Anyway I used Vitalicious’s Deep Chocolate Vita Muffin Mix. I’m a fan of these mixes. Their ingredient lists aren’t perfect but they are one of the few whole wheat mixes I can find.

Instead of making muffins, the little guy and I made a loaf. Like a chocolate bread. But of course we couldn’t leave it alone. We added some simple ingredients to jazz it up a bit.

Both the little guy and I LOVED it. Actually you should see it now. He’s been picking at it all day. I had to yell at him to stop stealing bites. The husband tried it. Said he liked it and will never have another bite again. If it doesn’t come out of a box he’s simply uninterested. Don’t get me started. lol

Anyway, here’s what we did.

• 1/4 cup raw almonds (30g)
• 1/4 cup dried cherries (40g)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 and 1/4 cups of water
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 package of Vitalicious Deep Chocolate VitaMuffin mix
• non-stick spray and a bit of flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Spray a loaf pan with non stick spray and coat with a thin layer of flour. We want to avoid sticking.

Weigh out the almonds and cherries

Chop them to make smaller pieces so everyone gets a bite.

In a large bowl whisk the water, egg whites and extract until bubbles form.

Add the bag of mix and combine well.

Pour the batter in the loaf pan and enjoy a few licks off the spoon. :)

Bake for about 60 minutes until the center is solid to the touch.

Let it cool in the pan for a few minutes and then run a knife along the sides before popping out.

Here’s close up. I was a little picture happy. Can you tell? :)

oh heck. Here’s a few more. :)

If you are interested you can order VitaMixes online by clicking here. Be sure to use the Code RonisWeigh for 10%. Vitalicious sponsors Roni’s Weigh and sends me products to review now and then.

Oh! and if you are a VitaTop fan they are having a contest. Enter to win a year supply!

When I was little, my grandmother would make this yummy banana bread/cake (whatever) in a bundt pan with chocolate chips. It was one of my favorites. I remember the moistness in each bite with that wonderful chocolate banana combination. I miss it.

I based my experiment this morning on my banana muffin recipe. Which may be why it’s more like a bread or a muffin then a cake. But I don’t care. It was YUMMY! Even the husband who said… "You know I don’t like banana bread." ended with a "…but man that is a good one!"

The toddler? Well as you can see he had a hard time waiting for me to take pictures. Which is why I didn’t get many good shots. :)

Here’s what I did…

• 2 cups whole wheat white flour (240g)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 overripe large bananas
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tbsp honey (42g)
• 1 tbsp molasses (20g)
• 1 cup plain non-fat yogurt (227g)
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (60g) chocolate chips – preferably mini they spread better

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a bundt pan (I used one like this) with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. (note you could probably use a loaf or cake pan but I haven’t tried it yet and I don’t know how to adjust the cooking times… YET! ;~P)

Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together. Sift and set aside.

in a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add the applesauce, egg, egg white, honey, molasses, yogurt and extracts and whisk until smooth. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just incorporated. I used my whisk and it took about 10 "spins".

Pour the batter into the bundt pan. It will be thick, just spread it across the bottom with a spatula.

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit at least 10 minutes before attempting to remove it from the pan.

Now, I’m estimating 15 servings but I could easily get 17 cut as seen in the picture above. But I’ll go with 15 to be "safe". Plus sometimes you just want a bigger piece of cake, I mean bread, I mean… whatever. It’s YUMMY!

The idea is a modified version of a recipe my mom uses from an old cookbook. It intrigued me with it’s use of crushed pineapple as a sweetener. Although the original recipe called for white flour, 2 cups of sugar, and a cup of oil, all of which I think are uncalled for.

My version is far less sweet as I ditch the sugar and use a combination of honey and molasses to add more flavor with just a touch of sweetness. It’s apparently enough as the toddle DEVOURS this bread. He also LOVED helping me make all the experiments. Just look at my little sous chef!

I brought a loaf to work where it was well received and a few friends at the gym seemed to like it. Although I never trust face to face reviews as I know it’s hard to tell someone you don’t like what they made in person.

OK, can you tell I’m nervous about this one. :~) I think the more I work on a recipe the more I’m worried how you guys like it. It’s a labor of love I suppose.

• 3 eggs
• ½ cup (122g) of unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tbsp (42g) honey
• 2 tbsp (40g) molasses
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups (360g) whole wheat flour
• ½ cup (60g) walnuts – ground
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¾ tsp nutmeg
• 1 medium zucchini shredded (1 cup about 200g)
• 1 20oz can crushed pineapple drained

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Open the can of pineapple and place in a metal strainer in the sink to remove some of the juice while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

In large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the applesauce, honey, molasses, vanilla and beat until foamy and then beat some more. :~)

Ground the walnuts in a blender or food processor. Don’t over process the oil in them will start to stick.

In another bowl, mix the ground walnuts, flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Stir the shredded zucchini and drained pineapple into the egg mixture.

Add the dry ingredient to the wet and stir until just blended.

The batter makes 2 large loafs or 6 mini loaves. You can even make 1 large and 3 small or 24 muffins (note: haven’t tried the muffins YET!)

What ever you decide be sure to spray with non-stick cooking spray and dust with a bit of flour.

Bake the large loaves for about an hour, small loaves for around 40 minutes. Muffins probably half that (I’ll update when I do it). A toothpick inserted should come out clean when it’s done.

Here’s the batch I made this morning and I just had to show you our mess of a kitchen when we were done. I may be the messiest cook EVER! (well I did have help) :~)

You will not believe how easy these are. I mean SUPER easy. Not only easy but everyone seems to like them! I’ve given them as gifts, brought them to parties and froze them for later use. This is, by far, my favorite “in a pinch” holiday dessert.

OH! and a QUOTE from the Husband, “Ohhhh that’s the stuff!” Needless to say, the toddler is a fan too!

• 1 box Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix (case of 12 available in the GLB store)
• 2 egg whites
• 1 15 oz can of pumpkin
• < 1 tbsp quick oats (optional – used for decoration)

Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

Whisk the egg whites and pumpkin. Stir in the cake mix and blend until just moistened.

Spray 4 mini-loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. Evenly distribute the cake batter into the pans, just about half way.

Sprinkle the tops with quick oats and bake for about 40 minutes.

As for the serving and nutritional information, according to the cake mix package there are 12 servings. That would be 3 servings per loaf. In my opinion, you can count 2 slices per serving and easily serve 4 people per loaf (8 slices). So I’m providing nutritional information for 16 servings. That’s 4 servings per loaf. (I hope that makes sense, I almost confused myself!)

Update: Click here to see the toddler and I make these on video!