Why compost or throw out those old brown bananas when you can have the smell of delicious banana oat bread wafting through your house in about an hour?  The prep time on this recipe is less than ten minutes and utilizes stuff you likely have in your pantry right now.  The use of quick oats is a healthy, satisfying addition that I love.

If you don’t have an hour to wait for the baking, your overripe bananas will freeze perfectly, allowing you to use them whenever you’re ready.  You can use whatever kind of flour and oil you prefer, and even sweeten with honey instead of white or brown sugar.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 c. flour
• 1 c. quick oats
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/2 c. oil
• 3/4 c. sugar or honey
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1 c. raisins or nuts (optional)

First off, preheat your oven to 350° and flour a 9×5 loaf pan.

Mix your flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, mash your bananas and add your sugar or honey, oil, and eggs and stir until well blended.

Finally, add the dry ingredients into the banana mixture and blend thoroughly.  If you want raisins or nuts, now is the time to add them.

Pour into your greased and floured loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

That’s it… just let it cool for ten minutes or so and dig in!  Mmmmm… banana bread.