subsitute
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• In a separate bowl, sift together:
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cloves
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1¾ cup brown rice flour
• ½ cup old fashion oats, plus a bit more for sprinkling on top

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix until combined. Divide evenly between the mini loaves or the muffin cups. Bake for 25–30 minutes. Let cool a bit before popping them out. Enjoy!

We ate some while they were still hot this morning, mine with a little slice of butter which melted and tasted like heaven. Sooooo goooood.