Here’s my favorite baking recipe!…with some healthy modifications

Monica’s “Whatever you have In the House” Semi-Healthy Quick Bread

-4 eggs (substitute 4 egg whites & beat them separately before adding to the rest of the wet ingredients)

-16 Oz. Fruit or Vegetable puree (use a can of Pumpkin for Pumpkin bread, or 4 mashed bananas for outstanding banana bread – or whatever you want…see below for more suggestions)

1 ½ C. Vegetable Oil (use Canola)

2 C. Sugar (use Splenda in the bag – it works perfect and cuts your calories down by a landslide!)

2 t. Baking Soda

2t. Baking Powder

1 t. Salt

3 C. Flour

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and mix the eggs, puree, oil and sugar well.   Next, add the rest of the ingredients and mix each in well.   If you want an impressive dessert like muffin (or make it in a bunt tin with glaze) – then add chocolate or butterscotch chips.  Of course, this is NOT healthy…but will make this recipe unbelievably YUMMY!!!!  Here’s the exact measurements:

1 ½ C. Chocolate Chips (if you are making Pumpkin bread) OR 1 ½ C. Butterscotch Chips (for Banana Bread…I have used chocolate with Banana before and butterscotch is 100% better)

I have also served these muffins at events as a dessert because they are fast, easy, not messy, and delicious.  Frosting muffins with a cream cheese frosting offers a nice combo as well.  They present as an impressive dessert because it is surprising to bite into and see it is not just yellow or chocolate cake.  Plus an added bonus is that no one would guess that the “secret ingredient” was actually Butterscotch chips!!  These melt into the mixture and add more moisture – wowing your taste buds with flavor!  Even people who claimed to “hate butterscotch chips”, loved these treats!

Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes and lower this to 375 if you are making traditional bread loaves.

Now…here’s the best part about this recipe:

You can literally use just about any fruit or vegetable you want – and it still comes out wonderful!  I have used canned pumpkin, blended apricots and pineapple with bits of dried cranberries, shredded zucchini and raisins, shredded carrots and dates, peaches and raspberries, poppy seed paste, almonds and coconut milk pureed, and more!… I use a food processor for ingredients like apples or carrots and really knock them down so they are like chunky applesauce – or carrot puree), and then I add some extra cut up apples or shredded carrots. Etc. to give it a little more texture.  Nuts go excellent with this as well!

From what I can figure, estimate about 100 calories for one large muffin (without frosting of course!).  Enjoy