Better Banana Nut Bread

Here is my "Better Banana Bread" recipe.  Most of the sweetness is from the bananas, it isn't too heavy on butter or fat, it is half whole wheat and part of the nuttiness comes from not only yummy walnuts but also chia seeds and flax seeds which are packed with fiber and Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.  Yum!

    3-5 very ripe bananas, peeled        

    1/4 cup melted butter
    1/8 cup vegetable oil
    2/3 cup of sugar
    1 egg, beaten
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    Pinch of salt
    1 cup of all-purpose flour
    1 cup of whole-wheat flower
    1/2 teaspoon or so of cinnamon
    1/4 teaspoon or so of nutmeg
    1/4 teaspoon or so of powdered cloves
    1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
    1/8 cup chia seeds
    1/8 cup whole flax seeds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter two 4x8-inch loaf pans or, alternatively and for better results, line them with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork. Stir the melted butter and vanilla into the mashed bananas and mix well.

Stir in the sugar and beaten egg.  Mix in the baking soda and salt with the flour.  Slowly add in the flour, stirring as you add flour.

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pans. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour (check at 40 minutes) at 350°F (175°C), or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  At 40 minutes, I also take out the loafs and smear a little wildflower honey over the tops with the back of a spoon and then very carefully sprinkle a little bit more cinnamon on them, spreading it with the spoon.

Remove from oven and let it cool a few minutes.  This bread, because of the bananas, will be rather dense but delicious!

Big Breakfast Burrito Under 300 Calories

I made a very yummy breakfast burrito this morning.

I used three egg whites, a little 2% milk, three large sliced white mushrooms, ½ onion, 1/3 cup of shredded cabbage, a chili pepper, and a little olive oil. I used a spinach wrap, but I'll be a low-carb wrap would work and cut the calories down to below 300!

I sauteed the onions until they began to turn translucent, maybe 4 minutes or so, added the mushrooms and sauteed another minute or two, and then added the cabbage and cooked until the cabbage was soft.

I mixed the egg whites and milk in a bowl, I added a pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper, and then added my sauteed stuff, and then poured it back into my saute pan which I kept hot and scrambled it. I took it off, put it into a bowl and then mixed it with some hot sauce (Sriracha, but any would be good). I threw my wrap into the pan to warm it (a minute or so on either side), wrapped it all up, and it was pretty darn good but a bit juicy since I didn't cook the mushrooms down very much.

Number of servings: 1

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
3 Egg Whites	51	0	0	11	165	0
½ Small Chopped White Onion	16	4	0	0	0	0
3 Large Buttom Mushrooms	12	2	0	2	3	1
1 tablespoon Olive Oil	119	0	14	0	0	0
1/3 Cup Cabbage	7	2	0	0	5	1
Spinach Wraps, 52 g	150	26	3	5	280	2
Total:	355	34	17	18	453	4

With a LOW-CARB WRAP

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
3 Egg Whites	51	0	0	11	165	0
½ Small Chopped White Onion	16	4	0	0	0	0
3 Large Buttom Mushrooms	12	2	0	2	3	1
1 tablespoon Olive Oil	119	0	14	0	0	0
1/3 Cup Cabbage	7	2	0	0	5	1
Tumaros - Low In Carb Wrap, 1 wrap 40g	60	6	2	5	135	1
TOTAL:	265	14	16	18	308	3

Yummy Hummus Bean Dip and Whole Wheat Flatbread

Bean Dip:
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 or more cup lemon juice (juice from one lemon)
1/4 or more cup olive oil
1 can cannellini or garbanzo beans
Dash of paprika (optional)

Put lemon juice and tahini in food processor and blend about 1 minute. Then add all ingredients except olive oil into food processor and food process. Pour in olive oil as you process.

When serving, put a dash of paprika on top. Serve with flatbread.

Simple wholewheat flatbread (makes about four small sized pieces or two large pieces--serves two):

1 cup whole wheat flour (for fluffier bread, you can add an extra 1/2 cup white flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup yogurt
1/8 cup olive oil
Enough water to mix with dough, but keep dough firm

Combine salt, baking powder, and flour and stir well. Add all remaining ingredients except water. Add water gradually as needed to mix dough, but keep dough firm. After mixing, form into a ball with a spoon or hands and leave covered with a damp paper towel for at least 20 minutes but as long as an hour.

Roll into balls and then spread out on well-oiled aluminum foil. Four pieces should each be about half the size of your hand or so and should be spread out to about 1/4 thick or so. Put in oven on middle rack at a preheated 375 degrees. They should cook in 12-15 minutes or so. Take out of the oven, allow to sit 3-5 minutes, and then eat with bean dip.