Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

I have a confession to make. I, Kim, am a TravelZoo addict. I don't know if you've heard of this website before, but it's basically deals on airfare & hotels.. kind of like expedia or travelocity. I spend hours browsing through the website imagining what my next destination will be. I'm currently eyeing a 3 night vacation to Hawaii in May and am SO tempted to book it. It's such a steal! I've been there twice before, but my boyfriend has never been. I would book the vacation in a heartbeat-- it's just a matter of convincing the boy to go with me (he currently just got re-hired at Apple so asking for so much vacation already is kind of nonsensical). Well, I also don't have all the money in the world and really should save it, so we'll see.

In other news, my parents graciously gave me a two year membership to 24 Hour Fitness! Thank you Costco for having that package for $299. It comes out to $12.50 a month for a gym membership. Yeah, believe it!! I've never really worked out before, except for last summer when I became a gym rat (well, I really only went to swim laps), so having a gym membership is big news to me. My goals are to get toned. I know what you're thinking.. how am I gonna fit that into my already busy schedule? I'm hoping to get up at 5:30 AM or so and be able to go to the gym before work. I'm really determined right now since it's all brand new. Hopefully it stays that way!

This... is the most amazing banana bread. No nuts required! Although, you can add them if you prefer. You can even add chocolate chips! It's very flavorful and moist with a bit of a slight crunch from the topping. If you're a fan of cinnamon sugar, I'd highly recommend it! I already made it twice in a week. My dad just had oral surgery, which means he can't really eat much. I made this for him to keep him from being bored to death eating solely mashed potatoes and soup. Make sure to use overly ripe bananas-- it makes a difference! Recipe is adapted from Sandwich Hoss.

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

For the bread:

• 3 over-ripe bananas, smashed up
  
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• dash of salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour

For the swirl:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbs cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and four a loaf pan. Mine was 9 x 5, but you could use any sort, I suppose. Just keep a close eye on it in the oven, and adjust the time as needed
2. Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the banana mixture. Then gently stir in flour. Be careful not to over-mix!
3. In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon.
4. Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle half, or a little more than half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, but remember, if you’re using a different-sized loaf pan, be careful and keep a close eyeball on it!