post by recipe contributor: Mary Beth Johnson is a photographer and blogger with a passion for finding beauty in unexpected places and celebrating the everyday. Originally from the east coast, she now lives in Oklahoma with her husband and three children (dubbed “schooners”) and writes her lifestyle blog, Annapolis & Company, from a desk full of fingerprints and walls scattered with imperfect artwork.

With school in full swing, I am doing my very best to embrace routine. I fight it, kicking and screaming all the way to school drop-offs on Tuesday and Thursdays, homeschool lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays, organized ballet lessons, and routine nap times. I know that we could use a little more structure – and a little less free-and-easy – it’s just hard to get there after a summer full of splash pads and travel.

I’ve started thinking ahead more with breakfasts and trying to come up with simple things we can eat that don’t make a huge mess, and can be taken on the go. I love to bake, so I devised a plan to spend a few extra minutes on the weekends and bake ahead for the upcoming week. I freeze the extras in small ziplock bags and pull them out on those busy mornings when I want something quick and tasty. Which is basically every morning. 🙂

One of our favorite banana recipes was actually originally a bread recipe, but I found when I poured it into a 9 x 13 in pan, it cooks faster and is easier for the kids to eat as bars. This also freezes well and works perfectly for our new routine! I’ve tried many banana recipes, all in various combinations, and always come back to this one. It’s insanely amazing. 

//Chocolate Banana Bars 

 
Ingredients: 

 2 cups all-purpose flour 

 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 

 1/2 teaspoon salt 

 1 cup sugar 

 1/4 cup butter, softened 

 2 large eggs 

 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

 1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used unsweetened applesauce) 

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mary Beth Johnson, Annapolis & Company