Guilt-free Chocolate Chip Banana "Bread"

Necessity has forced me to clean out my freezer. I recently got married, and between my old fridge, his fridge, and wedding leftovers, we were out of space. I set out on my counter a few random items, trying to brainstorm what action to take.

If you're like me, you hate throwing food away, and stick things in the freezer when they're on their last leg to preserve them for some future moment when you know you'll just crave that half a serving of casserole or a few slivers of chicken breast. Thus said, I always put browned bananas in my freezer for baking. I also had a carton of egg whites (yes, you can freeze eggs), so this is what I came up with: wheat free, dairy free, mostly fat and sugar free yumminess!

4 bananas, previously frozen, thawed
1 cup egg whites
1 cup oats (I used gluten free)
1 tablespoon Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus spice blend
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350. Mix together with an electric mixer. Because the bananas have been frozen and thawed, they are really juicy and mix well. Choose a baking dish that is easy to clean, such as glass, corningware or stoneware. This will stick, and you'll want to use an abrasive pad. Bake until it doesn't jiggle and it's slightly browned on top. 20 minutes or so.

Serves 4

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

• I woke up this morning to grey skies, the wind rustling the leaves outside of my window and the soft patter of rain serenading me. I started thinking of all the wonderful things I could make for breakfast when a Jack Johnson song started playing in my head, "Banana Pancakes." That sparked another thought, chocolate chip banana bread, one of my favorite comfort foods. 

Yesterday I had a bunch of girls over to watch a movie and do a chocolate tasting, so, conveniently, we had a selection of chocolate to choose from. I mixed dark chocolate with orange, sea salt chocolate, several milk chocolates, and a 85% dark chocolate. It keeps the banana muffins mysterious, and hard to pinpoint what you're tasting!

• 
  
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large over-ripe bananas from your freezer, thawed
• 2/3 cup plain yogurt
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate bar, chopped up

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream bananas and sugar, add eggs, butter, vanilla, yogurt, mix well. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl, add to banana mixture 1/3 at a time. Add chocolate, just stir to incorporate. 

Grease a muffin tin or a loaf pan. Bake muffins for about 15 min, until sides are brown. Bake Loaf for 30-40 min until a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Don't open the oven too much as it can cause the center to fall. 

Tip: When your bananas start to go bad, throw them in the freezer. The peel protects them, and when you thaw them out they are a nice soft consistency that mixes well.