Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

I have been craving baked goods lately, like WHOA. I'm 37 weeks pregnant today and until now sweets weren't really my thing (except for a small bout with brownies in my second trimester). But lately, I've been all about the sweets. I really like baking my own treats and sweets because it's fun for me and I get to control what goes in them. So I decided to whip up some banana chocolate chip bread over the weekend, and it turned out delicious! Super easy ingredients and ready in under an hour!

Makes 1 loaf

4 bananas (the browner the better!)

3/4 cup gluten free pancake and baking mix

3/4 cup almond flour

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

10-12 packets stevia

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2-3 T chocolate chip morsels 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Then, place the bananas in a mixer and blend them up until they are mashed and smooth. Then, add the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips and mix thoroughly. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips!

Spray or grease a standard loaf pan. Then pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean! 

Enjoy on its own or smeared with some peanut butter! So delicious! 

Chocolate Chip Oat Bars!

I'm I have been craving chocolate and baked goods like no other. But I don't want to give in to all the cravings since I know how terrible commercially sold products can be! They are full of tons of sugar and sketchy trans fats! I'd much rather eat something more homemade and wholesome. So when I got home from work yesterday, I whipped up these delicious Chocolate Chip Oat Bars and they totally hit the spot! 

I ordered gluten free oat flour in bulk a while ago, but haven't gotten a chance to use some of it! I decided to use it in this recipe to make it gluten free and bulk up the fiber a bit! The bars were so cake-like and soft, they tasted just like the coffee cake at Starbucks!!

This recipe makes 16 long bars that I cut out in a 9x12 baking dish! Enjoy!

2 cups oat flour

1 cup plain greek yogurt

3 eggs

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

12 packets stevia (or equivalent of 1/2 cup sugar)

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x12 baking dish, then set aside.

Mix all the ingredients together except for the chocolate chips, then fold those in at the end!

Pour mixture into the baking dish.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean!

Cut into 16 bars, then enjoy!! These tasted so good as an afternoon snack, and as breakfast this morning too! Chocolate chips for breakfast? YES please!

Blueberry Oat Bake

Good morning everyone! I had quite an interesting morning today, as my brain was in about 40 places at once. I have been wanting to bake a Blueberry Oat Bake recipe that I had thought up as a way to use all of the blueberries we have in the house! I brainstormed the recipe this week and finally decided to bake it this morning as a pre-workout snack before heading to the gym! After my morning quiet time, I headed to the kitchen and got to work:

Makes 16 squares (one 8x8 baking dish)

1/2 cup Gluten-free oats

2/3 cup Pamela's Gluten-free Pancake and Baking Mix

1/4 cup almond flour

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 T olive oil

1 whole egg

1/3 cup liquid egg whites

1/3-1/2 cup blueberries, washed and dried

16-20 packets stevia (optional)

I mixed all of the ingredients, first the dry...then the wet, then folded in the blueberries. In the meantime, I was separating laundry, and starting to make tea for my Mama. I sprayed my 8x8 baking dish, poured the batter into the dish, and stuck it in the oven. Then I changed into my workout clothes, continued separating laundry, and took the tea to my Mama. About 15 minutes later, I went to check on the bake and saw that it wasn't cooking! I was so confused and stared at the oven for about 30 seconds before figuring out that I had forgotten to turn the oven ON! Oh goodness, it was one of those mornings! I was definitely trying to do too many things at once, so it was inevitable that one vital component of baking would get lost in the process! I turned the oven on (350 degrees by the way) and decided to just scramble an egg while I waited for the bake in order to digest my food before my workout:

After 30 minutes, I pulled the bake out of the oven (and turned the oven OFF). I headed to the gym, resolving that I would just taste my bake when I got back. It looked so good, so I was definitely excited!

I can't wait to enjoy these little baked squares with my tea the next few days since we have some cold weather coming!

So, lessons for today: don't try to do too many things at once and always turn the oven ON when you are attempting to bake something. I hope you guys get to try this recipe soon!

Nutrition facts per square: 60 calories, 2g fat, 6g carb, 2.5g protein