Healthy Banana Bread - Sugarless, Whole Wheat, Low-Cal

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted. I actually can't use the excuse of being busy; I haven't been at all. I've just been tired. But I'm back with a bang - a recipe I developed, guaranteed to not break your diet, and perfect for those who love wholesome, healthy foods. The epitome of this blog.

I was supposed to give blood yesterday, but because last time I did I fainted (several hours after donating), they won't allow me to donate for another three years. Which is fine, but I wish they'd told me before I drank 1.5 L of liquid that morning - including an insane amount of juice! I never drink juice, but I figured with the whole donating blood thing, the sugar wouldn't bother me. Well, the sugar did bother me. I pretty much spent the whole day feeling guilty about drinking calories. Which made me eat an insane amount of chocolate banana bread I made. Which tasted excellent, but made me feel worse. And the cycle continued. I'm sure you've been there.

However, I am going to look at the positives of this week. I saw The Avengers. That is probably the only positive it what turned out to be a rather average and slightly annoying and lonely week. But wow, it was a positive. I recommend you go see this movie now. Tomorrow. Hell, even tonight. It is brilliant. I am a bit of a dork (I was planning on posting a few days ago and making a 'May the Fourth be with you' joke, I love Harry Potter, and I have an insane amount of respect and admiration for Steven Moffat), and it is a super hero movie. But ignore this fact if you don't like super hero movies, and go because, well, everyone is good looking. And there are some brilliant one liners. And everyone is good looking. And there is some great action scenes. And everyone is good looking. 

I obviously have my priorities straight.

So this bread I baked as a healthy treat is one I have been experimenting with for a while. It is one of the first recipes I have completely made up by myself, not just fooled around with. Literally I walked into my kitchen and pulled out what people usually use in a banana bread and attempted to make it healthier. And boy did it work. I made it healthy. There is no sugar. Whole wheat flour is used. The honey is minimal. The banana's do all the work in this bread. It tastes brilliant, and is so incredibly low in calories.

Seriously guys, this bread is the best thing I've made. Maybe not ever - but the best thing I have ever invented in the kitchen thus far. Sure, it isn't pretty, and, due to the honey, has a tendancy to burn. But it tastes fantastic, at at 111 calories a slice, is just the perfect afternoon treat.

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Average Cost: $

Main Ingredients: banana, honey

Occasion: Breakfast, Lunch, Snack

Menu Options: This recipe is brilliantly simple. You don’t have to add the coconut to decorate if you don’t like it. You could add chocolate chips, raisins, coconut, any type of nuts or dried fruit to the batter if you wish. You could decorate it with chocolate or nutella. Of course, this will affect the calorie count, and adding chocolate probably detracts from the healthiness of this bread, but I promise I won’t judge you. My last loaf may or may not have contained copious amounts of dark chocolate.

Makes 15 slices.

What you need:

2 cups whole-wheat self-raising flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

3 bananas

¼ cup honey

2 eggs

¼ cup yoghurt - I used low fat greek yoghurt

1 tsp vanilla

Coconut to decorate (optional)

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Liberally grease a regular 9 x 5 loaf pan. I use coconut oil, as I find it works brilliantly to grease tins.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a separate, also large bowl, mash the three bananas. You want three very ripe bananas – mine are pretty much brown all over when I make this. The flavour is amazing. Add the honey, eggs, yoghurt and vanilla. Using a stand mixer, or handheld, mix the wet ingredients together until well combined. This will take a minute or two – you want the mixture to be a light yellow, and the banana evenly distributed throughout.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients slowly, continuing to mix on a low speed until just combined. You do not want to overmix this stage. Here is where you could add any further ingredients, like chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with coconut, if using. If you want to prevent the bread from browning, bake for 10 minutes, then cover the pan loosely with foil and continue to bake for another 20 – 30 minutes, checking frequently to ensure the bread is not burnt or done.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Keep a close eyes on the bread as it browns very quickly, but the inside will not be done. To make sure the bread is done, insert a skewer into the centre of the bread. It will come out dry.

Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely before slicing. Of course, you can slice it when it is warm, but it will get a little messy. But I admit, I love it warm with butter and honey.