Gluten Free Banana and Raspberry Bread

I’ll be honest, I love banana bread, it really is delicious! I’ve made a protein version before and it turned out very moist and tasty. I decided to try out a slight variation, add some raspberries  and ensure it was gluten free.

So here goes…

Gluten Free Bread

 

Ingredients

• 2 Ripe Bananas, mashed with a fork
• 2 eggs
• 2 Cups Almond Meal/Ground Almonds
• 1 tablespoon Coconut Flour
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1 tablespoon Natvia (or other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder or gluten free baking powder
• 1 tablespoon Chia Seeds
• 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
• Handful Frozen raspberries and walnuts for sprinkling on top

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C or 360F and grease a loaf tin.
2. Place all ingredients (except for raspberries and all the walnuts ) in a bowl.
3. Mix with an electric hand held whisk until thick and combined.
4. Stir in chopped walnuts with a wooden spoon.
5. Pour batter into the loaf tin and top with raspberries and walnuts reserved for the topping.
6. Bake for 40 minutes or until firm.

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Happy Snacking!

– Sweet Cinnamon Sin

 

Protein Banana Bread

I know what you are thinking…could it really be? Is it possible? Can you have great tasting banana bread with protein? And how on earth can you make it gluten free?

Well guess what? It’s possible and it tastes divine! Ok, so admittedly I had a few trials with this recipe that fell flat…quite literally the bread puffed up and sagged right back down as soon as it was out of the oven. Protein powder isn’t a particularly good raising agent and it’s a little difficult to maneuver in a lot of recipes because of its consistency. But with the right combination of other ingredients it’s possible to work it into a recipe without it tasting horrible.

So here goes…

Protein Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whey protein powder (preferably vanilla or banana but even chocolate would do)
• 1 cup coconut milk or almond milk
• 1/2 cup egg whites (about 3 medium eggs)
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 6.5 tablespoons of heaped almond meal or almond flour
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 4 pitted dates (you can choose to omit this and add sweetener instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 .5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Sweetener of choice (I used a 1/4 teaspoon of liquid sweetener (optional)
• Handful of chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160C and lightly grease a medium bread tin.
2. Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor (I often find it is easier on the blades if you put the liquids in first)
3. Pour the ingredients into the bread tin and bake for around 45-50 minutes. The banana bread should be ready when a skewer comes out clean.

Happy snacking!

– Sweet Cinnamon Sin

Perfect Afternoon Snack

Clean Chia Pudding

It’s no secret that I love chia seeds, they are so versatile and can be used in nearly every recipe. But how much do you really know about this supposed super food? And do you know why it’s considered to be ‘super’? Here are some interesting benefits of chia seeds:

• Chia seeds are high in dietary fibre which is crucial for a healthy digestive system
• Chia seeds have 3 times more Omega 3 than salmon
• They contain 7 times more vitamin C than oranges
• They are a great source of protein, especially for vegetarians, with one 28g serve containing 4.4g of protein
• Chia seeds have proven to fight insulin resistence which is linked with belly fat
• Known to improve blood pressure in diabetes patients
• High in antioxidants and minerals that help the body protect itself from diseases such as cancer
• It’s gluten free
• It can be used as a substitute for eggs in recipes (instead of adding egg you can add 1 tablespoon of chia and 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 15 minutes before adding it into your recipe)

The list goes on and on! So you can see why chia is the new craze around town and everyone is keen to get their paws on the stuff. So I thought I would try a really simple recipe with chia that you can all very easily make at home, a pudding!

Chia Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
• Fruit of choice (mango is my personal favourite)

Method:

1. Combine the chia seeds and milk in a glass jar and close with lid. Shake the jar until they are combined.
2. Sit the jar in the fridge overnight (for best results).
3. Top with your favourite fruit, I used diced mango and strawberry to sweeten the pudding.

That’s all! How simple is that? 3 ingredients and you have a healthy breakfast of snack.

Happy snacking!

– Sweet Cinnamon Sin

Protein Piklets (baby pancakes)

Who doesn’t love a good protein pancake? And even then, a mini version looks (and tastes) marvellous too. This recipe is also lactose free for those that are allergic to dairy products (I promise it doesn’t compromise on the taste even a little). You should be able to find each of these ingredients at home too!

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium banana
2. 1/2 cup oats (around 30g)
3. 1 scoop protein powder (I used vanilla)
4. 1-2 tablespoons water
5. 1-2 tablespoons milk (I used almond milk but you can use any type)
6. 2 egg whites
7. Pinch of baking soda (optional)
8. Agave/Honey/Maple Syrup to serve

Method:

1. Place egg whites, oats, protein powder, milk, water, baking soda, and 1/2 of the banana in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Heat a greased pan on medium heat until it is hot enough to cook with. Take 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture from the blender and create small pancakes – or ‘piklets’.
3. After bubbles begin to appear, flip each piklet and cook for an extra minute or until browned. Continue with the rest of the mixture.
4. Plate and serve with the remainder of the banana and drizzle with sweetener of choice.

It’s as simple as that!

– Sweet Cinnamon Sin

Clean Cinnamon Pancakes

I don’t know about you but I love pancakes! For those eating clean though they seem like a luxury. But here’s an easy recipe that involves nothing more than a few ingredients and a blender to make. Give this a go if you are after a tasty little breakfast that will fill you up and satisfy that sweet craving.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/3 cup yogurt (I used homemade but you can also use greek)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 banana (or your fruit of choice for serving)

Method:

1. In a blender combine the oats, yogurt, cinnamon and egg whites. Blend until smooth.
2. Pre-heat a pan on medium heat, coat surface with butter (coconut oil also works well).
3. After the pan has warmed up, spoon mixture into round pancakes.
4. Cook until one side is brown then flip and repeat for the remaining side, remove from pan.
5. Continue making pancakes until batter is finished.
6. Serve with sliced banana and drizzle with honey.

Happy clean eating!

– Sweet Cinnamon Sin

Strawberry & Chia Oats

Strawberry & Chia Oats

 

In an effort to do a little balancing, I’ve decided to switch my usual sugar-filled breakfast cereal with something healthy and equally as satisfying. I tried plenty of breakfast alternatives but when you’re in a rush to head to work, a weekday breakfast is hard to master if it takes more than a couple of minutes to whip up. So here’s a delicious and fast recipe for some breakfast oats!

Ingredients:

• 40 g Rolled Oats
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup milk (I use almond milk)
• 1/2 tsp Black Chia seeds
• 1 tsp Dark Agave (or honey as an alternative)
• 2 strawberries (or any other fruit, to top)

Method:

1. Pour oats and milk into a microwave proof bowl, sprinkle over cinnamon and microwave for 2 minutes.
2. Stir oats and continue to microwave for a further 1 minute.
3. Remove from microwave, sprinkle over chia, agave (or honey) and top with sliced strawberries.

This recipe is so quick and very tasty. Great for people eating clean. The macros are as follows:

Calories: 253

• Total Fat: 8.3g
• Total Carbs: 35.6g
• Dietry Fibre: 9.2g
• Sugars: 9.9g
• Protein: 8.5g

Have a great day all!

– Sweet Cinnamon