'Nana Bread

Whenever I pass the banana's at the market, I always grab a bunch. I don't particularly care for banana's but I'll eat them and I figure if they are in the house, I'm more likely to. So I always buy them and pretty much without fail they always end up looking like this:
Eeewwwww. I usually end up tossing them, but these babies have been sitting around for a week, getting all juicy and so I had no other choice. I had to make  banana bread. The banana gods were calling. They couldn't be denied.
Last Christmas my Mom gave me a mini crumb cake pan and I decided that it'd be the perfect size for little mini banana breads. I ain't gonna lie- they were mmmm mmmmm good! I found some mini-chocolate chips last time I was at the market and I think I'm starting to prefer them over the regular sized ones. They are small and get more evenly distributed, anyway- the choco chips are optional (but don't kid yourself you know you want them!) Here's the recipe:

Banana Bread
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of ground cloves
dash of nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas (approx. 4 bananas)
1/2 bag chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 cups) optional

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9x5 loaf pan (or cupcake pan). In bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashes bananas. Add flour, spices, salt & soda. Stir until just combined. Add choco chips. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let bread cool slightly before turning onto wire rack.

**I baked these for about 30 minutes and they were perfect. If you have a pan like this, I would start checking around 25 minutes. Cooking time for cupcakes would probably be around 18-20 minutes if you use a cupcake pan.

On another note: Does anyone out there belong to Curves? I almost joined last month after a rather traumatizing weigh-in at the Dr's office. LOL!! Then I heard that once a year in early March they wave the joining fee (of $150) if you bring in canned goods...or something like that. Anyway, I only recently found out that it's not a regular gym (which I kind of already knew) but that you rotate machines every few minutes and do this cycle for 30 minutes. I'm torn between joining a regular gym and curves. I've definitely got to join something. I gained 65 lbs with my pregnancy with Henry and although I've gained less than 1/2 that with this pregnancy (so far- I'm not holding my breath!!) I really want to have a plan in place so as soon as those 4 post-partum weeks are over I can get my rear in gear! It took 14 months to get those extra pounds off with Henry and I just don't want to have it take that long this time around. It was miserable! Anyway- I'd love to hear any feedback you have! Thanks!!

p.s. Don't you just love that I'm seeking gym advice in the same post as the banana bread! ha ha ha...
xoxo

Comments

[Banana Bread Recipe]

Hey thanks for this one. I just love banana bread. It's easy to make, you cant screw it :) and it tastes great!

[ammie]

Curves is great! You are in and out in 45 minutes or less, it's all women, and there are no "gym bunnies". Some people have lost lots of weight doing Curves and nothing else but the best part is that you're losing inches. The first month I joined I didn't lose a single pound but I lost three inches off my waist! I think it's a good place to start a fitness program because it's only a half hour workout, you'll see results quickly (even if it's not on the scale), and it gets you into a good routine. I don't see myself doing the Curves thing forever but it is sooo much better than doing nothing. Also, you might check out the Walk Vest. You could put that on while pushing the stroller to the market or to the park. Google it!

[Kim (OliveJuice)]

Banana bread....mmmmmmmmmm. Any with chocolate chips? That's my faaave.

I've never tried Curves, but I believe my MIL does it and she looks great. I'm more of a *group class* girl myself, but there is no WAY I'm jumping around on a box with my love-handles the size they are now.

It always boggles my mind how much our daily lives coincide. I was literally JUST talking to my Mom about needing to get in shape. This pregnancy has been a killer as far as weight gain is concerned. My doc said he didn't care if I gained 100 pounds, but i think he was just trying to make me feel better. :) 25 pounds in 6 months?? Now that CAN'T be healthy! And I've got 3 months left! AAAACK!! See, it messes with my brain. :)

[Casey]

And now I want banana bread! I absolutely adore the baking pan! where did you get it? I haven't seen one with squares before. I want it!
I've been told once that Curves is great but mostly just for getting more energetic not much for losing weight, but I've never been a member so I'm no expert :)

[Renna]

I love your pans, which should be an ideal solution for avoiding that gooey center of banana bread which never gets done before the outside gets crispy.

Speaking of old bananas, when mine have reached the stage of being good for nothing but bread, I toss them into the freezer, the whole banana. The peel keeps them sealed and saves me the freezer bags. When I'm ready to bake bread, I dig through my freezer for randomly tossed bananas.

[Joy]

Found you through Creative Blogs :) Love this idea for little banana breads - I will have to try this!

p.s. Loved your Oscar post too - so funny with the themed munchies!!!

