Delicious!

Picture courtesy of Pinterest, of course.  I didn't use the Pinterest recipe, however.

Lately, I've been making pumpkin bread and applesauce bread in mini loaf pans* for freezing.  It's immensely gratifying to have a freezer full of little loaves of goodness to cut up for breakfast (paired with peach smoothies--yum!) or to tuck into lunchboxes (as a treat!), and I've gotten it down to a science.  I can make a full batch of both pumpkin bread and applesauce bread and have them in the oven in less than 20 minutes.  So, because I love you all so much, I'm passing my recipes along.

Applesauce Bread
Modified from a recipe by Cassie Boyle, one of the best cooks I know, to use less oil and less sugar and whole wheat flour.  I honestly don't miss any of the old ingredients, but I like my fruit breads to be moist but not greasy.  Of course, I then spread butter on the bread when I'm really feeling like a treat, so I can't actually fool myself that this is healthier.  
1/3 cup oil
2 cups applesauce (unsweetened)
2 eggs
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
Mix wet ingredients together then add dry ingredients.  Pour into mini loaf pans until the pan is half full and bake at 375 for however long it takes for the center to bounce back when you touch it.  (This will depend on your loaf pans.  Mine take about 20-25 minutes.)


Maple Pumpkin Bread
Modified from a muffin recipe by my Aunt Steph--another one of the best cooks I know. I've made a lot of the same substitutions as in the applesauce bread recipe, and I've also taken out the pecans and put in chocolate chips instead.  Feel free to do the reverse.
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
3 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
2 cups pumpkin puree (canned--but not the pumpkin pie mix, be careful)
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff is best, but I've use the fake as well)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional, of course, but absolutely delicious)
Preheat oven to 375.  Mix dry ingredients together first then add wet ingredients.  Pour into mini loaf pans until half full.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until centers bounce back when touched.

*I use the foil mini loaf pans you buy at Wal-Mart, five for $1.25, because they are the perfect size, just large enough to slice but small enough that two loaves will fit in one quart-size ziptop freezer bag.  I'd love to find something the same size but more sturdy, since I'm always afraid this will be the last time my pans will survive.