The Ultimate Banana Bread (VG, GF, Refined Sugar Free)

Fresh & Pure, Nourish & Glow

How to Make the Ultimate Banana Bread and Recipe Book Review

GF, VG, Natural 

I'm a huge fan of any recipe that involves bananas as you can see from this extensive list of banana recipes on my blog! 

Banana Bread is a sweet bread made from; mashed bananas, a form of flour, sweetener and fat. Combining all food groups, it can be eaten as a super healthy and nutritious, snack, breakfast or brunch.

Jules Aron has just produced Two of the most beautiful natural recipe books you could find; Fresh and Pure based on natural beauty recipes and Nourish and Glow providing over 70 holistic recipes to make you look and feel fantastic from the inside out. 

Published on March 6th they combine everything you could ever need to know about holistic beauty, living and recipes, in the most beautifully displayed pages and cover. 

If you were at a loss for something to buy your mum for mothers day then these should definitely be on your radar & I cant wait to hear what everyone thinks of them!

Jules is amazing, and I am so grateful to have received these books; getting the opportunity to create and pour over the recipes she has created.

I decided to show you just how amazing these recipes are by making Jules' Banana Bread. It is the simplest recipe and combines delicious whole foods for a filling and healthy snack, breakfast or brunch option. 

What you will need:

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

4 bananas

1/4 maple syrup

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 cups Gluten Free Oat Flour 

(Blitz up oats using a good food processor, to make your own)

3/4 cup almond meal

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

To Make:

1. Pre heat oven to 350f, grease an 8 inch loaf pan, with coconut oil and set to side.
2. Mash Bananas and combine with coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla in a blender.
3. Transfer into a medium bowl and add flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Whisk together and add to your pre prepared tin.
5. Bake for 60-70 minutes- or until a knife come out clean.
6. Allow to cool before tucking in!

Let me know what you love to have on your banana bread, in the comments. I love mine toasted and covered in agave lemon zest and coconut!

Tried this recipe? Share it with me on any of my social media:

My Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/thevoguevegetarian/

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/thevoguevegetarian/

Twitter- https://twitter.com/emilyisobeljane 

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 About the books:

I am a huge fan of recipe books and was so over the moon to receive these two beautiful hardback copies in my blogger mail. They are stitched hard backs with beautiful golden font, and I know you arent supposed to jusge a book by its cover but these are truly stunning.

Inside the high quality continues, in page after page of beautiful imagery, font and easy to read and follow recipes. I've honestly had my nose in these since I received them and Jules and the team at Contry Man Press have done an amazing job! 

I cant recommend them enough. 

Why Not Try:

 Banana Bread Breakfast Bowl:

I love combining recipes to create one super yummy dish! 

For a perfect brunch option add; my Green Goddess Granola, coconut cream, cranberries, and banana bread to a bowl . Top with desiccated coconut and lemon zest for a super yummy, healthy, and energizing brunch.

3 Quick Simple Healthy Vegan Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 8 (127 calories per serving) 

What you will need:

1 cup oats

Dark chocolate 50 g

2tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp syrup ( I use maple)

Method:

Blitz the oats in a food processor, to make a fine flour.

Chop up the dark chocolate 

Add the chocolate, peanut butter and syrup to the flour

Mix and roll into 8 balls

Flatten under palm of hand

Place on lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes

Apple Crumble Rock Cake

Makes 8 (61 calories per cake) 

What you will need:

1 cup oats

1 apple  peeled and grated

1 handful raisins

Syrup 2 tbsp 

tsp cinamon

tsp mixed spice

Method:

blitz the oats in a food processor, with the cinnamon and mixed spice

add the apple and syrup and mix

spoon into 8, and place on lined baking tray

Bake for 10 minutes 

Banana's and Custard Cookies

 88 calories per cookie ( makes 8)

What you will need:

3/4 cup oats

25g custard powder

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp syrup ( I use maple)

Method:

Pre heat oven to 180

Mash the banana

add the coconut oil and mix

Blend the Oats and custard powder together

Add the wet ingredients and mix

Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until golden. 

Get Fit Quick-Lucy Wyndham-read

Lifestyle

If you want to get fit quick, and more importantly healthily, at home without spending a single penny...then Lucy Whyndham Read is your girl.

Her workouts cover every fitness level, and come in all varieties. Whether you want; 4 minutes HIIT, home cardio, or a walking workout, this girl has your back.

I often look at how intensely I want to work out and go through her videos and make a playlist of those I want to complete that day, sometimes its a couple of HIIT workouts, sometimes cardio followed by toning and sometimes I just want a walking workout.

Not only are her workouts QUICK, FUN, and EFFECTIVE, they also come with positive life advise and affirmations to keep you motivated and inspired.

Lucy has a variety of e-books available which go hand in hand with her channel, advising on 80/20 recipes and fitness tips.

I have been following her workouts for well over a year now and they are honestly amazing. I haven't been paid to say a word of this, I just want to share this amazing channel and help others as much as it has helped me.

Have you seen Lucy's channel before? What are your fitness goals?

Choose Happiness Motivational Monday #4

There are two quotes Im focusing on this week. It has been a particularly busy week and both seemed very appropriate.

So this quote is perfect for my motivational Monday post this week. The week has involved, moving house, cracking my ribs, revising for exams and writing my academic development. 

It hasn't been the easiest week of my life to say the least, but it has taught me so much about my own strength and also the strength and kindness of those around me. 

My parents have coped and led our house move with such calmness and enthusiasm it is truely inspiring. We have all only ever moved once and my brother and sister had never moved before so to say it was an adventure would be an understatement. I dont think any of us quite anticipated just how much packing was involved or just how much stuff we actually owned. 

It became even more of an adventure when on the morning of our move with only 4 hours sleep I managed to fall winding myself and cracking my ribs. My mum was onto NHS 111 straight away despite our desperate packing situation! My sister was the next Savior and kindly offered to come to UTC with me in the ambulance so I wouldn't have to go by myself. From this experience I not only learnt that my sister is a star but also that in order to be a good nurse I should never leave a patient to struggle (we were just watched by my nurse as my sister tried to move the wheelchair with the breaks on, and then struggled to get my coat off me due to my lack of movement!)

I then learnt that I have the best, best friend on the planet; who came out to get me from hospital, lent me clothes and let me stay at her house, even though it was her birthday and she had places to be!

~

I often find it very easy to look at what other people have and want it for myself, forgetting all the amazing components of my own life. I think it so important whenever I see someone achieving something that I want, to remember I can achieve just as much as they have and that I should feel pleased for them and to use them as inspiration to reach my own goals. This gives me confidence to achieve and also allows me to practice compassion which I believe is highly important. Jealousy is such a soul destroying emotion that often leaves upset, replacing that feeling with one of happiness for the person and aspiration for yourself is so much more positive in so many ways. I would advise anyone who feels like they want something someone else has to switch to this way of thinking! 

It is also important to consider that they will have had their own adventures and learning experiences to get to that point, that you may not know about, therefore remember that the grass is always greener on the other side and that although things may look great for someone else it doesn't always mean they feel great or that it wasn't tough for them to get to that position.