Banana-Oatmeal Bread

One of the things I’ve noticed from watching what I eat has been the fact that I can’t seem to eat my bananas quick enough. I eat one daily and up until this last shopping trip I was buying them ripe and ready to eat but by the end of the week they were over ripe. Well, my co-worker told me about a little trick; buy them green and they’ll last longer. I did take her advice during this most recent shopping trip but it didn’t help last week’s bananas. What’s a food blogger to do with over ripe bananas? That’s an easy answer. Make banana bread!

I have shared quite a few recipes for banana bread over the years, like Meg’s Sweet Banana Bread (my hands down favorite version), Banana Apple Bread or Kona Inn Banana Muffins (amazing by the way) but this is the first healthy banana bread recipe I’ve made and shared with you.

Baby Cakes was home from work yesterday and called me at work asking how to make banana bread. I told him where he could find my recipe and assumed he was making it. About an hour later he called back and asked me what baking pan he needs to use and then again about 5 minutes later to ask another question. I finally told him that I’ll make it for him when I got home from work. So now I had to bake but the plus side is because I know I will be eating some of it (come on, how could I not have a piece or two) I get to make a healthy version. Thanks to Google, my dear friend, I found the perfect recipe to try.

It was very good oat type bread. It had just enough sweetness to it and although it’s not the moistest bread I’ve made it wasn’t dry at all. I’ll make it again, maybe next time with pistachio.

It would be excellent with applesauce smeared on it like a jam.


Banana-Oatmeal Bread
recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, June 1999

1 cup packed brown sugar
7 tablespoons canola oil
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
3 small ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat well at medium speed of a mixer.

Combine banana, oats, and milk; add to sugar mixture, beating well.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir with a whisk. Add to sugar mixture; beat just until moist.

Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.


I had ½ a piece that night and 1 piece the following day, and then it had to go to work with Baby Cakes. I know my weaknesses and baked good are one of them.

Don’t get used to me sharing this info but 1/12 of the loaf equals 264 calories. 1/24 of a loaf, or half of one piece, equals 132 calories hence the ½ piece the first night.

Delicious and nutritious,