Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Doug's Nuts

Banana bread, anybody? How about banana bread with peanut butter? It's definitely less messy than a sandwich! This recipe isn't unique at all, and it's an adaption from a Cooking Light recipe, but you should make it because it's a very tender and flavorful quick bread.

Besides having peanut butter on the brain, I wanted to incorporate the supply of Doug's Nuts I received yesterday into a baked good. I'm working with Doug's Nuts on an upcoming project, so I'm going to talk a little bit about them for a second.

Their carefully selected nuts and seeds are delicious, crunchy and addictive. It didn't help that I started eating them immediately after a run, which led to me eating half a bag. The flavorful glaze consists of organic evaporated sugarcane juice, honey, oatmeal stout beer, sea salt, organic vanilla extract, and other natural flavors. The glaze coats a wonderful blend of roasted almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, and pumpkin seeds. Unlike other mixed nuts that are filled with an excess of peanuts, there was a fairly equal amount of each in both the packages I received.

Back to the bread. Half of the chopped nuts are sprinkled onto the center of the loaf, and the rest are sprinkled on top.

The loaf comes out tall and browned. Once it cools, a peanut butter glaze is drizzled on top. I expected a thicker glaze, but it turned out for the best since it didn't hide the nut-speckled top.

Sometimes quick breads come out dry and lacking in flavor. This was the complete opposite. It was slightly tangy, the banana and peanut butter complimented each other nicely, and the tiny bit of cinnamon tied it all together. The nuts added a crunchy element that rounded out the bread. It also doesn't weigh heavy in the stomach and would be perfect as a pre-run (or midday) snack.

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Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Doug's Nuts
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light - Christina Provo

Yields - 1 9x5 inch loaf

Ingredients -

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe banana mixed with 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1/2 cups Doug's Nuts, coarsely chopped (or nuts of your choosing)

Glaze -

1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions -

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk flour with baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.


2. In a large bowl, blend butter with peanut butter until incorporated. On medium speed, beat sugars into the peanut butter for 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Mix in bananas with vanilla extract just until combined. Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with yogurt. Give the batter one final stir with a spatula.


3. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup chopped nuts, swirling lightly with a knife. Carefully spread the remaining batter on top, sprinkling with the remaining nuts. Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking. Cool in pan for 10 minutes; turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.


4. Whisk milk and creamy peanut butter together in a small bowl. Add confectioners' sugar and whisk to combine. Spread over top of cooled loaf. Let stand for 5 minutes to harden before slicing.

Week 2 - Training Recap

The theme for week two was WIND. Every single day I went out, it was extremely windy. I either had to succumb and walk, or run a longer route to avoid running into the wind for as long as possible. I also didn't run proper paces for any run but my tempo and long run, for no reason other than I was angry and didn't feel like controlling it. It wasn't terribly fast or anywhere close to tempo pace, but not what it should have been.

Monday -
5.5 miles (breathing issues came up, so I had to walk half mile before I was able to run again)

Wednesday -
6.5 miles (I ralked 1.5 miles of this because I started off too fast and died when faced with 30mph wind gusts)

Thursday -
6.4 miles, 3 at tempo pace (this really surprised me - based on the two previous runs, I didn't have high hopes. However, I surpassed my low expectations by running the tempo miles at 7:43, 7:34, and 7:19, respectively. Not consistent splits, I know; I think I kept speeding up thinking I was compensating for the wind.)

Saturday -
10 miles, progression (I felt very comfortable during this entire run and was energetic during the hilly portion. I haven't run 10 miles since forever - or the last time I trained for a half - yet it felt fine. I didn't bring any water or energy supplements, though my plan is to bring one during my upcoming 11-miler.)

Total - 28.4

Overall, I'm fine with how this week played out. Minus the first two runs, I did well and stuck to the plan. I'm somewhat encouraged by the tempo and long run. I still think I can't breathe well in the wind. We need to quit relying so much on corn, dig up the cornfields, and plant more trees.

I'm continuing to do yoga twice a week, and the hundred pushups challenge three times a week. Since I haven't done any push ups since the last time I tried this challenge, I began my program in the easy column. Already, I'm having to repeat day 1 from week 2. I'm planning on quitting before completion if I feel like I'm at risk for developing Madonna arms.

As for yoga, I can tell I'm developing better balance, strength, and flexibility. Many members of the running community are quick to say that stretching doesn't benefit running at all, but I always feel better when I'm stretched out - my stride feels fluid, I don't feel stiff, and I seem to recover better. However, I'm not stretching before or after running, just when I do yoga.

Here's to hopping the wind dies down this week.

Foodbuzz Tastemaker: Alexia Sweet Potato Fries

I love making homemade fries - Yukon gold, regular ol' russet, and of course, sweet potato. The downside is that it takes around one and a half hours of cooking time! Thanks to the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I was provided a coupon to try out Alexia's frozen foods. They have quite a few different variety of fries, some plain, some flavored, and I ended up choosing the sweet potato julienne fries.

Frozen tots and fries are my favorite treat. They're quick to prepare and taste delicious. Alexia's line is all natural and contains no trans fat. While it costs more than store brands, sometimes it's better to pay more for quality when you can. I can't remember how much this bag cost where I purchased it, but it wasn't more than $5. This 15-ounce bag contain about four servings (although I could have easily eaten half myself...).

Before sticking the fries in the oven, I spritzed them with a little olive oil spray and sprinkled with more kosher salt. I like salt, what can I say?

These fries take around twenty to twenty-five minutes to cook, tossing once or twice. The fries roasted up with a crisped shell that gave way to a soft, sweet innard. Most complaints that arise with homemade sweet potato fries is either that they stay too soft, or they get a little charred. Alexia sweet potato fries were just about perfect and tasted as fresh as it could have tasted for being frozen. I'd definitely buy these again if they're on sale, or if I want a quick treat.

I served these with my go-to aioli recipe. I nixed the sweeteners and added in lime zest and sriracha sauce for a hint of spice.