pumpkin oatmeal bread

It's fall now, guys! Or at least that's what the calendar is telling me. 

The weather, however, is begging for pool parties and watermelon. 

I'm totally confused. 

But as soon as the calendar flipped to September, I got really excited. 

I haven't had an American autumn in three years! 

And that is my excuse for eating all the pumpkin things. 

Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pie, pumpkin oatmeal. 

Seriously, gimme it all. 

I'm loving the colors of the leaves when I go for my runs in the morning, the bonfires with friends on the weekends. 

And the fall food. 

I've been dreaming (not even kidding.) of classic fall foods… 

Pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, and apple crisp (getting on that one soon!) 

I honestly can't get over how easy it is to just grab a can of pumpkin puree at the store. 

Way back in the nether years, we had to buy a pumpkin, cube said pumpkin, boil it, and puree it. 

It ended up being quite the process and it never tasted even close to the real deal.

The things we take for granted. 

Anyways, my first fall recipe! 

This pumpkin bread is simple and delicious. 

It's dense and hearty, definitely not a light or fluffy loaf. 

It's lightly sweetened with maple syrup, making it perfect for a healthy snack or breakfast. 

Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon bring a little spice to the party. 

Whole wheat flour and oatmeal make it healthy enough to eat for breakfast. 

Pumpkin bread + coffee = perf. 

ALSO. Smear some peanut butter on there. 

It won't be the worst thing you've ever tasted. 

pumpkin oatmeal bread {vegan}

1 1/3 c. canned pumpkin puree

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. maple syrup or honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. melted coconut oil 

1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. quick cooking oats

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. tsp. ground nutmeg 

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease or line a loaf pan with parchment paper. 

2. In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin, brown sugar, maple syrup. vanilla, coconut oil, and almond milk. 

3. Add flour, spices, oats, and baking powder. Stir until thoroughly combined. Add more milk if needed. 

4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing. 

raw banana nut bars

I've said it before, but since becoming health-conscious, I crave really weird things which is satisfying and terrifying all at the same time only because I wasn't always like this. It's so cool how our tastebuds adjust after only a few weeks or even a few days of eating a certain way. This is the only explanation I have for nights I no longer crave ice cream and bread, but steamed spinach and homemade energy bars. For this reason, I always have the fridge and freezer stalked with homemade goodies (and bags of spinach.)

The other day I was perusing through the greatness that is Oh Lady Cakes and was immediately feeling inspired to experiment with some more raw desserts. I jotted down tons of ideas I had popping up left and right, but first up were these raw banana nut bars. I almost called this recipe raw banana bread because that's really what they taste like. I figured some people (namely my family who I had a conversation with about this earlier) would be out for my head though, considering these things are nowhere NEAR bread with the absence butter, sugar, flour, and baking. So raw banana nut bars it is. 

I'm secretly hoping that I'll forget these are stashed away in the freezer drawer when I go rummaging for something to satisfy my sweet tooth. But let's be real here. I'm not gonna stop thinking about these anytime soon and they'll most likely be gone within the next 24 hours. 

raw banana nut bars

1 c. chopped dates

1 c. raw nuts (I used pecans), finely chopped

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. pure honey or maple syrup

1/4 c. flax seeds

1 c. quick cooking oats

pinch of cinnamon

In a small bowl, soak dates in boiling water. let sit for 5-10 minutes or until soft then drain and chop finely. In a large bowl, mix dates, bananas, vanilla, and honey. Add in flax seeds and oats. (You can either leave the dough like this or place in a food processor for a more fine texture. I like them chunky though!) Press dough into a small pan lined with parchment paper and cut into six squares. 

whole wheat cinnamon raisin quick bread

It's no secret, I'm a carb-nut. If it wasn't for my health, I'd probably eat bread for all three meals, seven days a week. There's so many BREADS. So many ways to EAT IT. It's fantastic and horrible all at the same time. My favorite is multigrain with peanut butter, honey, banana, and cinnamon. UGH, I die. 

