Cheap Eats :: What's for breakfast?

Weekly meal planning focuses on dinners, but having things available for breakfast and lunch are just as important, especially for a stay-at-home mom with a baby at home.

I admit, I don't eat breakfast as much as I should...but I do eat it a few times a week. Most of the time, a bowl of cereal gets me to lunch without feeling like I'll faint. Plus, it's easy to share with my baby girl, Lulu.

A couple times a month, I do make a loaf of banana bread! It's easy easy! I always have bananas around for my son Jack (it's his favorite afternoon snack) and I over buy them just so I can throw one in a batch of weekend pancakes or...make a loaf of banana bread.

Lately, I've been using this recipe.  

 

INGREDIENTS
 nonstick vegetable oil spray 
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs 
1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup sugar (my adjustment...sometimes 3/4 cup) 
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large) 
3/4 cup vegetable oil 



DIRECTIONS 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, bananas, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around inside of pan to release the bread. Turn out onto a rack and let cool completely. Do Ahead: Banana bread can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

When I have a bunch of honey around (which I get when it's GOOD honey), I use this recipe:

Ingredients
 
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar free applesauce
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs, beaten
3 mashed overripe bananas

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce and honey. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Banana are cheap! Trader Joe's has the best prices in town at $0.19 each! Each loaf costs less than a buck if you have the ingredients on hand.