Pumpkin Banana Bread with Pepitas & Dried Cranberries

 Crunchy pepitas & dried cranberries lend a little crunch and tart sweetness to this moist (and healthy-ish!) Pumpkin Banana Bread...

My most favorite time of the year has finally arrived here in Erie, Pennsylvania- fall!  I have to admit that when we first decided to move here a couple of months ago, I had a few reservations about living here.

Yes- my fiance, my daughter, and I would be hours from our hometowns and families. And we would have to adjust from life in our small hometown to living close to a bigger city (which actually wasn't all that difficult to do! ;) ). 

But one thing that caused me a bit more apprehension than maybe it would the average person was this question- what would the autumn season be like this much further north? Would I still get to see and enjoy the fall colors, crisp weather, and fun fall activities that I had come to love in my home state of West Virginia?

And let me be the first to tell you all- the fall foliage here is simply amazing! And the weather? It definitely has its moments (like the 3-4 days straight of non-stop downpours when it rains- yay, lake effect!), but all in all, I have been enjoying the cooler temps here since I get to don my favorite fall sweaters, hoodies, and boots just a little earlier than normal.

Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread

This homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread is chock full of toasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate chunks. But the best part of this banana bread just might be the swirl of chocolate hazelnut spread baked right into each slice...

I know the first official day of fall is just right around the corner, and that probably means I should be sharing something pumpkin spice or apple... but you know what? It's 2020, so anything goes! ;) 

So instead of diving head first into all of those fall flavors, I am going to go all chocolate and hazelnut on you all first.

I mean, is it even possible to go wrong with that flavor combo no matter which season of the year that it happens to be at the moment anyways? 

This homemade banana bread is chock full of toasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate chunks. And don't even get me started on that swirl of chocolate hazel spread (aka, Nutella) baked right into each and every slice.

A slice of this Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread pairs perfectly with that morning cup of coffee, a cold glass of milk in the afternoon, or while sipping on your favorite whiskey in the evening....

Healthy Carrot Cake Banana Bread

This moist Healthy Carrot Cake Banana Bread with it's vanilla yogurt glaze only tastes like a decadent treat...

I am going to let you all in on a little secret right from the get-go- this Healthy Carrot Cake Banana Bread doesn't taste healthy at all.  It actually tastes like a decadent treat. If you can imagine what it would taste like if moist banana bread and homemade carrot cake had a baby, then that is exactly what this banana bread tastes like. ;)

It is chock full of the good stuff- like shredded fresh carrots, ripe bananas, coconut oil, and nonfat vanilla yogurt. This bread is so moist that you would have no idea that there is whole wheat flour in it. 

I always like to sneak in a little extra of the whole grains whenever I am baking.  About 99% of the time, that little bit of whole wheat flour goes unnoticed by my picky eating guys. 

Traditional carrot cake is usually topped with a cream cheese frosting, but that can add up to extra unnecessary calories and fat grams pretty quickly. By making a quick glaze with tangy and sweet nonfat vanilla yogurt, you can sort of trick your taste buds into thinking you are enjoy a slice of homemade cake carrot with a decadent cream cheese icing... ;)

Swirly Cinnamon Banana Bread

Good morning, friends! You all are going to love Danielle from Busy Mom's Helper, and I am so happy to have her here on Frugal Foodie Mama today sharing her recipe for this Swirly Cinnamon Banana Bread. :) If a cinnamon roll and banana bread had a baby, it would pretty much be this recipe right here...

Hey, Y'all! I'm Danielle from over at Busy Mom's Helper, and I'm so excited to be taking over Carrie's blog today (in the nicest way)! Although I originally was going to share a different recipe, our ripened-faster-than-we-could-blink bananas had their own agenda. And what's the best thing to do with overripe bananas? Bread, of course! But this is a step BEYOND the norm...Swirly Cinnamon Banana Bread!   

Hubby was so excited when I mentioned making this (he was about to throw those dang bananas out...how dare he!). And guess what? The entire loaf didn't even last three hours. Yes, we shared with the kids (a little), but the rest we just downed ourselves. Yup, it's that good!   I mean, just look at that cinnamon swirly! 

Pina Colada Banana Bread with a Buttered Rum Glaze

This incredibly moist & decadent Pina Colada Banana Bread with a Buttered Rum Glaze is a must-make boozy treat...

The first part of the year (aka, what we bloggers deem the first quarter) is usually the slowest time of the year as far as new work for bloggers goes. But I have been putting that "extra" free time to good use by updating some of my most popular posts on the blog. These posts are oldies, but goodies that were in desperate need of some pretty new photos. 

This recipe for Pina Colada Banana Bread with a Hot Buttered Rum Glaze first appeared on Frugal Foodie Mama in December of 2012 and has been directly pinned from the site over 33,000 times since then! It was definitely deserving of a fresh new makeover... ;)

Strawberry Chocolate Banana Bread (Did I mention it is healthy??)

I recently (like last night) started on the Flat Belly Diet.  In honor of that, I decided to create a banana bread that would be friendly to my new diet.  (By the way, I NEVER do diets. And I am not strictly following this one. But damn, I have to get rid of this belly pooch before Puerto Rico!)  I am allowed to have strawberries. Bananas. Dark & semi-sweet chocolate (they call this a MUFA- a monounsaturated fatty acid, supposedly key to losing belly flab).  Low fat dairy. Whole grains.  So, why not a Strawberry Chocolate Banana Bread?? I was also inspired by my fave Flat Belly Diet breakfast so far- the whole wheat waffle topped with slightly melted semi-sweet chocolate chips & sliced strawberries.

So, to start- Heat your oven to 350 degrees & grease one loaf pan.  Measure out 1 cup of white flour & 1 cup of whole wheat flour. (You can do all white or all wheat if you would prefer.)  I blended the 2 flours together with a whisk.  Add 3/4 tsp of baking soda & a 1/2 tsp of salt to the flour mixture. Set aside. In a smaller bowl, cream together 3/4 cup of sugar & 3 tbsp of butter, slightly melted.  Add 1/2 cup of egg whites (I buy the carton in the grocery store- WAY easier.  You can also just use 2 whole regular eggs instead.). Mix. Next add 2 very ripe and well mashed bananas, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup of lowfat vanilla yogurt to the creamed mixture. Mix well. We are now going to add the creamed mixture to the flour mixture in thirds.  Mix well after adding each third.  Add about a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to the banana bread batter.

Now for the good stuff!  Slice about 7 medium sized strawberries.  Cut the strawberry slices in half. Toss into the batter mix.  Now measure out 3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (Or a whole cup.  I didn't see a thing. ;)).  Add the chocolate chips to the batter and stir well.

Pour the finished batter into the greased loaf pan. Bake for about 60 minutes (check it at around 45 minutes- all ovens run a little different, so you always want to check!). Make sure your loaf is done by inserting a toothpick near the center. If it comes out without any banana goo on it, then it is done (although you will most definitely get melted chocolate on the toothpick- bonus!).  Let the Strawberry Chocolate Banana Bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Gently run a butter knife around the edge of the loaf and flip upside down to release your yummy goodness. I let my loaf cool on a cutting board for about 10 minutes more before I cut into it.  Hope you all enjoy! :)