Joy

[laura b]

these look amazing! i'm going to ask my bo very nicely to make them for me. thanks for sharing :)

[Brittney]

I concur with the masses here, its not intense enough. I was always way over my heart rate and therefore never losing any weight, on the flip side if I wasn't going on at the rate I Liked I wasn't in the fat burning zone. I have a regular gym pass now and make myself go to the classes. A lot of places will give you 3 free training sessions for $99 upon sign up. try that.

BTW, My cousin fashion showed me your blog and i l-o-v-e i-t!

[Jennifer]

Oh the peskey pregnancy pounds. I got lucky I didn't gain much with Evan and I ended up 30 pounds down after a year, but I was a avid walker when the weather was warm enough. We'll see what happends with this second one.

You might want to talk to my mom about curves. As a older woman it was good for about 6 months because it got her moving but once her body was use to it, there wasn't much change.

[jessica]

Hey. I have that problem with bananas too, there are always a few that go brown before I can eat them. You can freeze the brown bananas until you are ready to make them into bread, instead of tossing them, if you want.
About Curves, it's better than nothing, but you'll get a lot more out of a regular gym if you can commit to it. There are a lot more options.

[michal]

i go to the gym so that i can eat things like banana bread! although at the moment i am trying to stay away from baked goods in an effort to lose more weight.
i think that curves is a personal preference. i went with my mom a few times and felt like it wasn't an intense enough workout for me. i belong to 24 hour fitness and love that they offer lots of classes, which are included in the membership. it is also convenient that they are open all the time so that i can go at my own convenience, whereas curves is usually only open for a few hours at different times of the day.
i've also found that no matter how much or little weight i gain in my pregnancies, my babies are walking before i get it all off again!

[Diana]

Having food you love makes life worth living. Banana bread is one of the foods I love.
I gained a ton of weight while pregnant and, frankly, I've never lost it all. Its been tough but getting the gym is nearly impossible these days. I did buy a jogging stroller (Bob Doubles are nice) and that was the best thing ever!! Walk it off--easy, any time, anywhere. End at the park for some play time. Enjoy the CA weather!

[Reminisceheirlooms]

I just found your blog and I love your creativity! I will be a reader. :)

[Megs]

I saw these bananas sitting on your counter, just waiting to be baked into something delicious. I'm so glad to see you made good use of them! What a great idea with those pans!

[Kim]

Haha, well I'm giving you workout advice after eating brownies for breakfast!

I belonged to Curves for a few months back when we first moved here, and here's what I think about it:

Pros: It's a quick workout, and a very uncomplicated way to get in shape. You're in and out in 30 minutes. Also, their equipment is really awesome. I had really great muscle tone while I was doing it. I can't say anything about the staff where you are, but the workers at our Curves here in Lexington were very nice, helpful people.

Cons: If you are the kindof girl who wants to do something different every day, you might be better off at a regular gym, which gives you more options. Curves is the same workout every time you go. It can get boring. Also, they say you should only be doing a Curves workout 3 or 4 times a week, and that you should be coming up with some other exercise (running, swimming, etc.) on your days off. So, it's definitely not an all-exercise-included option. Also, the cardio portion of the Curves workout is a little silly. You stand on a block running in place or doing jumping jacks or whatever else you can come up with. My thought was always "You know, I could be doing this at home for free." Like I say, though, their strength equipment is really, really nice.

So, there's good things and bad things. I'd see if they would give you a trial membership to see if you like it.

[Amanda]

I had a friend who loved Curves. I've never joined a gym b/c I really don't have much time to exercise with two kids and a husband in residency. What worked for me post-partum was the South Beach Diet. It is doctor recommended for its heart-healthy food choices, and I could do it while breastfeeding b/c it replaced my empty sugar calories with nutritious whole grain calories. Just keep in mind how tired you'll be with a new baby...well, I always was!!! Good luck!

[Stephanie]

That pan is awesome and that bread looks divine!

[amy]

Thanks for the wonderful recipe and I LOVE that pan. I've been trying to find a great banana bread recipe for ages. I suspect the main problem is the ginormous loaf pan and trying to keep the insides moist (but done) and the outside not burnt. Can't wait to try the recipe and the pan. While we belong to the Y for gym purposes, I am one who doesn't want to go somewhere to exercise. I walk four miles around my town.

[the pesky bombolino]

I so appreciate that you're talking about gym advice and banana bread- that's my kind of thinking!
I would visit a few gyms and see if the people who are working out at the times you would be there are the kinds of people you'd feel comfortable with.