I’ve been doing drive-up grocery shopping for months now and I love it. Like, really, really, really love it. An associate wanders the aisles for me, finds everything, checks out, puts it all in my trunk, and I drive away laughing like I just robbed a bank. (Grocery pick-up and delivery services are the best things to come out of Covid-19, IMHO.)

It’s not always perfect—sometimes I get a squished tomato or a slightly dented can. And sometimes, I end up with a bunch of overripe bananas, and my poor family has to suffer through a batch of banana muffins or this amazing Chunky Monkey Banana Bread. (Another good thing coming out of Covid-19: my improved baking skills!)

It’s nutty, it’s sweet, the inside is soft, the top delightfully crusty—this bread has something for everyone! Unless you don’t like bananas, or nuts, or chocolate. (In which case, should you even be clicking in to read this?)

Something I should note: My loaf pan is smaller than the one I’m recommending in the recipe, so when I make this bread, I end up baking 5 or 6 muffins, too. If you make muffins, they take about 22 minutes to bake. Also, I’m too lazy to pull out my electric mixer, so my right arms gets a workout when I use a wooden spoon to beat everything together. (At home fitness, another good thing many of us rediscovered during Covid-19. See, it really wasn’t all bad.) 

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Flax Meal (ground flaxseeds)
• ½ cup Water
• 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• ½ cup Mama Love Chocolate Protein
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• ½ tsp. Baking Soda
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 3 medium Bananas, very ripe
• ¼ cup Non-Dairy Milk
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• ½ cup Coconut Oil, room temperature
• ¾ cup Sugar
• ½ cup Walnuts or Pecans, chopped
• ½ cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9- x 5-inch loaf pan. Make flax eggs by mixing flax meal with water in a small bowl and setting aside to thicken; about 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, Mama Love Chocolate Protein, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a small bowl, combine bananas, non-dairy milk, and vanilla. In a large bowl, beat coconut oil and sugar together until fluffy, then beat in flax eggs. Alternately stir in the flour mixture and the banana mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture, until blended. Mix in the nuts and chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes, and then remove the loaf from pan to finish cooling. Makes about 16 servings.

Nutrition Facts 

Servings: 1 slice

Calories 238

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.