Celebrate National Avocado and Banana Month

February is here and it’s time to celebrate National Avocado and Banana Month. Avocados and bananas are a regular staple in our kitchen – but giving each of them an ‘official’ month makes me want to find new and creative ways to use these fruits. I don’t know if it’s intentional that both fruits share the same month to celebrate – but they make a great pairing in so many recipes – so let’s get mixing!

Why Celebrate Avocados?

They are vitamin & mineral rich – full of potassium (35% higher than bananas) and vitamins B, E & K, Folate (heart-health), Lutein (eye-health)
They are high in monounsaturated fats – ‘healthy’ fats needed in a balanced diet
They can be used in sweet or savory dishes

Why Celebrate Bananas?

They are portable – already packaged as a quick take & go snack
They are a great source of energy – especially when rushing between meetings and appointments
They are full of potassium and vitamin B6 (brain-health)

Tips & Tricks

Squeeze lemon or lime juice over cut avocado to delay browning
Peel a banana from the bottom to avoid the banana strings
Troubled by avocados ripening too quickly? – put them in the refrigerator to slow down the ripening process
Freeze a ripe avocado (perfect for smoothies later) by first pureeing with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and storing in an airtight container with an inch of headspace (via The Kitchn)
Adding lemon juice to a mashed banana prior to freezing will also stop the browning process

Using Bananas and Avocados Together

To help celebrate banana and avocado month, we decided to make Yummy & Healthy Banana Avocado Bread by adapting an enticing recipe from Oven Love. The power of family helped bring this creation together for today’s post. My mom (and one of our biggest fans) is still visiting and offered to make the bread while I was at the office. (Thank you, Mom!) I came home late after an exhausting day and found that my mom and my tween made it a fun after-school activity to not only make the bread, but artistically arrange it and take the photos. My 10-yr old daughter figured out the tripod and advanced photo settings and took better pictures than I have been known to take. Our 3-yr old twins did their part by eating multiple servings for a dinner treat.

If you are looking for a healthy and satisfying treat (or just looking for an easy after-school cooking activity) – check out this recipe. The sweetness comes from the banana, honey and applesauce (no refined sugar) and the moistness comes from our honorable fruits of the month (avocado & banana).

Yummy & Healthy Banana Avocado Bread

Adapted from Oven Love

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup roughly mashed avocado
1/2 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9X5 loaf pan with parchment paper rubbed lightly with oil
Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl- flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt
In a separate bowl, mix the moist ingredients – eggs, avocado, banana, yogurt, applesauce, honey, vanilla, lemon juice
Add the moist ingredients to the dry and stir together just until mixed
Pour into the prepared loaf pan
Bake 55-60 minutes – testing doneness with a toothpick
Cool – then slice and enjoy!

Parchment-prepared pan: