Banana Raspberry Bread

Banana Raspberry Bread

1 (very ripe) banana                                           1 ½ cup self rising flour
¾ cup raspberries (thawed, unsweetened)           ½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup of sugar                                                   ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs (or 6 tablespoons of egg whites)
½ cup vegetable oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract


1. Preheat oven at 325 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, mash banana. Add in eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil. Fold in raspberries.

3. In a smaller bowl combine the flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

4. Mix in dry ingredients in parts to the wet ingredients.

5. Pour into greased or lined muffin tins or loaf pan. Bake until golden browned.

If making muffins, approximately 16-18 minutes. If making the loaf, 50-60 minutes.

**Recipe makes one large loaf or 12 muffins.**Recipe makes one large loaf or 12 muffins.



In the future, I am planning on expirementing with lower sugar and lower fat versions... but those have yet to be "perfected." :-P

Picture Perfect

During a recent fit on insomnia, I was watching Ugly Betty on Netflix and one of the characters said something that really struck me. It was something along the lines of, “Perfect may not look the way you thought it would.”  I caught myself almost responding “AMEN!” to the television.  (If you know me, you realize this is quite a testament to how I felt. I am constantly picking at friends, and especially my mother, for talking back to the TV.)

I know that “perfect” has changed a lot over the years.  The more I see and experience life, my image of "perfect" becomes less cookie cutter and more “perfect for Brandi.”   "Tall, Dark, and Handsome" has morphed into “Smart, Kind, and Funny” and “power and wealth” have transformed into “comfortable and loved.”   One thing is for sure, my life is nowhere near what I thought it would be, and I couldn’t be happier about that!

In ten years, or ten days for that matter, I am sure “perfect” will look a lot different than it does now, but it will be exactly what it needs to be.  I am thankful for the perfect blessings of today, tomorrow, and every day.  So, yes, “perfect” may not look like what I imagined it would, but that is a good thing.