Healthy Peach Banana Bread |Cooking With Amanda

Carpool.

Is it just me or do even the shortest car rides require snacks and drinks?

When I used to commute I was always well-prepared in the car. Coffee? Check. Water? Check. Snacks? Check check.

My morning drives now are much more reasonable - maybe 20 minutes round trip, but I still find myself gathering goodies as I head down the stairs. Coffee is a must for me. Water is always thrown in my bag somewhere. And since mornings are hectic, but I still like to make sure I eat something, I always have a grab-n-go treat ready to eat on the fly. Sometimes it's muffins, like these apple carrot great grain muffins. Sometimes it's fruit.

Lately though, I have been loving this healthy peach banana bread.

I based this recipe on the very first quick bread I learned how to make when I was about 9. It's a classic and the base lends itself well to healthy substitutions. I swapped applesauce and peaches for butter. Then I added oats and a blend of whole wheat and all purpose flours.

You might be wondering why I opted not to go all-in with the whole wheat flour? And besides taste + texture I have a great reason: using all whole wheat flour can sometimes make breads (especially quick breads like this) too dense. It doesn't rise properly and you end up with a bread brick instead of a moist fruit-filled treat. So I used whole wheat and oats, plus some all purpose for fluff. It works well.

If peaches are not in season in your area, you can opt for frozen (just thaw a little before hand). I've even used 1/2 cup of blueberries in this recipe -- the results were still delicious. You can add nuts for extra protein (and crunch).

This banana bread makes for the perfect grab-n-go breakfast. It's totally delicious and basically guilt-free. Less than 100 calories per slice? I'll take that.

Quick breads are our favorite kind! Don't miss Kristy's almond bread and Kate's sweet potato bread too.

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Healthy Peach Banana Bread Recipe

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Ingredients

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 medium peach, peeled and chopped
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 8 X 4" loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl whisk together the applesauce and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peaches and then add the eggs one at a time, stirring well between each addition. Add the bananas and oats and stir for another minute.
All at once add the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until everything is just combined, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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