The Law Girl Cooks: Choco-Nana Blueberry Oat Bread

Banana bread. So many variations...nuts, no nuts, chocolate, etc. Did you know that the banana bread at Starbucks packs in 410 calories, 19 grams of fat (4 saturated), and 55 g of carbs? We all know that the serving size isn't worth making yourself into a chunky lil' monkey, right?

I know the title is a mouthful....a mouthful of deliciousness!!! I've been making this bread for a while now, and I can't wait to share it with you. The basic recipe came from WW online, but I ended up "changing this and adding a little of that." My mom likes to say that I never follow recipe, but just make it better. She's right. Once I was finished, the result was something totally different, yet still healthy & delicious. You can eat this warm or cold, although I suggest eating it warm so the chocolate gets all melty!

Here's the lowdown:

Bananas: They contain trytophan, which can help improve your mood. They are high in iron, which improves hemoglobin function. Nanners' are also high in fructooligosaccharide (say that 10 times fast...go ahead, I'll wait...) Anyway, this compound helps our bones absorb more calcium and helps promote healthy bacteria in our digestive system. These are just a few of the many benefits of eating bananas. (livestrong.com)

Blueberries: They rank the highest of all fruits for antioxidants, and are high in vitamin C. (webmd)

Dark Chocolate: I'm not saying you should clean out the grocery store. Everything in modern, kids. Research shows that dark chocolate can lower blood pressure, and is potent with antioxidants. Sounds like a good excuse to eat chocolate to me. (webmd)

Steel Cut Oats: All oats are NOT created equal. Rolled oats are the most common, but they often have additional ingredients added to them. Steel cut oats do not have any additives, and are only cut two or three times before being sold. They can help to promote stable blood sugar, as well as lower cholesterol.

Choco-Nana Blueberry Oat Bread

Ingredients:
2/3 cup whole wheat flour (you can use all purpose if you don't have whole wheat)
1/4 c light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp canola oil
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1/2 cup steel cut oats (or whatever oats you have)
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips/chunks
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened frozen blueberries
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-3 bananas, mashed.
canola cooking spray

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Spray a baking dish (8x8) with canola cooking spray.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, oil, egg & egg whites, oats, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda.

4. In another bowl, mash the bananas until it makes a gooey mixture. Add banana mixture & cinnamon to large mixing bowl.

5. Roughly chop chocolate chips/chunks--but not too small! Fold into mixture.
6. Carefully mix in blueberries. If you are too rough, your bread will end up being blue....which might be cool, you never know!