Honestly, the hardest meal of the day for me is breakfast. Upon waking my stomach gurgles and I crave my sweet cinnamon crunch cereal. Over the last few days I've come to realize how refined sugar has sneakily woven it's way into my day to day life. It hides in my favorite cereals, sauces, yogurts, jams and jellies, breads, and myriad other seemingly healthy foods. It's been tough finding refined-sugar-free foods in my refrigerator and cupboard so I decided to make my own.
Since I'm cutting out refined sugar for the week I've tweaked a classic bread recipe that I'll look forward to scarfing down upon waking. Paired with a hot cup of coffee this breakfast is sure to satisfy your morning hunger monster and it's sweet tooth.
Who doesn't love baking with spotty bananas? As someone avoiding refined sugar, bananas are a great source of the sweetness we all crave in life. Now pair those mushy wonders with some cinnamon, butter and flaxmeal and you've got yourself a starchy, satisfying breakfast that will deliver energy all morning long.
In lieu of brown sugar I've added Stevia powder. If you're hardcore you can omit this sugar alternative. Honestly, I'm not sure how healthy Stevia is. There is a lot of back and forth about this natural sweetener. It's still a refined food and should not be relied upon heavily by refined-sugar-free people.
Morning Monkey Bread
What you'll need:
- 3 ripe bananas (preferably organic, but use what you've got)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tbsp sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup organic gluten-free flour or unbleached whole wheat if you're not into GF
- 2/3 cup flaxmeal
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- Stevia to taste
Preheat your oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, mash your bananas with a fork (I like to leave mine a little lumpy for added texture). Add in sour cream/yogurt, butter, and Stevia if you choose to use it. In a small bowl whisk your eggs until fluffy. Add to the banana mixture once the butter has cooled so the (eggs don't cook).
In a separate bowl combine the flour, flaxmeal, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix the wet and dry ingredients until just blended. Fold in walnuts. If your batter is too thick you can add a little water or hemp/almond/coconut milk. The batter should be thick but not not impossible to stir. Pour the batter into a greased bread pan or cupcake pan for muffins.
Bake bread loaf for 50 minutes to an hour. Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf until it comes out clean. If you're making muffins, bake for 20-25 minutes. Times may vary according to your oven so keep testing with a toothpick.
Now you have a weekly stash of grab-and-go breakfast that will keep you going until lunch! I like to toast my bread slices and add a little butter. Mmm-mmm!
Happy baking!
I hope everyone is enjoying themselves during this week without refined sugar. Next Up: some tips for lunch and dinner. Plus, what to eat when you just need dessert.
No comments:
Post a Comment