This morning, I got a mad craving for some carbage and some cinnamon raisin swirl bread sounded like it would just about hit the spot. But I'll let you in on a secret- yeast bread scares the bujeejees out of me. There's too many opportunities for things to go wrong. Not to sound like a perfectionist or anything, but I hate when things go wrong. {not a perfectionist. Pshh shhhht.}

Once I decided there was no way on earth I was going to wait a million hours for some yeast to activate and dough to rise, I remembered this honey wholewheat cranberry nut bread and changed it up a little bit to satisfy my cinnamon raisin craving. That stuff is what my carb-loaded dreams are made of. Homemade bread made in one bowl, in a matter of about 60 minutes and it's vegan? Count me in. Gimme the bread. 

whole wheat cinnamon raisin quick bread {vegan}

3 c. wholewheat flour

1/2 c. oats

2 tsp. baking soda

2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 2/3 c. non-dairy milk

1/3 c. pure honey

2 tbsp. canola oil

1/2 c. raisins

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease and flour a bread pan. In a large bowl, whisk flour, oats, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add milk, honey, and oil. Stir until just combined. Gently fold in raisins and mix until evenly dispersed. Place dough in prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing from pan and slicing. 

banana zucchini loaf

I love banana bread. Always have and always will for the rest of all eternity ever. My mom and I have a recipe we always use from this dirty, crusty, weathered church cookbook, with yellowed pages. Since "converting" to healthy eating, I've changed that recipe to be a little lighter and healthier. I know. I'm a horrible person, messing with a banana bread recipe from an old cookbook. Something about it just doesn't seem right. HOWEVER. With simple little changes, I can hardly tell the difference between the regular recipe and a healthy vegan one. 

Typically, I take a recipe and adapt it so much, adding extra things, taking things out, replacing it with this and that. But when it comes to banana bread and pancakes- I'm a total purist. I know there are recipes all over the interwebs cough*pinterest*cough* for all these crazy variations of the two. But for some reason, I can't bring myself to stray far from the plain recipes. Banana bread has been on my brain all week and I had all these exciting combinations floating around. In the end though, I decided zucchini was about as crazy as I was gonna get. Living on the edge, guyzzzz. 

My family is always saying "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST MAKE SOMETHING NORMAL!" and when I made this loaf on Saturday morning, my mom said she was going to make some double chocolate muffins. I'm like, "HELLO. People, I just made banana bread for you, and I swear it won't taste like health food!" I'm easily offended sometimes although you'd think I'd be used to their comments by now. My mom ran out of eggs {when you bake vegan, this isn't an issue! just sayin'.} so everyone decided they'd give my banana bread a try. The verdict? They loved it. HAAAAAAAAAAAA. *insert evil chuckle* The same day I made a green smoothie and my mom asked for some. I was like wuuut. Something must have been in their coffee that morning, but I'm not complaining. Maybe we turned a corner! Kinda doubt it. 

This banana zucchini bread/cake/loaf is so incredibly simple and has a short and basic ingredient list. It took me only a matter of minutes to whip up the batter and pop it in the oven. The only difficult part was waiting for it to bake. UGHHH I hate waiting for things to bake. But it's worth it 101%. The bread may look like it's underdone, but the toothpick came out completely clean. You know what the means? It's MOIST. Oh yah, I went there. I honestly can't decide if this is a cake or a quick bread. It's a bread because it's not overly sweet like most banana bread recipes. It's kinda like a cake because it's so dang moist and tender! So let's just go with a loaf. That sounds better than "banana zucchini bread cake", wouldn't you agree?

zucchini banana loaf {vegan}

3 bananas, mashed
1 c. shredded zucchini {about 1 medium zucchini}
1/3 c. pure maple syrup
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 c. oat flour
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease a loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl combine mashed banana, zucchini, maple syrup, and sugar. Add flours, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool before removing from pan and slicing.

honey wholewheat cranberry nut bread

Happy 2014, wonderful humans! Can you believe 2013 has come and gone? My brain just can't wrap itself around that fact. 2013 was quite the year for me. It was our first full year in Africa, I had some really tough times with friends, I learned a LOT about myself and about other people {they suck. not all of them though.}, I discovered my deep passion for health and fitness, learned a lot about health, fitness, food, and photography, grew much closer to my wonky-tonk family, and expanded my blog considerably. I've had many, many lessons that I know will get me places in 2014. I'm so ready for a fresh new start and to leave the past behind me. Come at me, 2014! Also, thank you to all you lovely people who read my blog each and every witty and weird post. I heart you big time and I hope this new year is full of rainbows and butterflies. 

I'm not really one to make resolutions. Probably because I have a little trouble with keeping them, but I think that's all the more reason to make a few this year, however small they may be. 1) step out of my comfort zone more often and do things I normally wouldn't. 2) DO MORE FOR OTHERS. 3) run longer distances. 4) experiment more with baking vegan/GF. 5) finish 10th grade early. and 6) dedicate more time to my blog and all you lovely people. 

