Some choices benefit me.
Some choices benefit my family, and some benefit a whole bunch of people.
My choice of an hour benefited all three categories, and it even included a horse.
Quick breads and muffins are not only afantastically frugal option in feeding our family,
but they also create the “Welcome Home” atmosphere I am trying to instill by tantalizing most of our senses.
It warms my heart to have the kids open the door and exclaim,
“Oh mom, it smells so good in here.”
Smells have a way of transcending time, don’t they?
I bet all of us can close our eyes, remember a favorite recipe that was prepared in your home growing up and that smell triggers a specific feelings, even to this day.
As usual, I quadrupled the recipe.Doing this takes an additional 30 seconds, but reaps hours of added pleasure.
Banana breads freezes wonderfully, and having some on hand gives you the opportunity to share with others…for no other reason that “just because.”
I made two regular banana bread loaves, and then for the last two, I sprinkled chocolate chips on one, and mixed the last of my frozen strawberries into the other.
Pull out some of those specialized pans that you have hiding in the back of your cabinet.
Don’t wait for special occasions – your family is that occasion.
You can see the recipe for
this EASY and QUICK delight in this past post.
Make sure you set the timer nice and loud. Don’t go take a bath (ha) or run an errand or go feed the neighbor’s horse who came to the fence for his daily snack.
I got side tracked in the middle of my baking time by this beauty and when I came back in the house my breads were a little.. hmm… “golden.”
And as a parent, I recommend you put some guidelines on the distribution of these delights.
“But mom, I told you I was just grabbing a little piece of the chocolate banana bread. You told me that was fine. ”
Bedlam, I tell you….sheer bedlam. 🙂
Frugal buying tip: I never pass up bananas when they have been marked down anywhere between $.19-.29/lb
Typically, they have gotten just a bit ripe, but they will be perfect for baking.
Quick and Easy Banana bread:
Ingredients
8T (1 stick) butter, at room temp
3/4 cup Sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (all purpose) flour
1 cup (whole wheat) flour
1 t. Baking soda
1/2 t salt
3 Large bananas (mashed)
1 t. vanilla (I have added almond extract for a variation in flavor)
1/2 C. pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped –(optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (grease bread pan)
2. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Sift all purpose flour, baking soda & salt together, stir in whole wheat flour & add to creamed mixture, mixing well. (I don’t sift the flour, but I know “officially” you should for lighter bread).
4. Fold in bananas, vanilla and nuts (fold…as in dump & mix 🙂
5. Pour mixture into pan, bake 50-60 min. or til cake tester comes out clean – cool in pan 10 min., then in rack. (or if you’re in my house…hide the rack in some dark secluded cabinet as it cools)
Makes one loaf.
Enjoy some more bulk baking posts:
home baked breads are some of my favorites. it takes me back to my grandmother. i love her banana nut and her sweet potato. and they are great frozen, i’ve never been disappointed.
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Oh, this one looks so good. Those chocolate chips just top it off. I just love banana bread. Thanks for sharing.
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Jen, Thanks – this is a great post and one I will start using. With a family of four I forget too often to double the recipe and half the work right! 🙂
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Looks wonderful!! And I love the “Little Piece” – ah, to think and act like a kid!!!
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Thanks for the recipe! It looks and sounds delicious! I love that you made some in different shapes. So cute!
Have a super week!
XOXO
Jen
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yummy! those breads sound delicious! the picture of you and the horse is adorable!
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I love how industrious you are! You continue to inspire me…I think I write that everytime I post here…I laughed when I saw the “little piece” your child declared he was only eating. The same thing happens here. A beautiful loaf of bread, I walk away for a moment to change the laundry from the washer to the dryer, walk back into the kitchen, and there sits my bread all hacked up!
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Peel your bananas before you freeze them. Then you don’t have to wait for them to defrost into a slimy mess that you have to touch. And you could just throw them into the blender for a quick smoothie.
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I love baked bread and give away lots and lots for friends who have a rough patch, sick, funerals or parties. It is the best and easiest gift.
You are a very smart mom!!! Thanks for sharing.
Cynthia
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great post. I love what you said here: “Pull out some of those specialized pans that you have hiding in the back of your cabinet.
