With four children and two very opinionated adults, there aren't too many food preferences we all agree upon. Some like their cookies mushy and some like them crisp. Some like tofu burgers and some like the real beef stuff.  Some like red apples and some like green.

It's a challenge to cook healthy meals when there are so many different opinions. In fact, I consider it a good night if I can get away with just two main courses and two sides. Last night, for example, the kids ate tuna casserole and raw veggies, and I had tofu chili, brown rice, and roasted string beans. (My husband was happy to eat a little bit of everything.)


But there's one food where all those different opinions are actually a blessing. Bananas. I like them with some green striping, about two days away from yellow. My daughter Sarah likes them pure yellow, with neither a hint of green nor brown. Yaakov Yosef and Malkie like them with just a bit of brown speckling. Baby Zipora loves them full of polka dots. And once they get too brown for Zipora, we are all perfectly happy to eat them pureed and baked into muffins and quick breads. Aren't we a loving family?

This is my very favorite thing to do with bananas because it is Super easy, Super Yummy, and quite healthy. Mollie Katzen comes through again! 

Submitting this for Weekend Bloggy Reading. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Protein Bread from Sunlight Cafe
Use whole wheat pastry  flour if you prefer, and substitute walnuts for the chocolate chips  for a purely healthy experience that still feels indulgent. I have simplified the original version just a bit, so you can actually mix everything in one bowl! This is one of the few recipes I make where the oven doesn't even have a chance to get heated up while I'm prepping the batter. How great is that?

4-5 very ripe bananas, peeled
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons canola oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3-1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
1 cup white flour
1 cup plain soy protein powder
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350*. Place the bananas in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, and mix on medium speed till well mashed. 

Add the eggs, vanilla, and oil. Mix for a minute or two till combined. 

Add the sugar, salt, and baking powder and mix for another minute or two. 

Add the flours and mix very briefly just till combined. Don't overmix. 

Add the chocolate chips and mix briefly again. 

Transfer the batter to a standard size loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in the center of the oven for about 50-55 minutes, until the top is a nice golden brown. Cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan and cooling on a rack. 

Also note that these freeze really well. I slice the bread and wrap it individual bits of saran wrap. This way we can defrost individual slices as we want them.