Ever have browning bananas in the fruit bowl with a plan to make banana bread?  This happens to me frequently. Good intentions- I always have them. Even still,  a lot of times those bananas end up in the trash. This particular week, my husband was throwing not so subtle shade about what should happen with those bananas.  “What could we possibly do with these bananas besides turn them in to compost? If only there was someone in the house with the talent to turn these bananas into anything else?”  Did I mention my husband is a lobbyist? Yeah, he does that shit to me too. So after several hypothetical questions posed out loud, I made this healthy banana bread. But instead of my normal recipe, I lightened them up a bit.

What is “Healthy”?

Healthy in this case means replacing the butter  with olive oil and subbing in honey for the sugar. I ramped up the spices, because why not?  More cinnamon and nutmeg, please! I also used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour.  My household is nut-free because of my daughter’s allergy, so to add a little texture (and health) I added a ½ cup of quick oats.   The only concession: the chocolate chips. My husband revolted when I mentioned I was doing a “sugar-free” muffin. Chocolate chips belong in banana bread-- so I used mini chocolate chips.  

One-Bowl Wonder.

No stand mixers needed here.  For equipment you need a medium mixing bowl, a fork, a wooden spoon or whisk, measuring gear (scale or cups), muffin tin and muffin liners.  This recipe is so simple! All you have to do is measure out the dry ingredients and then add the wet ingredients and stir.

Breakfast of Champions!

Banana Bread Muffins is the best breakfast for literally everyone.   Working moms, stay at home moms, working dads, stay at home dads, kids of all ages, people who generally get up late and leave breakfast to the last minute, or even early birds who wake up early and have a leisurely cup of coffee first thing.  If you are hosting breakfast for a crowd:these won’t last long. In the rare occasion that you have someone who doesn’t like baked fruit (it’s a texture thing) be kind and offer them straight carbs.

Make Your Life Even Easier:

My favorite thing about banana bread muffins is that they freeze well.   Once they are cooled to room temperature, throw them in a freezer gallon size bag with a label and date.  Make sure to press out the air in the ziploc bag to keep the muffins from getting freezer burned. When you’re ready to eat-- like on a busy weekday morning-- just wrap the frozen muffin in a paper towel and microwave for 20-30 seconds.  Easy Peasy.

Nutrition Facts:

Serving: 1 muffin

Recipe