whole wheat almond butter banana bread

Aahhhh, banana bread. I love it. I used to make "real" banana bread very often -- you know, the kind with white flour, half a stick of butter, white and brown sugar. All that good stuff. I must say, I made a pretty mean loaf and we really enjoyed it throughout the fall and winter months. Ryan reminded me of this fact earlier this week: "hey, you haven't made banana bread in a while." True. While it's not that I don't eat white bread and sugar and such at times (i.e., if someone hands me a cookie), I shy away from cooking that sort of thing now except for special occasions.... so no banana bread around here in quite a while. I saw that we had some ripe bananas, though, and responded to Ryan with, "I know. I'll make some this week."

He was quite excited when he saw the loaf sitting in the kitchen after work yesterday. He ate a piece right up, licking his lips. Yeah, I still haven't clued him in that this loaf has none of that "good stuff." No white flour, no butter, no oil, no refined sugar. He didn't even notice a difference! 

I smiled from ear to ear when I first tried a bite of this banana bread. It was definitely an experiment to try to create a moist, dense, and slightly sweet banana bread without any of my "I don't cook with that" ingredients, but it worked. This banana bread seriously hits the spot. It's definitely not super sweet -- more of a breakfast food than a dessert -- but I like it that way. It still has that banana flavor and the consistency is very similar to my original. And it's SO easy to make. How did I do it? Let's just say I turned to some old friends: whole wheat flour, greek yogurt, apple sauce, honey. And almond butter! Almond butter is the perfect accompaniment to the banana here. And the best way to enjoy this bread: Warm and topped with a bit more almond butter. Heaven!

Now we can enjoy our banana bread and not feel an ounce of guilt about it. This stuff is all healthy and all clean. It's nutritious! It's full of protein and fiber! Eat it up for breakfast with your cup of coffee... what a great start to the day :)

Here's how to make it:

Mash 2 large or 3 small ripe bananas in a medium sized bowl.

Add 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt and 1/3 cup natural almond butter. 

Mix well. Then, whisk in 1/4 cup applesauce, 2 beaten eggs and 1/3 cup honey. Mix until well-combined. 

In a separate, large bowl, add 1.5 cups whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp allspice, and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. 

Mix. 

Until just combined. 

Pour into a loaf pan that you've sprayed lightly with coconut oil spray or cooking spray. 

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is browned and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Whole Wheat Almond Butter Banana Bread

For 1 loaf

Ingredients

-2 large or 3 small ripe bananas (should make about 1.5 cups mashed)

-1/3 cup plain greek yogurt

-1/3 cup natural almond butter

-1/4 cup unsweetened natural apple sauce

-2 eggs, beaten

-1/3 cup  honey

-1.5 cups whole wheat flour

-1 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/8 tsp allspice

-1/8 tsp nutmeg

Directions

-Preheat oven to 350.

-In a medium sized bowl, mash the 2 bananas until smooth. Add the yogurt and almond butter and whisk until combined. 

-Whisk in the 2 beaten eggs, applesauce, and honey. Mix until combined. 

-In a separate, large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and spices. 

-Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

-Pour into a loaf pan sprayed lightly with coconut oil or cooking spray. 

-Cook for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for about 15 minutes, then invert the pan and gently slide the bread out. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm, topping each slice with a tsp of almond butter. 

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