Easy & Healthy Banana Bread

This banana bread is one of my favourite sweet treats that i don't feel too guilty about eating!

I've left in brackets next to the ingredients some alternatives if you'd rather swap or change any.

Ingredients

  3 mashed bananas (well ripened) 

4 tablespoons of honey

2 eggs 

245g self-raising flour (or wholewheat/spelt/coconut/soy/buckwheat/oat flour etc)

1 teaspoon of baking soda

40g melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or essence

A sprinkle of raisins, chia seeds and chocolate chips (optional)

4 tablespoons of milk (I use semi-skimmed or skimmed but soya/coconut/almond milk would work as well)

Prep

1. Turn on the oven to 170 degrees celsius (gas mark 3)
2. Line or grease your loaf tin
3. If you would like to measure out your ingredients to make the method quicker; now's the time to do so. If not you can measure the ingredients as you go

Method

1.  Whisk together all of the wet ingredients (coconut oil, milk, honey, vanilla, eggs and bananas) make sure they are all combined well
2. Stir in the baking powder and the flour, make sure to fold in gently to keep more air in the mixture. If you have a kitchen aid use this on a slow setting
3. Add in your chocolate chips, chia seeds and raisins

Bake for 30 minutes. The loaf won't be cooked just yet but turn it 180 degrees on the oven shelf so the loaf gets an even bake. The loaf will need another 20 minutes. Keep checking the loaf regularly, if its looking golden brown but the inside isn't completely cooked place some foil over the top of the loaf. 

Smoothies

Ive always liked smoothies, but recently I have been drinking them so much. I buy the smoothies that just contain fruit so that nothing artificial is added - innocent smoothies are my favourite.

They are so delicious and healthy as they contribute to two of your five a day if you have just one glass. Its a really easy way of helping you eat or drink your five a day as I know some people find it hard to eat fruit and vegetable each day.

As well as eating balanced meals with vegetables, and fruit as snacks throughout the day, I'm able to eat five or more fruit and vegetable portions a day.

I have looked into making my own smoothies in the past, and have nearly bought myself a blender/juicer but I don't think I would get enough use out of it as I don't have many days when I'm at home all day so I think it would be a waste of money. 

My favourite flavour of innocent smoothies is mango and passion fruit.

Do you have a favourite flavour smoothie?

THE BEST snack

I have been eating humous recently and getting back into it. Its a healthy snack and so tasty!

I've tried making my own humous in the past, but nothing tastes as good as the shop bought humous and im not too sure why! It tastes slightly different in every supermarket, but my personal favourite is the Marks & Spencer's humous.

A typical homemade humous recipe would include:
-chickpeas
-lemon juice
-garlic
-tahini paste
-olive oil

There are loads of recipes online if you are wanting to make your own. All of them differ slightly.

I enjoy eating humous with loads of different things such as carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, crisps, cocktail sausages, pitta bread and many more.

Bit of a weird post but ive been eating and loving it so much recently :)

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