Overripe Banana Bread

This morning I made the most beautiful and delicious banana bread! I woke up thinking about the bunch of overripe bananas I had. So, I googled "overripe banana gluten free recipe". What I found was Minimalist Baker's 1-Bowl Gluten-Free Bread recipe!!! To my delight, I had all of the necessary ingredients! The original recipe includes sugar, but I have used only honey and it's possible to just use an extra banana if you want it to be entirely free from sweeteners. I do realize that bananas are very high in sugar, but some people prefer to only use naturally derived sugars from fruits, etc.

Go over to : https://minimalistbaker.com/one-bowl-gluten-free-banana-bread/ for the recipe!

*I greased my glass dish with coconut oil and the bread came out perfectly by just turning it upside down once the bread was slightly cooled

Banana Oat Blender Muffins

I was looking to find something to do with my very ripe bananas and I came upon this recipe.
I didn't want to use dairy, so I adapted the ingredients and they turned out as a huge success!!!
I did bend our sugar free rule, with the use of chocolate chips, however they were dairy free and had very little sugar (compared to other brands). You've gotta live sometimes, ya know?!?!?! :) And I also know that if I put pecans or almonds in them another day, that my kids would still be happy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten free rolled oats
• 1/4 cup extra oats (to mix in, NOT blend)
• 2 large very ripe bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon himalayan salt
• *optional add-in: chocolate chips (I added 4 dark chocolate chips to each muffin or nuts)

Directions:

Prehead oven to 400 degrees F.

Add all ingredients to a high powered blender (like Vitamix), EXCEPT 1/4 cup oat and *add-ins

Blend until thoroughly combined and oats are pulverized. 

Then, stir in oats.

Pour into 12 lined and/or sprayed muffin tins.

Finally, toss a few chocolate chips on top, if desired. A few go a long way! My kids were amazed that there were chocolate chips in their breakfast (and they only got 4)

Bake for 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffin.

Let cool for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

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Date sweetened cinnamon raisin oat bars

So, I'm often looking for a bar that we can easily grab for a snack. I've tried many recipes and I finally found this lovely recipe at www.beginwithinnutrition.com , but I'm trying to use the least processed foods/sweeteners. So, I substituted out the brown rice syrup for homemade date paste. The result was kid approved and in my opinion absolutely yummy! I hope you enjoy it as well!

Ingredients:
1½ cup gluten free rolled oats
½ cup almond butter, unsweetened
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup date paste
¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup raisins

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl, mix almond butter, melted coconut oil, date paste, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon. Then, mix in raisins and oats (you may grind them prior to mixing in, if you wish). I did not grind the oats until the mixture was already together. So, I just pulsed half of the mixture in my food processor, until I got my desired consistency. I still like the "chunkiness" of the oats and raisins and didn't want the mixture to get too smooth (like a larabar). Anyhow, the end result was just right for me. You can play around with the texture that you prefer by only using the food processor on parts of your whole batch.
ENJOY!

Banana Buckwheat/Oat Bars

These were the most amazingly delicious bar we have had in a long time! I just used some ingredients I had lying around and it turned out to be a hit. It was so much of a hit that I forgot to take pictures until it was all devoured!

Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
1/2 cup ground oat flour (ground in Vitamix)
1/2 cup buckwheat flour (raw groats ground in Vitamix)
1.5 cups gluten free rolled oats  (NOT ground)

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Wet Ingredients
2 eggs
2 small ripe banana
1/4 cup of almond milk
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract



Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13x9 pan with nonstick cooking spray or brush with coconut oil.
Next, in a large bowl,  mix together dry ingredients. In a medium size bowl, mash banana and mix in the wet ingredients.
Pour the wet into the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. If dough is too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of almond milk at a time, until the dough is able to be spread easily with the back of your spoon.
Pour into baking dish. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes.