What are some of your resolutions? The most common is probably "eating better, ya da ya da ya da." AMIRIGHT? It's supposed that people lose motivation and are already slacking in their resolutions by the second week of January. So instead of going from the holidays and stuffing yourself to drinking 5 juices a day, I'd like to suggest easing into healthy eating. You're so much more likely to stick with it then! As we all know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And sadly, eating cookies or cake isn't the best way to rev up your metabolism first thing in the morning. I have a solution! MAKE THIS QUICK BREAD. It's super quick and easy, has only a few really basic ingredients, is healthy, and highly adaptable! For this one I used chopped nuts and cranberries, but you could chop up different nuts, use different dried fruit, and throw in some seeds for good measure. The world is at your fingertips. 

honey wholewheat cranberry nut bread

2 1/2 c. wholewheat flour

1 c. quick cooking oats

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. honey

1 2/3 c. milk {I used soy}

3/4 c. chopped nuts

3/4 c. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk flour, oats, and baking soda. Add honey and milk and stir until combined. Gently fold in nuts and cranberries. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 35-45 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.

strawberry muffin bread

I've hardly had any time to EAT lately let alone bake something presentable, jot down recipes, take pictures, and post it on the interwebs. But hey! I did it. At first I thought this bread was gonna be a legit fail. At least looks-wise. I mean, I'm all for "Beauty is what's on the inside" and whatnot, but when it comes to food blogging, I don't care how it tastes, it's gotta look dang good. When I first looked into the oven, the batter was overflowing, forming weird little wrinkles and craters in the bread. Some would say it's ugly. I say to heck with ugly, I think it's attractive {in a I WANT TO EAT YOU kind of way.} It's now summer in these regions, and I've got jumbo, fresh, juicy strawberries up the wazoo!!! What is a wazoo anyway?? Well I got strawberries up it. And I loveeeeee it. Since finding strawberries at the grocery store isn't like finding bars of gold {or costing about that much.} anymore, I thought I'd start some berry bakin'. Fresh strawberry bread? Uh yes. The sweet, fruity, vanilla-y aromas that were lingering about like little berry fairies in the kitchen was enough to make me swoon. And salivate. Sure it looks ugly, but y'all. It tastes fresh and wonderful and just slightly sweet.

strawberry muffin bread

2 large eggs

1 c. plain yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 c. maple syrup

6 tbsp. granulated sugar {1/4 c. + 2 tbsp.}

1/2 c. oat flour

1/4 c. gluten free oats

1 1/4 c. gluten free cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 c. roughly chopped strawberries {about 10-12 strawberries}

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, yogurt, vanilla, maple syrup, and sugar. Add flours, oats, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir until smooth. Fold in strawberries and mix until evenly combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

mini peanut butter banana bread pancakes

For some reason, I'm really really really craving SUMMER. Actually, no not some reason. I have a few. For one, it's getting sunny and warm and bright in good 'ol Nam. And to me, that means SUMMER. With my school, I feel like I'm totally running out of steam and kinda half-butting it, if ya know what I mean. I don't really have any consistent time off since the school schedule here is kinda wonky. And since I have no life, it's kinda like I have nothing else better to do. But I'm really feeling like I need a break. A 3 month one. PLEASE. The only solution? SUMMER. I also want to stuff my face with only corn, strawberries, popsicles, and avocado. Dear, SUMMER, I want you. 

So I think you get my gist, I really want summer. What does this have to do with pancakes? Nothing. I just wanted to tell someone about my problems, know what I mean, jelly bean? Sorry I called you jelly bean. I do know for a fact, however, that whatever my problem… Pancakes will solve it. And so will peanut butter. Aside from the obvious chocolate and peanut butter {or my personal favorite: peanut butter and spoon.}, banana and peanut butter are basically soul mates- destined for great things. Like my pie hole. Errr pancake hole. These pancakes are super simple, and taste like banana bread! Peanut butter banana bread that is. Oh also I should mention. I'm totally that weirdo who really strongly dislikes my pancakes sweet. I like them really plain SO there's no added sweetener in this recipe aside from the natural sweetness that the mashed bananas bring. If you're not too fond of the idea, add in a tablespoon or two of honey, maple syrup, stevia, or sugar.

mini peanut butter banana bread pancakes

2 eggs

1/2 c. mashed banana {about 2 small bananas}

3 tbsp. plain yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. creamy peanut butter

1/4 c. oat flour

2 tbsp. wholewheat flour 

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients until combined. Place a greased frying pan over high heat. Scoop batter by two-tablespooonfuls onto greased pan. Let cook for about 2 minutes and flip to the other side until golden brown. Serve warm with extra peanut butter, sliced banana, or maple syrup. 

peanut butter streusel banana bread

I get so excited when I think about how much I've improved in my ability to develop recipes. 

