What’s not to love about banana bread? Ripe, sweet, energy and potassium-packed bananas, lots of fiber, protein and healthy fats from almonds, flax and chia seeds and a touch of sweetness from raw honey. I love it! (I know I always say that of the recipes that I post, but I do have kind of a love affair with banana bread particularly) Specially when served warm or toasted with a cup of hot tea, on a chilly winter morning… You get the picture, right?

For me, winter is the hardest time to stay on top of my healthy eating habits. Summer is easy breezy; so many options, so many colors, sunlight and long days enjoyed outdoors. During winter, it’s quite the opposite. We spend much more time indoors, we exercise less, so we expend less energy, we have limited options of fresh local foods and we use the holidays as an excuse to overindulge. Besides all that, the truth is the body naturally craves for cooked, warming foods, with a higher fat content during the winter months. This is due to our survival instinct preparing us for scarcity (the problem is nowadays, scarcity never comes), it’s not just our lack of self-control and crazy cravings, so don’t be so hard on yourself.

Hunger and cravings are not a curse, they are actually the way our body communicates with us and tells us what it is lacking, it is sort of a language, a call for action, so we can replenish our macro and micro nutrient reserves accordingly. The problem arises when, due to our busy schedules, fast-paced lifestyles or choosing convenience over quality; we forget to listen to our bodies and put into our mouth the first thing we find within our reach, just to realize moments later, that that was not what the body needed, so it craves again and again and again until we finally decide to nurture it with the vitamins and nutrients that it really needs to perform it’s bodily functions, maintain homeostasis and return to balance. Bottom line, indulging a craving with empty calories is like putting a band-aid on a deep cut.

We all love bread and we all love sweets, but it’s no secret that processed carbohydrates, oxidized fats and refined sugars are not particularly good for our health.

So this recipe, is an attempt to substitute, those store-bought processed products, for a healthier homemade treat made with high quality products, and a whole lot of L-O-V-E or as post-modern health practitioners put ir a very corny way, Vitamin L, and that folks, can’t be bought at the store, even with the highest quality of products.

Extremes are always unhealthy and depriving ourselves of the things that we love all the time, is not healthy either. Health is balance, health is being happy and enjoying your life, and health goes waaaaay beyond food.

This is a great option to share with friends and family on a weekend or special occasion, as a healthy snack for the kids to take on their lunch boxes or to indulge on something sweet every once in a while, with all the flavour, and the health benefits of a high quality product, and none of the guilt.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe (preferably organic) banana, about 2 medium bananas. +1 whole banana to garnish on top
• 3 organic eggs (hormone-free, antibiotic-free, humanely raised) the goal here is to find the best quality possible.
• 2 tbs raw honey. I used honey, but you could also try using grade B maple syrup aka the real, minimally processed, maple syrup or agave.
• 1 tsp vanilla. Go for the real deal! Vanilla Extract imitation ingredients are usually water, sugar, caramel color (controversial ingredient due to a carcinogenic compound 4-methylimidazole (4-MeI), a chemical byproduct formed when certain types of caramel coloring are manufactured), artificial flavor and preservatives.
• 1/4 cup cold-pressed, extra virgin coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda + 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cups almond meal or almond flour
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal, ground flaxseed or chia seeds. I used flaxseed meal this time because it was what I could find, but a good tip is to buy the seeds whole and grind them right before using them in a high-speed blender or a food processor, to prevent oxidation. I also used 1 tablespoon of chia seeds to sprinkle on top before putting the mixture into the oven, but you could also use almonds, pecans or walnuts.

Let’s do it!
Preheat your oven to 320F.
In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas and combine the raw honey, coconut oil, cinnamon, vanilla extract, eggs, baking soda and lemon (to activate the baking soda). You can mix by hand in the same bowl or with a good, high-potency blender. I did it by hand, to get a little workout, besides I didn’t feel like cleaning up a dirty blender vase.
Add the almond and flaxseed meal and mix well.

Use some coconut oil to lightly oil one loaf tin and then coat with extra almond meal to prevent the cake from sticking to the tin.

Fill the tin with the batter. This is the moment when you can get creative and top your banana bread with whatever you like: fruit, nuts, seeds. almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc. I decorated mine with a couple of sliced bananas and a sprinkle of chia seeds and cinnamon.

Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, it will have a beautiful golden brown color and a delicious smell, also if you insert a toothpick, it should come out dry. Let cool, turn the bread out of the tin and cut in thick slices. Enjoy!

Almond – Banana Bread

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 45 minutes - 1 hour
Servings 1 Loaf ~ 10 servings

Ingredients

1  1/4 cups mashed ripe banana ~ 2 medium bananas 

1 whole banana to garnish on top

3 organic eggs

2 tbs raw honey, maple syrup or agave

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup cold-pressed, extra virgin coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda + 1 tbsp lemon juice

2 cups almond meal or almond flour

1/4 cup flaxseed meal, ground flaxseed or chia seeds

Toppings: Sprinkle of chia seeds, almonds, pecans or walnuts to taste (optional).

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 320F.
In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas and combine the raw honey, coconut oil, cinnamon, vanilla extract, eggs, baking soda and lemon.

You can mix by hand in the same bowl or with a good, high-potency blender.

Add the almond and flaxseed meal and mix well.

Use some coconut oil to lightly oil one loaf tin and then coat with extra almond meal to prevent the cake from sticking to the tin.

Fill the tin with the batter.

Add your toppings: banana or seasonal fruit, nuts, seeds. I decorated mine with a couple of lengthwise sliced bananas and a sprinkle of chia seeds and cinnamon.

Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, or until golden brown and the bananas are caramelized.

Let cool, turn the bread out of the tin and cut in thick slices.

Enjoy!

Notes

Serve warm or toasted