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Haven't tried it, but this seems to have good reviews: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Whole-Wheat-Banana-Nut-Bread/Detail.aspx

You could replace half (or all) the oil with unsweetened applesauce, and use agave nectar for the sweetener (or just use less honey), and reduce the salt a bit.

I've had good luck swapping peanut butter for butter in most banana bread recipes -- just use the same amount, and it should be creamy PB (if you use chunky PB, use a bit more). You'll probably need a little sweetener, but you could try sweetening with applesauce or baby food prunes instead of sugar?

Good luck!

I've used this recipe with success:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lower-Fat-Banana-Bread-II/Detail.aspx

But I added cinnamon, left out the walnuts, and cut down the sugar a bit and used part brown and part regular sugar.

You can definitely replace most of the oil/butter in a recipe with applesauce and/or yogurt, I've always had good luck with that.

If you're trying to keep overall calories down, then subbing honey or agave or other sweeteners probably isn't going to make a difference. And cutting back on sugar/sweetener will make it less sweet, but it may not affect overall calories per slice. It will affect overall calories per loaf, but if you eat the same size slice, it's probably close to the same number of calories.

As far as subbing applesauce for fat, I don't get it. You're subbing what is basically a sugar-water combo (with a little fiber and trace amounts of other stuff, but basically carbs and water) for fat. From a baking standpoint, sugar and water will have different effects on baking than fat does, so chemically, you've changed the formula. And from a calorie perspective, you've raised the amount of sugar while reducing the fat, which might make a difference, but maybe not.

Subbing dried fruits might give you a different texture profile and a different type of sugar, but dried fruits aren't sugar free by any means. Might be better because of trace nutrients and the added fiber, but it's still calories.

If you're subbing the applesauce for fat because you like the taste or texture, or if you're in the "fat is evil" camp, that's fine. But if you think it's all that much healthier and you eat three times at much, you're not doing yourself any favors.

Personally, I think a lot of the banana bread recipes are too sweet to begin with, so cutting the sugar makes sense from that perspective, though.

Adding more fiber in place of regular wheat flour makes sense in a recipe like this, so you could use more whole wheat or oat flour.

On the other hand, if you want to cut the calories in half without losing any flavor or texture, I've got the ultimate solution:

Cut the slices half as thick.

For banana bread recipes that call for 1 cup of sugar per loaf, I have used 2/3 cup sugar without affecting the texture. Sometimes I cut it down to 1/2 cup sugar depending on other "sweet" ingredients (raisins, chocolate chips, coconut, etc.) in the recipe.

If you are not going to use the bananas right away, you can freeze overripe bananas in their skin. When you are ready to use them, defrost them in their skins, snip off the end, and squeeze the banana into a bowl. It will be VERY mushy so mashing is not necessary. Defrosted bananas seem to have a more intense banana taste and seem to be "sweeter". I've also heard (haven't tried it) that you can "ripen" a mashed banana by gently warming it in the microwave. The riper the banana, the sweeter the taste, so less sugar is needed.

I always use whole wheat flour in my baking. The loaf might be a little denser but I like hearty baked goods. I like to add nuts and seeds to my banana bread which contribute to the heartiness of the whole wheat.

As for the butter, are you trying to avoid saturated fat in the butter or just fat altogether? I've tried omitting the fat in banana bread recipes and the texture just seems "off", sometimes rubbery, if that makes sense. I've subbed canola oil for butter without problems. I've also used low-fat yogurt as a sub for some of the fat and it seems to work well. I wouldn't recommend completely removing the fat from the recipe.

Here is a basic banana bread recipe that was given by a friend of mine who is a dietician. It is a great recipe for experimenting with different add-ins: spices, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, etc.:

2 cups all purpose flour (I use whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup white granualted sugar (I use unrefined golden granulated sugar)
1/4 cup butter, softened (I've used canola oil without any problems)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed RIPE bananas
1/3 cup plain yogurt (I've used fat free without problems)
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup - 2/3 cup add-ins (choc chips, raisins, chopped nuts, etc), optional

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Lightly grease and flour an 8"x4" loaf pan.

Combine flour, soda, and salt and set aside. Mix sugar and butter/oil at medium speed until blended (about 1 minute). To butter mixture, add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla to butter mixture and mix just until blended. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir just until moistened, streaks of flour are okay. Gently fold in any add-ins.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour or until toothpick test come out clean. For 12 muffins, bake in muffin liners approximately 20 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean.

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