Classic Banana Bread

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you are as excited about a fresh new 2018 as I am! 

I’ve never been a huge New Years person, honestly. I don’t put much stock in resolutions; we all know they are just meant to be broken. They are wishes brought on by a very human desire for renewal and change but most often broken by human frailty and those same desires that brought them about in the first place.  In theory resolutions are great, but they never seem to pack the power punch of change we all want them to. So we all tend to drag ourselves into February with the same defeated pit in our stomachs that we had the year before. Wanting change, but feeling like we failed at it BIG TIME.  So, yea, resolutions not my thing. 

But this year, Wow. This year I have been aching for 2018 for months, and I would venture to guess I am not alone. 2017 was just the worst for so many people. It was the pits in so many ways. I have seen people very close to me struggle this year. I’ve seen friends near and dear go through job loss, marriage struggles, infertility, sickness, death, and issues with aging parents. That’s not even to mention the over-arching political and societal strife our country has seen. Bring that into the equation and 2017 reeks of despair and unrest across the board. 

Maybe 2017 was God quietly tapping us on the shoulder. Maybe 2017 was God saying to us all, “you’re doing it wrong.”

And maybe it’s time we took stock and realized that maybe, just maybe, He’s right. 

Before I get a ton of hate mail and controversy I will say that I realize that God is not actually tapping anyone on the shoulder and saying this. I realize that most of us are very good people that didn’t deserve any of the stuff that rained down this year. And I also realize that this is probably a figment of my very overactive imagination. But yet, do you think we don’t deserve it, maybe just a little? What with our materialism, selfishness, idolatry, impatience, vanity, entitlement, anger and road rage it’s not warranted at all to sit back and take stock of how we’re living? And, people, this is just my list of transgressions on a regular old Tuesday I’m talking about. 

Maybe 2017 wasn’t God tapping us all on the shoulder, but, man, for me, it was. And thank God that it was His plan that I would finally listen. Thank God that in Him “the old has gone and the new is here.”Thank God that this year we can rebuild with the right foundation, the right cornerstone and the right plan. Faith to move forward not according to what I want and what I think is best, but according to His plan and His guidance. Because with that faith comes peace that I have never felt before.

 Peace to know that I am doing what I’m supposed to be doing. That this work matters. That all of the plans I made for myself before meant nothing if they weren’t rooted in Him. And that’s ok. Because all of those failed plans laid the groundwork for what He has in store for me now.  

And wow…..just WOW does that make 2018 exciting. 

So with that excitement in mind I changed my tune on resolutions this year. I’m not going to call them resolutions, though. That’s just asking for failure. I’m going to call these my 2018 life tenets. I plan on using these four concepts to shape how I approach everything this year. in 2018 I plan to live BIG, not just survive. And these tenets are the foundation necessary to live that BIG out in a way that feels true to me. And I can’t wait to live these out with each and every one of you. I can’t wait to share all of them with you, friends! 

Yes, in 2018 my life tenets are big. They’re scary. But they’re awesome, too. And I’m so excited. This year I plan to serve, share, grow and love alongside each and every one of you. My life and this blog will be shaped by these tenets in every way, and I plan on sharing more of the HOW in the upcoming weeks. For now, my desire is for God to speak through each and every one of my posts. For new life to sprout from my words and for His love to show through everything I do. 

As for this blog, well, I started it in 2017 on a whim. I had no real plans past wanting to share my love for food and words with others. I had no expectations at all for success. I figured that my parents would love it and maybe a few friends would read it and give me a like here and there. But WOAH. No expectations I ever could have had would live up to what it’s become. Because it’s actually been a success. The response and reaction to my recipes, words, and ideas has blown me away. All praise be to God, this blog has blown up and blown me away with its reach. God sure does know the plans He has for us because I never would have imagined what would have happened with a little blog named after BurntToast. 

So in 2018 I have big things planned here at BurntToast. I plan to share more of myself each and every day. More than I’ve felt comfortable with in the past (Hello. I hate selfies so y’all have barely even seen my face!). I have fun collaborations planned and recipes that will (hopefully) blow your mind and get you excited about cooking real food for your families this year. I plan to grow a community and I can’t wait to take this journey with y’all. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for walking the path and supporting me thus far. It’s been a joy to hear your feedback, get your emails and see my food on your tables. So please, don’t be shy! BurntToast is nothing without you. Send me your thoughts, wants, dreams and desires for 2018. Let me know what you want to see more of, less of, or anywhere in between. Share your success and failures. Want me to work on a recipe dream you’ve always had? Let me know and I’ll give it a shot. Something on your mind you want BurntToast to talk about? Say the word and I’m on it.

2018 is going to be BIG, friends. And I’m so excited for you to take part in my journey! 

And to kick this thing off right, friends, I wanted to share a humble recipe for you to make this new year.  It’s a recipe foundation, a perfect staple for 2018; one you can take in so many different directions but also one that’s lovely just the way it is. Here I took a basic banana bread recipe and changed it just a bit. Giving it a health boost from coconut oil instead of butter, the addition of the superfood combo LSA (recipe here), and a delicious balance of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. Play around with this recipe to get it where you want it. Want a lighter bread, sub out the whole wheat flour. Have kids that need chocolate in every meal? Add in chocolate chips. No coconut oil, applesauce makes a great sub and so does plain old melted butter. This recipe is fluid and simple, meant to be adapted.  Much like 2018, don’t you think?

Classic Banana Bread

March 4, 2020

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By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas, peeled
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sugar (3/4 cup if you like sweeter bread)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon LSA (recipe in Midlife Kitchen Chocolate Cherry Oats post)

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 4×8 inch loaf pan.
• Step 2 In a mixing bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher (or fork). Stir in the melted coconut oil.
• Step 3 Sprinkle in the baking soda and salt. Then stir in the egg, vanilla and sugar. Mix in the flours and stir to combine (being careful not to overmix. That creates a tough bread)
• Step 4 Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, checking at 35 minutes with a toothpick. If it comes out clean in the center, the bread is done.
• Step 5 Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes in the pan. Remove from pan and let cool the rest of the way.
• Step 6 Serve topped with butter or whipped cream. Will last in the refrigerator for up 3-4 days. Believe it or not, it gets better the longer it sits!

Classic Banana Bread

March 4, 2020

Print This

By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas, peeled
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup sugar (use 1/2 cup if you like it less sweet)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon LSA (recipe found in Midlife Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal post)

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly butter a 4×8 loaf pan.
• Step 2 In a large mixing bowl, lightly mash the bananas with a potato masher (or fork).
• Step 3 Mix in the melted coconut oil until combined.
• Step 4 Sprinkle in the baking soda and salt.
• Step 5 Stir in the egg, vanilla and sugar.
• Step 6 Sprinkle in the flour and mix well to combine, being careful not to overmix, which creates a tougher bread.
• Step 7 Pour into loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. Use tester (toothpick) to check for doneness. If it comes out clean, it’s finished.
• Step 8 Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove to cooling rack and let rest until completely cooled.
• Step 9 Serve with butter or whipped cream.
• Step 10 Believe it or not, it gets better the longer it rests. Can be kept in fridge for up to 4 days.

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