“Health Nut” Banana Bread
Banana bread is one of the ultimate comfort foods. I have played around with so many versions of banana bread, from my mom’s secret recipe (a classic banana bread) to loaded up with chocolate chips and slathered with whipped cream cheese (I know, I’m doing crunches right now as I think about it). This time, I looked at those two slightly forgotten about, I-promise-I’ll-eat-you-tomorrow, brown-spotted bananas on the counter and wondered “what would a healthier version of banana bread look like”?? So, I surveyed my seed, nut, grain, and spice cart and got a little creative.
I love banana bread, but the classic recipes include quite a bit of white flour, butter, and sugar. (I might be drooling…) I wanted a drool-worthy banana bread that’s healthy too. I replaced the all-purpose flour with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and some almond flour, replaced the sugar with maple syrup (you could also use honey), and used coconut oil instead of butter. Then, a dollop of almond butter, some nuts, seeds, spices, raisins, and dates. As a special treat, I used organic vanilla bean paste, but vanilla extract is perfectly fine too. The healthy fats combine to create the most moist banana bread I’ve ever had, and instead of drying out this banana bread actually gets more moist over time! This banana bread is delicious, guilt- and gluten-free!
Banana bread is a “forgiving” recipe! Get creative; you can alter your recipe in so many ways. Have fun!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Ghee (to grease the loaf pan)
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I prefer Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour)
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla bean extract)
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 tablespoon creamy almond butter
- 1/4 cup flax, hemp or chia seeds
- 1/4 cup chopped nuts (cashews, pecans or walnuts)
- 1/2 cup golden raisins (or chopped dates...or both)
- 1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with Ghee and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix the gluten-free & almond flours, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, yogurt, vanilla bean paste (or extract) until smooth. Stir in the mashed bananas, almond butter, seeds, nuts, and raisins / dates.
Pour the batter into the greased pan and sprinkle the top with coconut palm sugar (or other raw sugar).
Bake for 55-60 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean). Cool for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with topping of your choice. Almond butter is great!
https://www.travelynneats.com/2019/01/14/health-nut-banana-bread/Chocolate Cherry Breakfast Smoothie
Life offers up some sweet moments. Many are obvious, but far more interesting are the ones you have to pay attention to… the not-so-obvious. The space between. The silence between the notes. The pause between the inhale and the exhale. These are the gems. This is where I find that place that feels worthy of pause, of wonder, of contemplation, of curiosity.
So, while I was aimlessly scrolling the internet one evening, I just about breezed by this article: “Jennifer Aniston Shares Her Signature Breakfast Smoothie.” I paused, though, when I saw the opening line, “What did it take for Jennifer Aniston to squeeze into that glittering Saint Laurent dress…?” …and I chuckled and the inner monologue started. Now I was hooked; I kept reading. What did it take, how did she do it?… I purposely skipped past the part that said “In addition to exercising 4-5 days a week…” and saw that Jen “starts each day with a healthy homemade shake.” Oh yes, a shake… I can do that.
Whether you’ve had a chocolate covered cherry or black forest cake, you’re probably well aware that chocolate and cherries are a classic pair. Oh yes, chocolate and cherries are good for your SOUL… but the combo in this smoothie is good for your soul wrapper too!
Chocolate almond milk, frozen banana, cherries, blueberries, organic raw almonds, Maca root powder, vegan chocolate protein powder (I’ve grown attached to Vega Protein & Greens), and just a couple drops of liquid stevia.
I’m glad I stopped and read further. I’m glad I got past my drink-this-smoothie-look-like-Jen-Aniston snort laugh (and trust me, I’d drink a helluva lot of smoothies to look like her!). Because, I found a wonderful, easy, naturally sweet, healthy, smoothie. It’s my go-to morning shake.
I love finding the sweetness in the not-so-obvious…
While I’m reveling in unexpected sweetness, I find that lately –in the midst of seeming chaos– I’m paying more attention to the delicate space between the craziness. I’m nurturing this perspective. I’ve been shifting focus from the disaster to the rescuer, from the problem to the volunteer …to the grass-root solution. …a donation made. …the community engaged.
