February 7, 2018
This weekend I had some free time on my hands and decided to have a bit of a Sunday afternoon baking session. With all the craziness of Christmas, New Year and being a fur-mum to our new puppy, I haven’t had a chance to do what I really enjoy in the kitchen, which is baking up a storm! I definitely wouldn’t change it for the world (especially now that the pup is getting toilet training), the first month of 2018 has flown by with everything we’ve had on. It’s hard sometimes to stop and do something that you enjoy when you’ve got a whole heap of things on, and I keep finding that my down time is spent in front of the TV rather than doing something I enjoy, just because I don’t have the energy for anything else!
Baking for me is almost meditative. There’s something about pulling together ingredients that on their own don’t have much to offer, but when put with other things create something amazing. This process of creation is so therapeutic to me, and I’d honestly forgotten how much I enjoyed it until this weekend. Even though I only baked something simple, it was so nice to get back into the kitchen again for something other than cooking dinner. I always find that I don’t make time for myself, and this is the one way I can do it without giving myself a feeling of guilt for not doing the other things on my to-do list.
So anyway, back to what I made. I decided that I wanted to try making something a little more on the guilt-free side, it being early in the year and all. I’ve been trying to be healthy, and so I guess I’ve been avoiding making sweet treats for this reason! I find that when I make it I have to eat it, you know, for testing purposes, and then I’ll end up having a couple more pieces for good measure. So this time I figured why not try and make something that I don’t need to worry about having an extra slice of? My partner is also terrible at eating breakfast, and I figured that this would be a great way to get him to eat a healthy breakfast before work, especially as he often forgets lunch too!
This bread is perfect when you’ve got a bit of overripe fruit in the house but aren’t sure what to do with it. Normally I’m a bit hesitant when cooking with apples, as I’m lazy and you normally need to peel them, dice them, wash them, do a rain dance, you get the idea. But with this recipe you simply grate up an apple and a pear, and it takes less than 2 minutes to have your fruit ready for the bread! I also love that it incorporates fruit for sweetness, as it means you don’t need to add sugar. Did I mention this recipe is also gluten and dairy free? I mean a recipe for delicious, sweet tasting bread which only uses one bowl and is baked in 45 minutes? It’s pretty much what dreams are made of. I find it hard to get motivated to bake healthy when you need a million ingredients you’re only going to use once, so I love that this recipe is so simple to make and uses mostly ingredients you’ll have on hand.
This delicious bread is gluten, dairy and sugar free (except for the fruit and honey). Perfect for breakfast, or a mid morning snack, it is packed full of protein to keep you full for longer.
- 1 green apple, grated (skin on)
- 1 pear, grated (skin on)
- 2 cups almond meal
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
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Preheat your oven to 180C (350F). Line a loaf tray with baking paper and set aside.
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Squeeze most of the juice out of the apple and pear with your hands before placing into a medium sized bowl. Add the almond meal, coconut oil, eggs, vanilla extract, honey and cinnamon, and stir until the mixture is completely combined.
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Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown on the top.
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Remove the loaf tin from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely until you remove it from the tray. Slice into even pieces.
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Serve warmed up in the microwave with honey or nut butter on top.
As I said before, what I think is the best part about this recipe is that it only requires one bowl, and a handful of easy to find ingredients, to get a delicious and tasty healthy treat on the table! I am all for a simple recipe as you know, and this one is no different! It is definitely something that anyone could make with ease.
I also love that it is a healthy option that doesn’t make you feel like you are compromising. Although it isn’t as sweet as some of the banana breads that I’ve made in the past, you don’t really miss it as the fruit brings a lot of the sweetness you need. I was surprised that my partner loved it so much as he is such a sweet tooth, but he keeps going back for more which is a great sign! He does lather some honey on it before eating but at least it is baby steps! I definitely did the same as it makes the bread next level adding some honey to it when it’s warm.
If you’re looking for a healthy recipe perfect for snacks or breakfast, this is definitely what you need. It is super easy and quick to make so perfect for meal prep, and it tastes delicious which helps beat cravings for something sweeter come 3pm. It was nice to make something that I didn’t get a little guilty about eating for a change, but hey, I’ll most definitely be on the full sugar baking bandwagon in no time I’m sure!
Until next time, happy eating!
Ella xx
