A health foodie craving tale- Pumpkin and Banana Junkie with a side of Chocolate Addiction

         As soon as Starbucks gives the pumpkin spice latte signal I am ready for soups, pumpkin, root veggies, and twice the banana.  Unfortunately, this summer held on with its fierce grip and autumn flavor had to wait.  Now oven is on and so are the baking experiments.  The start of this tale was a girl (me!) seriously craving some banana bread of the gluten free kind. Anything of the baking variety with me becomes an experiment.  Cooking is more my thing, but baking is becoming a necessary skill to acquire.  After emptying my cabinets and pulling a basic recipe, this deliciousness was created-   It's mix of grains with protein, omegas, fiber. Good stuff.  But it taste bad.  Like you wanna be bad.

Gluten free Banana Bread

What you need:

Brown or white rice flour 1/2 cup
Flaxseed 1/4 cup
Oats   3/4 cup, ground (gluten free for GF challenged)
Large egg with 1/3 cup of melted butter OR   1 cup of applesauce (go Vegan!)
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 to 3 very ripe bananas

Prep and bake--

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃ my metric friends), then coat with butter or baking spray a 4 x 8 loaf pan.
3. If your oats are not ground then do so. I use my blender because it makes it a fine powder which I prefer. Add the flaxseed, ground oats, and rice flour together and set aside. All components should equal 1 & 1/2 cup.
2. Mash the bananas in a bowl, then add the egg and melted butter or add the applesauce.   Do not do egg and butter with applesauce.  Apple sauce is a second option. One or the other. Applesauce is a great substitute for an egg allergy or staying on the vegan track.
3. Add baking soda, vanilla extract, sugar, and flour combination to the banana mix.  Stir until blended well.
4. Pour mixture in the coated loaf pan. You can add chocolate chips, nuts, dried cranberries, etc on top.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 45 - 50 minutes. If you are not sure as I often am, use tried and true stick a butter knife or toothpick in the middle and if it comes out pretty much clean, it is done.

 It satisfied the sweet craving quickly and a slice was filling.  I did go for two.  I did extra elliptical minutes, I earned it.    I am not a natural baker and it's more like learning a made up language most of time.  Pulling from my inner Frankenstein creator I made this next tastiness come alive. These cookies are anyone with a pumpkin craving that shares my banana obsession. The chia and flaxseed lend to omega and protein.  Pumpkin and bananas add great nutrition. Oats are a source of great fiber.   You can tamper with it (at your own risk) to make them to reduced sugar or add other nutrients for more punch. It follows a similar pattern to the banana bread but the consistency will be much different since it does not use flour.

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies/Bars

What you need:

Chia 1/4 cup
Flaxseed 1/4 cup
Oats   1 cup, ground (gluten free for GF challenged)
Large egg with 1/4 cup of melted butter OR   1/2 cup of applesauce (go Vegan!)
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 very ripe bananas
1/2 can of pumpkin filling/puree

Prep and bake--

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃ my metric friends), then coat with butter or baking spray a 4 x 8 loaf pan or a muffin tin
3. Ground the oats, flaxseed, and chia together.  I had to ground them in sections since my blender is small.  All components should equal 1 & 1/2 cup.
2. Mash the bananas in a bowl, then add pumpkin puree, egg/butter or applesauce.   One or the other. Applesauce is a great substitute for an egg allergy or if you are a vegan.
3. Add baking soda, vanilla extract, sugar, and oat/flax/ch- ch- ch- chia combination to the banana mix.  Stir until blended well.
4. Pour mixture in the coated loaf pan or 3/4 full of each muffin tin section. You can add chocolate chips, nuts, dried cranberries, etc on top.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes for loaf pan and 30 for muffin tins. If you are not sure as I often am, use tried and true stick a butter knife or toothpick in the middle and if it comes out pretty much clean, it is done.  The loaf rises only a little and they can be cut into bars.

  I did manage to willingly share my creation, which is a feat when chocolate is involved.  The recipe was doubled so I was able to do a loaf and twelve muffins.   It makes a great part of your morning with cottage cheese or yogurt.  If you are on the go, grab one or two with a protein shake. Having a nourishing breakfast item prepared is the best ending to this girls tale of cravings and wellness.

Enjoy and Namaste.