Last month, I wrote about the breakfast challenge that 5 bloggers had. They challenged their readers to use one of these foods to make a healthy breakfast: avocado, flax, quinoa, lentils, and walnuts.
I submitted my banana flax walnut recipe and won the challenge for walnuts. Wo-who!
What did I win?
Two jars of nut butters: walnuts and chocolate/walnut from Futters Nut Butters
I’ve never had such nut butters before. I usually buy either peanut or almond butter. Both nut butters are not sweet, which is perfectly fine. Walnuts and cocoa are naturally not sweet anyways. I spread some over honey Graham crackers, drizzled some honey on top, and the taste was absolutely wonderful. They just melted in my mouth!
I checked the company’s website, and they have tons of flavors (pistachios, hazelnut, almonds, sunflowers, etc…) and many come with chocolate! What makes it even better is that no sugar or salt are added. They suggest that you use the butters with breakfast cereal or sauces, and they also have recipes on their website. I know I will be trying them out!
The second prize is Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen
cookbook.
Learn how to identify the REAL causes of your gut problems.
The recipes are super easy. There’s always an introduction about what to expect, and most recipes have a “get creative” section for those of us who can’t help not to!
I tried the buttermilk banana bread (I always have extra-ripe bananas at home). They were great! I used canola oil instead of the butter and the bread was very moist. I also cut back on the amount of sugar, from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup. It wasn’t sweet, I admit. My toddler son still liked it, but if you have a sweet tooth, you might want to stick to the original amount. Here’s my version of the recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 c canola oil
- 3 ripe medium bananas
- 3/4 c buttermilk
- 1/2 c light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur whole wheat)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 c pecans, or other nuts (optional from the “get creative” section)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F and place rack in middle. Lightly grease the bottom of a bread pan with some oil, using a brush or paper towel.
In a medium bowl, mash the bananas until smooth. Mix in the buttermilk until completely blended.
In another bowl, mix the brown sugar (make sure it’s crumbled) with the oil using an electric mixer at high speed. Scarp with spatula if needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla extract and continue beating until combined.
In a third bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and pecans.
Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixtures, stir with a wooden spoon, then add half of the banana/ buttermilk mixture. Repeat with the other half. Stir from the bottom of the bowl up to mix thoroughly (but don’t overmix).
Pour batter into the bread pan and bake for 50-70 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the bread and allow to cool for another 20 before slicing to avoid crumbling.
Thank you breakfast challenge ladies for the wonderful giveaways!
- Lindsey Toth from Healthy Blog Snack
- Elizabeth from Don’t (White) Sugar Coat It
- Janel Ovrut from Eat Well With Janel
- Corinne Dobbas from Green Grapes Blog
- Jessica Maillet from A Fete for Food
