Even Banana Bread Needs Boundaries: A soulful recipe for balance and comfort

There’s something about baking banana bread that slows the world down for a minute. The way the sugar and butter cream together, the soft hush of flour against the bowl, the scent that fills the house. All of it feels like a deep exhale.

This week, I threw together a batch of banana muffins and bread the way I usually do, through instinct. A little of this, a handful of that. I started adding things like shredded carrots, walnuts, a touch of chocolate, a swirl of vanilla. I even thought about coconut, chia, flax. Maybe a pinch of something else, just because I could.

But then I paused. Maybe the recipe didn’t need more. Maybe it was enough.

I smiled to myself, realizing that sometimes my kitchen habits mirror my life. When I don’t know what to do with the noise, I pile on more—more work, more yeses, more to-dos, more sweetness.

But balance, even in baking, comes from restraint.

Because too much of a good thing can drown out the goodness already there. And maybe boundaries, in life and in banana bread, aren’t about holding back but about letting what’s best have room to rise.

So I put aside the coconut and flax, took a breath, and trusted that what I’d already stirred together was enough.

When it came out of the oven, warm and fragrant, I was quick to get a taste. It was perfect. Just enough sweetness, just enough texture. A gentle reminder that sometimes the best things come when we stop trying to add more.

Porch Light Truth:Even banana bread needs boundaries.Too much of everything spoils what’s already enough.

🥣 Porch Light Kitchen Recipe:

Even Banana Bread Needs Boundaries: A soulful recipe for balance and comfort

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed

• 1/3 cup melted butter

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

• 1 beaten egg

• 1 tsp baking soda

• Pinch of salt

• 1 1/2 cups Einkorn flour (or all-purpose flour)

• 1/2 cup finely shredded carrots

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or a mix of vanilla and a touch of chocolate extract—optional)

Optional but delicious additions (choose one or two—not all!)

• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

• 1/4 cup shredded coconut

• 1 tbsp flaxseed or chia seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5 loaf pan or line with parchment.

2. In a large bowl, mash bananas and stir in melted butter.

3. Add coconut sugar, beaten egg, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

4. Stir in shredded carrots, walnuts, and vanilla.

5. Gently fold in the flour until just combined—don’t overmix.

6. If desired, stir in one optional addition.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy warm with butter or honey—and maybe a quiet moment just for you.

Every time I bake, I’m reminded how the small, ordinary rituals of life can teach us something sacred.

Boundaries, like recipes, bring balance. They help us hold what matters, so the goodness in us doesn’t spill out and burn away.

So this week, whether you’re baking or simply breathing—remember: you don’t have to add more to be enough.

Happy baking,

From Lori's

Porch Light Kitchen

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