"Healthier" Banana Bread

I LOVE quick breads and among my top faves is banana bread. Since I consume more sugar in a day than I probably should all year I have been in search for some alternatives to my traditional (and to die for!) banana bread that contains a ton of sugar, butter, etc. This is super moist and much lighter than my usual recipe- of course it isn’t the same as super indulgent versions but it is very good for what I deem “healthier” banana bread and replacing the sugar with splenda is not detectable at all. Next time I think I will use smooth applesauce but the chunky kind gives it more texture and is actually nice for a change. 

“Healthier” Banana Bread

1 ½ cups AP Flour

¾ cup Splenda

1 ¼ tsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Cinnamon (I used Roasted Siagon)

1/8 tsp. Cardamom

2 egg whites

1c. Banana, mashed

¼ cup applesauce (I used chunky cinnamon)

3 Tablespoons Fat Free Sour Cream

Pinch of Salt

350 degrees

Stir dry ingredients together in one bowl, wet together in another then add wet to dry.

Bake 30-40 minutes.

Makes one large loaf or 2-3 mini-loafs. 

 Yummmm! You can see I nibbled on the top one to taste test  :0)

Baked Cheese-Grits-Sausage-Cornbread Casserole

This morning I am feeling quite chipper and after the sun decided to wake me up at 6am I thought I would take a stroll down to my kitchen and cook the hubby some breakfast. This is the first time I had made this casserole and we both liked it- but next time I think I will use more cheese, a bit more salt and real sausage. Adding corn would make this really good too.

Baked Cheese-Grits-Sausage-Cornbread Casserole

Ingredients:1 pound ground turkey sausage (sauteed)

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

3 cups cooked yellow grits, salted
6 eggs (beaten)

Dash garlic powder
1 cup milk
1 6 oz. corn muffin mix
1/4 cup butter (melted)

1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
s and p to taste

Saute turkey sausage with onion until pink has disappeared, salt, pepper and garlic powder (I made this the night before and threw it in the fridge to speed things up this morning!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, add milk to beaten eggs, and mix cooked grits, corn muffin mix, butter, s & p. 

Spray with Pam & spread sausage/onion mixture on bottom of 9x12 pan; add grits mixture and top with shredded cheese.

Bake for about 1 hour or until firm in the middle. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

(Sour Cream and Catsup were our condiments of choice)