This was made on a whim from the bananas I thought I would start eating before I run. I didn’t eat them. But what I do like to eat before I run is a tear of banana bread, specificaly with chocolate chips. I sliced, then froze the loaf. I pull out a couple pieces at a time, keep them in the fridge, and just tear off hunks as needed.
2 very ripe bananas
1/3 cup low fat sour cream
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup a.p. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 T butter, softened
1 T peanut butter
1/3 cup cocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Mash bananas in a medium bowl. Stir in sour cream, and set aside. Beat eggs in a seperate bowl. Measure flour into a small bowl and whisk in baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, beat butter, peanut butter, and vanilla. Mix the sugars into butter mixture. Add the eggs to the butter mixture and blend. Scrap the sides and bottom of bowl, then add the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined. Stir in banana mixture and chocolate chips. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan and place in oven to bake for 50-55 min. Remove from oven when a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
We NEED it but most of us don’t get enough of it. Why is it that most things we NEED, we don’t get enough of; water, sleep, patience, fun, magnesium? It’s likely most people don’t get enough magnesium because it’s found in minimally processed, whole foods, AND stress, caffeine and alcohol can cause excessive loss of magnesium. Women entering menopause can also experience a drop in magnesium as their levels of estrogen drop.
Why is magnesium so important? If you’re like most people you enjoy a good night sleep and a nice dump regularly. Magnesium is like the comfort zone mineral. Helping with some 300 bio-chemical reactions in the body, it helps regulate blood flow, blood sugar, nerve and muscle function, sleep, mood, and bowel. movements. It helps in balancing the states we associate with being comfortable. Without adequate amounts of magnesium, you could be experiencing cramps, headaches, depression, fatigue, brittle bones, reduced heart health, increased risk of stroke and diabetes.
Popping a magnesium supplement probably won’t stop a heart attack in its tracks but incorporating magnesium rich foods regularly, could prevent the worsening or the beginning of some major health disfunctions. While supplements may be necessary, that is something to discuss with a doctor. Too much magnesium from a supplement could be dangerous. Too much magnesium from food is impossible because excess will be passed through urine. My opinion is to always get as much nutrition from food as you can. By eating foods rich in magnesium, you will also be getting other important nutrients along with fiber, fat, protein, and enzymes that also play a crucial role in over all health. You can’t spot clean your health… wink.
They look like they’re covered in dirt, but they’re not. That’s the unique spice blend.
Here are some easy, popular food sources of magnesium. In a particular order, from highest amount to lowest, per oz.
Pumpkin seeds/pepitas, chia seeds, almonds, spinach, cashews, peanuts, black beans, edamame, brown rice, plain yogurt
Roasted Pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
Pumpkin seeds have 156 mg magnesium per ounce. The recommended daily for adult men and woman is 300-400mg/day. These guys are great for just snacking but also good as a salad crunchie, soup crunchie, mixed in a grain bowl, or on top of hummus. Start eating these and you’ll be sleeping and pooping like a baby in no time.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
10 oz pepitas, unroasted and unsalted
1 1/2 T pink Himalayan fine salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1-2 tsp agave syrup
1-2 T olive oil
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss well to distribute oil, agave, and spices. On a foil lined baking sheet, spread out the prepared seeds. Place in the heated oven for 12-15 minutes, start watching after 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool, laying out on the tray. Once fully cooled, seeds can be stored in a jar or container.
I made a few notes about what I want in a pumpkin bread before I started this recipe; not too sweet, moist, not super dense, tastes like pumpkin. I love the idea of a quick bread’s flavor, squishiness, and sweet notes, but I don’t like when it feels more like I ate a piece of cake rather than bread. I want all the pumpkin all of fall but I don’t want to feel like I blew a bunch of calories on a overly sugary bomb to my stomach. This recipe uses whole wheat pastry flour, which keeps it light. It contains a whole can of pumpkin which gives it moisture and flavor without much added fat. I kept the sugar low so it’s sweet but not sugary. It’s so fall.
All the flavors of Fall, guilt free
Healthier Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Heat oven to 350 degrees. You will need a 9×5 loaf pan.
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour + a little more for dusting the pan
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 eggs and 1 egg white
1 Tablespoon grated, fresh ginger
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup + 2 T granulated cane sugar
1 15 oz can organic canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the baking pan by using cooking spray or oil and flouring the pan. Set the prepared pan aside and begin the bread. Measure flour into a medium bowl. Add baking soda-salt and whisk to combine. Into a large mixing bowl, crack eggs and using an electric mixer or whisk, whip eggs until yolks are broken and bubbles start to appear. Add grated ginger and oil. Mix again until combined. Next add both sugars and pumpkin, and mix again. Scrap down sides, and give it another whip. Add dry ingredients to the egg and pumpkin mixture and mix just until combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Place in the middled of the preheated oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes. After 50 minutes insert a tooth pick into middle, when the tooth pick comes out clean, remove from the over. Place loaf on a wire rack to cool. After, roughly, 30 minutes tap the sides of the pan to loosen and gently remove bread from the pan. Leave loaf on the rack to cool, before slicing. If you can’t resist and go in for the kill, it might crumble some but whatever.
This recipe uses coconut oil instead of butter or vegetable oil. More popular in the last decade, coconut oil is easy to find amongst other oils in grocery stores. Because it is a saturated fat, it will usually be found in it’s solid form when stored in cool temperatures, but easily melts. Concerned about saturated fats? Give this article a quick read. Why this recipe benefits from using coconut oil; it adds to the flavor and aroma, by using coconut oil you can use a little less and still get a moist bread, it is minimally processed and plant based.
Gluten-free and easy to make. Takes only about 20 min to make and 1 hour to bake.
Recipe
4 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/2 cup cane sugar (Florida Crystals)
2 eggs, room temperature
4 small, ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking and Pancake Mix
1 cup + 1/2 cup shredded coconut
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease or spray an 8×4 loaf pan
Combine first 6 ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until combined. Add the baking mix and 1 cup of shredded coconut, mix just until combined. Place batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake for 45 minutes. Top bread with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded coconut, a sprinkle of salt, and continue to bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If coconut starts to brown too much before bread is done, lightly cover with foil. Cool on a wire rack, remove from pan.
KP The Real 