Don’t wait for special occasions – your family is that occasion.”
It is stuff like that that keeps me coming back, friend!!!
Oh, and here is my most favorite banana choco-chip muffin recipe. So moist and easy, and low on ingred.’s. My kids devour them. Enjoy!!!!
http://worthwalkingtoward.blogspot.com/2008/09/poor-sick-tractor-lovin-muffin-makin.html
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I think my mouth is watering!! 🙂 Those look so good! Even the one with the missing middle. 🙂
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yum yum yum yum yum!!!!!
I LOVE banana bread, and we just made some banana choc chip muffins last week! But I never thought of sprinkling the choc chips on top of a loaf! And the ideas of mixing in strawberries and using different little pans and molds is great!!!
Thanks for the reminder that it freezes well too, we’re thinking of baking some bulk items that we can freeze in family meal size portions (which for us isn’t that big–2 adults and 2 girls who eat like baby birds) to cut down on the daily mess of meal making and dishes to wash since our house is now for sale! Thanks, Jen :)!!
Stacey
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ha ha ha ha
that picture of the middle cut out is hysterical.
and PS, I’m becoming a member of your 5 kid club in October 🙂
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Oh my…these look heavenly! Yes, smells are one of the strongest things that take me back in time. Any time I smell lavender I think about my time spent in Tasmania. When I smell something that reminds me of my Mom’s perfume from when I was a little girl, I’m back there, giving my mom a big hug. : )
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I love quick breads…and I’m always on the hunt for a new banana bread recipe to try. Thanks for sharing.
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Very good post. I love baking banana bread. But I have to be honest. I am the big eater of it!!! My hips have a little from last week. :0)
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LOVE IT! That boy is after my own heart scooping up the chocolatey part. 🙂 Don’t know if you saw this post of mine: http://sundrenchedmoments.blogspot.com/search?q=springy+table
but the bread basket for that dinner came from my friend Jenni doing this very thing, giving me special little baby bundts of her chunky monkey bread (when she adds the chocolate chips) just because.
In the spirit of following in Meredith’s footsteps, I bought a linen cloth at an estate sale recently to use to wrap a loaf of something yummy to give as a gift. 🙂
I like your idea of adding the strawberries too. Yum! Have a great day! Kelly
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Oh, my goodness….yummy!! I can just smell it now. I have a great banana bread recipe in which you mix all the wet ingredients in the blender and then just add it all together….it’s quite tasty. Next time, I’ll think about adding choc chips!! and eat a hunk out of the middle!! LOL…
Suzanne
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I was wondering how you were going to tie the horse into your post!
Thanks for pointing out that an additional 30 minutes (to quad) a recipe saves so much time in the long run!
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I never thought about freezing it! Thanks for the tip and they all look fantastic! You are a super mom! I do love when they say they could smell it from outside! 🙂
~Kim
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I really love how simple this recipe is! Thanks for sharing it!
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When I worked at Walmart, they had two different prices for their bananas…one was 30 cents higher than the other. The reason? They weren’t in a plastic bag. Yes, the bananas that came in a plastic type bag were 30 cents cheaper. Nuts! I’m making some quick breads tomorrow. My neighbor that I want to get to know just had twins and I want to take her something. Thanks for the encouragement!
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I love this! I love the idea of doubling or tripling the recipe and just freezing it! Thanks for the idea!
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LOL@ the “little piece”. I’d be tempted to do something like that myself!
My daughter and I made banana muffins last week. I hadn’t had them in .. forever! They were so good.
This week it will be blueberry muffins!
Thanks for sharing. I’ll definatly try the chocolate chips on top next time.
Laura
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Yum!!! Thanks for the recipe! I’m a slave for banana bread…and the obligatory chocolate chips.
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You are soooo right on girlfriend. It really takes no extra time to double or triple your recipe. So WHY am I not doing this? I have got to make some changes around here! BTW, banana bread is my absolute favorite, and yours looks yummy!
~Amanda
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Totally agree, have long scratch baked and frozen quick breads and Irish soda bread. Fast, easy, satisfying…
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You have motivated me to get in the kitchen. My hubby loves banana bread!!!
