Going Bananas Being Broke? An Even Better Banana Bread
Making Discount Food Last
Even after all the coupon-clipping and discount-deal shopping, sometimes the best deals are found in the niches of the bakery and produce corners of your local grocery store. I found these beauties above for 35 cents a pound hiding in a little corner where the stale breads and dried up cupcakes are red-labeled and lined up to say their last goodbyes before their expiration dates send them to the dark abyss. Being able to provide fresh fruits on a budget can be quite difficult, but overripe bananas offer a special quality and hold the ability to freeze well and provide multiple uses. People might look at me like I'm crazy, buying these near-rotten bananas with fruit flies close on my back. However, what they don't know is that this wonderful fruit freezes well, is delicious in multiple recipes, and frozen slices of bananas give frozen grapes a run for their money, especially when topped with greek yogurt. This specific recipe costs a mere $2.05 for the entire loaf and is a great breakfast food or after-dinner dessert when topped with peanut butter or your favorite topping.
Diabetes & Diet: Don't Sacrifice the Splenda
As a Type 1 Diabetic, I am unable to replace my 5-dollar Splenda for that generic 2-dollar bag of white sugar. Unless of course, I would prefer to spend my money on additional insulin and a possible admission to the hospital for diabetic ketoacidosis. I however, prefer to spend those few extra dollars on Splenda, probably the best cooking sweetener I have used since my diagnosis in 1994. This recipe also contains whole wheat and oat flours instead of plain white flour and may not cause such high spikes in blood glucose (in diabetics) or insulin levels (in healthy, normal people) because of the amounts of whole grains, protein, fiber and healthy fats they contain. This recipe is for diabetics and health-conscious people alike, and both will enjoy the good taste and satiety this tasty banana bread provides.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups bananas (2 large or 3 small), mashed
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 2 Tbl unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup oat flour, or oatmeal, grinded to flour
- dash salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup Splenda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- (optional) 1/3 cup raisins or nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mash bananas with fork or masher. Combine all wet ingredients (applesauce, egg whites, bananas, & vanilla extract) and mix well. Combine remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well. Slowly add dry mixture to wet ingredients, mixing with spatula (no blender needed).
- Spray loaf pan well with non-stick spray. Pour mixture evenly into loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven when golden-brown. Allow to cool before removing from pan. Cut into slices and place in refrigerator or freezer. This recipe will sour in 2-3 days if left in room temperature, so be sure to refrigerate or freeze.
Cook Time
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1/12 of loaf | |
| Calories | 96 |
| Calories from Fat | 9 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 1 g | 2% |
| Saturated fat 0 g | |
| Unsaturated fat 1 g | |
| Carbohydrates 35 g | 12% |
| Sugar 4 g | |
| Fiber 11 g | 44% |
| Protein 5 g | 10% |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
