Banana Chocolate-Walnut Bread

Good morning! Happy Saturday! 😀

I had a bad dream nightmare last night. I had to (for some odd reason) return to the University of Illinois and had to live in a dorm without a kitchen! It was one of those dreams that felt very real and I woke-up at 5am flustered. I assured myself that I don’t have to go back to college and live in a dorm without a kitchen and fell back asleep. I don’t normally remember my dreams, so it’s always interesting when I do.

If you recall from a post earlier this week, I chose baking over working out on Wednesday. I had planned to workout after work and before teaching, but I decided to use my really ripe bananas to bake. I had seen a recipe on Heather’s blog that I was anxious to make. Clearly.

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Banana Chocolate-Walnut Bread slightly adapted from Run Lean Green and Cooking Light

1 1/2 cups mashed over-ripe banana (about 3.5 medium bananas)
1/3 cup plain fat-free Greek Yogurt
5 Tbsp butter 50/50 Smart Balance Butter Blend, melted
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
6.75 oz. all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups + 1 Tbsp)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet)
Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended. Add sugars; beat until blended.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended.

Fold 1/3 cup chocolate chips and nuts into batter; pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray and tossed with flour. Bake at 350 F for 55 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Yield: 10 large slices.

Nutrition Information (per slice, 1/10th of loaf): 271 calories; 12.2 g. fat; 29 mg. cholesterol; 296 mg. sodium; 37.8 g. carbohydrate; 4.0 g. fiber; 3.2 g. protein

Result: Mmmm! No wonder I’ve never made just plain’ol banana bread…it’s so much better with chocolate AND walnuts! Best when warm, but this loaf went quickly! Cooking Light suggested 16 slices, but there’s no way. Ten is realistic and considering the chocolate and nuts packed in, it is 271 calories very well spent! Delicious! Enjoy! 😀

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Today is going to be spent grading papers, lesson planning, locating a new hair straightener (mine started crackling and smoking last night!), and watching the Illini game tonight with Mr. Prevention’s request: Biggest Loser “Fried” Chicken…a welcome break from Buffalo Chicken Dip (as much as I love the stuff!).

Question: Do you often remember your dreams? What was your last random dream about?

Enjoy your weekend!