Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I am a strong believer in eating breakfast every day (and occasionally, two breakfasts!). My go-to breakfasts are either cereal, or scrambled egg whites with toast or an English muffin, but I’m also a big fan of pastries. I’m a bit of a chocoholic, and starting off the day with a little chocolate always puts me in a good mood, so breakfast-appropriate chocolate pastries are my favorite!

This chocolate chip banana bread is a perfect breakfast food for me, since it’s packed with fruit, packs a nice dose of chocolate, and typically keeps me full until lunch (especially if I serve it with a side of scrambled egg whites or turkey sausage). The recipe is very simple to make, and uses ingredients that I usually have around the house. It’s also a great way to use up bananas that are overripe!

I made a loaf of the bread on a Sunday night, froze half of it, and had my breakfast ready to go for the rest of the week. You can refrigerate leftovers, but I put the leftovers out on the counter in a tupperware container and they didn’t get too dried out. Beware when you are cooking the banana bread that it may look cooked on the outside within 35-40 minutes, but check the middle of the loaf to make sure it’s fully cooked (unless you like your banana bread very gooey). I learned that lesson the hard way, although it was still delicious!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

(adapted from Chocolate-Covered Katie)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup skim or 1% milk
• 1 and 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup agave (or maple) syrup
• 1 and 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 packet of sweetener
• 2 cups tightly-packed, mashed banana (measured after mashing, approx. 4 bananas)
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients, and mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix by hand into dry ingredients bowl. (Be careful not to overmix.)
3. Pour into a greased loaf pan and cook approximately 40-50 minutes, depending on how cooked you want it.
4. Let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.

*Makes approximately 12 slices.