OMG CHIA SEEEDSSSSS WOOOOOO!!!  Yes I’m here to be a health fad foodie and chat about chia seeds. Flax seeds are so 2012 and chia seeds are taking over the world one banana bread loaf at a time. 

Behold: Chia Seeds. And yes that is my handwriting- the Whole Foods guy had a tough time reading it too.

My sister is the one that basically forced me to start using these little wellness gems.  She eats them with everything.  That is what’s so great about them- they can be used with a ton of different meals, snacks and baked goods.  They are flavor neutral (woooo hooooo cooking with things that have no taste) but do provide some texture. They have more health benefits than flax seeds (omega 3s for life) and have a longer shelf life.  They give great crunch to this banana bread and you don’t have to mill them up the way you have to with flax seeds.  Keep in mind one ounce of this stuff has 11 grams of fiber.   At least I told you.

Note- this is made with whole wheat flour, has little sugar and has more banana than normal banana bread.  It tastes so hearty and satisfying I think I’m married to the recipe as my go-to banana bread for quite some time.  Or until a new seed becomes in vogue.

Inspired by WhatsCookingGoodLooking

Ingredients

1.25 cups of whole wheat flour
1/3 cup of chia seeds
0.75  teaspoon of baking powder
0.5  teaspoon of baking soda
0.75 teaspoon of salt

2 large eggs
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter (melted)
1/3 cup of packed light brown sugar (could use a natural sugar too)
1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3 bananas (I keep mine the brownest nastiest bananas in the freezer and keep them around for this exact purpose)
Handful of chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a bowl mix the flour, chia seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Chia > Flax

In another bowl whisk the eggs.  Add the butter, sugar, vanilla, bananas and mix until combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.

Place batter in a  loaf pan (I used 9X5X3”) that you have brushed with butter.  Sprinkle the pecans on top- you can skip this step (if you’re weird) or use almond/walnuts/whatever other nut you want instead. Also- can you believe how simple and easy that was?

Bake for 30-35 minutes.  Let cool before removing from pan (you can tell by the insane amount of steam in my photo I in no way followed this step).  Great warm, room  temp, or toasted. 

White Trash Option: Flax Seeds.