When I first started this blog, almost all my recipes were from Allrecipes.com. I never made a single change, switched up the butter to flour ratio, used brown sugar instead of white sugar, NOTHING. It sounds so lame, but I never took any chances with my baking. And when I DID start taking chances and became more adventurous in the kitchen, that's when people started reading my little blog. 

Over the past year and a half, things have changed. Much to my mother's dismay, I hardly ever follow recipes anymore. I know {usually. but not always.} when something looks right or when it needs a bit more flour or a splash of milk. I love that I'm now able to throw some ingredients in a bowl and actually get edible results. In fact, some of my favorite things that have come out of my oven, you haven't even seen because those things are usually whipped together with nothing but a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon. 

Today's banana bread is one of those recipes that I base off of nothing but an idea I had floating around in my head. Of course, because I love you, I actually wrote down the measurements. And I'm really happy I did because this banana bread was one of the best healthy variations I've made so far. That says a lot because I probably make some sort of banana bread/muffin every other week, tweaking things each time. 

This banana bread isn't too sweet. I didn't use ANY processed sugar, but instead sweetened it with some maple syrup our visitors brought with them. {Someone from our church in the states sent some of their homemade stuff. That is organic as you'll ever get!} Since I almost ALWAYS smear peanut butter on top of my banana bread, I figured I'd actually incorporate it into the recipe. The streusel is so good, peanuty, crumbly, and adds just the right amount of oomph to an otherwise basic banana bread. `

peanut butter streusel banana bread

banana bread: 

3-4 overripe bananas, mashed

1/2 c. plain yogurt

2 eggs

2/3 c. organic maple syrup

2 c. flour

1/2 c. oats

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

streusel: 

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp. dark brown sugar

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. oats

Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease/line a loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs, yogurt, bananas, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix in flour, oats, nutmeg, and baking powder. Stir until combined. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, and peanut butter and mix until it resembles a coarse crumb. Sprinkle on top of batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown. 

banana health bread

Just in case you're totally confused at the title "banana health bread", please. Let me fill you in on this greatness. Health bread is a really popular sandwich bread here in Namibia. It's usually a really dark, pretty color {I'm not sure what kind of flour they use} and packed with nuts, seeds, and raisins. My favorite way to eat is with avocado and egg or peanut butter and honey. We love walking to the gas station down the road and buying a loaf of the bread. Almost every gas station in town bakes it fresh daily and the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the air is intoxicating. 

I decided to whip up a really hardy version of classic banana bread this weekend and it reminded me exactly of my beloved "hakahana" health bread- hence the name. It's packed with raisins, sunflower seeds, and oats which give it a good amount of protein and fiber. Of course, you don't have to use sunflower seeds and raisins- you could use dried cranberries, apricots, almonds, walnuts, anything! For a balanced breakfast, try spreading some peanut butter or honey on top  of a slice {umm yes.}, have it with a side of fresh fruit, or a hard-boiled egg. It's not too sweet, but it's full of banana and cinnamon flavor which is my FAVORITE. I also made it gluten and dairy free! … Just 'cuz. 

banana health bread// dairy-free, gluten-free 

yields one large loaf + 5 medium-sized muffins

3 large bananas, mashed

1 egg + 2 egg whites

1/3 c. soymilk

3/4 c. dark brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. white rice flour

1 c. gluten-free all purpose flour

1 c. oats

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/4 tbsp. baking powder

3/4 c. raisins

1/2 c. sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Combine bananas, milk, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Add dry ingredients and fold in raisins and sunflower seeds. Stir until combined. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Pour any excess batter into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool before removing from pan.

buttermilk biscuits with honey cinnamon butter

These last few weeks have been quite the doozy. All those assignments in my dashboard, papers to be written, tests to be taken, and books to be read are driving me {literally} crazy. I feel like there's SO much to get done, but I just can't do it no matter how hard I try. I'm like a little engine that is trudging forward with every ounce of energy left {not much}, spittering, sputtering, and spattering, bumping along, running out of steam, and doing my best to just get to my destination. Which would be 10th grade. I'm supposed to be done in about a week, but those assignments are piling up and I'm falling behind. I keep telling myself "It's ok." I mean, I can only do my best. That's literally all I can do. 

