Make this bread and you will have one lunchbox item solved and a couple of snacks ready to go. Add a nut spread on a slice and call it breakfast. It is an easy recipe that you will feel good about serving to your family and friends.
You won’t find refined sugar in this recipe. In its place we have used apple sauce and maple syrup for sweeteners. As Brittany Cines discussed in her first post, The Truth Behind Refined Sugars, refined sugar has empty calories. Maple syrup contains manganese and zinc which are both important for a healthy immune system. Not a reason to pour it over everything you eat, but you can feel a little less guilty about eating this banana bread over others.
A special thanks goes out to a dear friend and Framily member, Judi Lapidus for suggesting that we yummy-ize a banana bread recipe. Please leave a comment below and let us know if you have any desserts or recipes that you would like us to try to make more healthy. We are up for the challenge!
Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 bananas, very ripe and cut into chunks
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
8 tablespoons melted Earth Balance buttery spread, melted
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350° F and spray a loaf pan with a canola baking spray.
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
3. Mash bananas and place in mixer.
4. Add melted butter, apple sauce, maple syrup and vanilla extract into the bananas and mix.
5. Combine the flour ingredients with the bananas mixture and blend together.
6. Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes.
7. Once the center of the bread is baked enough to show only a few crumbs after a toothpick is inserted the bread is ready to remove from oven.
9. Place baked bread on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and then enjoy.
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Tagged: Apple Sauce, Banana, Banana Bread, Bread, breakfast, Cinnamon, Dairy-free, food, Healthy, kid-friendly, Maple syrup, No dairy, No sugar, Recipe, Refined Sugar, Sugar-free, vegan, Vegetarian
This venture grew out of necessity after I fell in love and married a wonderful man, who happened to be Macrobiotic. I wanted to continue to eat yummy food but now had the knowledge of how unhealthy most sweets can be. I realized I was going to need to be creative to make my taste buds and my husband happy. 
With an ever-growing love of cooking, as inspired by my Macrobiotic-influenced home, I strive to produce healthy food without the sacrifice of taste. My appreciation for pure, organic foods is reflected in my creations, along with my high standards and motivation. In times of need to balance the stress of high school, cooking serves as a quick relief, as it is truly what I love. 
Wow Excellent blog!