Banana Bread is the most nutritious breakfast or snack piece for everyone. Banana bread may be a little high in carbs but it also contains loads of proteins, vitamins, and minerals, which are the much needed energy boost for jump-starting your day on a positive note. But most banana bread’s at a bakery and other confectionery stores may not be very healthy, since they contain sugar and fats. But when you prepare banana bread at home, you most certainly make it a nutritious offering. Let us look at some tips on how to make banana bread as a healthy preposition for breakfast. You must keep a check on ingredients you use to make banana bread, for health and nutrition is in your hands. A little more on calories can add further to your weight which may be difficult to cope up with.
Benefits of Eating Banana Bread:
Banana bread is a wholesome breakfast staple, which can be your morning dose for a power packed day ahead. Having the benefits of fiber from flour, proteins and vitamins from banana also calcium from both banana and milk, and potassium from banana can help in bringing all essential nutrients to you in one loaf. These are low carb if you keep the contents within check. Some benefits of eating banana bread as breakfast are:
- Using whole grain flour in your banana bread makes it a fiber rich offering. Fiber helps in digestive and metabolic aid in our body.
- Banana happens to be the most healthy part in the banana bread. Not just adding taste and aroma but also inducing health and nutrition too. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, calcium, potassium, and carbohydrates too
- Banana bread has the right dose of proteins which helps in building body cells and tissues. It also helps in repair and regrowth of damaged tissues and cells thus keeping the body functional
- Banana bread offers mono-saturated fats and with other toppings like nuts and oils/ butter, it helps in stabilizing blood sugar and lowering cholesterol levels.
- Banana bread is an easy and quick preparation which can be proceeded in just 15-20 minutes at hand
Recipe: How to make banana bread:
Banana bread preparation is simple and quick. You just need a few ripe bananas and some flour, to begin with. There are many variations of banana bread. Let us look at some of the most healthy and delicious ones here:
1- Simple banana bread:
Ingredients required:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- 5 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla for aroma
Procedure to prepare simple banana bread:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Mix butter and sugar, use brown sugar for more health and nutrition.
- Add beaten eggs and crushed bananas.
- Combine it all well.
- Sift together flour, soda, and salt.
- Now add this slowly to creamed mixture.
- Then add vanilla extract.
- Mix it well to make a smooth batter with even consistency
- Pour into greased and floured loaf pan.
- You may also add sugar free choco chips
- Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
- Cool down and keep it refrigerated.
2- Cocoa hazel banana bread:
Cocoa hazelnut banana bread is a diabetes friendly bread which is oozing with health and nutrition. It contains some very rich and creamy ingredients which are low on calorie like Greek yogurt. It can be a good pick for breakfast of mid day snacking too.
Ingredients required:
- Cooking spray (vegetable spray)
- 1 cups all-purpose flour, use whole grain flour for more healthy offering
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs beaten well
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
- 6 ounce fat-free Greek yogurt, plain
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (like Nutella)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
Procedure to prepare cocoa hazel banana bread:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Coat one loaf pan with cooking spray
- Line the bottom of a pan with parchment paper if you feel the spray won’t last.
- Now take a large bowl and combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Make a hole in the center of the flour mixture.
- In another bowl combine eggs, bananas, yogurt, brown sugar, chocolate-hazelnut spread, and oil.
- Now add banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until it turns of even consistency.
- Now put the batter into sprayed pans.
- Sprinkle some hazelnuts on top
- Now bake for 50 minutes
- The check if a wooden toothpick inserted near the centercomes out clean. I
- Now store overnight before slicing
3- Banana Coconut bread:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts and sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
Procedure to prepare banana coconut bread:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F
- Grease the bottom of a loaf pan with vegetable oil spray
- You may also line parchment paper on the bottom of the pan
- Now take a bowl and add all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt
- Make a hole at the centre of this bowl and keep aside
- Now take another bowl and add mashed bananas, egg, coconut, brown sugar, milk and oil.
- Now add banana paste to flour by putting it in the well of the bowl
- Stir it well so that no lumps stay in the paste
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes
- Now remove foil and bake for 30 minutes until toothpick inserted at centre come out clean
- Cool it completely and store overnight before slicing
4- Pineapple coconut banana bread:
This is a great pick for diabetic people for it is healthy and tasty at the same time.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 cup flaked and toasted coconut
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup mashed ripe bananas
- 6 ounce plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup egg beaten
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup canned crushed pineapple dried well
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
How to prepare pineapple coconut banana bread:
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Spray cooking oil on a loaf pan lined with parchment paper at the bottom
- Take a large bowl and mix both flours, baking soda, ginger, coconut, salt and make a well at the centre to keep aside
- In another bowl take a banana, yogurt, egg, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and pineapple. Mix it all well so that there are no lumps
- Put batter on the loaf pan by evening it with a spatula
- Bake for half an hour until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when pricked at the centre of the loaf
- Now cover with a foil and bake for 20 more minutes
- Take out and store overnight before slicing
5- Sweet potato banana bread:
This sweet and aromatic bread is a rich and healthy snack option for diabetics too.
Ingredients:
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup shredded sweet potato
- ⅔ cup mashed ripe bananas
- 6-ounce container plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup beaten egg
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup chopped and toasted pecans
Procedure to prepare sweet potato banana bread:
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Spray cooking oil on a loaf pan lined with parchment paper at the bottom
- Take a large bowl and mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. Now make a well at the centre to keep aside
- In another bowl take a banana, yogurt, egg, brown sugar, melted butter, sweet potato mashed and some oil. Mix it all well so that there are no lumps
- Put batter on the loaf pan by evening it with a spatula
- Bake for half an hour until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when pricked at the centre of the loaf
- Now cover with a foil and bake for 20 more minutes
- Take out and store overnight before icing and slicing
6- Banana bread pudding:
The most sumptuous pudding you will ever taste for it is not just the aroma and the sweetness but also the health it offers. Banana bread pudding is a must have dinner dessert for people who are health conscious.
Ingredients:
- Use the simple banana bread you prepared above
- 1quart milk
- 3eggs beaten
- 1cup brown sugar
- 2tablespoons vanilla extract
- 4ripe bananas, mashed
- 1cup raisins
- 1teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1teaspoon cinnamon
- Myer rum if you like
- Sugar free whipped cream
Procedure for preparing banana bread pudding:
- Put cubed bread in a large bowl
- Soak bread pieces and let it stand for 1 hour
- Pre-heat oven to 325F.
- Spray and line square baking dish with parchment paper
- In another bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla such that no lumps are formed.
- Pour this mixture into the bread mixture and keep stirring.
- Add some mashed bananas, spices, and raisins to the batter.
- Pour into baking dish and spread evenly using a spatula.
- Place uncovered in center of oven and bake 1 hour
- Remove from oven and cool until it reaches room temperature.
- Serve with rum and whipped cream
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