Things have been doing much better these days. My mother in law is less argumentative and distracted. I have also been starting to pinch hit taking care of her so Tony can get some things done. He plans on taking a trip soon and I am ready to take on full time care while he is gone. He mentioned the idea of his mom living with us. I am not on board with that. Having her living down the street, we have our space and she has hers. Living with us would make a big mess, in my opinion. We will definitely talk about it some more.

This week I just wanted some banana bread. However, I don’t want all of the sugar and calories with it. Banana are higher in sugar, but still pretty healthy. Whole fruit is better than juice. You get all of the vitamins and fiber in whole fruit. I am starting with a recipe from The First Year Blog for Banana Nut Bars. I like the bars instead of bread because it’s easier to portion. I think these will be just the thing to get my banana bread fix.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I swapped the all purpose flour with almond and coconut flours to reduce the carbs
• I replaced the sugars with their sweetener equivalents to reduce the sugar.
• I replaced the cream cheese with a plant-based variety to remove the dairy
• I replaced the buttermilk with coconut milk and vinegar to remove the dairy.
• I replaced the butter in the cake with unsweetened applesauce to reduce the calories.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Lower Carb Banana Nut Bread Bars

Makes 24 Bars

Banana Bars

• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup water
• 1 ½ cups granulated sweetener
• ½ cup brown sweetener
• 1 cup mashed banana, about 2 large bananas
• ½ cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup chopped walnuts in the batter, optional

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz plant-based cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened, 1/2 cup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sweetener

Banana Bars

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a 10×15 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Mix the coconut milk with the vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes
3. In a mixing bowl combine the granulated sweetener, brown sweetener, banana, sour milk, eggs, applesauce and vanilla, beat with an electric mixer until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
4. Combine the flours, baking soda, salt and optional walnuts, then gradually add to the banana mixture.
5. Pour the batter onto the baking sheet and bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the bars to cool completely before adding the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In a mixing bowl combine the cream cheese and butter, beat with an electric mixer until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and gradually add the powdered sweetener, beat until smooth and thick. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled bars. Garnish with walnuts if desired. Slice and serve.