The BEST Banana Bread

I hope you are enjoying these beautiful summer days! I spend a lot of time on my balcony enjoying the fresh air and my little plants and hummingbirds. I also am baking a little bit. I have been trying to find the best banana bread recipe since I was in high school and I've found it! I have tried many recipes and they just didn't turn out like I hoped. I found this one and it was a true winner! It is dairy-free and helps my body to enjoy this sweet treat without pain. This made me think about how I can honor the Lord through every part of my life including what I eat. I get to choose to fill my body with food that makes me feel great (and ultimately that is listening to how God made me and stewarding well the gift of a wonderful body that I have been given.)

"Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body."  1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I hope you will try this tasty recipe and enjoy it as much as my family and I do!


The BEST Banana Bread                                        
from Callie Archer adapted from Kristen Purcell
Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2  tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 medium size, ripe bananas (mashed)*
1/2 vegetable oil
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. almond milk*
1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional:
1 cup chopped walnuts (tossed in 1 tbsp of flour)*

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325F and line 2 loaf pans with parchment paper then spray nonstick cooking spray on top of parchment. (This will make sure your bread comes out nicely!)
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, mashed banana, oil, almond milk, and vanilla.
4. Combine wet ingredients into dry until just combined.
5. Toss chopped nuts in 1 tbsp of flour and fold into the batter with chopped banana.
6. Pour evenly into 2 loaf pans.
7. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven and let rest in pan for 10 minutes.
9. Remove loaves from pans and let rest on wire rack for 20 minutes, then slice with serrated knife.
Enjoy!

Notes:
Bananas- Sometimes I add three mashed bananas
Milk- You can use regular milk or buttermilk instead of almond milk
Optional- You can use chocolate chips instead of walnuts or a mix of both.
Hawaiian Style- Add 1 cup of chopped macadamia nuts instead of walnuts and 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut. When I make it this way it makes me feel like I'm on vacation in Hawaii...Aloha!

sprinkles + sunshine,
Callie