Today is National Banana Bread Day!

My family enjoys banana bread . . . for good reason; banana bread  tends to be moist, soft, and flavorful . . . in short, it is a tasty treat for sure! So, when I discovered it is "National Banana Bread Day", I had to share this bit of news with you! Nationaltoday (dot) com says, "Money was so tight during the Great Depression that people refused to throw away rotten food — thus ushering in the era of overly ripe bananas in banana bread." Here are some fun facts about banana bread - did you know . . .

• It is heart healthy. Thanks to its star ingredient, banana bread helps to normalize blood pressure and regulate heart function because of potassium.
• In the early 1900's thanks to the invention of refrigeration techniques, transporting bananas to the U.S. became much easier.
• It's estimated that the average American eats around 30 pounds of bananas per year!
• No need to wait for yeast to rise when making banana bread. Thanks to baking soda and baking powder, most banana bread recipes only take about an hour from start to finish.
• Due to the high potassium content, bananas have a slight amount of radioactivity.
• No matter what time of year it is, enjoying a piece of banana bread fills us with instant feelings of comfort and joy.
• The great debate of nuts vs. no nuts in desserts is alive and well when it comes to discussing the best banana bread recipes. They can differ in so many other ways, though. We like to think of banana bread as snowflakes; no two loaves are exactly the same.

You will find more information about banana bread at this link.

I'm happy to share with you my favorite banana bread recipe . . . 

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana - five medium
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup oil

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of bread pan and set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, oats, powder, soda, salt and cinnamon - set aside. In a medium  bowl, combine eggs, bananas, sugar and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture and stir until moistened - still should be lumpy. Pour into pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan, cool completely and enjoy! If you - like me have someone in your family who needs gluten-free baked good, use a 1:1 gluten free flour and gluten free oats. You are also free to add some blueberries if you like for extra tastiness!

I have two loafs of banana bread in my oven right now - one is gluten free for family members who need this. Do you plan to make banana bread today?

You will find more information about National Banana Bread Day at this link.