These calories don't count...or do they?

I have licked clean my share of cookie batter mixing bowls.  Honestly, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.  Having fun learning how to bake with Dad and enjoying the taste testing along the way is a wonderful memory of growing up.  Chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, sugar, and one of my favorites, snickerdoodle cookies.  Each batch of dough, whether cookies or pancakes or breads, always comes with those leftover streaks of batter that you just can’t quite get scraped out (unintentionally or intentionally J).  Thinking back, I was never making “a decision” to eat or not to eat the batter.  I just did, and I think that is okay.

Now when you get to a point in your life that you’re trying to buckle down and lose some weight, those moments absolutely become “decision” moments.  When you’re keeping close watch on your calorie intake, grazing style snacking and those little bites “that don’t count,” absolutely do. 

I had another week with extra ripe bananas hanging out on the counter thus another week to enjoy a new coffee treat! I also had a batter decision to make.  I ran with a bread recipe I found on Pinterest, with a few adjustments based on what I had in the pantry.  I was working with bananas, applesauce, and coconut.  I’ll include the recipe, but first, how did I handle the batter?

A simple strategy that I got very good at (because I love to bake) during a phase when I was working to lose weight and was able to successfully master today (a day I am not trying to lose weight, but am opting to make a better nutrition decision – note you don’t have to be trying to lose weight to want to make better nutrition decisions).  First I used a flat rubber spatula to really clean off the side of the bowl, getting as much as I could into the pan, leaving very little batter to lick clean.  Then, I took the bowl right to the sink and rinsed it out.  I didn’t get a chance to consume the extra sweet stuff or give myself time to miss it.  With this strategy, I waste very little and save a good many extra calories that are so easy not to count.  You can do it!  It just takes practice and you end up feeling better while tasting the final product, not already dough-logged from the mixing and baking process.

This week I made a recipe from a site called Skinny Mom by Brooke Griffin.  You may follow this link to see original recipe: http://www.skinnymom.com/2014/02/26/skinny-coconut-chocolate-chip-banana-bread/.  I followed the recipe pretty closely, as she already uses some whole wheat flour, egg whites, and applesauce.  These are several ingredients I typically swap into regular recipes anyways to either bump up the good nutrition and/or cut down on the less good nutrition.

Swap Examples:

Unsweetened applesauce instead of oil or butter (may swap 1:1, replace one-half up to all the oil).
Egg whites instead of whole eggs (2 egg whites for every one whole egg).
Whole Wheat flour (I usually swap out ½ of the total amount of all-purpose flour with whole wheat).

Recipe of Coconut Chocolate Banana Bread as I made it:


My Ingredients (minus brown sugar - he was late for the photo shoot)

Ingredients:
4 bananas (instead of 5)
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups flour (1 cup white and 1 cup wheat)
1½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
3½ Tbsp light butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
4 egg whites
½ cup bittersweet chocolate (I had larger chips that I roughly chopped before adding to batter)
½ cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1 tsp rum extract (I didn’t’ have coconut extract, and rum sounded like it would work too)

Instructions
1.      Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.      Spray 2 loaf pans (8x4.5 inch or 8x5 inch) with nonstick cooking spray.
3.      In a medium size bowl, mash bananas with a fork.
4.      In a separate medium size bowl, add flour, salt and baking soda. Use a wire whisk to mix dry ingredients together.
5.      Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream (beat ingredients together at a high speed) butter and brown sugar together.
6.      Add mashed bananas, egg whites, applesauce and extract (if using). Mix on low for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
7.      Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix on low speed until well combined.
8.      Fold in chocolate chips and coconut flakes.
9.      Pour banana bread batter evenly into the loaf pans.
10.   Bake banana bread loaves in oven for 40-45 minutes until the edges are golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean

This bread came out incredibly moist and wonderfully flavorful.  I wish I could somehow insert a picture of how great it smelled.  Using the nutrition posted, when you enjoy a 16^th of a loaf (about a ½ inch thick slice) you are having about 93 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 1.5 grams fiber, and 9.5 grams sugar.  A good treat.

Happy baking and try to save those batter calories for enjoying a serving of your delicious creation when it comes out warm from the oven…well worth the wait.