This morning, I was studying and it felt like my brain just shut off. I was so tired. So ready to be done. I got changed out of my pajamas and was out the door for a run in 5 minutes flat. It just feels good to run because I can go and I can go fast unlike my schoolwork. I decided to leave the earphones at home so I could really clear my mind without hearing "Heyyyyyyyyy… sexaaaaay ladayyyyyyy." in the background of my thoughts. For half the run, I was praying that I would just slow down. That God would bring me a sense of peace and calmness. {and productivity. ha.} It felt SO good. When I got home, I got back on the computer and did my work the best that I could because THAT is what matters. Not how much I did or how I fast I went. I just did my best. 

If you haven't left by now, you really deserve a treat for sticking beside me like butter on biscuits. Buttermilk biscuits actually. With whipped honey cinnamon butter. SOSTINKINGGOOOOOD GAHHH. 

buttermilk biscuits with honey cinnamon butter 

biscuit recipe from here 

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
1 cup buttermilk (approx), plus more for brushing

honey cinnamon butter

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. honey

Preheat your oven to 450°F. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.
Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal. If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved. Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined. If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk. It should be very wet. Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough down to a 1 inch thick. Use a round cutter to cut into rounds. You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other. If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together. Brush with buttermilk. Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom. While biscuits are baking, prepare honey cinnamon butter by whipping butter, cinnamon, and honey with a handheld mixer until fluffy. Set aside. Once biscuits are finished baking, top with warm honey cinnamon butter.

toast with smashed avocado & fried egg

Some of the best things in life are just so utterly simple.

This? It's one of those things. Who'd think that smashing an avocado on some toast and topping it off with an egg could bring a human so much happiness! Well let me tell you… 

It brought me loooooots have happiness. Lots. 

I find joy in the little things. 

This whole thing is more of an "idea" than an actual recipe. There's just a short little list of ingredients and no measurements. You just kinda throw in a little bit of this a little bit of that, and call it a day. 

It's SO GREAT!!! 

Anyways, I'm sure you've heard of this "idea" as we're calling it before. 

On my instagram feed I see someone eating this for some meal at least once a day. It's like a sickness or something. 

I'm surprised it took me, the avocado freakazoid that I am, so long to give it a shot. I'm late to the show… Like always. Ha. 

HOWEVER, it might be because I usually tend to stray away from savory rather than sweet breakfasts. But boy, I'm willing to part with my weird ways. I've definitely found my new favorite breakfast. or lunch. or dinner. or dessert. 

Just kidding on the last part by the way. 

First, you need some bread. That bread up there is my favoritest carb in all the land. It's what they call around these here parts "health bread". It's pretty much just wheat bread with some nuts and raisins thrown in there. AMAZING. 

Use something good… Because after all, this is the throne of the whole entire meal. You could use some french bread. Or maaaaaaaybe… Some ciabatta? Whoa. 

Next, you thrown on half an avocado. This is my favorite part, guys! You take a fork to the avo and squash it all up real nice. Top it off with your super weird looking fried egg and now we're cookin' with peanut oil (NAME THAT SHOW!!! If you don't know. It rhymes with Shmuck Shmynasty.) 

By the way… Not really sure if that's even a fried egg. It kinda fell apart when I made it, but I just decided to call it a fried egg because it sounds cooler that way. 

This is by FAR one of the best meals I've made. It's so simple and quick, delicious AAAAND healthy! For something more balanced, try throwing some veggies into the mix! Or maybe cheese. Cheese is always a good idea. 

toast with smashed avocado & fried egg

2 pieces of bread of choice, toasted

olive oil

2 eggs

1 avocado

salt & pepper, to taste

Grease a frying pan with olive oil on medium heat. Once heated, crack eggs into pan. Do not stir around! Let cook for about 2 minutes, then flip and cook for about another minute. Using a fork, smash half an avocado on each piece of bread. Place egg on top of toast. Season to taste and serve with veggies if desired. 

cinnamon swirl banana bread

I don't know what it is about banana bread, but I'm pretty sure it's one of the best comfort foods on the face of the planet. Think about... Have you ever met someone who DIDN'T like it? If you have, I think it may be time to find some new friends. Hey, it's just a suggestion. Yes, what foods people like and dislike, determines my friendships. 

I have this recipe for banana bread that I've been making for ages. It came from a cute little old church cookbook, with some of the best recipes for all things comfort food. I made this banana bread all the time, and it's one of the first things that got me into baking. That AND it gave my first baking battle wound. Memories. 

