banana-walnut yogurt quickbread {& overnight oats}

 Sometimes you have a long explanation on why you made a certain recipe, other times it's strictly due to the fact that you had bananas about to see their last days.

I. don't. like. to. waste. food. Ever.

I meant to bake this banana bread back when I made this beauty, so you can only imagine how much

more ripe (and mushy/brown) they have become since then.

It was now or never, and I wasn't settling for never.

P.S.- you should know that "now" was about 12:30 am. It's pretty much a given at this point that I will bake at all hours of the night. My family knows this all too well, especially around the holidays.

(to paint a picture; it's 4 am, Christmas Eve's Eve, I'm covered in flour wearing my Santa apron, all kinds of cookie doughs are making their rotations through the oven, to the cooling

racks, and on the platters, piping bags are multiplying by the minute, I start to talk to

myself, family agrees I am nuts, but commends me on my dedication

and yummy decorative treats.)

Any who, these bananas turned out to be the perfect ripeness for this banana bread.

And let me just tell warn you, this quickbread is addicting.

I initially had three very ripe bananas, but I used one to make overnight oats last night. In retrospect, that is the best decision I could've made within the last 24 hours (well that, and making the banana bread), because now I can crumble my banana bread over my overnight oats for a

 delish breakfast!

banana-walnut yogurt quickbread

I'm the kind of person that has to have chocolate on a daily basis, even if it's just one piece of dark chocolate. The fact that I can satisfy that craving in this moist, nutty, banana bread is a huge plus! With substitutes like unsweetened applesauce, agave nectar, and no butter, this is a healthier option for those who like to switch up their morning breakfasts.

Yield: 1 loaf

ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/4 cup of Sucanat, or brown sugar

1/4 cup agave nectar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups of plain low fat Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (chop first, then measure)

1/2 cup mini dark/semi-sweet chocolate chips

steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Chop walnuts, mash bananas, measure out Greek yogurt, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients:
wwpf
baking powder
baking soda
kosher salt
and mix together well
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients:
eggs
Sucanat (or brown sugar)
agave nectar
vanilla extract
vegetable oil
unsweetened applesauce
and whisk together well
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), mix together until combined. The dough will be thick, but try not to over-work it.
Fold in the yogurt just until the dough becomes a bit looser. Again, try not to over-work it.
Lastly, fold in mashed banana, walnuts, and mini chocolate chips.
Pour into loaf pan, even out the top with the rubber spatula, and bake for 50 minutes on the middle rack, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

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quickbreads are too delicious for their own good!

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Rolled oats are always in my kitchen. I try to eat them once a week, but that doesn't always happen. It's a shame because they are so good for you. I like oatmeal, but I really have to be in the mood for it to enjoy it. And during the summer,
I'm more likely to go for cold cereal rather than warm oatmeal. For this reason,
I was pleasantly surprised when I learned about cold overnight oats. In addition to the health benefits of oats, you can add in ground flaxseeds or chia seeds to boost the nutritional value even further, which also help to thicken up your oats.
You start with ingredients that you mix together overnight, and let sit in the fridge to soak up and thicken. In the morning, you add your toppings and stir together.
It's great because you can adapt these to be vegan as well. Not to mention, your toppings and flavor combos are endless!
This morning I decided to add:
agave nectar
slice strawberries
raspberries
blueberries
the aforementioned banana bread, crumbled
Other options you could add:
honey
different fresh fruit
dried fruit
granola
your favorite smoothie stirred in
yogurt
nut butters
wheat germ
 cinnamon
maple syrup
healthy muffins, crumbled

cold overnight oats with fresh berries

Yield: 1 serving

ingredients + steps:

add to bowl at night & mix
1 ripe banana, peeled & mashed 1/3 cup of rolled oats
3/4 to 1 cup of the milk of your choice
1 to 2 tbsp of chia seeds or ground flaxseeds
1/4 tsp pure vanilla exract

in the morning add your toppings
drizzle of agave nectar
raspberries
blueberries
strawberries
crumbled banana bread

Enjoy with a cup of green tea (and re-use your green tea bags!!)
 *recipe lightly adapted from Oh She Glows

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What do you like to add to your cold overnight oats?

lemon blueberry yogurt quickbread

There are 3 things that you will always find in my kitchen; lemons, blueberries, and Greek yogurt. Together they create such a harmonious combination. Separately, they are pantry staples that work in so many other dishes/beverages. Emphasis on beverages... hint, hint ;) This quickbread came out really delicious, so without question I'm sharing it with all of you. But I have to be honest, I feel like I am just eating way too many carbs lately. And not the good kind either. Realizing this, and feeling bad for my nutrient-deprived body, I've been recipe planning for hours to come up with more wholesome dishes that stretch to all courses. I'm really excited for it because, as bad as this sounds, I can't really remember the last time I made a well-rounded dinner. And for some reason, I'm on this grilling kick where everything I think of is, or has to do with, being grilled. Which would be totally fantastic, except for the fact that I don't own a grill. Crazy, right? My 'when-I-want-to-do-something, I-find-a-way-to-do-it' self is really considering buying a cheap one this weekend so I can get to grillin'. I mean, what is summer without some protein and vegetables thrown on the grill? And not to mention, it'd be a great way to officially kick off summer.

This post was supposed to be about quickbread, and somehow I ended up talking about my recent obsession with wanting to grill. Clearly, my excitement easily gets the best of me!

Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Quickbread

Flavors of lemon and blueberry pair with the creaminess of yogurt to create a quickbread suitable for any breakfast. It's simple to prepare, the only downside is the bake time! Keep in mind that this isn't a cake, and the texture is, as the name showcases, more bread-like rather than cake-like. Top it off with a lemon glaze for that extra zing if you please :)

 Yield: 1 loaf

adapted from Ina Garten & Kelsey Nixon

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups all purpose flour
• 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of plain low fat Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups of blueberries, frozen or fresh
• the zest of 2 lemons
• the juice of 1 lemon

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix together well. In another mixing bowl, add eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, vegetable oil, and yogurt, and whisk until just combined. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Your batter will be very thick and sticky. Fold in blueberries and lemon juice.

Add the batter to your loaf pan and try to smooth out the top of the batter for even cooking. Bake for 55-60 minutes.

When the bread is done, let it cool for 10 minutes before adding the glaze if you choose to do so. (Transferring the loaf to a wire rack before drizzling with the glaze will allow it to run down the sides of the bread.)

To make the glaze, whisk together confectioners sugar and lemon juice until glossy and smooth. Drizzle over loaf and enjoy :)

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There are some very ripe bananas hanging on their hook, and if I listen closely I swear I hear them chanting "banana bread." I rambled on earlier about cutting back on carbs,  but an ingredient list, directions, and 4 photos later, I'm already considering making another quickbread. Why do I do things like this?