Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or spray a large loaf pan.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. I like to mix the dry ingredients using a whisk. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mash the banana - I use a fork to do this. Add in carrots, applesauce and eggs. Mix well.
Combine liquid mixture (applesauce, bananas) to dry bowl. Add in raisins. Stir, by hand, until just moistened. Do not overmix!
Spoon/scrape bread mixture into a large, greased loaf pan.
Sprinkle nuts or chia seeds over top if using.
Bake for 60 -70 mins or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean / with a few dry crumbs.
Let bread cool in loaf pan on cooling rack before turning out. Enjoy!
Notes
You may notice that there is no butter or oil in this recipe. I substitute applesauce for oil in most of my sweet quick bread recipes (with great results). You may substitute an equal amount of melted butter or vegetable oil if you do not have applesauce on hand. I wholeheartedly recommend using applesauce.Do not over mix the batter. Most recipes will state to "stir until just combined or just moistened" - and those are important instructions to follow. Over mixed quick breads will result in over-developing the gluten in the flour - which will leave you with a dense and rubbery loaf.Optional - top with cream cheese, softened butter, apple butter or peanut butter.