The Way My Mom Makes a Healthy Banana Bread with Sunflower Seeds

Many people think that this food is outdated, but this healthy banana bread is a classic comfort food that can be easily prepared.

If you want more vitamin E in your diet, simply add some nutty sunflower seeds to this banana bread.

In case you didn’t know, half a cup of sunflower seeds provides slightly more than the full daily requirement for vitamin E.

This vitamin acts as an antioxidant that helps protect our skin and cells.

These seeds also come with many minerals, protein, and linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that is part of a heart-friendly diet.

Here you can find more about the health benefits of bananas.

As I promised, here is a healthy banana bread recipe for 20 pieces.

Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

• Half a cup of softened butter
• One teaspoon of vanilla
• 3 cups of unbleached flour
• 6 egg whites
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 cups of mashed bananas
• ½ cup of skim milk
• ¾ cup of sunflower seeds
• ½ teaspoon of grated lemon rind
• One cup of sugar (my mother does not use it, but it depends on your taste)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to about 400 F. Butter and then flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans and set them aside.
2. Put the sugar, vanilla, and butter into a large bowl and beat them together with an electric mixer. You should get a mixture with a fluffy texture. Add the egg whites carefully and beat well.
3. Mix the baking powder, flour, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Use a wire whisk and mix until the ingredients are well combined.
4. After that, add the flour mixture and the milk to the egg mixture. Mix this batter until it is smooth. Avoid over-mixing.
5. Take a spatula and use it to fold in the bananas, sunflower seeds, and lemon rind.
6. Put the batter in the prepared pans and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
7. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top becomes golden brown. Another way to check whether the bread is done is to insert a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the bread is ready. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before you serve it.

Via Rodale’s Organic Life