A Dessert to Make You Want to Eat Your Veggies: Recipe for Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Meal Monday

I've never been much of a dieter. For me -- and I know this is not the case for most folks -- dieting is a set up for failure. Telling myself I absolutely cannot eat that one thing over there will result in my eating that one thing over there. All of it. And then I will lick the bowl.

Instead, I try to eat well on a regular basis -- lots of whole grains and vegetables, beans, not a to n of meat and cheese -- and I don't usually invite dessert into my house. But sometimes I ignore this rule and make dessert so that I can crowd out much higher-calorie options.

Dessert is omnipresent. It's at the office party, it's at the neighborhood BBQ, it's at the day care fund raiser. And if I've turned it down three times in a day, I'll give in the fourth time. So I need something in my back pocket that will push me past the oh-so-bad-for-me ooey-gooey, creamy, yummy bites.

If I do it right, the dessert I make will not only satisfy dessert cravings, but give me incentive to stick with the healthy veggie salad, fruit and yogurt I brought for lunch.

I've had this banana bread recipe for ages and find that with a couple tweaks, it serves this purpose perfectly. It's written on an index card and I don't know where it came from. Doesn't matter -- I've altered it a bit over the years to make it a bit more interesting and nutritious.

Banana Bread Recipe with Chocolate Chips

A tiny bit of cardamom makes this bread an interesting twist on the familiar.

Ingredients

1/3 - 1/2 cup canola oil (I use a little less than the suggested 1/2 cup)

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/3 cups mashed bananas (the riper, browner, the better)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

To prepare:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Stir together all the dry ingredients (flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cardamom) in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, blend the oil, sugar, egg and sugar. Blend until smooth and then for about a minute with a whisk.

Mash until smooth the bananas in a large measuring cup.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients and then fold in the bananas.

Spray a large loaf pan with cooking spray, and pour the batter into the pan. Place the pan in the oven and cook for about 50-60 minutes, checking after 45 minutes (ovens and preferences vary) to see whether a toothpick comes out cleanly when you stick it in the middle of the loaf.

Enjoy!

Photo by Foodie JP via Flickr

 

Comments

[Laura Lee Anders, MD]

You've got the right idea about not having food rules - they inevitably get broken with a vengeance. It sounds like your food guidelines work well and keep you healthy. Kudos!

Laura Lee Anders, MD