This low GI, no added sugar banana bread recipe passed the Veronica test! I enjoyed it too and we at our slices for a snack after dinner without butter as it was certainly moist enough.

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 smashed over-ripe bananas
• equivalent of 1/2 cup sugar (I use Suzanne Somers SomerSweet – in this case, 8 of the tiny scoops was perfect for this recipe)

I’m not one for cooking and baking by perfect directions, the use of 5 bowls or precise measurements. I actually used a little less than 1/4 cup of butter in my last test as I’m also trying to lose weight (less fat, less sugar recipes).

I can tell you this though – if your banana bread is always coming out of the oven 1/2 baked inside and too dark outside, get a wider loaf pan and make a loaf that shorter in height. When you remove any banana bread from the oven let it sit for 5 minutes in the pan as it will continue baking inside (remember that the interior of the bread is still 350 degrees even after it is removed from the oven.

Finally, if it isn’t cooked right through, remove it from the pan after cooling and pop it into a low powered microwave on high, or a high powered microwave on medium for 60 seconds. That should finish cooking it through consistently.

Standard size banana bread loaf pan is 8″ x 4″. Bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes.

Some people have never heard of the Glycemic Index and how food is ‘weighted’ and why the process is even necessary.

Even more people have heard of GI, but don’t know much about it, and their lives are just too busy already to learn something new about the way food affects the human body.

This post is a primer of sorts, an introduction to the Glycemic Index, an explanation of why this is important for overall health, and where to get more information on the subject of Low GI eating.

Keep in mind that this is a far more advanced concept of understanding food’s effect on your body than simple calorie counting. Although the caloric value of a food is somewhat important for health and well-being, far too many people place far too much emphasis on calories when watching their weight – one of the major reasons that diets don’t work! (more…)

I would never recommend that you eat pie to lose weight, but this low GI recipe will allow you to have a slice of pie without the guilt, on a special occassion. It will also allow you to bake a pie for your family without feeling as though you are contributing to their obesity and sugar reliance/insulin resistance.

Low GI Pie Crust (more…)