Healthy Banana Bread

I've been hooked on bananas recently. I feel like I go through phases, and since I've been working out a lot, having joined OrangeTheory, I am consistently eating bananas. I was a little too ambitious at the store the other day and bought more than my fair share of them, so I needed to do something else with them. Naturally, banana bread was what I chose to make, but I wanted to keep it healthy. I was drawn to this recipe from Cookie and Kate, and didn't adapt too much, but wanted to share it here too. 

Ingredients: 

• ⅓ cup grapeseed oil*
• ½ cup maple syrup*
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2½ medium or 2 large bananas)
• ¼ cup milk of choice or water (I used 1% milk)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top
• 1¾ cups regular whole wheat flour*
• Totally optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit, fresh banana slices... (I obviously used chocolate chips)

* or melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality vegetable oil

* or honey 

* or white whole wheat flour 

Baking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and syrup together together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
3. Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour, just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you're adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
4. Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you'd like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.