Greek Yogurt Banana Bread Recipe

Mornings are HARD in our house.

Not because our kids like to “sleep in”. They don’t. They are up at 6:30 every morning. (Even weekends…)

Mornings are HARD because Hubs and I are usually trying to do 95 things in addition to herding the cats (that’s my phrase for trying to get my kids to put on clothes, eat breakfast, brush teeth, get backpack ready, and shoes on) before school.

Unfortunately, breakfast takes a back seat in the chaos. I wish I could say that I’m “that mom” who makes her kids eggs, sausage and pancakes with fresh squeezed orange juice every morning. In reality, I’m “that mom” who serves cold cereal without any milk because the stuff in the fridge has gone bad and there isn’t any more.

With that being said, we do have breakfast EVERY single morning. I realize how important it is to give my kids the best opportunity to learn in their classrooms. In fact the National Dairy Council and Midwest Dairy released a study siting the importance of quality nutrition to improved academic performance.

So, I took the opportunity to revamp one of my kids favorite breakfast items, Best Banana Bread, and make it healthier by limiting the sugar and butter and adding some protein and fiber with wheat graham flour, oat bran, and greek yogurt (which are essential nutrients for healthy body function.)

The verdict…the kids couldn’t even tell that it was “healthier” than the original.

Score one for mom and for breakfast.

Greek Yogurt Banana Bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
6 bananas, mashed or blended in your food processor
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1.25 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat graham flour
1/4 cup oat bran
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
3/4 cup chopped nuts, optional

PS: Brown bananas work best. So either stick overripe ones in the freezer till you are ready or quicken the process by putting yellow bananas in the fridge. And don’t skimp on the bananas….do six. You’ll thank me later.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans.
2. Cream butter and sugar thoroughly.
3. Add bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well.
4. Sift baking soda, salt, bran and flours together.
5. Stir it into the banana mixture. Add greek yogurt. Mix till it becomes a consistent color.
6. Add nuts and mix well.
7. Pour into floured/greased loaf pans.
8. Bake at 325 for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
9. Let bread cool for 15 minutes in pan before turning it out on cooling rack to cool completely.

Mornings before school can be hectic. How do you find time for your family to eat breakfast? Do you have any tips you can share on how to make the most important meal of the day easy? Are you looking for more dairy recipes? Make sure to sign up for the Dairy Makes Sense Newsletter.

Disclosure: I am partnering in a compensated capacity with Midwest Dairy Association to create recipes and share information about the importance of a national dairy month. As always, all opinions expressed are entirely my own. Want more information – check out my Disclosure Statement.