Bananarama

I left a couple of bananas on my kitchen counter the other day and the current heat and humidity in Washington, DC ripened them so fast that in two days they were too mushy for my cereal.  I'm not one to throw food away, so I found my trusty banana bread recipe and baked them into golden goodness!

 

This banana bread recipe below is from Martha Stewart's best-selling book, Entertaining, and I highly recommend making it and having it on hand for a quick breakfast.  I once tried the recipe as muffins and they were okay but the recipe is more delicious cooked in a loaf pan as bread.

 

 

 

When you are grieving, or under a lot of stress, it is so important for you to begin the day with breakfast.  Even if you find you have temporarily lost your appetite, this banana bread, perhaps with some yogurt, is easy to digest.  Bananas are high in potassium which is important in regulating blood pressure and keeping your muscles healthy.  Plus bananas are low in calories.

We can't stop life from handing us tough emotional times but we can control what we do for ourselves.

 

You may be having trouble sleeping or finding it hard to concentrate for long periods of times.  A balanced diet, rest, and moderate exercise could help to give you some structure and guide you towards slowly processing your raw emotions.  It is not a small thing to take care of yourself and learn how to keep yourself on a healthy track.

 

I hope you like this bread as much as my son and I do:

 

Martha Stewart's Banana Bread

 

1 large loaf or 4 small loaves

 

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar (I use less sugar, sometimes almost halving the amount)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (usually 2)

1/2 cup sour cream (I use low fat)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (these are optional; I leave them out)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Cream butter, sugar and eggs.

 

Sift the dry ingredients and combine with the butter mixture.

Blend well.  Add the bananas, sour cream and vanilla; stir well.

Stir in the nuts if you wish and pour into a well buttered 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan or several smaller pans.

 

Bake 1 hour.  Turn out onto a rack to cool.