As I mentioned in my recent post (‘importance of having breakfast’), there are so many benefits to having a nutritious meal in the morning, and how it can improve your game, and take you up to the next level. It’s also really important to fuel yourself throughout the day, whether it’s straight after match play/comp, or simply when we hit that 3pm sugar crave. Today, I’ll take you through step by step on how to made the perfect banana bread which you can make at home, and take to your next game for an on-the-go snack, which can lift your energy levels so you can be on your ‘A GAME’ (a perfect replacement for those supermarket banana breads that are full of added sugar, artificial flavours ect.)
Yes, you may be thinking… “but banana bread is so full of carbs!”, well yes, that is true, as it does have the word bread in it…BUT, it can be a wonderful source of protein which we need for our growth, repair and recovery of our muscles, PLUS it helps to stabilise our blood sugar levels, preventing us from over-eating. Banana bread can also provide us with healthy monounsaturated fats with ingredients such as nuts and olive oil/coconut oil. Including nuts and dates and dark chocolate as toppings can also be a source of healthy fats that we need in our diets.
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for our bodies…WE SHOULD NOT BE AVOIDING THEM! It provides energy for all cells to use protein from the muscles and organs, and when deprived, our bodies survive off of protein and fat…which is not good as it decreases our energy levels, leaving us weak and fragile. Carbs are not the enemy! Learn to love them, then your body will love you.
To get all these amazing, and magical nutrients in your bodies…just follow the steps below…
Image from: (http://cookieandkate.com/2015/healthy-banana-bread-recipe/) a great website with lots of fabulous recipes… (note: the recipe on this blog is my homemade one)
WHAT YOU NEED
- 1/3 coconut oil ( or alternatively olive oil)
- 1/4 honey or maple syrup or rice malt syrup
- 2 eggs
- 2 mashed bananas (can mash up with a fork)
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 and 3/4 of a cup of flour (preferably white whole wheat flour)
- you may add in your own toppings, which can include walnuts, pecans, almonds, chocolate chips, dates, fresh banana slices, berries, coconut chips(my fav is dates and nuts…delicious!)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. preheat oven to 180C degrees and prepare your loaf pan with baking paper
2. beat the oil, honey and egg together in the large bowl
3. whisk in the mashed banana and milk
4. add the baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt and pour batter in loaf pan
5. add nuts on top
6. bake for approximately 50-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown (until a fork inserted into centre of loaf comes out clean)
7. let it cool for 10-15 minutes
Featured Image from: (http://cookieandkate.com/2015/healthy-banana-bread-recipe/)
Comment down below if you’ve got anything to add, or any suggestions! I’d love to hear from you 🙂