one bowl fudgy chocolate banana bread

January continues to roll on and for many that means looking for healthier options after the indulgence of the holiday season.  I look at three primary things when I look to create healthier versions of recipes: 1) sweetener; 2) fat/oil; 3) flour/grain/starch.  Banana bread is one of my favorite things to bake and modify for all sorts of tastes and preferences. The beauty of banana bread is that over ripe bananas provide a natural sweetness so it's a great recipe to use less sugar or go refined sugar free, as I did in this recipe.  The bananas also keep the recipe moist and bring a naturally fudgy texture when combined with chocolate so the recipe doesn't need a ton of fat. And finally, the options for types of flours are practically endless and a super easy way to increase the nutritional value of a recipe by using something other than regular white flour.  Beware that I'm not knocking white flour because I love baking from scratch with it, but reducing its use and adding more balance with more nutrient dense options on occasion is something I like to do to create a healthier lifestyle, and I promise that these changes are not sacrificing flavor or texture.

This week's recipe is also kind to your dishes because you can complete it start to finish with one bowl.  No mixer required.  I just used some good old fashioned elbow grease to mix it up, pour, bake and done!  The little Sunday Bakers loved it and I'd be completely comfortable using this for breakfast for them (if there was any left) because it's refined sugar free (minus any sugar in the chocolate chips), uses spelt flour to add a nutritional boost, and low fat yogurt instead of oil.  A quick loaf of this whipped up on a Sunday could solve our breakfast problems for the school week.  

One Bowl Fudgy Chocolate Banana Bread

Ingredients
-3 ripe bananas
-2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/4 cup maple syrup
-2 TBS + 4 tsp Truvia (using the conversion guide on the back of the container)
-3/4 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
-2 cups spelt flour
-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
-2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup chocolate chips + a small handful for sprinkling

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9" loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.  In a large bowl, mix together the bananas, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup, Truvia and yogurt until all combined and smooth.  Add in the remainder of the dry ingredients, except the chocolate chips, and mix by hand until fully incorporated.  Make sure to get your spoon or spatula to the bottom of the bowl and bring up and mix any batter on the bottom of the bowl.  When batter is fully mixed together, add in 1 cup of chocolate chips and fold into the batter.  Pour the batter into the 9" loaf pan, sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted to the middle of the load comes out clean (oven times may vary).  Allow to cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes, remove from the pan, slice and enjoy!