I love church cookbooks, with hearty recipes, stories from the cute little ladies that made them, and yellowed pages. The recipe page for this banana bread was stained brown and covered in mashed banana, butter, and milk. And for some reason, it just made me love it even more. Tried and true recipes are always the best! 

On a Saturday morning, when it was sunny out, my family was gone, and my music was blasting, I decided to make banana bread. Because a) I mostly bake on the weekends. {or when I'm feeling emotional.} b) we had a million and one bananas in the freezer. and c) I just wanted banana bread. 

I went on a mad search for the recipe but could not find it anywhere! We left that cookbook at home when we moved {I swear, our brains were not working when we were in the process of packing.} so I logged onto my blog because I thought I had shared it with you way back when. But nope! I continued digging through all my well organized folders and notebooks {ha. just no.} but STILL could not find it.   I figured I'd just use a muffin recipe that I thought I maaaaaay have based off of the bread recipe from home. Are you still following? I'm afraid I've lost you. 

Anyways. After a few changes here and there, I'm pretty sure I've come up with the best banana bread recipe. ever. Not to brag or anything, but seriously, this stuff is the bomb! Just like how gramma would make it. It's fluffy, light, tender, and not too overly sweet. The cinnamon swirl in the middle of the loaf adds the perfect touch and a little bit of crunch on top. But if you don't feel like going the extra mile, feel free to just make the bread as is. You can't go wrong either way! Perfect for breakfast, alongside a cup of joe. Ahh yes. 

I was so excited to share this with you guys! If you follow me on Instagram {which you totally should. I'm new to it. And toooootally addicted.} you already got a sneak peek. Since I'm not posting as much lately, I'm doing my best to spread the posts out instead of there being 3 posts in a week and only 1 the next. Know what I mean, jelly bean? 

Ok, time for banana bread now. Sorry to keep you waiting. 

cinnamon swirl banana bread

2-3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 egg

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1 c. milk

2 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

cinnamon swirl

2 tbsp. cinnamon

3 tbsp. granulated sugar

Prepare the cinnamon swirl by mixing together cinnamon and 3 tbsp. sugar; set aside. Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a loaf pan with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the egg, butter, and sugar. Add in the milk and bananas. Mix in the flour and baking soda. Stir until smooth. Pour half of the batter into prepared pan, sprinkle with 2 tbsp of the cinnamon sugar, and swirl with a knife. Next, add the rest of the batter, and sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon sugar on top. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before pulling out of pan and slicing. 

Cranberry Banana Muffins

If you've followed MHP for awhile, you know that I LOOOOOVE muffins. Like, we're talking, with all my heart here. I don't know WHY… I just… love them. They're perfect for a quick breakfast if you're in a rush, microwaved after they've been in the fridge for awhile, or as an afternoon snack! … or lunch. or dinner. or dessert. Really, anytime of the day works. 

One more thing to add to the list of reasons I adore them is that they're pretty easy to make HEALTHY. Of course the muffins that you'll grab at a gas station, bakery, or restaurant probably aren't full of good things. In fact, they're loaded with sugar. But when you decide to go the homemade route, you have the ability to make these into a yummy, nutritious, and filling treat.

Today's muffins are INSANE. I got two texts from friends saying they were the best muffins EVER! Mission accomplished. They're light and fluffy, but dense too, thanks to the greek yogurt in the batter. In the whole recipe there's only three quarters of a cup of white flour and then the rest is whole wheat. With only one third cup of sugar, these muffins get some sweetness from the bananas. I LOVED how the cranberries studded these muffins and got all juicy when baked. DELICIOUS!

I was hoping to have these for breakfasts this week… BUT. They only lasted about 24 hours. Which is a pretty good sign if you ask me :)

Cranberry Banana Muffins

3/4 c. AP flour

1 1/4 c. wheat flour

1/3 c. sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. cinnamon 

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 c. plain greek yogurt {or 1 c. milk}

2 ripe bananas {plus one more for garnish, optional}

1/4 c. melted butter

1 egg

3/4 c. dried cranberries

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl, combine the milk, mashed bananas, butter, and eggs. Add to the well in the flour mixture. Add dried cranberries.Stir dry ingredients until moistened. Spoon mixture into a greased or lined muffin tin, filling each 3/4 full. Bake at 400ºF for 18-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pans then remove and cool on a wire rack. 

This post is being entered in Get Your Chef On :: Cranberries

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