magazine monday: runner’s world banana bread!

I began my love affair with running when I went to college.  It did not involve a 20-minute walk to the gym or the swimming pool, and it was certainly easier to put on my Asics & go, than it was to pack my gym bag and shower (oh, the dreaded pool showers!) before entering the pool.  As my love for the activity grew, it seemed only natural to start subscribing to the leading running magazine, Runner’s World!  I, like a lot of other running fanatics, still look forward to the day my RW arrives in the mailbox.  No other magazine provides me with quite the motivation.

Each month the publication features a recipe from a talented chef who just happens to be a runner.  To say that the day I read about Joanne Chang’s banana bread was life-changing, sounds a little dramatic, but it’s not.  I swear.  The minute I read that Chang had completed over 15 Boston Marathons, eating this very bread as part of her pre-run snack, I knew I had to try the recipe!  I mean, obviously she can credit the banana bread for her endurance and stamina, right?

After Michael and I bit into the first loaf and were both convinced that this was, hands-down, the best banana bread on earth, we were hooked!  I said goodbye to my grandmother’s recipe (sorry, Grandma!) and have been making this one ever since.  I make it for most house guests that come to stay with us in Maine and always get requests from my family to make it at some point during my stay over the holidays.  I’ve shared this recipe dozens of times and I’ve even eaten at Joanne Chang’s amazing bakery in Boston, Flour!

The next time you are in need of a savory, sweet bread, please give this one a try.  You will not be sorry!