I tried two new things this weekend. First, I went to the park with my daughter WITHOUT my cellphone! I watched as parents pushed their kids on the swing one handed while the other hand texted. (This is usually me.) It felt liberating to have no phone.
Also new today, my daughter and I baked a banana bread recipe using coconut sugar. Dr. Oz has said that alternating coconut sugar with regular sugar is a good sweet alternative because coconut sugar’s glycemic index is 35, which puts it in the Low GI range whereas table sugar is around 60.
For those new to understanding GI, GI is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a High GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low GI foods are slowly digested and absorbed and produce gradual rises in blood sugar levels and have proven benefits for health.
My daughter helped peel the banana, mash it, pour in all the ingredients, and taste test the batter. She approved! After the banana bread cooled, we both dug in to see how coconut sugar tastes in one of our favorite sweet treats. Her exact words, “AMAZING!”
Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1/8 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- ¼ cup Greek Yogurt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients.
In a sprayed loaf pan, pour in batter and bake 25-30 minutes or until you put a fork in the middle and it comes out clean.
