When Life Hands You Brown, Mushy Bananas

You always hear "When life hands you lemons..." I never really understood why lemons were considered so bad. And besides, it's pretty clear that lemonade, lemon bars, and lemon wedges in water and/or cocktails are all delicious. On the other hand, most people will simply throw their brown, mushy bananas away. And that is why I propose we change the aphorism to, "When life hands you mushy, brown bananas." Because if you actually use them to bake with, they're even better than regular, yellow-green bananas. If you haven't caught on yet, I'm about to make a metaphor between almost rotten fruit and life. Three years ago yesterday, I met an awesome guy in a brown banana situation. I had just moved back to Kansas City after graduating from U of M, I still wasn't 100% positive that I wanted to go to medical school, and my first significant relationship had ended a few months prior to that. Coming back to Kansas City wasn't easy because it meant swallowing my pride and moving back in with my parents (who I love dearly) instead of going straight to grad school or a high-paying career, and it also meant leaving my social network and having to start over. After going on a few dates with people I'd met organically through work or mutual acquaintances and realizing that it wasn't working, I did what I consider to be the most daring thing I've done to this day-- I joined an online dating service. I'm sure many of you or people you know might think, "Aww, that sort of thing is really nice and cute for other people, but I would rather die than do it for myself." (Believe it or not, people have actually said this to me after knowing how Ryan and I met). And I can't blame you for thinking that because I think I thought that too before I pulled the trigger. I went on 17 dates in the span of two weeks. I don't recommend this sort of schedule to anyone, and I probably could have started a blog on just those 17 experiences. The guys I met were hardly brown bananas, but they weren't for me. Just when I was ready to close my account, I decided to make good on a raincheck I'd given a guy who had messaged me before. I was so busy at work (and going on dates) that I had turned down a polite invitation to grab drinks from a really great-sounding guy. He had just graduated from Notre Dame (I didn't hold it against him) and was in Kansas City living with his older sister while applying to dental school. We both loved "Arrested Development" and travel-- he'd been to South Africa for study abroad and I'd traveled to Central America on health brigades for three of my four spring breaks in college. Last minute, I said that I had some free time for lunch and that we could meet then. He obliged and three years later we've traveled to 7 different countries together, he's in dental school, I'm in medical school, we're engaged, we've made wonderful new friends, and we only have 18 months left of being 350 miles apart. Whether it's online dating or having to do long-distance, don't dismiss the brown, mushy bananas and just throw them away. Sometimes, finding "the one" in an unorthodox manner or having to face the challenges of long-distance before you're even married makes your banana bread way better than the ones made of regular, yellow-green bananas. Oh, and...Happy three year anniversary, Ry!

And now for a fantastic recipe-- a guilt-free, but delicious and moist banana bread to welcome Fall.

Healthy Banana Bread

Serves 10

3 medium, very ripe bananas, mashed

½ Cup reduced fat Greek yogurt

2 Tablespoons Canola oil

2 eggs

½ Cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ Cup All-Purpose Flour

½ Cup Whole Wheat Flour

½ Cup Ground Flaxseed

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add brown sugar and vanilla and  beat until combined.
3. In a separate bowl combine flours, flaxseed, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon
4. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; stir just until blended.
5. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove bread from pan; cool completely.
6. Slice and enjoy (or cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for later).

Photo Credits: KiwiConfections

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