Recipe and Story: Goin' Bananas and Best Girlfriends

The best kind of baking has to have two requirements: it must be going to someone you love, and it must have some component of pumpkin or bananas!!

Today's recipe that I made using a combination of a pinterest image, and inspiration from a bodybuilder.com recipe meets both requirements beautifully. You see, the other day when I went for a run I ran into one of my best friends from high school, Maura, while she was on her morning run. As is usual when we get together, we quickly got tangled up in a conversation that had the momentum to last for hours (we always have to cut them short-- how unfair!!) One of the most wonderful things about my friendship with Maura is how deep and healing our conversations can be, which is part of why I made this recipe for her today!

Eventually, our conversation lead to our love of all things banana-bread-y. So, I made a mental note that I have to try one of my many banana bread recipes for her to enjoy. Today's creation: Healthy Dark Chocolate Raspberry Banana Bread:

Healthy Chocolate Raspberry Banana Bread

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup truvia sweetener
• 1/4 cup honey-flavored greek yogurt
• 2 egg whites
• 2 mashed ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup fat free buttermilk
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract 
• 1 1/3 cups frozen raspberries
• 1 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl until combined thoroughly.



The batter with dry and wet ingredients added. Don't worry, it looks better later!!

3. Mix the wet ingredients until combined thoroughly.



Ready for the bread pan with raspberries and chocolate chips added. Yum!

4. Add in the raspberries and chocolate chips. Feel free to add more than the recipe calls for-- there is no such thing as too much chocolate in a piece of banana bread!!



As Tom Petty once said, waiting is the hardest part!!

5. This recipe made me one (greased) 8x4 bread pan, and two custard cups of banana-raspberry-chocolate goodness. Bake the custard cups for about 25 minutes and the loaf for about 40 minutes (or until you can stick a toothpick in the bread and have it come out cleanly.)

So, there you have it! Make like a monkey and stock up on bananas so you can try this one! It's super-healthy, and delicious, if I do say so myself. Enjoy!!