Diabetic Friendly Banana Quick Bread and Some Outfits

 Another post of something I made before catching cold. 

Early on in learning to cook/bake for a diabetic I thought bananas would be off the menu as they contain too much starch. Turns out, that's not true and as part of a reasonable diet, they can be enjoyed. Problem is, they get ripe quicker than Mr. ETB can eat them. Dan won't eat a plain banana, but baked he will. Now, how to make banana bread more diabetic friendly? 

I wanted to try making one that didn't include any carbohydrate heavy flour (although I have used both whole wheat and buckwheat successfully in quick breads), so I gave it a try entirely with finely ground almond flour. Because I am baking for a diabetic, I used Swerve sugar replacement but if that isn't an issue for you feel free to use brown sugar, honey, agave syrup, etc. Bananas are already somewhat sweet by the time they're over-ripe enough to require baking, so use what feels right to you. I haven't tried this with egg replacer but as it depends on whipped eggs for some lightness it might be a good place to try out aquafaba (bean liquid). Again, I haven't done that, so you're experimenting alone . Do let me know if you try it though. 

When the bread comes out of the oven it feels soft to the point of collapse, so definitely give it some time to cool in the pan and firm up a bit before removing it to a rack for complete cooling. 

You Will Need:

1/4 cup corn oil (or any other neutral oil you prefer)

1/3 cup Swerve brown sugar replacement

4 large eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (about, you don't need to be exact) roughly mashed bananas

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon or mixed spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups fine ground almond flour (you don't want the one called, "almond meal" as it will be too heavy).

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a sandwich loaf pan with parchment or grease and flour. An 8-9 inch pan is best, but if all you have is a larger one, go for it, your loaf will just be shorter. Only small pans? Use two. I'm a flexible baker. Did you know you could even use a casserole dish, or a soufflé dish? Oven-proof pot? Yep, you can use that too. Baking times are approximate anyway, so it is a good habit to check your baking as it goes. 

In a big bowl, combine the oil and sugar. If you're using Swerve it won't break up and dissolve like regular sugar but don't panic-it will all get mixed in and melted in the baking. Dump the eggs in all at once and with a hand mixer (or a strong arm) beat on high until the eggs are lighter and everything starts to look a bit thicker. It doesn't need to ribbon, but get it good and mixed up as this will give the loaf volume.

Beat in the bananas, baking powder, baking soda. spices, salt, and vanilla extract. With a wooden spoon, gently mix in the almond flour. Somewhere between stirring and folding, but be gentle with it.

Pour your batter into the pans and bake about an hour depending on the size of your pan. It will look darker than a regular banana bread because of the almond flour, but you still need to test it with a toothpick to see if it is too wet inside. If it is browning too much for your tastes, cover it lightly with a sheet of foil as it finishes baking. 

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan to a rack if you used butter and flour on the pan, otherwise lift the parchment lined loaf out to a rack, and cool completely before slicing. Store tightly wrapped in wax paper. 

This lasted about three days at room temperature because they ate it all! Makes a great breakfast with cream cheese or the non-dairy variety. Tightly wrapped it should last even longer given how much oil and fruit is in it. If you like very thin slices, chill the loaf first, then warm up the slices on a plate at room temperature. I find a serrated knife makes easy work of slicing a soft quick bread. 

Now that everyone's fed, I have a couple of outfits to share. Standard Content Warning about illness and weight loss, so feel free to click away if that's best for you. I want you to feel safe at my blog, so head's up. 

I bought this skirt about a year ago, but rarely wear it because it is so heavy. That rules out summer wear, which is when I tend to appreciate this sort of style. The weather and wardrobe gods got themselves aligned this week and I was able to wear this spectacular piece. 

The eagle-eyed might notice I'm wearing a pair of house shoes colloquially referred to as, "Scuffs." These are by slipper maker Daniel Green, beloved of nanas and nursing home residents across America. It wasn't always so. Vintage Daniel Green slippers are often adorned with feathers, satin, and could "almost" pass for shoes. During the war when shoes were rationed and slippers were not, many a bride walked down the aisle in a pair of Daniel Green's (and then wore them to the reception). These were unworn when I found them in the thrift store, but they're not vintage. My vintage gold scuffs finally bit the dust a couple of years ago. They're very comfortable, and sturdy. I'm not being compensated by the company, but I do love their products. I would even splash out to buy these new. 

The chain link belt was something I bought new around 1980 at The Limited. A belt like that never really goes out of style, though at the time I think it was trying to be retro for the 60s. The handbag was thrifted, though I've long since forgotten where. 

Both the skirt and the boots are recent finds, and the first wear for both. The wool cardigan gets worn year after year, but is also thrifted. 

The boots were in good condition. At some point I might want to get better insoles, but so far they're comfortable. They're leather, and well made. 

There's a better look at the cardigan, though I had to over-expose the photo to show the details. Black is so hard to photograph. 

A cherry print skirt that isn't horribly twee is a rarity, so I  grabbed it. It is a bit big (okay, about two sizes too big) but between pinning the waist and a belt, I don't think it is obvious. I'm hoping I'll eventually grow back into it. 

I brought out the cherry brooch for an odd off-season wearing. I also put on some lipstick and attempted to style what's left of my hair. Not too bad, if I don't say so myself.

I'm off to the dentist tomorrow, and while I don't expect too much issue from the tooth (it needs a crown) I'm always a bit leery of being leaned backwards for an hour as it seems to set my dizziness/nausea stuff into gear. I don't have much else planned for the next couple of days, just to be safe. 

Dan took his exams today and said it felt like it went well. He won't know the results for a few weeks, but fingers crossed it all went as well as he thinks. Now he needs to focus on finishing out the rest of the year. 

We're expecting snow (again) tomorrow, but I'm going guess it won't stick around long at this time of year. That's my hope anyway. 

See you next time.