So honestly, let’s have a serious talk about bananas for a minute.
If you’ve coached with me one-on-one you know that bananas are not apart of your program. Truth is, when dealing with clients that have 30+ pounds to lose, are struggling with hormonal imbalances or dealing with infertility, managing blood sugar is of UTMOST importance!
Like, it’s everything!
Hence why I eliminate bananas out of their plans. They raise blood sugar a little too much. This doesn’t mean my clients can’t ever have them, but temporarily, until some positive changes start to happen, they are a no-go!
I used to eat bananas all the time. I mean daily. Same with avocados. This is going back at least 8 or 9 years ago. And sure enough, I had a ton of digestive issues. I couldn’t figure out what was causing my stomach issues until I did a food sensitivity test.
Sure enough, guess what showed up on my test?
Bananas and avocados!
UGH! Often times, it’s the foods we eat the most that end up causing us the most problems, as we wear out the same digestive enzymes over and over again.
Also, let’s face it; you’re probably eating the same 5 or 6 fruits and veggies over and over again with little variety in your diet.
Variety is key, especially when it comes to nutrition. We need to use food as fuel (because that’s exactly what it is) and in doing so, that means expanding our current repertoire of ingredients.
Anyways, how do these Banana Baked Oatmeal Square fit into all of this? Well, sometimes I like eating bananas and so, I do. Plain and simple.
They were the perfect binder in this recipe (or you could use apple sauce), but I really felt like having bananas. And here’s the thing, now that I got my fix, I probably won’t eat them for weeks or months.
Now, it’s your turn to be happy! Hope you enjoy these tasty gems as much as I do. They are great as a quick grab and go breakfast, especially for the kids and back to school busy-ness or are great as a pre workout carb option to fuel your muscles.
I’ll be enjoying these as a pre-bike ride fuel 🙂 #morningfuel
- 2 cups gluten free oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Brand)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (my favourite is Redmond Sea Salt)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, plus extra for greasing pan
- 1/2 mashed banana (about one and a half bananas)
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional, I used Enjoy Life dairy free brand)
- Sliced bananas, for topping
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a muffin or brownie pan with coconut oil.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and shredded coconut.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together coconut oil, mashed banana and coconut milk.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. Add in chocolate chips and mix again to incorporate.
- Scoop the mixture into the muffin or brownie pan and add sliced bananas to each top, gently pressing them down into each square.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes, until the squares are slightly golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy hot out of the oven, or store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
