Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Bread - No Eggs, No Oil

I love to eat. I love to use every taste bud on my tongue. I also enjoy eating healthy foods. In an endeavor to cook life-giving foods for myself and my family, I have perfected this recipe over the past few years for delicious, wholesome banana bread.

In lieu of white sugar, I use raw, local honey, which has innumerable benefits. Yes, there are still natural sugars in honey. However, they are in their original, natural state. The sugars in honey do not break down as quickly as in the processed sugars. For more information on the benefits of raw (not processed) honey, please visit my link.

I substitute oil with sugarfree applesauce. In case you are unaware of the use of applesauce in baking, you can substitute equal measurement of applesauce in place of oil.

Additionally, I substitute 1 large banana in place of 2 medium eggs. I think eggs are healthy, I just enjoy the flavor of the extra banana. Also, remember that you can subsitute 2/3 of a large banana in place of one large egg in baking - a helpful resource if you ever find yourself eggless while baking!

1/3 cup sugar free applesauce
1/2 cup local, raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tsp baking soda DISSOLVED in 1/4 cup hot water

optional:
1/2 cup whole oats
1/8 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup dried fruit

Note: This recipe is super moist, almost to the point of being a bread pudding. Adding the oats and ground flaxseed absorb some of the moisture. The bread has always turned out moist, even when adding oats or flaxseed.

(1) Preheat oven to 325.

(2) Prepare a loaf pan, either with butter, or with a Baker's Joy type of pan-preparant. (is that a word?)

(3) In a large bowl, beat applesauce and honey together.

(4) Add bananas, salt, cinnamon. Mix well.

(5) Add whole wheat flour and baking soda mixture. Mix well, scraping sides of bowl.

(6) Add any optional ingredients.

(4) Bake for about 50-60 minutes. Check at 50 minutes, then if needed, bake 5-10 more minutes. My cooking time varies with how "big" the bananas are.

Serve warm with coffee or milk. Delicious. This does not last long in my house! I usually double the batch.

This recipe usually does not last even 24 hours at my house. I slice and keep on a covered cake pedestal. If you do not have five growing children and a spouse appreciative of good baking, then you may be concerned with the shelf life of this banana bread. This bread does not keep well at room temperature much longer than 36-48 hours because it is void of preservatives. However, it is full of antioxidants (found in bananas and raw honey), energy and flavor.

For longer term storage, place in air tight container and refrigerate. Or, slice, wrap individual slices in waxed paper. Place wrapped slices in freezer bag. Take the slices with you on picnics. Great for backpacking or traveling, especially when you add the oats, dried berries and nuts.

Just do not reheat the bread in the microwave, as microwaving destroys nutrients. You can reheat in a skillet, lightly buttered. Whether you eat this right out of the oven, or on a hike, you are sure to enjoy every bite!