We have not seen sun in like.....a million days.
The gloomy cold weather is starting to get to me. I've been feeling pretty lethargic, low energy, and confidence deprived, and overall a little down the past few days. This week I am going to try to boost myself back to motivation and energy by
-running OUTSIDE for endorphins and fresh air (it's never "too cold," you're just not wearing enough layers)
-taking my vitamins especially D
-eating extra clean and healthy foods for energy
-going to bed as early as possible
I have started by baking a loaf of my absolute favorite banana bread, which is sweet enough to satisfy cravings for cozy comfort foods (for me, comfort food=baked goods) without being overly sugary. In fact, I think it's pretty downright healthy, especially with some added chocolate antioxidants, right? I've made this recipe about 5 times now, and it has turned out terrific every time. Oh, and there are no eggs so you can eat the batter without fear!
Anna's Signature Banana Bread
(based off this recipe)Ingredients
-1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
-1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
(Note: use a total of 1.5 cups of whatever flours you have, such as a whole wheat/all purpose combo.)
-1/4 c. ground flax meal (Bob's mill)
-1 t. salt
-1/2 t. baking soda
-1/2 t. nutmeg
-3 ripe mashed bananas
-1/3 cup LOOSELY packed brown sugar (more or less; bananas make it pretty sweet)
-1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt (if using vanilla, omit brown sugar)
-1/4 cup canola oil
-1 t. vanilla
Optional: walnuts or chocolate chips for topping
Combine dry ingredients (first 6) in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, mix mashed bananas with sugar, yogurt, oil, and vanilla. Dump dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until JUST combined (there can still be some swirls of dry ingredient). Scoop into a greased bread pan and optionally sprinkle walnuts and/or choco chips on the top and mix them into the batter a bit (I did half and half to accommodate different "taste preferences"). Bake at 325* F for 65-75 minutes. (Check at about an hour).