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I LOVE Banana Bread! And Horses! How do we get to your house?
Have a great day!
Tim
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Yum! We love banana bread and chocolate chips are great addition. We’ve also done butterscotch chips, too. Thanks for sharing!
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sounds great and we can always use the great recipe for those bananas we find on sale
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we at the http://www.zcouple.com love the fact you care so much about your home and your family, it is really inspiring. God bless all your work.
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We are big banana bread eaters here too…I always make at least two…wow..I love your little circle breads…chocolate chips…now you are talking~
sandy toe
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We love banana bread at our house, too…but this reminded me that it’s been too long since I’ve baked it! I can almost smell the aroma over my computer…:)
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Jen, I just stopped by and wow does this look yummy and you are right, it is no harder to double or triple a recipe. I just posted a really yummy recipe for Poppy seed bread. It is so easy and so delicious. It actually tastes more like a cake with the oj, sugar, almond ext. glaze. IT also freezes really well. I make them up in small loaves, like I just did today, so I can freeze them or give them out as little gifts! Hope you will stop by and check it out! Sue
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Thanks for linking it up to Tasty Tuesday Jen! It’s an awesome post!
~Kim
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Your pictures of your bread is making my mouth melt! I ya I!!!! Yummy! Did you see Michelle on Bonnie Hunt yesterday? She looks so good. Check out her facebook page.
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Back for another look at the Banana bread before bedtime. Wish I had some now!
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Yes.. I’m so glad i came across this I was thinking that i need to make some banana bread with the bananas in my fruit basket. I will try this. Back to the Ultimate Blog party.
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fabulous idea! I’ll be looking for marked down bananas :)!
Thank you so much for continuing to leave such sweet comments during my forced blog vacation. Sure look forward to hearing what you have to say!
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Wow, everything looks so good…awesome pictures…
Hope you will stop by my blog for a visit.
I am new to blogging and I am loving all my new friends.
I am giving away my first EVER BLOG PRIZE.
I have a gift basket business and it is the most requested gift over the last 15 years.
From the comments I have already received,
it appears to be something a little different and something anyone could use.
I have been so touched by the comments that I
have decided to give 2 boxes .
They will be the $100 deluxe size.
I really do want to bless people!!!
I have decided that giving is life at its BEST. The drawing will be Saturday!
I am going to be giving a great gift each month, so check back…
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Yumalicious! Yep baking banana bread says…life is beautiful~
Robin Rane’
All Things Heart and Home
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Oh, I would have to hurry those into the freezer or they would be snatched up post haste. Unfortunately I would be the worst offender…I just love banana bread!
Beautiful presentation with the bundt version!
I had my own experience with bread left a bit long in an oven this week. But I did not get to play with a horse….sigh.
Have a beautiful week!
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Oh man those look delicious!
Thanks for sharing the recipe
Great!
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I’m soooo not a baker and, although I’m a good cook, I don’t like it. I’m try to learn to like it, though. I think if I spend more time around here, I might start liking it more. Maybe I should start by buying more loaf pans. 🙂
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Banana and Choc combo…one of my favorites! So smart to bake in bulk….it makes the enjoyment of eating those delicious looking breads last longer.
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Makes me want to preheat the oven!
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Oh, what a wonderful post! I have bananas that have been in the freezer for probably too long, just to do this very thing. Thanks for posting on Melissa’s blog, I may never have found you. I’ll definitely be back!
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I prefer to buy basic ingredients in bulk including flour and sugar. I have a lot of bananas right now and somehow my kids stopped eating them. I should do some mass baking this afternoon.
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Jen Reply:
February 8th, 2014 at 6:18 pm
Go for it and freeze the extras. 🙂
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Hi! I doubled this last night and it was super dry. It was almost a bread consistency before I mixed in the banana’s. The banana’s did help to loosen it a bit. I think it was the whole wheat. Is there any additional liquid that I’m missing? I also made a different recipe for applesauce bread who’s recipe was close to your except it used all white flour and it came it moister. Thanks
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Jen Reply:
March 13th, 2018 at 2:47 pm
Hmm, so sorry to hear that. I haven’t had that happen, but I’ll double check again.
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