Tender banana bread full of fresh summer berries. Naturally sweetened and extremely tender, it’s the perfect healthy breakfast or snack!
Throughout my childhood, my family celebrated the 4th of July like most people in our town: with backyard BBQs, big scoops of ice cream, and watching fireworks exploding in the night sky from neighborhood parks. But a few years, my mom scheduled a business trip to Phoenix the week before, so we spent those patriotic holidays with my grandparents in southern Arizona instead.
With sweltering temperatures close to 110°, we changed a few of our 4th of July traditions. We skipped the BBQ, opting instead for cold deli sandwiches with plenty of juicy watermelon, plus lots of time spent indoors during the afternoon playing board games or piecing together puzzles while enjoying the modern miracle of air conditioning.
But we still kept fireworks and ice cream on our agenda, just with a slightly different twist, and that little modification quickly became my favorite part of the entire month. Because my grandpa is diabetic yet has a huge sweet tooth (which he probably passed on to us!), Grandma rarely kept ice cream in the freezer. Instead…
We drove across town to Dairy Queen! Way back then, DQ hadn’t made its way up to where my family lived, so we could only indulge on those summertime trips to my grandparents’. Even simply walking into the store was a real treat!
Although the blizzards and chocolate-dipped cones always sounded tempting, Mom usually picked up dilly bars for all of us, with the reasoning that they’d probably melt slower and therefore make it back to the house before turning into a big, sticky mess. Then we’d rush into the backyard, rearrange the patio furniture, and face the direction of the local high school where the city set off a long show of dazzling fireworks.
Such a fun holiday!
But this year, I realized that we’ve never had any tradition involving breakfast. Sure, we’ve had our fair share of apple pie and homemade ice cream and red-white-and-blue desserts, but… Never anything healthy to start the day. But now I’m changing that with this Whole Wheat Strawberry Blueberry Banana Bread!
This gorgeous loaf is made healthier and clean eating friendly with a few simple swaps. It uses 100% whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, if you prefer!), and it’s naturally sweetened with mashed banana and a hint of honey. But only a tiny bit—we want this banana bread to taste like breakfast food, not a sugary sweet dessert!
Unlike traditional recipes that require lots of oil, this loaf merely uses 1 tablespoon. Yes, that’s it! The rest of the tender texture comes from the mashed banana and Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt adds the same moisture as extra oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives the banana bread a little protein boost too.
I opted for fresh berries since they’re currently in season and relatively cheap, but it was nearly impossible to keep myself from eating both baskets while washing and slicing them… Summer berries are so juicy and sweet! However, frozen would work too, although you may need to bake the loaf slightly longer. Just remember—frozen blueberries bleed, unlike fresh, and will turn the bread gray in color.
Then bake, slice, and enjoy your healthy start to the 4th of July!
| Whole Wheat Strawberry Blueberry Banana Bread | 4.3 from 10 reviews |
Yields: 1 loaf
This banana bread is extremely tender and packed with juicy summer berries. It’s perfect for snacking or enjoying for breakfast! Tightly wrap any leftovers in plastic wrap and refrigerate. It will keep for at least 5 days if stored like that in the refrigerator.
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (200g) mashed banana (about 2 medium)
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) honey
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- ½ cup (80g) diced fresh strawberries (about 4 medium-large)
- ½ cup (70g) fresh blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat a 9”x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana, Greek yogurt, and honey, mixing until no large lumps of yogurt remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, stirring just until incorporated, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the strawberries and blueberries.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1½ teaspoons xanthan gum.
Any milk will work in place of the nonfat milk.
Frozen berries may be substituted instead. Thaw the strawberries slightly, just enough to dice, but add both them and the blueberries while still frozen. The loaf may need to be baked longer; use the toothpick test to determine when it’s done. (Remember, frozen blueberries bleed and will turn the loaf slightly gray in color.)
To make the banana bread easier to remove from the pan, line the pan with foil first before coating it with cooking spray!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like…
Whole Wheat Banana Split Banana Bread
Chocolate Chip Banana Bran Muffins
Clean Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
More healthy 4th of July recipes from other food bloggers…
♥Skinny Ice Cream Sandwiches by Crazy for Crust
♥4th of July Fruit Salad Cones by Bakers Royale
♥Red White and Blueberry Popsicles by The View from Great Island
♥4th of July Fruit Kabobs by Spicy Southern Kitchen
