Dark Chocolate Banana Brownies

I made iced coffee last night, and before leaving the house this morning I made one with 1/2 cup of light chocolate soy milk and 1 tbsp of light Hershey's chocolate syrup. It was gone when I pulled into the parking garage.

At work I had a breakfast of 1/2 cup of oats, 2 medium farm fresh peaches, and 3 ounces of 0% Fage. This was super filling and I couldn't finish the last couple bites.

I packed a container of grapes to snack on during the day. For all the comments on the colorful grapes, 10 varieties of grapes are on sale at my grocery store for 99 cents a pound, so I really stocked up on the seedless types they had. So there are green, black, and red seedless grapes. I had some of these grapes at 11am.

I went to the gym at noon to get in a weight workout. I did a variety of bicep, triceps, and back exercises. I did a few abs, but not too many. Also the walk to my gym is about 6 or 7 blocks, I should measure actual distance sometime.

I ate lunch after the gym. I ate a individual microwavable serving packet of Annie's Natural Mac & Cheese (I love that they don't use animal enzymes), I added 1 tbsp of 0% Fage, 1/3 cup Morningstar Crumbles, and 1/3 cup of frozen peas. This was such a yummy lunch. I also decided to eat the rest of my grapes.

Around 4pm I started to get hungry in my head. I wasn't hungry in my stomach but I started getting sort of light headed. So I decided to go to Starbucks to get a Mocha Light Frap. I had decided that would keep me full until getting home for dinner.

I got home at 7pm and had a WONDERFUL meal cooked by my husband. This morning Steve threw together his Vegetarian Chili into the Crock Pot and cooked it on low for 8 hours. The house smelled amazing when I walked in. I enjoyed a bowl of chili with a salad and a slice of English Toasting Bread from the bakery at a local farm. This isn't whole wheat, but it is pretty good.

This means lots of leftovers:

After dinner it was time for one of the Dark Chocolate Banana Brownies I made last night. I topped it with light cool whip and some Hershey's light chocolate syrup.

And after the dessert I used our treadmill (we bought one from Dick's Sporting Goods last weekend), I did one of the programs that changes the incline and speed. I only did 25 minutes.

Last night, I saw some very ripe bananas on our counter and I asked my husband what I should make, he requested banana chocolate chip bars that I made the week before we went away, I vetoed that idea. I decided I wanted to find a recipe for banana brownies. He was skeptical. I searched around online and put together and modified based on a couple I saw. Steve loves these and thought they might have been one of my best creations so far. You might find them to be a little closer to chocolate cake than brownies. So here is the recipe for Dark Chocolate Banana Brownies:

Ingredients:
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup boiling water
4 egg whites
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: Preheat oven at 350. In a small bowl, combine oats and boiling water; let stand for 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites, bananas, sugars, oil and vanilla until blended. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in the oat mixture. When stirring in the oat mixture you might notice it is lumpy. I was lazy and did end up with some oatmeal lumps in the baked brownies, but I thought it was great that way.

Spread into a 13-in. x 9-in. pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake).

Tomorrow is Friday : )