Saturday Sweet talk…

As you must know by now, I’ve had to go ala natural with my foods. This means having to rethink every single thing I eat, from the ground up!

Baking sweet things has been my passion from the time I was a small girl, as I talk about my Easy-Bake Oven at every opportunity. Being the tenacious cookie monster that I am, there will be no white flag… no meek signs of retreat, no, no!

Seeing’s as it’s already heading into the holiday baking season, we’ve been afforded the opportunity to begin displaying our favorite sweet treats… even if it is Gluten, and mostly, Dairy Free (I can still bake with eggs, even if I can’t eat them on their own).

For now, I shall bring you a new recipe each Saturday that can replace an old one, thereby, allowing continued baking success for this Wiwookie Monster (I know, that was worse than a bad Dad Joke).

I know that I probably told you about my first successful Banana Muffins adventure, but it was a bit like cheating to be honest. I simply bought a box mix and added water, in a manner of speaking. The point is, it wasn’t homemade the way I’ve always done in the past.

I’m not about to be bested by something as silly as flour or milk, are you kidding me?! No way…

I found a recipe on Pinterest that I’ll share for anybody that’s interested, because it came out so good that you’d be hard-pressed to consider it Gluten Free.

And, there was hardly any sugar added…

https://www.noglubread.com/gluten-free-banana-bread-recipe/

gluten-free banana bread

Gluten-Free Banana Bread

A moist and flavorful gluten-free banana bread recipe that even picky eaters love.

  • Total Time: 75 minutes
  • Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

Scale

  • 3 medium overripe bananas
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup neutral oil (or melted butter)
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

  1. Mash the bananas in a large bowl using a fork.
  2. Add eggs, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract; stir well.
  3. Add gluten-free flour blend, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix until almost no powder remains.
  4. If using, fold in nuts or chocolate chips now.
  5. Pour the mixture into a greased or parchment-lined loaf pan.
  6. Bake at 350°F for 55 to 65 minutes, starting to check at 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Let the bread sit in the pan for 10 minutes, then cool on a rack before slicing.

I only had two overly ripe bananas and one that was fresh and new, so she suggests that you can add several tablespoons of raw honey to add more sweetness. Besides adding three tablespoons of raw honey to the mix, I opted out of the nuts and chocolate morsels, so as to get a true taste of the banana. I used everything else per the recipe, aside from adding a sprinkling of brown sugar across the top, for that crunchy crust that I especially love.

It rose just as much as a normal gluten bread…

And it was very sweet, moist, and had a bready texture as one would expect from a sweetbread…

I give 5 stars to this recipe, as I only had to add 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 3 Tbsps. of raw honey, in order to achieve a Banana Bread Lover’s melt in your mouth sweetbread!

Definitely, two thumbs up!

Tune in next Saturday for the next scrumptious scientific survey of sugary sweets, or possibly savories, or maybe even some soul foods. If you’ve suggestions for any specific scientific surveys you’d like me to try my Easy-Bake hands at, shout it out!

Have a blessed weekend, my sweet WordPress Family.

Remember that God loves you very much! And, so do I…

Right now? Oatmeal…

Daily writing prompt
Describe one habit that brings you joy.

Now, I’m certain that you were expecting wax poetic over my prayer life, studying the word of God, and/or the incredible love of Jesus Christ… but, I think I do that already. This morning, I opted for something different!

So, in all seriousness, when IBS decided to have a field day with me nearly two months ago… oatmeal has been my life’s blood!

After things were said and done, they kind of just sent me home with a sack of medications. Apparently, I would be on my own from that point, as they didn’t seem bothered by the results from my two procedures. That’s the beauty of IBS… it won’t kill me, but it will never go away.

I had to start at the bottom of my health pile, sifting through every single detail of my own body’s struggle with foods, stress, trauma, poverty, and circumstantial solitude. I shall have to walk this path alone, as far as doctors are concerned. I’ve come to peace with the 4 medications I’ll be taking from now on, as none of them effect the brain. My spirit and emotional health belong to God, and him alone.

This is where my joy of oatmeal arrives… it’s the single thing to eat each day that doesn’t hurt! Even with the removal of caffeine, gluten, and lactose products, I’m still far from home on the IBS Safari Tours!

I’ve adopted an intermittent fasting lifestyle, somewhat. Though the schedule allows for me to consume calories for up to an 8 hour stretch, my body only seems to be happy with eating between noon and 5 o’clock. Part of the issue comes from all the medications I use throughout the day to coat my stomach and intestines. I have to take them 4 times a day in order to eat, and there’s time restrictions for before and after each dose. 5 hours is easier to work with, truth be told.

Why is 5 hours easier, you ask? Because, my roommate IBS tends to lose all trust in my ability to feed myself when she gets upset… always has and always will! No matter how my mind copes with stress and trauma, IBS will always have her day in court, so to speak.

Thankfully, she readily accepts the oatmeal with a tablespoon of brown sugar and a bit of Oat Milk. Work with what you got… and I got oatmeal, baby!

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