Do Ahead Breakfast Ideas for When You're on the Run: Mini Banana Bread Loaves

I am constantly looking for ways to make my mornings more efficient in terms of what I feed myself and my family and more often than not I probably fail. I'll be the first to admit my kids eat breakfast more often on the go in the car on the way to school than at any dining table. My greatest achievement is that it, the food, can still be balanced and that we have bets on who can finish by the time mom is speeding on one wheel into carpool on the cusp of being late (don't give me those judgy eyes). This recipe is my ode to such times and you may double it or sub items to your liking. My oldest when tiny had a penchant for Starbucks banana bread, due to it being our Saturday ritual of him and I going to get a coffee for mommy and a piece of banana bread for him (this has now turned into doughnut time but that's another post on how serious we take yeast in our home). So over the years I wanted to perfect our own home rendition for the days I didn't feel like spending the money on something I knew I could make in larger batches at home and still be satisfying to him. Enter this recipe. This bread is moist, flavorful, snack size, freezer sustainable and a great use of old bananas that you may have in your home presently. I dare say healthish as there are oats on top and one is getting their fiber (see there are those judgy eyes again). Try it and let me know what you think. Do you have favorite on the go items you make in large quantities for the week?

You'll need a mini loaf pan for this recipe. I use this one for all my baking of small items, good price point and non stick and easy to clean. For a variation if you don't have a mini loaf pan use a 9x5 inch loaf pan and slice as you go for the week (I gave you the ingredient pic of this way as a reference)

Ingredients:

For the loaves

• 1 stick of butter melted

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/2 cup of brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 tsp of cinnamon

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup sour cream or plain/vanilla Greek yogurt

• 2 overripe mashed bananas

For the topping

• 1/2 cup of oats

• 3 tbsp. of melted butter

• 1tbsp. of cinnamon

• 2 tsp of nutmeg or cardamom

• 2 tbsp. of brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease loaves pan.

2. Mix all the ingredients for topping recipe together set aside

3. In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and then stir it into the butter mixture until smooth. Add sour cream and then fold in the mashed bananas. Pour into loaf pans filling each one only 3/4 full.

4. Sprinkle a bit of the topping onto each loaf only in the middle of the loaf from end to end.

5. Bake at 350 degrees 60 minutes. Cool loaves in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.