Healthy Banana Bread

I wanted to make it a priority to take on a banana bread recipe and make it health{ier} than most recipes I've seen.  A lot are filled with sugar, butter, white flour, etc.  Although I LOVE those ingredients, they don't always love ME!

So, I did some Pinterest browsing and came across a recipe I decided to give a GO with.  The recipe I used came from The Cooking Doctor.  I followed the directions just as they were laid out, except I substituted 2 cups of whole wheat flour in place of the regular white flour.  I also added chopped pecans AND a little extra spice (a sprinkle of cinnamon).  YUM.

The reason why this recipe caught my attention was because of the limited amounts of sugar (only called for 1/2 cup) and only 1/4 cup of butter (which is half a stick).  It also used plain Greek yogurt, which is one of my favs and something I keep stocked in my fridge.

Here's the recipe (adapted to my substitutions)

Healthy Banana Bread

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 45-60 mins
Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 ripe large bananas
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
splash of cinnamon
chopped pecans (about a handful--add more if you like em'!)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer until blended and fluffy.

Add vanilla extract and then the eggs one by one.  Beat for another few minutes.

Add in the mashed bananas and then add in the yogurt.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon) together in a separate bowl.  Once mixed, slowly add to the wet mixture.  Beat until combined.

Stir in the pecans and mix until well incorporated.

Pour into a greased loaf pan.  Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clear.


Notes: You can use regular flour instead of whole wheat, as was in the original recipe.  You can omit the nuts and go plain or you can add in chocolate chips.  Possibilities are endless.


The bread is a sweet treat, but not overly sweet like a cake.  To me, it's the perfect thing.  It's even better warmed with a lather of butter.  Try it, it's worth the extra calories.