I didn’t quite expect to find myself at the Women’s March in Washington DC last month. I don’t do crowds. Certainly, not 500,000-large crowds. But, I felt compelled to go. No sign, no plan. Just me, feeling like I needed to be a part of our great democracy in action. I piled into the Metro. And, what seemed like an eternity later, I was birthed out of L’Enfant Metro stop, moving in a sea of people with pink hats and funny-witty-punchy-serious-naughty-poignant-creative signs.
Moments later, at Independence and 6th Street, and surrounded by more people than I felt comfortable with, I climbed a tree, nestled between two limbs, and perched there for 5 hours listening to Gloria Steinem, Michael Moore, Alicia Keys, Senator Duckworth, Madonna, and many others. I didn’t go to see these people; I had no idea they’d be there. But, I appreciated each speaker. I heard them: stand up, take action.
As far as the march goes… It took a heckofa long time to actually start moving. The march route was so packed we were wedged in place for hours; but then a budge, and then a few feet, and then we walked for miles. It was peaceful. It was powerful. It was a day that I pledged: from now on don’t complain, do something. It was a special day. There was a sweetness in it I was not expecting.
But, you clicked on this link because you were looking for something sweet …like chocolate cherry sweet. Keep scrolling…
As we become purer channels for God’s light, we develop an appetite for the sweetness that is possible in this world. A miracle worker is not geared toward fighting the world that is, but toward creating the world that could be.
~ Marianne Williamson
- 1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
- 1 cup frozen cherries
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 1 cup ice
- 1 scoop chocolate flavor vegan protein powder
- 1/2 tablespoon maca powder
- 2-3 drops of liquid sweetener or stevia
- 10 raw almonds
- Place all ingredients in blender with the liquids first. Blend until smooth.
- Initially spotted on the InStyle.com fashion magazine. What a great find!
Chocolate & Kale Detox Smoothie
I am easing into 2017. You have to admit, 2016 was a bit of a doozy… If you’re like me (a child of the 70s & 80s), the loss of David Bowie, Prince, George Michael and Princess Leia were mighty blows! (& these were just a few of the many revered popular and significant figures that left us…) So, not to get dark on you, but… OUCH. I won’t even get into the political drama that ensued this year. 2016–COME ON! The online/TV end-of-year recap was unlike any I remember with a middle digit montage on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and the final hoorah: Mariah Carey’s Times Square New Year’s Eve performance. Girl, we feel ya– 2016 was rough…
☆2017 just seems like something that needs to be gently approached☆
Each year, I’ll tell you I don’t make resolutions as I’m drafting my list. Despite my hesitance, I’m pretty good at sticking to them though. This year, as I started contemplating my list, I took note of a new trend: setting intentions. Ok, ummm yeah… I like it. It’s very 2017. Like “hey, things have been rough…we made it though….let’s just slide into this next thing a bit…” In the spirit of smooth transitions, I have set my intentions for 2017. High on the list is a much stronger focus on CLEANER EATING. I say CLEANER instead of CLEAN because there is a good chance on my business trip to California next week, I’m going to end up with an In-N-Out burger (animal style, duh…) in my face.
I’m starting somewhere, though. Intentions, right? Set myself up for success, you know… Because this isn’t about a diet, this is about diet. This is about me knowing there is a direct connection between what we eat and how we move through life. While I eat fairly healthy, my off button and filters don’t always work so well. So, last night, an hour after I ate my dinner (a big ‘ole fluffy kale salad), I tossed back a frozen pizza with reckless abandon. My weakness is frozen pizza (I know… seriously… what…). There are three in the freezer right at this very moment…
So, I’m going to kick things into gear with a 21-day detox program right after my business trip. More to follow on that. But, I feel like something NEEDS to BE done NOW!!! I really feel like I need to do a control-alt-delete on myself, but hey… easy does it. So, in the spirit of easing out of the craziness of 2016 and into the reset that I know needs to happen in 2017: I’m starting with this Chocolate & Kale Detox Smoothie.
