Banana Oat Bread

Those bananas have been sitting on the counter getting darker and darker. Their destiny unknown... smoothie? No, too dark... Waffles, pancakes? No, too lazy... Compost?! Yes, their destiny was to join the deep dark depths of the compost pile. However, in a moment of creativity I decided this was not to be their fate. Instead, they need to be baked and enjoyed!

The Finished Product... YUM!

A brief search on Pinterest (what did I ever do before this wonderful site?!) and I came across a delicious looking recipe for "Whole Wheat Oatmeal Applesauce Banana Bread" that claimed to be healthy and vegan friendly. I opted to not be vegan friendly for this recipe and used honey and eggs. But don't worry my vegan friends... the egg was from a well cared for "free range" chicken from a local small farm. The honey was wildflower honey also purchased from a small local farm. No chickens or bees were seriously hurt in the making of this bread <3

Although I did adjust the recipe to suit my tastes, I will give credit to the blog from which it came. To find the original recipe please visit The Ambitious Kitchen.

http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2013/11/whole-wheat-oatmeal-applesauce-banana-bread-healthy-vegan-friendly/

   Ingredients

• vegetable shortening
• 1 cup mashed banana from very ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup wildflower honey
• 1/3 cup applesauce (I used my aunt's homemade applesauce)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 free range brown egg
• 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 1/2 cups organic whole wheat flour
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly coat a standard sized loaf pan with vegetable shortening
3. Grab a large bowl and mix together mashed banana, applesauce, honey, vanilla, egg and almond milk until well combined.
4. Grab another large bowel and whisk together organic whole wheat flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. 
6. Pour into the loaf pan and sprinkle the top with cinnamon and oats.
7. Bake for 50-70 minutes depending on your oven. 
8. Let cool completely before cutting. 
9. Enjoy with butter, honey or plain!

I wish I could include the amazing smell that took over my kitchen while this bread was baking!

The Dough

Pre-Baked

Introductory Post...Slowing Down.

Technology has become so integrated in our daily lives that it has become a sort of window we use to view the world. We are compelled to busy ourselves with our smart phones, tablets and laptops that we have forgotten that we already have a window to the world… our senses. We have become mechanical, robotic, detached. We are so greatly focused on the future that we forget to immerse ourselves in the here and now. While we perform our baser human functions on a daily basis we seek modes of escape to distract ourselves from the imposed ennui society tells us these simple tasks pose. We eat, but we do not eat what the earth has provided to truly nourish our bodies. We sleep, but our sleep is not rejuvenating because it is interrupted with thoughts and tasks and worries of tomorrow intertwined with yesterday’s regrets. As naturally social beings we continue to interact but it is not wholesome interaction, it is hurried and uninvolved. All the basic functions that make us human are suppressed and ignored rather than cultivated and enjoyed. We have been guided toward consumption to seek happiness rather than just simply engaging ourselves in what the earth and other living creatures have to offer. 

This morning while sitting down to eat my breakfast I instinctively reached for my iPhone. For the past few years every meal I have sat down to is rushed through with the browsing of Facebook, Pinterest, the news and e-mail. However, this morning while reaching for my phone I hesitated, wondering what I did before technology invaded my world like a parasite and took over my life. Pulling my hand away I decided to simply eat. To view the world through my senses, to experience the simple act of nourishing my body with my breakfast. It seems so comical that I had to force myself to do this, like an addict. Even now it seems highly ridiculous, but this is the present reality of the developed world. 

My simple toast and green tea was the most enjoyable moment I have had in weeks. All the stress of my daily chaotic life melted away as I listened to the sound of the rain outside. The warmth of the tea complimented the cool breeze flowing through the screen door carrying the scent of the summer rain. The songs of the birds melodically danced around the falling rain and swaying trees. Cars passing by contained others who have fallen prey to modern times and I wondered what filled their minds as they drove by. Were they even consciously aware of this present moment or were they already focused on their future destination, not remotely cognizant of the fact that by ignoring the journey the moments of an indeterminate amount of remaining life were ticking away…

My current goal is to slow down… to enjoy each moment as it is happening, to reflect on the present and learn from it. I now know that I cannot change the past and that I cannot predict the future. All I have is this moment, a truly incredible gift. 

"Life is like the ocean. It can be calm and still or rough and rigid, but in the end, it is always beautiful." 

                -author unknown