Banana Oatmeal Bread (low-fat)

I know, I know, low-fat baked goods sound like an impossibility. But the thing is,they don't always have to taste  "low-fat", and I found that to be true when looking for  a new banana bread recipe this weekend. I already have a few tried and true recipes for everyone's favorite quick bread, but I stumbled upon this one on the adorable blog Joy the Baker and thought I'd give it a shot. She adapted it from the Weight Watchers website, and I adapted it from her, and round and round it goes. It may be sweater weather, but any chance I get to make a lighter, healthier version of something, the more of it you can eat, right?

Oatmeal Banana Bread (low-fat)

- 1  cup all-purpose flour

-1/4 cup whole wheat flour

- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

- 1/2 tsp  salt

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 t. nutmeg

-1/2 t. ginger

-1/2 cup apple sauce

- 3 tsp canola or walnut  oil

- 1 large egg, beaten

- 2 medium egg whites, beaten

- 3 large bananas, ripe

- 1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients including the oats and cinnamon.

In a smaller bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher or fork. Add oil, apple sauce and whole egg and mix thoroughly.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.  Batter will be fairly thick.

In a medium sized bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until medium stiff peaks form.  Fold the egg whites into the batter in three additions.

Pour batter into pan and bake until top of loaf is firm to touch, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Flip out and cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes. Slice loaf into 10 equally sized slices.

*adapted from the Weight Watchers site,

makes 1 loaf  of  10 slices, 4 points per slice.

I added applesauce, nutmeg and ginger, and I just didn't trust it would be moist enough, and I  thought the flavor was really good. This recipe is unlike any banana bread I've ever had, it tasted chewy and healthy. A very different flavor from your standard banana bread.

I put some honey on it and warmed them up, always a nice touch. I also made them in muffin tins, because it cooks faster and I wanted to give some away, so that makes it easier to just stick some in a bag.

This is a good one to add to the banana bread rotation. I probably won't make this   all the time, but it's a  healthy and different recipe that satisfies your comfort food and sweet tooth craving while sparing your waist-line.Unless you eat the whole batch, then you're screwed anyway. Enjoy!