Healthy Coconut Banana Bread

I love eating treats for breakfast. Cookies, bars, breads. Waking up knowing there is something awesome upstairs waiting for me in the kitchen makes me so happy! It is something to look forward to...like a little private holiday that only I am celebrating. Sure, I could wait until lunch to indulge, but I don't. It is a bad habit. Recently though, I read that having something sweet after breakfast can curb cravings later in the day. Now that is a healthy eating tip I can get behind! So, I had to come up with something I could feel good about eating in the morning. Enter Coconut Banana Bread!

This Healthier Coconut Banana Bread is roughly based on my Best Banana Bread. However, I switched it up and I feel great about it. Coconut oil replaces the butter and gives great flavor. I added desiccated coconut, (that stuff you see sprinkled all over smoothie bowls), that I got at Sprouts. I used a combination of white and whole wheat flour to prevent the bread from being too heavy. But the best substitution is getting rid of the sugar! No white sugar in this bread! Just 1/4 cup honey, combined with ripe bananas and some yogurt, is enough to keep this bread sweet. Scoff if you will, but I'm being honest!

Tasty and moist, this Coconut Banana Bread has a great texture and is just sweet enough to to start my day off happy. Or to stave off my late-afternoon sugar cravings. I like to top it with Earth Balance Coconut Peanut spread at breakfast. I love happy, healthier mornings!

Healthy Coconut Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil, softened
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 large bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
• 2 cups wheat flour (or 1 cup white, 1 cup wheat)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare an 8" loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl cream together the coconut oil, honey, mashed bananas, eggs and yogurt. 
3. Mix in flours soda, powder, salt and coconut until just combined. Pour into loaf pan.
4. Bake until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean, about 40 minutes. 
5. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan continue cooling on cooling rack. 

Bake the bread. Share the slices.