Banana Bread Recipe with Pumpkin Seeds

A box of bananas goes a long way when baking!

#KitchenWithAHouseAttached

A friend gave me a box of overripe bananas. I can't tell you how happy this girl was. I love to cook and bake especially since moving into my cute little house. I went five years without a kitchen. During that time, I use a microwave, two-eye burner, toaster over, and sever crockpots! Yup, ask my friends...I was the Crockpot Queen and could absolutely cook anything in those crockpots. I was challenged one year to make the whole Thanksgiving dinner including dessert in the crockpots and I succeeded. However, when I moved, I sold all of them, keeping one that I found stored and it belonged to my mother. When my Sunday School teacher asked me what I wanted her to pray for as I was looking to relocate, I asked her to pray for a kitchen with a house attached. I am a happy girl, but then, it don't take much. Bananas are proof of that. So, when life gives you bananas, what do you do? Make banana bread, banana muffins, banana pancakes and frozen bananas for smoothies! 

The recipe for this banana bread is in another blog post, but I pour the batter into loaf pans instead of a skillet, skip the chocolate chips and top the loaves with roasted pumpkin seeds, shelled. I spray the baking pans with cooking spray. I don't use oil or butter. I do have butter listed in the recipe, but I always use applesauce. Little things like this save calories and the gluten-free factor gives better endurance and lessens body inflammation. I have a friend that likes hot peppers in her banana bread. I made the mistake of laying out a loaf from the freezer for her and a regular recipe loaf for our neighbor. Garrett took the "hot" loaf to the neighbor! Oh dear, goodness...so lesson learned...label carefully especially if you use nuts in your baking. 

I hope you enjoy your kitchen and be thankful for every inch of it. When one doesn't have one, it gives an opportunity to complain and whine or look at it as an adventure of creativity. I turned my challenges into victories and thanksgivings. When there seems to be no light in your moments of time, remember the choices you make because victory is baking. Hope will rise. 

Hugs, Rita