Peanut Butter Banana Bread: Making Healthier Recipes

This weekend I took a recipe I knew I liked and tweaked it to make it healthier.

My Great Grandmothers Banana Bread Recipe:

Ingredients:
3/4 cups Butter
3 cups Flour
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2  teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cup Sugar
4 Eggs
4 over-ripe Bananas
3/4 cup Walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Mix butter, eggs and sugar
Mash bananas and add salt, baking soda and vanilla
Mix everything together
Bake for 1 hour
Makes 2 loaves

Nutrient Facts:

Grandma Helen's Banana Bread Portions: 20 (2 loaves)
Limits	Amount Per Portion
Total Calories	232 Calories
Empty Calories*	99 Calories
Added Sugars	57 Calories
*Calories from food components such as added sugars and solid fats that provide little nutritional value.
Empty Calories are part of Total Calories.
Nutrients	Amount Per Portion
Protein	4 g
Carbohydrate	35 g
Dietary Fiber	1 g
Total Sugars	18 g
Added Sugars	14 g
Total Fat	9 g
Saturated Fat	3 g
Monounsaturated Fat	2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat	3 g
Cholesterol	55 mg
Minerals	Amount Per Portion
Calcium	15 mg
Potassium	140 mg
Sodium	288 mg
Copper	129 µg
Phosphorus	61 mg
Vitamins	Amount Per Portion
Vitamin A	53 µg RAE
Vitamin C	2 mg
Vitamin K	1 µg
Folate	67 µg DFE
Choline	27 mg

My Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Bread:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Unflavored Almond Milk
3 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
2  teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1  cup Brown Sugar (1/4 cup to sprinkle for crust)
6 Brown, over-ripe Bananas
1 cup Peanut Butter

Directions:
Mix everything together

Bake for 1 hour at 350
Makes 2 loaves

Nutrient Facts:

Vegan PB Banana Bread Portions: 20 (2 Loaves)
Limits	Amount Per Portion
Total Calories	213 Calories
Empty Calories*	39 Calories
Added Sugars	36 Calories
*Calories from food components such as added sugars and solid fats that provide little nutritional value.
Empty Calories are part of Total Calories.
Nutrients	Amount Per Portion
Protein	6 g
Carbohydrate	34 g
Dietary Fiber	2 g
Total Sugars	15 g
Added Sugars	9 g
Total Fat	7 g
Saturated Fat	1 g
Monounsaturated Fat	3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat	2 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Minerals	Amount Per Portion
Calcium	28 mg
Potassium	260 mg
Sodium	296 mg
Copper	290 µg
Iron	3 mg
Magnesium	63 mg
Phosphorus	71 mg
Vitamins	Amount Per Portion
Vitamin A	156 µg RAE
Vitamin C	3 mg
Vitamin E	6 mg AT
Vitamin K	0 µg
Folate	122 µg DFE
Niacin	3 mg
Choline	14 mg
www.SuperTracker.usda.gov

Analysis: By switching the butter and eggs in the original recipe for almond milk and extra bananas, my vegan version is much healthier. With fewer calories, less saturated fat and no cholesterol, my version also contains more protein, calcium and vitamin A than my great grandmothers recipe.