Chia seed pudding

This is one of my favorite treats! It has the texture of tapioca pudding and a slightly sweet, slightly nutty flavor. My favorite part about this recipe is it is extremely versatile!
What I am posting here is the most basic recipe, then you can add your own twists by changing the type of milk used (ie. using coconut milk) or mixing in a variety of fruits and spices. There are also many different ratios of chia to milk that you can try depending on your tastes. I like the pudding slightly thick, but not jiggly. You may find another ratio that suits you better. Also, you can blend up your chia seeds to make a more smooth pudding. I personally like the texture. So, have FUN! Play with your food and find what works best for you! :)

Ingredients:
3 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Silk brand is the only one I've found without carrageenan)
2/3 cup chia seeds
1-2 T pure grade B maple syrup (optional-I don't use this...anymore)

Directions:
Pour almond milk into 1 quart sized mason jar. Pour chia seeds on top (use funnel to avoid spilling seeds everywhere). Place lid on jar and shake vigorously. Let sit for 10 minutes, then stir and shake one more time to break up any lumps. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours or overnight. It will continue to thicken the longer it sits. Chia seeds can hold 9-12 times their weight in liquid!

Some of my favorite variations:
Cinnamon Raisin:
add 1/2 cup raisins & 1 T of cinnamon (or less...I just really like cinnamon)

Pumpkin Pie:
add 2-3 T pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling) & 2 t pumpkin pie spice

Toppings to add AFTER pudding has formed:
fresh fruit
nuts

Banana Nut:
Just before serving, top with fresh sliced bananas and walnuts

Mixed Berry Coconut:
Just before serving, top with unsweetened shredded coconut (toasted) and fresh berries. This blend is particularly good if you mix the chia seed with coconut milk to make the pudding!

Here are a couple great chia seed resources!
The Chia "Cheat" Sheet

Coconut Chia Recipe

Breakfast Bars

This recipe was adapted from Elana's Pantry website. It is a fabulous and versatile recipe. I eliminated the agave, added some seeds, added an egg, changed the oil and adjusted the flour content for just the right combination for our family.

Ingredients:
1 cup finely ground almonds (basically make flour)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup coconut oil

1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup chia seeds
¼ cup chopped almonds

¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
¼ cup raisins (optional)

Directions

In a small bowl, combine ground almonds (almonds I've ground into flour in the Vitamix), salt and baking soda
In a large bowl, combine coconut oil, egg and vanilla
Stir dry ingredients into wet
Mix in coconut, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, chopped nuts and raisins
Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with coconut oil
Press the dough into the baking dish, wetting your hands with water to help pat the dough down evenly
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes
Cool bars in pan for 2 hours, then serve

Makes 12-16 bars

Bacon Wrapped Pecan stuffed Dates

These may not look too pretty, but oh my! are these some of the yummiest little treats ever!!! And they are so simple to make! A friend of ours made them for our small group, then I made them for my Easter brunch! Delicious!!! The recipe was also found from Paula Deen via foodnetwork.com!

Ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) box pitted dates

30 pecan halves

10 to 12 slices bacon (you will have to look carefully because most bacon contains sugar...I have found one brand locally that doesn't contain any sugar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Stuff each date with a pecan half. Cut each slice of bacon into 3 pieces. Wrap 1 piece around each stuffed date, place seam side down on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until bacon is crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and serve.

Coconut Flour Banana bread

This recipe is so incredibly easy and delicious! It is definitely one of our favorite breakfast "breads" or afternoon treats!


Ingredients:

3 medium-sized ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 large eggs
1 T pure vanilla extract
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 cup plus 2 T coconut flour (I use THIS brand)
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray or brush with coconut oil. You may also use muffin paper, but I recommend even spraying the paper, as it will stick like crazy otherwise! If using a loaf pan, line the bottom with a rectangular piece of parchment paper. Blend bananas, eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt in your high powered blender (I use my Vitamix). After all is blended thoroughly, add the coconut flour until completely incorporated. It will thicken quickly. Stir in nuts if desired. Pour immediately into pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until lightly browned and a clean toothpick test (The "cake" will be moist, but should not stick to the toothpick).


*original recipe discovered at Comfybelly.com