The kitchen wasn’t calm — not even close. My toddler was running in circles, pulling every toy from the bin, humming a tune only he knew. The counter was a mess, the measuring spoons vanished somewhere under a pile of crumbs, and at one point, I caught myself thinking, Is this even worth it?
But I kept going.
The smell of pumpkin and banana slowly filled the room — warm and familiar, like the comfort of fall finding its way in through the noise. I used Skinnytaste’s Pumpkin Banana Bread recipe — soft, moist, and simple enough for a busy afternoon.
It’s one of those recipes that feels both easy and special — something you can throw together between nap times, or when you just need to feel like yourself again for a moment.
Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe
(from Skinnytaste)
Ingredients:
- baking spray
- 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 3 medium very ripe medium bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, unpacked
- 1 large egg white
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans, optional
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with baking spray.
Add egg whites, egg, bananas, pumpkin, and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.
As it baked, I finally sat down — coffee in hand, toys still scattered across the floor — and exhaled. Maybe this wasn’t the peaceful baking moment I pictured, but it was mine. A little slice of sweetness in the middle of chaos.
Sometimes, that’s enough.
