Banana Berry Quick Bread Deliciousness (gfcf! or not!)

 There's something about fall that makes me want to bake all the time. We love quick breads in this family. I am a fan of any food i can sneak veggies in to so my kids will eat some and quick breads are good for that. like the chocolate zucchini bread i posted a while back. I also make pumpkin carrot zucchini muffins to die for, will be posting that one soon. Anyways, this one doesnt have any veggies in it (lol) but i had some bananas that were getting pretty brown and i didnt want to throw them away, so when you let your bananas get too ripe, make bread!

3 ripe bananas mashed
⅓ cup melted butter (i used earth balance coconut spread, so yum)
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1½ cup flour (i used Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour)
2 cups berries, I  always have frozen berries in my freezer it seems. Not a bad thing! I like to use them in smoothies or for pancakes. For this recipe I did a mix of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

I was unsure as to how to proceed with my frozen berries ....should i defrost.....can i leave frozen....so i put the question out over FB -land and a few of my lovely lady friends responded, unanimously advising to defrost. Too much moisture otherwise while baking. Makes sense! I defrosted my berries in the micro then softly patted them with a paper towel to drain any excess liquid (thanks for the tip Colie!)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.
Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
Add the flour, mix.
Add berries, mix.
Pour mixture into a greased and floured regular sized loaf pan.
Bake for about 1 hour.
Cool on a rack.
Remove from pan, slice and serve!

You know, i remembered just now that right before i put the pan in the oven i had sprinkled some sugar on top. My goal was to get a nice crust but it didnt quite turn out how i planned so dont try it. In the pic youll see the very top sort of raised up and this is why. Still tasted good though! 

Also, i was surprised it turned out so dark looking,but then i remembered when i mixed the berries in the batter i noticed it turning purple from the juices. I am sure if you used fresh berries and stirred gently that you would achieve a more golden color to your bread. Either way, it was yum. Super moist, and perfect with a cup of coffee. or if you're one of my birds...with a sippy of coconut/almond milk. :)

Nom!

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