wellness wednesdays: whole wheat banana bread

...also known as the post where i justify eating baked goods.

i am not one for food rules. i feel like they give people unnecessary anxiety and guilt. but here is one rule that i can get behind: "eat as much junk food as you want, as long as you make it yourself." (michael pollan)

really? ok! here's the reasoning... could you (would you even want to?) make your own twinkie? or french fries? that sounds like a lot of work to me.

the theory is that as long as you're making your own junk food, you're taking the time to see where your food comes from. you're putting together whole ingredients, and you're avoiding preservatives. the bottom line: no person on this planet is going to whip out their deep fryer for every meal, every day. (ahem, i hope.) 

so, you're in the mood for banana bread? make one, but make it from scratch. as an added health bonus, throw in some whole wheat flour (go fiber!) instead of white flour, or apple sauce or plain, non-fat yogurt instead of canola or vegetable oil. 

easy, right?

without further ado, here is my delicious, wholesome, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside, i made it myself! banana bread:

ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed ripe banana
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

• directions:
  preheat oven to 325°. combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. then combine banana and yogurt in a separate small bowl. add together until moist. spoon the batter into a 9 x 5–inch greased loaf pan. bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. cool on a wire rack, and remove from pan. slice and serve warm.voila!

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now, i'd love to hear... what's your favorite home-made junk food? and do you have any other genius, healthy baking substitutes?

wellness wednesdays.

something happened when i turned thirty. 

out of nowhere, i started craving more exercise in addition to yoga, (running! dancing! biking!) and i really wanted to sweat. i also began noticing just how icky i felt after eating certain foods. (for instance, i can't stomach fried food anymore. it's actually rather sad.)

so, today i'm excited to start a new series on the blog called wellness wednesdays, where i will share little tidbits about health, recipes, fitness (including yoga), self-care and more. 

believe me when i say, i know how hard it is to eat right, move our bodies, and take care of ourselves when there are a million other things to do. (i mean, seriously... we're supposed to be flossing too?) so, how can we balance wellness with all of the other demands in our lives?
 
my goal is to focus on the little things. 

this series will not be about running marathons (although i do think that's cool) or becoming a vegan (also cool). but it will be about manageable, inventive and fun ways to stay healthy involving smoothies, spontaneous dance parties, organic wine, raw nuts, spas, kale, and moderation. 

is there anything in particular you'd love to hear about? please let me know. next week i'm going to kick off the series with a healthy banana bread recipe. woo! xo.

(photo credit: racchell)