by Pat Lunsford

Created on: August 13, 2008   Last Updated: November 20, 2009

Banana bread is good no matter what time of day it is. It is naturally sweet and makes a healthy snack. Packed with energy-boosting complex carbohydrates banana bread contains dietary fiber, promotes health and aids digestion.

Bananas are not only rich in potassium they are high in fiber along with vitamins such as C, A, and B6 as well as tryptophan, an amino acid that can be converted to serotonin- a mood enhancer.

Since they ripen really fast and really ripe bananas make really sweet banana bread, we don't have to worry about wasting them. Banana bread is quick and easy to make. It can also be wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer.

Basic Banana Bread Recipe:

11/4 cups sugar

cup butter (soft)

2 eggs

11/2 cups mashed bananas

cup buttermilk (regular milk is okay)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

21/2 cups flour

1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

With a mixer, cream the butter and add the sugar, vanilla, eggs and milk. Beat at low speed until well blended. Fold all other ingredients in and blend well. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. That's it! What could be easier?

There are a number of variations. Once you have creamed the butter, vanilla and eggs, you can add nuts or fruit like strawberries, raisins or chopped apples. It's a good way to use up your unused fruit instead of throwing it away. If it goes good with bananas, it will be good in the banana bread.

Banana bread makes the whole house smell warm and cozy as it bakes in the oven and it also makes good muffins. If you'd like to make your banana bread a little sweeter, you can make a light glaze with powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and soft butter or cream cheese.

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