Oh wait, wait, wait! Don’t close out of the page after reading the words chocolate and kale in the same sentence. You don’t taste the kale at all. Meantime, it’s working it’s leafy super green magic on your guts. The chocolate~~ well, that’s a sneaky little bit as well. The chocolate in this smoothie comes from two superfood ingredients: cacao powder and cacao nibs. And who doesn’t love the words “superfood” and “chocolate” used together… Toss in some frozen bananas, almond milk, and a couple drops of liquid Stevia (and it doesn’t even really need this tiny boost of sweetness, but hey… we said ‘easing in’ right), and you have a creamy, chocolatey, decadent smoothie–that you, my dear, do not need to feel the least bit guilty about.
I want to talk about a few of the ingredients real quick before we get into the blender action, because then things move real quick!
KALE. I love it. I didn’t always love it. But, I’m about two clicks away from being one of those “Oh Kale Yeah” t-shirt-wearing-gals. It adds texture to salad, it bakes into dishes really well, it sautés beautifully in olive oil with a splash of apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and fresh grated ginger. And just take a moment to admire the stunning pop of green that shows up in your sauté pan… And, if we’re not on the same (kale) page yet, this is the recipe for you… because, like I said, you aren’t going to taste it. So, let me offer up one more bit on kale. If you’ve been grabbing the bag of pre-cut kale (with the big chunks of stem cut up in there too), I want to ask you to try something new. I want you to grab the big, loose leaf (or bundled) organic kale. I want you to gently slide the leaf off the main stem, grab the leaves up in a bunch, and thinly slice the leaves into little kale ribbons. Then, while on the cutting board or in a bowl. I want you to give that kale a nice little massage, maybe just a minute or two. Tell it you love it, and then say hello to your new favorite Brassica oleracea. Massaged kale softens up a bit, which makes it easier to digest– and just watch how the color brightens!
CACAO NIBS. I grabbed all my grocery list items and thought, “what the heck, lemme see if <mainstream grocery store> carries cacao nibs.” … Me: “Sir {to grocery store manager walking by}, do you y’all carry cacao nibs?” … Store manager guy: “Oh yes, let me grab that for you.” … Me (never-ending conversation with self inside head): “Score!” … Store manager guy: “Here you go.” Handing me a bag of chocolate chips. Me {in my most polite and slightly ridiculous tone}: “No, nibs not chips.” … Store manager guy: “What’s a nib?” Touché, Sir. Touché…
Cacao nibs are cacao beans that have been roasted, separated from their husks, and crushed into smaller pieces. It’s basically chocolate in its raw, pure form. And who doesn’t love things in their raw, pure forms?… So, think “less sweet, slightly nutty” flavor. Kinda like me with the grocery store manager. Look, the short version is: cacao nibs are chocolate before all the bullshit additives come into the picture. Yes, I know, I like them too… but when you’re trying to detox a bit you gotta find the opportunities. Plus, you get antioxidants, fiber, iron and magnesium– and what’s not to love about that…?
FROZEN BANANAS. This will be short. Go buy a bunch of bananas. Then, when you’re like, “Oh hey, these bananas look perfectly ripe…oh crap, if I don’t eat all 8 bananas in two days I will have a brown pile of goo on the counter!” That’s when I want you to peel them, cut them in half, put them in a ziploc bag and toss them in the freezer. Because always having frozen bananas on hand for smoothies is one of life’s simple pleasures…
Ok, now take a quick glance at the ingredients. You’re going to toss them in the blender, give them a big, looooong whirl. Done. Kick back, take a sip. Feels kinda indulgent, huh?… You did it, you made it through some rough bits this year; treat yourself and know that this one is totally GOOD for you!
☆Cheers to all that is ahead of us, 2017!☆
“My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair.
So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”
~Jack Layton
- 1 1/2 cups chopped, packed organic kale
- 3 tablespoons cacao nibs
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 1 1/2 cups original, unsweetened almond milk
- 2 drops Stevia liquid sweetener
- 2 frozen bananas
- 1 cup ice
- Add all ingredients to smoothie blender and process until smooth.
- Enjoy immediately!
