Banana Oat Trail Mix Bread – Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

Everyday I try to bake bread made of whole plantbased ingredients for my teenage son to eat as breakfast and to snack on the whole day. He can eat the entire thing in one day. It shocks me sometimes but when I remember the ingredients, they really are like two bowls of oatmeal topped with dried fruits and nuts with a sprinkling of chocolate chips. Then I would feel good that he is really just actually eating healthy breakfast in mega servings.

While this might be made of healthy ingredients, for those of us who are watching our weight, we have to be mindful as they are still high in calories. Eat in moderation. Fresh fruits and vegetables are still best.

Banana Oat Trail Mix Bread

Preheat oven at 350F

In a blender:

  • 1 cup old fashioned oats (blend until it turns into flour)

In a bowl, mix:

  • blended oats (above)
  • 1/4 cup old cup fashioned oats
  • 1/4 cup almond flour (optional, can be substituted with oat flour)
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed (optional, but healthier)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt

In a blender (no need to wash after blending flour), blend:

  • 4 pcs medjool date (if dates are hard, soften in microwave for 20 seconds)
  • 1/4c plus 2 tbsps water
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil (for flavoring but can be omitted or substituted with nut butter)
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3-4 tbsp nut butter

In a smaller bowl, mash:

  • 3 ripe bananas

Add Ins:

  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/4 chocolate chips
  • 1/4 coconut shreds
  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • or substitute above with 1 cup trail mix

Mix wet with dry ingredients, then mashed bananas and add ins.  Transfer to loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Garnish with a sprinkling of trail mix and oats. Bake at 350F (preheated) for 55 minutes. Wait 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Enjoy Life Is Our Vegan Chocolate Chips Of Choice

I try to follow as closely to a Whole Plantbased lifestyle as I can, and try to pass this along to my son whose asthma and respiratory ailments were healed when we switched to this lifestyle especially when we cut-off dairy. He has been such a sport about giving up food kids his age often indulge in so I try to make up for it by baking him treats as alternative. He is growing up a lot so he is hungry all the time and needs his calories. Enjoy Life is only one of the few highly processed food we have at home.

Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

Enjoy Life has only three in ingredients (their Dark Chocolate only has two!):

Enjoy Life chocolate chips ingredients

I have tried other vegan chocolate chips, but Enjoy Life is our favorite. A couple of years ago I could only find them in specialty health food store or at Whole Foods but last year I discovered they were now distributed in most grocery stores which is great. They were even on sale this morning ($3.99 regular price is $5.29) but I limited only to purchasing two bags because I still have one and a half bag at home.

I use Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips in most of my baked goods: banana bread, pumpkin bread, mango blondies, oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies. A bag would yield 4-6 batches of treats (I use 1/4 cup or less per batch). While it is good to have healthier and vegan alternatives, those of us who needs to mantain/lose weight should keep in mind that treats like these are still higher in calories compared to other whole plantbased dishes. Enjoy occasionally.

 

Easy And Delicious Vegan Pumpkin Bread

This is my 14 year old son’s new favorite. If I let him, he can eat this in one sitting. Which is surprising because I wouldn’t think pumpkin bread would appeal to a teenager but it does. This will definitely be a part of our Thanksgiving menu. The bonus is, it’s so easy to make.

Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Easy and Delicious Pumpkin Bread

In a bowl mix:

  • 1 3/4 c whole wheat flour (or my go-to blend is 3/4 oat flour, 1/2 c almond flour, 1/2 c chickpea flour)
  • 2 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp pumpkin spice (or 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 ground cloves)
  • 4 tbsp chopped nuts
  • 4 tbsp dried cranberries
  • *3 tbsp vegan chocolate chips (optional)

In a blender :

  • 8 pcs medjool date (softened in microwave for 20 seconds)
  • 1 c plus 2 tbsp pumpkin purée
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tsp lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
  • 3-4 tbsp nut butter

Mix wet and dry ingredients.  Place mixture in a loaf pan. Bake at 350F (preheated) for 55 minutes. Wait 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

 

Cruciferous Salad For Weight Loss and Good Health

This is a great salad that is not only great for weight loss but uses cruciferous which are among the most nutritious vegetables. Think of it as a healthier version of coleslaw that you can eat as much as you want.

Cruciferous Weight Loss Salad Ingredients
2 pcs carrots
1/4 head Red Cabbage
1 cup broccoli
1 cup cauliflower
1/2 red onion
1 head romaine lettuce or 4 cups moringa (malunggay) leaves

Chop, mix, add dressing and mix some more.
*I highly recommend adding beans (1 cup garbanzos, black beans, edamame) or tofu to help keep you feel full longer. I personally always eat my salad with water sauteed mushrooms and onions. Mushrooms are good for respiratory health.

1/3 cup water
2 tbsps Apple cider vinegar
1 medjool date
1/2 avocado
1 /8 red onion
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Blend and mix in salad.

Substitutions

1 pc Medjool date = 2 deglet noor dates or 1 tbsp raisins
1/2 avocado = 1/4 cup raw cashews or 1 tbsp tahini or almond butter
2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar = kalamansi, lemons or cane vinegar

 

 

 

Cooking Plantbased

I am not chef nor am I an aspiring food blogger. I cook because it is a necessity for me and my family. Honestly, I don’t like spending time in the kitchen. I am an artist/graphic designer I would rather put my energies elsewhere. But I do enjoy eating the dishes I make and ever since I turned plantbased, mostly prefer them to restaurant food tastewise. It is not even about nutrition or cost anymore but the taste. It’s amazing considering early in our marriage my husband and I would eat out as much as 4 times as week!

So what do I blog about when I am not a cook? I will post about nutritional nuggets and recipes I have experimented with. The latest of the latter was this chocolate banana cake which I thought was an inspired idea.

Here are the ingredients I used and the link of the recipe where it was inspired from:

3 very ripe bananas (fresh or thawed from frozen)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup corn starch
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

adapted from this recipe (This is the best vegan banana bread I have tried):
https://detoxinista.com/vegan-almond-flour-banana-bread/

While this is a healthy vegan recipe the next time I will make this, I will replace brown sugar with date paste.

Yours In Health,
Geri