I like healthy food. A lot.

Actually, I like food a lot. So it’s important that the food I make is healthy.

I make exceptions, of course, but I try to make sure that 90% of what I consume is made from whole foods, healthy fats, and quality ingredients.

I want my food to taste good and be good. So I modify recipes.

Some of them need a lot of modification, others just a little.

But it makes me feel good to know that what I’m eating, what my family is eating, is wholesome.

And then sometimes I take that recipe I’ve modified to be more whole-foods based, less calorically dense, and I add peanut butter chips.

I told you I made exceptions.

So even though this banana bread isn’t necessarily without guilt,

it’s a far cry from the standard.

Life’s all about balance, after all.

What exceptions do you make in your life?

Healthier Banana Bread
Makes one loaf (about 10 slices)

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup oats
1/2 cup peanut butter chips (this part is totally optional!)
1 egg plus 2 egg whites
3 large very ripe bananas
4 tsp applesauce (no sugar added or homemade is best, but use what you have)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan, and use either flour or cinnamon sugar to dust the inside.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Use a fork to make sure everything gets mixed well.
In another bowl, beat the egg and egg whites together. Add the banana and mash with a fork or a potato masher until it reaches a chunky consistency. Add the apple sauce and continue to mash the bananas until it looks like a thick, runny paste. A few chunks of banana are ok!
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes (until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean). Allow the bread to cool for a few minutes, and then remove it from the loaf pan.